mscdivina2016

On 4/20/2024 at 1:21 PM, Fino NYC said:

First cruise ever tomorrow on the Norwegian Joy to Bermuda. I bid on 7 Haven rooms and 1 Penthouse suite, but I haven't received any notifications that I've won.

 

What are my chances?

Did you bid max on everything? If not, 1 in a million might be too low odds.

1 hour ago, Homosassa said:

The ship was chartered as a salsa cruise after he booked.

 

Notification was sent out and options for rebooking and refunds given. He refused all options and insisted on a cabin. He was given one as shown above (still wasn't happy).

 

All the information was slowly offered  in posts over several threads, including information offered by others on the same sailing.

 

By the way, how often does a cruise line get pushed to the point that a passenger is threatened with detention from law enforcement if they attempt to board the ship?

 

I am sure the moderator will remove my posts and his.

 

 

 

 

 You are correct about the notifications, but all those that got notifications were given options before I was booked on this sailing.

 The sailing originally was a 3 night and a 4 night sailing.  Those that booked either were given the option to stay on for the week at no additional charge or to cancel, so it became a 7 night cruise.

 I was booked on another sailing and when I called to upgrade my cabin from YCIS to YCDS and the rep told me about a great deal on this sailing and I took it, 3 weeks prior to sailing i think. The rep booked me a YCGS for the same cost I already paid.  Less than two weeks before sailing I printed my docs and discovered I was downgraded.

 No access to YC!   

 I wanted to go back onto the original sailing I booked now and was told since its less than 14 days I could not cancel or change ships,I would loose it all. Thats when I lost it.

  The cruise contract has a "change for operational reason" which they used one sided. It also calls for a full charter to let me cancel, pick another sailing with a cabin upgrade.  THey claimed it was not a full charter as I was allowed to sail on it.  There was a bunch of other legal stuff.

15 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

@mscdivina2016Did they offer you a refund/cancellation?  If so, why didn't you accept it?

 No I was not offered a refund or the option to cancel.  I had to get an attorney who just a couple days before sailing arranged for a full refund.

On 4/22/2024 at 4:29 PM, rodndonna said:

We are looking at booking our first MSC cruise and am kinda surprised with the thread response being so resoundingly in support of TA booking over MSC, and in particular in case something goes wrong. I guess intuitively with other line bookings we always book direct as I feel like I have more control over the booking (no in-between) .

 

I guess my biggest concern is that maybe MSC is known to have more issues with bookings than other cruise lines. Is that the case? What kind of problems arise? I see one poster referring to being downgraded from YC, but wondering how common that is and what other kind of issues arise from the MSC side.

 

We're looking at a run-of-the mill Seascape 7 day Caribbean next March in a Premium Aqua cabin or YC inside cabin if that matters ....

Here's a list of things that personally happened to me.

Cruise changed ships

Embarkation port changed to another country

Date of cruise changed

Found out 2 extra days added to a sailing costing me an airline fee

Another 3 days added to same cruise costing me a fee again

Price changes for no reason.

Rooms taken away that were originally booked on more than one occasion.

Great product, just lousy CS

On 4/22/2024 at 4:35 PM, Homosassa said:

 

 

And be aware of the story about being downgraded from Yacht Club. There is way more to the story and MSC was not at fault.  Instead it was a passenger who did not want to follow instructions when the ship was chartered.

You keep saying that MSC was not at fault.

 I am that poster, can you please explain?

 Or are you just trying to get your post count up.

 What instructions were there? Were you booked on that sailing and given a letter or email that we know nothing about .

Here's my proof

On 4/15/2024 at 4:23 PM, g683002 said:

We are planning on a shorter Florida cruise to see if we like things before making a bigger commitment. Probably the Magnifica for 3 or 4 days. 
 

We also like NCL, but can’t ignore the price difference so giving it a shot. 

Book into the Yacht club and you will not be subject to the roudyness of the rest of the ship on a short cruise.

 Just make sure you use a TA. The customer service is crap and if you have an issue, let a TA handle it.

It costs you nothing and you avoid any of the multiple screw ups they have done to many people.

Great product, just the treating the passengers like cargo is the issue.

22 hours ago, Homosassa said:

OP, there is a great deal more to this story than this rhetorical question and, in many of our opinions, is not MSC's fault.

 

 

How do you figure MSC taking my money for a YCGS and downgrading me to a regular balcony with no reduction in fare, not their fault a couple of weeks before sailing?

 Not allowing me to cancel without penalty?

Not allowing me access to yacht club?

 I ending up having to get a lawyer at my expense?

I am also interested in who the "many" are?

