We are thinking of Booking a MSC Cruise Online or Calling in?

[cheeseheads4ever]

I am looking for the MSC experts input on booking a MSC cruise. We want to try a MSC cruise dispite the negatives we have read about the line.

Looking at a 4 night out of Port Canaveral on Seashore. What would be the least painful way to book online or call in?

Any tips as far as navigating through a booking?

We’ve already got our status match completed already. So when we do a mock booking we get the discount.

Another question!

If you buy a drink for more than your drink package allows you just pay the difference correct?

Any other hot tips as far as the actual cruise goes?

We appreciate any help you can give us. We are long time Celebrity cruiser but need a change. Hopefully this won’t be a bad experience.

Thanks to all.

 

[Best Cat Mom]

I wholeheartedly recommend using a travel agent. Not only will you have someone to advocate on your behalf for any concerns or changes, the high volume agencies will regularly save you 10 to 15% off MSC published fares.

[Morgsmom]

Use a travel agent.  While they cannot discount the fare they can offer a bit of onboard credit.  More importantly they can navigate any potential issues, especially with the horrific MSC IT department.

[Georgia_Peaches]

I’d rather be poked in the eye with a stick than deal with MSC directly!  Here’s another vote for a travel agent!  There are many reputable ones to be found online and you may even end up with a little bit of OBC. 

[Essiesmom]

I must be the only person who has no trouble booking online.  I did talk with a rep when I wanted to add a short cruise for a B2B.  I think we may have used a TA for the early cruises, before Covid.  EM

[Até]

The MSC website used to be near impossible to book through if you wanted to use Voyagers Club or other discounts but lately it's much more functional.   The only difficulty would be claiming special discounts like military or medical worker where it requires calling an phone agent.  I've booked my last two online with no issues.

 

Personally I've tried multiple agents and find since I'm willing to search out sailings where MSC has already heavily discounted the price the travel agents can barely offer a hundred dollars OBC on a $3000 sailing.  Not worth it to me for giving up control of the booking.   Now if you're booking a holiday sailing where MSC is charging a premium rate the TA can do more and it might be worthwhile.  On a $800 booking TA's don't want to know you. 

 

I've had just as incompetent service from TA's as new MSC booking agents.  The best you can do is get familiar with the product yourself, you can be your own best advocate. I also prefer owning the booking myself, without some third party getting in the way.   On the MSC  Cruise Critic board I'm in the minority on this subject. 

[JamieLogical]

I always book cruises directly with every cruise line. I have never lamented my lack of a TA, but I am a pretty confident and capable person, so I don't have any issues dealing with problems myself. If you are timid and hate making calls, a TA might make your life easier. When booking through the MSC website, be sure to enter your Voyager's club info by clicking the link at the top of the fare selection screen, otherwise, your discount will not be applied.

 

[JamieLogical]

Forgot to mention that, yes, you only pay the difference plus gratuity on the difference when ordering drinks that are outside of your drink package limit.

[DaKahuna]

@Até @JamieLogical  We use a travel agent for all our cruise travel, and not just because of the OBC we obtain from him.  I do my own research to find the cruise that we want and either book onboard or contact our TA and tell him what i would like for him to book.  

Any issues with the booking or any back and forth we let him handle.  Sure I could do it myself but why. 

 

[ray98]

We hardly ever use TA's anymore but will every time with MSC.  It is highly likely they will screw something up at some point and I would rather not deal with it.  Their entire customer service experience is terrible.

[cellfree]

Along with @Essiesmom I have never had any trouble booking on-line. And I have also called the MSC line and booked through MSC. We have cruised 12+ times on MSC out of either Port Canaveral or Miami. Next one, Friday out of Miami on Magnifica. 

[Best Cat Mom]

3 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

There are many reputable ones to be found online and you may even end up with a little bit of OBC.

Thanks to you, we have an excellent travel agent! 🙂

 

I was looking to book a February or March 2025 cruise over the weekend. The various sailings with YC availability were around $10K and there was $1.2K OBC offered on each. That is a nice "rebate" when we cash it out in the casino.

