Phew! Positive Shoreside Customer Service Experience

[JamieLogical]

I read a lot of horror stories on these forums about the shoreside customer service for MSC. I even experienced quite a nightmarish series of customer service challenges with MSC myself way back in 2018-ish that put me off of MSC for a very long time. In fact, I was kind of dragged kicking and screaming to MSC by my friend @ESCARGO when he roped me into sailing with them for the first time in April.

 

Fast forward to now, when I had fantastic onboard experiences with MSC on my two April sailings and have three more cruises booked with them. I had been trying VERY hard to avoid dealing with the shoreside customer service for any of my bookings. However, my husband and I booked a sailing for next February on the Divina while we were onboard the Meraviglia in April. We ended up booking a room that was a connected room without realizing it. My husband was very apprehensive about the connecting room once we finally did realize it, but I was apprehensive about calling and trying to change our room, especially since the price has gone up considerably and we had extra discounts, reduced deposits, and OBC from having booked onboard.

 

Well, today, I bit the bullet and gave them a call to try to change our room to another in the exact same category (even on the same deck) and it went just fine! I had them send me a copy of my current reservation first, then had them change the room number, and then had them send me the new confirmation. Comparing the two confirmations side-by-side, they are exactly identical except for the issue date at the top of each page and the room number where it appears. Phew!

 

The whole call only took seven minutes.

 

Just thought I would put a positive CS experience out there since we do hear about so many very bad ones. I definitely recommend getting a copy of your current booking emailed before making any changes, just to be extra safe though!

[Brighton Line]

Play the lotto tonight, really. 👍

[kelleherdl]

I’m sure they were very happy to get the connecting staterooms back in the inventory.

[Essiesmom]

I considered calling to change rooms, but mine was a bit more complicated.  I booked a fantastica inside gty and was assigned a Fantastica balcony that was a quad connected to another quad connected to a double.  But it was solved by winning a bid to an Aurea balcony.  EM

[xcell]

Connecting rooms are not that bad.  I had one with our friends (we still kept the door shut) and parents (open) and had no issues.  It's only a door when used, a wall when closed...

 

 

[Morgsmom]

53 minutes ago, xcell said:

Connecting rooms are not that bad.  I had one with our friends (we still kept the door shut) and parents (open) and had no issues.  It's only a door when used, a wall when closed...

I actually find connecting rooms creepy.  I know, I know, it's irrational but 🤷‍♀️

[JamieLogical]

In hotels I have been to where there are actually two doors, one controlled by each room, it doesn't seem too bad. But we saw a video of this specific room and there is only a single door? I guess it locks from both sides?

[jules815]

2 hours ago, Morgsmom said:

I actually find connecting rooms creepy.  I know, I know, it's irrational but 🤷‍♀️

Just last week my husband and I had a plumbing disaster here at home that forced us to spend 6 nights at a nearby Holiday Inn. Room had a connecting door and it creeped me out all week.

[jules815]

I don't want to jinx myself, but anytime I've called MSC it's been positive. 

[EllieinNJ]

I've never had a connecting room but I've heard that you can hear most every word in the next cabin.

[maehara]

To add to OP’s “Hey! It worked!!” experience:

 

Yesterday, I had a pre-cruise satisfaction survey from MSC UK, asking for comments on our experience from booking to date. We sail on Euribia on the 11th. I answered honestly, including two items of complaint: a problem dealing with one of their departments by email, and a discrepancy between what the website said was included in our drinks plan and what our ticket said was included. 
 

Never have I had a company respond to a satisfaction survey. Until today, when MSC called re: the two items I’d complained about.
 

The email problem is at least moving again - I was promised they’d be back in though shortly, and lo an email arrived 5mins after the call ended; and on the drinks plan, I’m told the ticket trumps the website text. We’ll see how accurate that info is in due course, but I’m pleasantly surprised they made the effort to reach out on survey comments…

[Steeler Nation At Sea]

2 hours ago, EllieinNJ said:

I've never had a connecting room but I've heard that you can hear most every word in the next cabin.

 I've had this without a connecting cabin. 

[GOLDENBONNY]

On 7/31/2023 at 3:15 PM, JamieLogical said:

lot of horror stories on these forums about the shoreside customer service for MSC

Most of those "horror" stories come from the same couple people ,who is very rich , with high standards and they hate MSC ,but for some reason they keep booking it. Maybe MSC DO read this board and just mess up their vacation on purpose? lol

[JamieLogical]

7 hours ago, GOLDENBONNY said:

Most of those "horror" stories come from the same couple people ,who is very rich , with high standards and they hate MSC ,but for some reason they keep booking it. Maybe MSC DO read this board and just mess up their vacation on purpose? lol

 

Well, as I said, I had some rough experiences with MSC back in early 2019 when I was briefly booked on the Seaside, before ultimately canceling due to the bad customer service experiences. First, we had booked our cruise in the evening and then somehow overnight (literally in the middle of the night) received a new confirmation with a higher price. Then I did a status match with my NCL status and literally was matched was matched to ONE point. I was pretty miffed at having wasted my one-time match for one point. Then trying to get my 5% discount for Voyager's club was a whole thing. And I never did get my coupon for their Bellissima launch promo properly applied. Finally, I gave up and canceled and booked the NCL Bliss instead.

 

I can still go back through my emails and see the whole series of emails that reference the MANY phone calls I also made during that whole ordeal.

[blueslily]

My calls to CS are usually good. They answer quick. They help. When changes are made, they send confirmations that I check while still on the phone. No horror stories to share. This is from 2019 until now. Maybe I've been lucky all this time.

 

Actually, the one time there was a snafu, when I stepped back and looked at the whole situation, I had a role in it also. When I called to have it fixed, it was all done. No issues. So, again, no horror stories to share.