They failed to follow the T&C for a full ship charter.

 They failed to follow CLIA.

How could any of the above be attributed to me and not MSC?

All I did was book a year and a half out, paid in full at time of booking, and was expecting to have a great cruise.

 The reason this went this way was they didn't want to have to give me a 1 category upgrade according to the T&C on another sailing of my choice because it would have been the owners suite. 

10 hours ago, RMac713 said:

I already booked (last night) a trip for next March.  I have always booked my own on Disney and more lately Celebrity.  I am still in the window to transfer to a TA, should I do that?  Someone recommended vacations to go.

 

Yes transfer it. It costs you nothing and saves grief if anything happens.

We cannot recommend TAs here. But if someone did recommended one, you have something to go on.

On 4/10/2024 at 8:40 PM, jjjct said:

We just cruised on the MSC Seashore for the first time this spring out of Port Canaveral 7 day to Mexico and their island in YC. Want to book another out of Brooklyn in late August to Burmuda. Want to do YC again, there are a lot of cabins still available 4 months out. The price is about $1000 more from our last cruise for a 7 nights. Will prices go down? Any suggestions will be so helpful, I got an email to give me $100 off to book by tomorrow, just not sure if I should wait to book?

Doubtful as bidding is not implemented especially for YC.

On 4/12/2024 at 5:13 AM, Freignotfrieg said:

Has anyone taken a guitar on board, & would it be advisable to take as hand luggage?

Thanks in advance.

Absolutely not.  I already posted about just that a couple of months ago in YC. Someone was playing in YC. It is a prohibited item.

7 hours ago, travellovers2 said:

Has anyone reserved with a travel agency instead of directly with MSC?  Did you encounter any problems? If you did, did the travel agency handle it or tell you to call MSC?

 

We want to cruise on the MSC World Europa, but book with a travel agency that gives us Marriott points.

 

Thank you for your help! 

Always use a TA with MSC.  So many screw ups over the years. When something goes wrong, let a TA deal with it.

 How would you like to book Yacht club and get downgraded to a regular balcony with no reduction in fare or access to Yacht club?

 Personal experience along with a dozen other crappy things.  If it wasn't such a good product (YC) I would not sail with them

32 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

I think some of the mix up is NCL calling the suites outside the Haven, Haven suites.  They do get access to the Haven which I understand why.  However IMHO being outside the Haven while having Haven access is not the same IMHO.  But they are so much cheaper its not like anyone is being ripped off.  If you booked with a TA then I would definitely address it with them.  But they did not lie in selling you a Haven suite.  I can see how its confusing.  Would you have spent $2000 more to stay inside the Haven?   If its a spa suite then you have access to the spa which is a HUGE perk that people staying inside the Haven do not have.  Its the glass half full approach.

They used to give spa access. No more. 

The difference in price was about $200 actually.  I booked it this year. There were 12 cabins available.

Another thing I noticed besides the TA cabin description is the size this room is much bigger.

10 minutes ago, Big Red 85 said:

What cabin number?  That would settle the location question.

 

I know.  

25 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Why are you using a TA when they screw up this bad?

They have always been great. Apparently a new agent.

They will make good on it.

46 minutes ago, Distinctive-Destinations said:

You’ve lost me. Let’s figure a cabin as two people, I’d imagine that’s the bulk.

In your example they have already sold an inside cabin (500x2=1000) and an OV (700x2=1400). That’s $2400 total they have made in revenue (unless someone cancels which is a different story).

 

So: $2400 for those two cabins in hand, then the bidding begins. If they upsell the inside for 200 per person in your example that is now a total of $2800 for those two couples. On the other hand, if the OV upgrades for 100pp ($200) that makes 2400+200 = $2600.

 

Why would they not prefer  $2800 in revenue exactly??? Your example says they’re better off with $2600? Or am I reading that wrong somehow??

So what's the better resale now? $1000 revenue on inside or $1400 for OV?

But the bidding has always been a mystery.  No real answers only speculation. I only know from what I have experienced. If it's not about maximum revenue than what?

3 minutes ago, ggTexasGal said:

It really is a shame that you didn't actually end-up in a room you thought you would be in.

Hopefully, things start looking much better for you very soon!

 

It's all good. 3rd cruise in 4 weeks.

Just now, hallux said:

Who told you that you were in the "Haven Proper"?  I would have asked what cabin number and verified for myself before agreeing to complete the booking.  It's certainly something I would have done 2 minutes of research on once I got the room number...

TA,

 It's even recorded. TA acknowledges the agent was wrong and was just reading off the description.