[Até]

@ all the posters pushing for TAs.  It seems to me the OP's question is  specifically asking between booking online and calling MSC directly, and not asking about whether travel agents are better.  OP is free to correct this.

[AntHow]

I tried to book a cruise on-line today and gave up, their website at best is amaturist and completly useless, and their on-line contact form does not allow you to send your question to them, all they want is for you to telephone and then they will try the hard sell.

I'm booking with another company MSC useless

[KKB]

Their website worked fine for me booking cruises last year.

It is WONKY this year. I log in, attached my booking number (booked via casino comp), but I can manage NOTHING online.

I will say, I had to call MSC directly last year (DS missed joining me on comped cruise due to snowstorm at home) & they were GREAT. Easy peasy.

Called yesterday to make my deposit for this cruise (will be OBC); again, little waiting, quick process. 

Their Guest Services staff could take a few pointers from call center CS reps (and bartenders/servers/stewards)...

[luckyinpa]

when i booked my 1st MSC i get the feeling my TA had little to no experience with them. then he told me they do things just a bit different. i didnt pry

 

but do know i want him to book me every time. but i generally get 9 percent back on my suites from him anyway. so he can deal with all the things if they ever come up

[AntHow]

My issue is that I live in Spain but my ability to converse in Spanish is poor and dealing with a telephone call direct is impossible to converse in Spanish even using google translate and the TA's are not much better, however have read up on MSC cruises and not being very impressed with the reviews I think I'll reassess what cruise to go on and what cruise line to use. 

[DaKahuna]

17 hours ago, AntHow said:

however have read up on MSC cruises and not being very impressed with the reviews I think I'll reassess what cruise to go on and what cruise line to use. 

 

 Do not believe everything you read.  It has been my experience over the last 50 years of working and living as an adult, that people who have bad experiences are much more vocal than those who have a wonderful experience.  Cruise Critic is not any different.  It's like the news paper industry -- bad news sells.  YouTube'rs get a lot more clicks and views from sensationalist headlines than they do for a regular headline.  I have found that any cruise is what you make of it, not matter what stateroom or experience class you may sail in.  If you try hard you can have a bad experience. If you try hard you can have a wonderful experience.  All I can recommend is that you see for yourself. 

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

17 hours ago, AntHow said:

My issue is that I live in Spain but my ability to converse in Spanish is poor

Will their U.S. website www.msccruisesusa.com work in Spain?

[AntHow]

Yes but their website does not give prices I have tried their USA, UK, and Spanish websites but its impossible to actually book with them, so why waste time when other cruise lines are so much easier?

[AntHow]

7 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 Do not believe everything you read.  It has been my experience over the last 50 years of working and living as an adult, that people who have bad experiences are much more vocal than those who have a wonderful experience.  Cruise Critic is not any different.  It's like the news paper industry -- bad news sells.  YouTube'rs get a lot more clicks and views from sensationalist headlines than they do for a regular headline.  I have found that any cruise is what you make of it, not matter what stateroom or experience class you may sail in.  If you try hard you can have a bad experience. If you try hard you can have a wonderful experience.  All I can recommend is that you see for yourself. 

 

You are correct in what you say, we did a cruise on the then biggest cruise ship of its day with RCI it was the only cruise where I went and made an official complaint the the hotel manager about their chaotic meal time queuing system, I have never complained previously on any cruise, the catering manager gave me a written pass to avoid any queue at any restaurant, but I told him that was not the point, the point was to improve the issue not ignore it. But I didn't write a critic as overall we had a good cruise. But MSC website is so poor for users I don't understand why?

[JamieLogical]

So, I am American and I don't speak/read a word of Spanish, but I just went to the Spanish version of the MSC site and using my knowledge of how the US site works, it seems to be pretty much exactly the same. I was able to pic a random sailing and go through the booking process all the way to the payment screen, so I am unsure why you are unable to do so.