Two reservations or one for B2B

[jerseyfresh72]

So I want to take the 10 day Divina Sept 1-11th cruise but the yacht club shows sold out for that specific cruise. When I go to book the individual cruises a 3 day Sept 1-4 and a 7 day sept 4-11 they have Yacht club rooms available. I even went to check and there are several of the same YC rooms that are empty on both sailings which to me means you could offer the same room for a full 10 days. Has anyone experienced this? Should I go ahead and just book two separate reservations for the same room or are there negative impacts of doing that. Any advice is appreciated.

[morpheusofthesea]

The answer is 'it depends'. In our case, if we booked one 14 day cruise the total cost would be $200 less than booking 2 separate cruises, the deposit would be $398 total and the OBC $500. But we instead booked the 2 separate cruises B2B, it cost $200 more, we put down 2 deposits of $398 each and received $500 OBC on each cruise ($1000). Also, depending on loyalty level, we will receive only one bottle of liquor, Prosecco and Spumante, and chocolate ship(each), versus 2 of everything and 4 chocolate ships. Must be 2 booking numbers.

Edited July 25, 2022 by morpheusofthesea

[dexddd]

What you talk about is very common with MSC .

 

That being said, we booked two b2b YC trips that you could buy individually and as one.  We bought as two since cheaper and wanting two sets of perks.  Surprise, MSC made it all one reservation at the two sailing price.

 

At the end of the day, MSC covets thy cabins.

[JAGR]

We had the same situation in a B2B on Seashore in Feb.-Mar.  In order to get the same cabin we did two bookings.  As Morpheus notes, you get two of everything if you are at a high enough VC level.  You will get one bottle of liquor each week in your cabin in YC, regardless of VC level.  Only problem we had was getting our butler to understand we were B2B.  He thought we were only on for a week.  The cabin availability situation is unique to MSC.  Their room allocation function must be being handled by the their oxymoronic "Customer Service" department.

[morpheusofthesea]

6 hours ago, JAGR said:

Only problem we had was getting our butler to understand we were B2B.  He thought we were only on for a week

Funny, the same thing happened to an acquaintance of ours. In his case it was definitely due to the tip he gave his butler at the end of the first week that lead to the butler's total disbelief his charge was on for another whole week.

[Seadweller001]

We seem to have the same problem booking b2b's.  We have paid more but you get the add'l Specialty meal, $50 (each) OBC for each res # and double choc ships and double dinner photos.  What the extra amenities are worth probably does not equal the excess charge.

 

To do a 14 night cruise from PC it is a 3 separate booking adventure with lots of take home goodies.  By now I could open a Jack Daniels store.  We dont drink so they make great holiday gifts to neighbors and friends.

[Hlitner]

We have seen the same situation with other MSC cruises.  Try to book a single long cruise (back to back or back to back to back) in the YC and it comes up with no available cabins.  But book those same cruises separately and there are a few YC cabins on each cruise.  We once saw this on a Seashore cruise with the same cabin available on back to backs but not available if trying to book it as a single cruise.  We actually called our cruise agent (we use several cruise agencies to book our cruises) and asked about this and she called MSC.  The MSC rep admitted to the problem but said they could not override the system and book that one cabin as a single booking (for two cruises).

 

Apparently, this is an issue with MSC's software algorithm and given MSCs somewhat famous (or infamous) customer service one imagines it will continue to be a problem.   If you want to go on the cruises, you can book them as separate bookings.   Once aboard you can stop at the concierge desk and ask them to smooth over the turnaround day issues.

 

Hank

[JAGR]

14 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Apparently, this is an issue with MSC's software algorithm and given MSCs somewhat famous (or infamous) customer service one imagines it will continue to be a problem.   If you want to go on the cruises, you can book them as separate bookings.   Once aboard you can stop at the concierge desk and ask them to smooth over the turnaround day issues.

 

Hank

Funniest post in weeks!  You managed to combine MSC, software, and algorithm in one sentence!  Amazing!  I doubt anyone in MSC Customer Service knows either of the last two words.  Good job, Hank!  Well done! 😄

Edited July 27, 2022 by JAGR

[mscdivina2016]

On 7/25/2022 at 2:48 PM, jerseyfresh72 said:

So I want to take the 10 day Divina Sept 1-11th cruise but the yacht club shows sold out for that specific cruise. When I go to book the individual cruises a 3 day Sept 1-4 and a 7 day sept 4-11 they have Yacht club rooms available. I even went to check and there are several of the same YC rooms that are empty on both sailings which to me means you could offer the same room for a full 10 days. Has anyone experienced this? Should I go ahead and just book two separate reservations for the same room or are there negative impacts of doing that. Any advice is appreciated.