I have been traveling allot and did not really pay attention. I just wanted in the enclave, any room. I have actually sailed this ship before.

Everything else is fine overall. 

Boarded the Encore yesterday.

Check in was a breeze. New terminal is very nice.

Other than that, things have gone sideways.

Once checked in before 11am  we went to a Haven waiting area on the second floor. Very nice but no restrooms. As we sat there for almost a half hour we noticed many others already boarding below. We tried to walk out and get in line but we're turned back. 

Apparently we needed to be walked on by a butler and taken directly to our muster station.

So much for priority boarding. 

Priority luggage??? We got it 6 hours later, a little after 5pm. Many other regular cabins had theirs.

We found our room not fully cleaned. A razor and a loofa in the shower. Ugh.

One other issue is we booked a category in the Haven proper thru a TA to discover when we arrived we had access to the Haven but not in it. Clue was when we were finally walked on, our muster was at the back of the ship.

 We are in what used to be a Spa Haven.

Be careful with one of the mega online TAs.

 I have paperwork from the concierge that they are wrong and I will address that when I get home.

2 hours ago, MeHeartCruising said:

 

I don't follow your logic.  I would say it's all about ADDITIONAL revenue.  They already have the booking money from the person with the current GTY and the OA.  That's not going to change.  Wouldn't they rather have $400 more from anyone (even the person in the GTY) than $200 more from anyone else?

 

What am I not understanding?

Let's say the inside was $500 a person and OV is $700.

Inside bids $200 person.

OV bids $100.

Who wins? OV because total out of pocket is $1600

Insides total out of pocket would only have been $1400 if they won.

Also they can sell OV cabin for more than an inside.

1 hour ago, julig22 said:

You are understanding just fine IMHO. There is no logic in thinking that the price someone paid for a similar cabin would have any effect in the bid process. 

 

In the past, there have been instances of early upgrades when a category was sold out because they wanted the cabin for resale but I think those days are long gone, as ships are sailing at capacity. Otherwise, higher bid gets them the most money, regardless of what you originally paid.

I sincerely doubt that.  Makes no financial sense and I have multiple examples as proof.

I posted a thread quite some time ago asking if anyone who uses points to upgrade ever won a bid.

 Only one person said they did but couldn't remember where, when or what ship.

When I sailed non Haven I always double upgraded from inside to balcony.

 I also would do the booking for friends because they are computer illiterate. This scenario has happened 3 times 

They pay for a balcony and I use points to get into a balcony. Always a BA.

 We all bid for haven and I bid max and they have me  bid half of what I bid .

 They win the Haven and I didn't.

 I probably have put in 100+ bids and never won. Many max bids.

 Only time I did win was when the bidding went live and that was for a 21 night repo on the Encore and that was stupid bidding. 

 I am actually on the Encore right now.

8 hours ago, Wayward Son said:

even at max, your odds are probably just above zero.

 

I would put it at zero since you have a GTY 

 Everyone who paid more than a GTY is already ahead of you.

It's all about revenue so even if you bid $400 per, those in an OA only need to bid $200 or less per and they have you beat.

On 3/12/2024 at 8:24 PM, Essiesmom said:

According to the deck plan that cabin on,y has a foldout couch.  There are several on deck 18 that have the symbols for couch and upper.  The cabin category description says sleeps up to 5.  It does not say/mean all can accommodate 5.  Here is a pic of 18018 with couch out and bunk down (filched from cruisedeckplans):

 

I had that cabin last year and last month I had 18019.

 Both are GS cabins.  

39 minutes ago, UKstages said:

there is no access to the silver cove at all for haven guests, as far as i know, unless they pay for it.

Thanks 

41 minutes ago, UKstages said:

the villas and cabanas are bookable through the shore excursions desk.

 

there is no linkage with the haven, to my knowledge, except your concierge might be able to book silver cove for you, if space is available.

I don't want a cabana or villa, I want the buffet and champagne bar as we have the big beverage package.

Title pretty much says it all.😁 

Thanks in advance

On 3/11/2024 at 8:39 AM, cruisegirl1976 said:

We love staying at Four Points by Sheraton, right next to Ron Jon, two block from the beach, and across the street there is a Publix, CVS, Walgreens and restaurants all around.  We used Cruise Control Transportation to get from the airport to the hotel, and also used them when we got off the ship. The morning of the cruise we used Cocoa Beach Shuttle from the hotel to the port, $10 bucks per person.  

I am a local and this is the best overall option due to it's brand and location of amenities.

On a side note, if you like comedy, there is a comedy club just up the road called Gregories upstairs.  There is also an excellent steak house on the ground floor. Best in the area.