Last minute upgrade question

[jame_g]

I received an email that my Yacht Club upgrade bid was accepted. My credit card has also already been billed. However, it's been over 24 hours and my booking has not been updated online and all my documentation still indicates my original booking information. Not even sure what room we will be in yet. We will be leaving tomorrow for Miami, and the cruise leaves Saturday (in 2 days).

 

Is this typical? If we don't get any updated documents before we leave, will we still be able to go to the YC check-in area with our original e-ticket information?

[Stockjock]

55 minutes ago, jame_g said:

I received an email that my Yacht Club upgrade bid was accepted. My credit card has also already been billed. However, it's been over 24 hours and my booking has not been updated online and all my documentation still indicates my original booking information. Not even sure what room we will be in yet. We will be leaving tomorrow for Miami, and the cruise leaves Saturday (in 2 days).

 

Is this typical? If we don't get any updated documents before we leave, will we still be able to go to the YC check-in area with our original e-ticket information?

I have no specific experience with this, but if it was me, I'd check again just before leaving, be sure to have proof that the bid was accepted, and head straight to the YC check-in area upon arrival.

Edited October 27, 2022 by Stockjock

[Mrdell]

Personally, if it was me, I wouldn’t leave anything “to chance “ with MSC…. They are notorious for blunders…. They have even billed me twice for the same down payment!!

[Georgia_Peaches]

6 hours ago, jame_g said:

If we don't get any updated documents before we leave, will we still be able to go to the YC check-in area with our original e-ticket information?

Did you use a TA?  If so, they can get you updated docs.  If not, I would go to YC tent and show them the e-mail indicating your bid was accepted.  The YC check in desk should have your reservation in their system.  I don't like leaving anything up to chance either but if your bid has been accepted and you've been billed, you are a YC guest and are entitled to all the perks...even embarkation....so insist, if you have to.

[jame_g]

No, I didn't use a TA. I don't think a TA could even get updated docs yet because I called customer service and they couldn't even tell that I was upgraded. All they said was that if I got the email then I was upgraded and it could take a couple days to show up on the system. Hopefully it will show up by tomorrow morning so I have time to go online and have it email new etickets so I can print them, especially luggage tags, and know what my room is ahead of time. 

[mmbcater]

It takes a couple of days for the upgrade department (independent vendor also does Royal's upgrades) to communicate the status change.Take that email with you and show up at the YC tent!!

[Georgia_Peaches]

3 hours ago, jame_g said:

especially luggage tags

You can also get luggage tags at the YC tent when you drop off your bag. 

[jame_g]

Well, none of that worked. They made us check in using the regular line, then go to guest services after boarding. And so far no record of the upgrade that they were

very quick to bill my credit card for. So far we've been told that we just have to go to our original room. Then maybe later today they can figure something out. Doubtful. This is a full ship and it sounded like there were several others in the guest service line with the same issue. Sounds like someone screwed up!

[Stockjock]

42 minutes ago, jame_g said:

Well, none of that worked. They made us check in using the regular line, then go to guest services after boarding. And so far no record of the upgrade that they were

very quick to bill my credit card for. So far we've been told that we just have to go to our original room. Then maybe later today they can figure something out. Doubtful. This is a full ship and it sounded like there were several others in the guest service line with the same issue. Sounds like someone screwed up!

Frustrating.  This shouldn't happen.

[heatherb1958]

5 hours ago, jame_g said:

Well, none of that worked. They made us check in using the regular line, then go to guest services after boarding. And so far no record of the upgrade that they were

very quick to bill my credit card for. So far we've been told that we just have to go to our original room. Then maybe later today they can figure something out. Doubtful. This is a full ship and it sounded like there were several others in the guest service line with the same issue. Sounds like someone screwed up!

 

Similar issue happened last year , not a YC upgrade bid, but a friend received an e.mail to say her bid from inside to balcony was accepted on Virtuosa August 21, no change in documentation,  she was billed for it. She spent hours onboard in the first couple of days trying to sort it . She never got an upgrade and ship wasn't even full !!! 

[Jessab]

I'm glad I read this because I thought of doing it last minute with such a good offer and I'm sure the yacht club is great, but I would be really upset if that happened to me   

[PTC DAWG]

An update from the OP would have been nice.

[Jeep Driver]

10 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

An update from the OP would have been nice.

Yes, it would be nice if we knew what guest services had to say. Leave us hanging much? 

[Eglesbrech]

@jame_g did you get this sorted out, money back, an apology?

[jame_g]

Sorry, I didn't respond right away because this took a couple weeks after we got back to fully resolve. By then I was swamped with work and the holidays. My first time back to the boards today.

 

So onboard we went several rounds with guest services. All they would ever say is that they sent it to corporate to resolve, and they didn't give us updates when promised. We also tried the Yacht Club Director and he basically treated us like we were trying to scam him and that he'd never had to give an upgrade to someone in this situation, although he let slip that it was known that MSC has a problem with their upgrade process and that this seems to happen regularly, and there's no way to quickly resolve it for those impacted even though it's been going on for months. There were at least 3 others in line at guest services with similar upgrade issues when we were first in line at boarding.