Use a TA!!!!

This is one thing you don't want goofed up by anyone unless you want to switch cabins mid cruise. IT is lousy. 

 

I have done 2 b2b cruises with MSC in the last 9 months both ways.

Perks mean nothing to me so either way I don't care.

I did have to switch cabins on the booked separately cruise.

 

[Hlitner]

On a more serious note, folks doing back to backs should make a real effort to get the same cabin on each cruise.  Moving between cruises is an annoyance that makes that turn around day a lot more difficult.  In the YC this would probably not be too bad since the Butlers would certainly handle most of the work and you can take advantage of the Concierge service to ease the process.  But outside the YC, things can be a major hassle.  The little things become major problems such as just trying to deal with any valuables in your cabin safe that only you can move.  You sometimes face a situation where you need to get out of your cabin and are not yet able to get into the new cabin!   I should mention that this is not unique to MSC but an issue on nearly every cruise line.

 

By the way, since we are talking about back to backs I will make a suggestion for those doing this at the Port of Miami.  A few years ago we had this back to back situation on the Divina.  Having lived, in the past, in South Florida, we had seen more of Miami than necessary so our first inclination was to just stay on the ship.  But that becomes a pain and waiting game as you sit in the terminal waiting for the ship to be cleared so you can reboard.   So we decided to book a Food Tour in Little Havana (a well known small neighborhood in Miami).  We used Uber to get us to and from the meeting place (in Miami) and the tour was a lot of fun.   The timing of the tour was also convenient since it was late in the morning until early afternoon.

 

Hank

[GA Dave]

I am dredging up this thread as it seems to be the closest existing thread to what I have to ask. 

I am looking at booking at least 90 - 120 days on an MSC ship out of the USA for when I first retire.  Due to the length of time I am looking at, I obviously would not be looking at a YC stay (if I had that kind of money, I would charter!).  Does anyone know if that is even feasible with MSC's systems?  Would this be something you would try and do via the website, via their call center, or via a TA that usually handles MSC reservations?  Still a ways off, but I am trying to get some preliminary plans started.

Any previous experience with B2B2B2B2B2etc. planning is appreciated.

[mscdivina2016]

11 minutes ago, GA Dave said:

I am dredging up this thread as it seems to be the closest existing thread to what I have to ask. 

I am looking at booking at least 90 - 120 days on an MSC ship out of the USA for when I first retire.  Due to the length of time I am looking at, I obviously would not be looking at a YC stay (if I had that kind of money, I would charter!).  Does anyone know if that is even feasible with MSC's systems?  Would this be something you would try and do via the website, via their call center, or via a TA that usually handles MSC reservations?  Still a ways off, but I am trying to get some preliminary plans started.

Any previous experience with B2B2B2B2B2etc. planning is appreciated.

We have done 5 in a row with NCL and had 1 booking number but that is no longer allowed.

MSC also a no for single booking number. However they sell it is all you can get. Check the rates as 2 seven day might be cheaper than one 14 night.

I would only use a TA Incase something goes wrong.

[Hlitner]

2 minutes ago, GA Dave said:

I am dredging up this thread as it seems to be the closest existing thread to what I have to ask. 

I am looking at booking at least 90 - 120 days on an MSC ship out of the USA for when I first retire.  Due to the length of time I am looking at, I obviously would not be looking at a YC stay (if I had that kind of money, I would charter!).  Does anyone know if that is even feasible with MSC's systems?  Would this be something you would try and do via the website, via their call center, or via a TA that usually handles MSC reservations?  Still a ways off, but I am trying to get some preliminary plans started.

Any previous experience with B2B2B2B2B2etc. planning is appreciated.

Hmmm.   I would use a reputable high volume cruise agency that enhances bookings with On Board Credits and perhaps some other amenities (such as pre paid gratuities).  A decent cruise agent/agency would handle the bookings and might be able to negotiate some type of discount from MSC (this is questionable).   But as one who has taken some long cruises (measured in months) on several cruise lines (not MSC) I can toss out a few things you need to consider and plan.  A major consideration should be health insurance.  If you are on Medicare you would have very little or no out of country coverage so you need to purchase insurance.  There are some decent annual trip medical plans (we have GeoBlue) but most of those are limited in some ways (GeoBlue only covers up to 70 days per a single trip).  There are some decent travel insurance brokers that can explain the various options and cost.