 

The Yacht Club did send us a bottle of Champagne with an apology note several hours later, although we were still stuck in our original room at that point.

 

Halfway through the cruise corporate finally confirmed we were supposed to be in the Yacht Club. At first they tried to put us into a lower level suite than what we bid on. It was disappointing compared to the aft suite (non-Yacht Club) that we already had. We told them it was the wrong suite and we didn't want it since it still wasn't what we upgraded to. An hour later they offered us the correct suite and we accepted. So we got to enjoy both an aft aurea suite and a Yacht Club Suite in a single cruise. (And we loved Ocean Cay and Ocean House for lunch.)

 

However, that still left the issue of what we paid for vs what we got. We were assured later that we would get a prorated refund for 3 of the 8 days upgrade fee. However, it took until two weeks after we got back home from the cruise to get the refund. They did end up refunded more than they originally indicated to help make up for all the trouble.

 

I think what helped vs others in similar situation who never got their upgrade was we brought copies of the credit card statement showing the billing and the corresponding upgrade email with us, and they faxed those to corporate. 

 

I would say that the aft aurea suite is definitely a nicer room than the Deluxe or Grand Deluxe in the Yacht Club. So doing it again would depend on what is more important, the room or the Yacht Club experience.

 

Getting off the cruise we were disappointed with the way MSC handled this overall, but since they did make it right in the end, we have decided to book with them again.

 

Edited December 12, 2022 by jame_g

[deliver42]

Glad they made it right for you, even though it took a while.

[jame_g]

On 12/11/2022 at 5:55 PM, Eglesbrech said:

@jame_g did you get this sorted out, money back, an apology?

 

In the end yes. Just wondering if you were on our cruise and I met you. There was someone on our cruise from Scotland that met with the smokers group in the starboard aft section of deck 8, close to the adult pool and bar. William is my other half and hung out with that group most evenings.

[Eglesbrech]

24 minutes ago, jame_g said:

 

In the end yes. Just wondering if you were on our cruise and I met you. There was someone on our cruise from Scotland that met with the smokers group in the starboard aft section of deck 8, close to the adult pool and bar. William is my other half and hung out with that group most evenings.

Sorry no not me, I don’t smoke.

 

Glad you got it sorted out.

[styles27]

On 12/12/2022 at 6:45 PM, jame_g said:

Sorry, I didn't respond right away because this took a couple weeks after we got back to fully resolve. By then I was swamped with work and the holidays. My first time back to the boards today.

 

So onboard we went several rounds with guest services. All they would ever say is that they sent it to corporate to resolve, and they didn't give us updates when promised. We also tried the Yacht Club Director and he basically treated us like we were trying to scam him and that he'd never had to give an upgrade to someone in this situation, although he let slip that it was known that MSC has a problem with their upgrade process and that this seems to happen regularly, and there's no way to quickly resolve it for those impacted even though it's been going on for months. There were at least 3 others in line at guest services with similar upgrade issues when we were first in line at boarding.

 

The Yacht Club did send us a bottle of Champagne with an apology note several hours later, although we were still stuck in our original room at that point.

 

Halfway through the cruise corporate finally confirmed we were supposed to be in the Yacht Club. At first they tried to put us into a lower level suite than what we bid on. It was disappointing compared to the aft suite (non-Yacht Club) that we already had. We told them it was the wrong suite and we didn't want it since it still wasn't what we upgraded to. An hour later they offered us the correct suite and we accepted. So we got to enjoy both an aft aurea suite and a Yacht Club Suite in a single cruise. (And we loved Ocean Cay and Ocean House for lunch.)

 

However, that still left the issue of what we paid for vs what we got. We were assured later that we would get a prorated refund for 3 of the 8 days upgrade fee. However, it took until two weeks after we got back home from the cruise to get the refund. They did end up refunded more than they originally indicated to help make up for all the trouble.

 

I think what helped vs others in similar situation who never got their upgrade was we brought copies of the credit card statement showing the billing and the corresponding upgrade email with us, and they faxed those to corporate. 

 

I would say that the aft aurea suite is definitely a nicer room than the Deluxe or Grand Deluxe in the Yacht Club. So doing it again would depend on what is more important, the room or the Yacht Club experience.

 

Getting off the cruise we were disappointed with the way MSC handled this overall, but since they did make it right in the end, we have decided to book with them again.

 

It stinks that you only got to enjoy the YC for half of your cruise but I’m glad they refunded you so quickly. 
 

I agree about the aft balcony rooms.
We love the aft facing balcony rooms on Divina and agree with you that those rooms are better than the YC balcony rooms.

We were shocked at the size of the aft balconies. They’re 3 times the size of the balcony we had in the YC. 
I know that isn’t important to a lot of people but we actually use our balcony a lot.

We’d much rather sit out there on a sea day and read with some music playing than be with hundreds up on deck lol