 

Another issue, which many folks do not consider until it is panic time, is dealing with various household and routine tasks.   I am talking about mail, bills, routine recurrent tasks, etc.  When we retired and starting traveling as much as 6 months a year it took us a couple of years to work through all the issues and set-up accounts to handle all this stuff.  Now, we can go away, for months, with only a couple of days notice!   In fact, just today we have been planning on "cutting the cord" in terms of cable TV, landline, etc. in order to better deal with long trips.  

 

And finally I would offer a personal observation.  Many folks dream about long trips after they retire and we have met many who were miserable!  Why?  They are just not used to long trips.  What seems like a good idea is often not what you expect.  If you have never been on a ship for 1-2 months, you might want to try that to see if it is something you like.  Our first long cruise was 62 days on a relatively small ship (Prinsendam) and we had our doubts.  The last night of that cruise, DW said "I could stay aboard for another 62 days?"  But consider that on a long cruise you are likely going to have lots of recurrent entertainment, menus, activities, etc.  The only thing that is constantly changing are your fellow passengers and the crew :).

 

Hank

[Paphillyguy]

I had this same issue for an October sailing and since I was using a casino offer it had to be booked as one sailing.  They were able to get me one YC room but in a not so desirable location for me.  I just checked everyday online and one day a bunch of rooms came available and I was able to move my room.  I am not sure that this will help you since I believe that you said it is not showing any rooms but it does show that rooms do show up sometimes later.  

[Seadweller001]

We sailed 4 months on a competitor starting in MIA,  to SA, thru the Panama Canal, up the coast of Calf, to Hawaii, to Tahiti and surrounding French Polynesian Islands, to Australia (all over the continent), to New Zealand, Isle of Pines, Vanuatu, to Indonesia, (Bali) , Viet Nam, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong and a few more places (mid Oct 2012 to mid Feb 2013).

 

We planned our 120:days for a year prior to boarding.  We had so much luggage we had to fly First Class since the extra 4 suitcases were extremely expensive.  First Class has it luggage privileges. 
 

Unfort, we did not have the same suite on all cruise segment but the Butlers took care of everything making the move seamless.

 

It was exciting everyday visiting many cities in countries we have never been too.  We took 4500 pics.   
 

We used a discount TA who netted 50% of the commissions against the fares.

 

It was a once in a lifetime experience.

 

Since Covid we have 14 cruises repeating the same PC to OC to Nassau to Cozumel to Costa Maya ad naseum but its better than being home.  Just a let down when we think about our 2012 late retirement celebration cruise.

 

Was it worth the cost of a new 911 Turbo S?   1000% yes.  The memories are indelible and will stay forever.

 

Poster, dont procrastinate, have a great time! 

 

 

[GA Dave]

4 hours ago, Seadweller001 said:

We sailed 4 months on a competitor starting in MIA,  to SA, thru the Panama Canal, up the coast of Calf, to Hawaii, to Tahiti and surrounding French Polynesian Islands, to Australia (all over the continent), to New Zealand, Isle of Pines, Vanuatu, to Indonesia, (Bali) , Viet Nam, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong and a few more places (mid Oct 2012 to mid Feb 2013).

 

We planned our 120:days for a year prior to boarding.  We had so much luggage we had to fly First Class since the extra 4 suitcases were extremely expensive.  First Class has it luggage privileges. 
 

Unfort, we did not have the same suite on all cruise segment but the Butlers took care of everything making the move seamless.

 

It was exciting everyday visiting many cities in countries we have never been too.  We took 4500 pics.   
 

We used a discount TA who netted 50% of the commissions against the fares.

 

It was a once in a lifetime experience.

 

Since Covid we have 14 cruises repeating the same PC to OC to Nassau to Cozumel to Costa Maya ad naseum but its better than being home.  Just a let down when we think about our 2012 late retirement celebration cruise.

 

Was it worth the cost of a new 911 Turbo S?   1000% yes.  The memories are indelible and will stay forever.

 

Poster, dont procrastinate, have a great time! 

 

 

Thanks.  It sounds like you had an amazing adventure.  And I know exactly what you mean about the PC to OC to Nassau ad naseum.  Five of my last six cruises have been three days just like that!  Unfortunately, with my current work situation, I can only do three-day weekend cruises, which really limits your port destinations!

[mowogo]

13 hours ago, GA Dave said:

Thanks.  It sounds like you had an amazing adventure.  And I know exactly what you mean about the PC to OC to Nassau ad naseum.  Five of my last six cruises have been three days just like that!  Unfortunately, with my current work situation, I can only do three-day weekend cruises, which really limits your port destinations!

3 days pretty much means Nassau/Private Island or Ensenada.  And for bargain basement pricing OC easily beats Princess Cays