alyssamma

So, we had this happen too. We transferred our cruise to a TA and I noticed the price dropped. When I looked at the details, the actual cruise face went up, but the port charges and taxes dropped from $460pp to $206pp. Didn't ask why, and won't 🙂

Thanks. However the problem is on their end. I'm an MSC vet and understand what you have to do. They keep telling me I'll get it onboard (which is a lie), so I have to just keep pestering until they do their job.

Crap like this is why I *hate* MSC. I had stopped sailing them but a friend is getting married and going on Seascape for their honeymoon and asked us to join. I can emphatically say this is the absolute last MSC cruise I'll take. No amount of luxury on the ship is worth dealing with their customer service.

The OP has a passport. It's the person he's traveling with that doesn't. Your advice is correct, and I would recommend traveling with a passport instead of BC, but it doesn't answer the OP's question which was how to enter BC info...

Ugh...reviving this thread. Has anyone who's booked in the last 3 weeks had a problem getting this credit applied? TIA

I sailed MSC once with a person who had a BC and just put in garbage for those fields (I think I made some far in the future date). When you check in at the port, they'll take care of everything. Side note, even if you don't get your papers before you reach the port, they will still check you in there, so no need to worry about getting on the ship 🙂

Change the doc type to ID card and then put in Birth Certificate. That should get you past the checks. You'll have to do a little extra at the port, but you should be able to get your docs.

I have a similar question for Europe...can anyone answer?

Others have given you great info. I would just add/clarify a few things... 1) Iceland air typically allows layovers for 1-3 days if this is something you would be interested in. 2) Iceland air flights are shorter than direct to Europe flights. If you can sleep on a plane, this might matter to you. You'll be doing 2 segments of 4-6 hours instead of an 8+ hour segment when you cross the ocean. 3) This of course depends on the plane, but typically US carriers are more comfortable than Iceland Air. This is definitely true in business where US carriers will have true lie flat seats, but is also true - in general - for economy. 3a) Delta in particular flies several planes that are 2-2 in economy instead of 3-3. This means if it is just you and your sig other traveling, you have the row to yourselves. 4) In general, if there is a problem with your flight, a US carrier will have a better chance of rebooking you. All of that being said, if the price is significantly cheaper, go Iceland Air.

Right...that's what I said (or tried to) in my first post (bold added). It seemed like the other posters were saying to grab the OV, but I was trying to say your point was the OV seemed normal, but the GTY was too much. I didn't have an answer as to why 🙂

No worries...and I took it in the spirit you meant it. I put a smiley on my comments but hard to tell tone via text. Like I said, I agree with your comments...

Really? So @riffatsea just did something illegal? 🙂 I am pretty sure you can give insurance advice without being licensed. I think the illegal thing is selling, soliciting, etc. But I agree with what you said...either get a broker/agent or use Google. @Lyndihop first, love the name. Second, @riffatsea gave you the best answer. Each policy is different, but typically you have to pay upfront and then get reimbursed. I've actually done this (my wife broke her foot in Mexico) and the process was easy and painless. I always use the same insurance and have had 2 claims with them...no problems either time.

Easy to imagine because people do it all the time 🙂 But I get what you're saying...X prices have skyrocketed. This really pisses me off as I just recently discovered them and they are now my favorite cruise line.

So, I read this as the OV as being a "normal" price...i.e., not a deal, but the GTY being *overpriced*. In that case, no rush to book it. $800+ pp is not a "deal" for AI...

Since this thread got revived, I wanted to add there was a massive price drop. I rebooked the above for just $4474. Completely insane price. I think now it's only a few hundred higher. @bearette not sure what you booked, but hopefully you got in on this good deal.

Needs to be emailed to you. A third party handles it. You need to go into your profile and make sure you allow MSC to contact you with offers in order to get the emails...

The limited experience I've had with this suggests minimum bids work. However, this was shortly after the restart so it may be different today.

Agree 100% with what you said. However, as a note, you can get a same day passport by visiting an office. Not suggesting you do this, just bringing it up as you said you don't have time. I think @bundtkate gave you the best answer. I personally travelled MSC post covid with someone who used a BC and there were no problems, but YMMV.

Others have answered 1-3, so I'll answer these... 4) Very different from RCCL/CCL. You have to understand it's an international mix of passengers and not everyone speaks English well, or at all. So the entertainment tends to be more along the lines of physical (e.g., acrobats/dancing) or singing. No real comedians (except sometimes slap-sticky), or "games" like Newlywed, Quest (or whatever it's called now), etc. Also, the shows tend to be short...30-40min long. 5) The biggest difference is the passenger mix. Because of that, you'll often hear announcements in several languages. But, more importantly, it's a good way to meet people from different countries and learn a little about their way of life. If you enjoy traveling (outside of the country), you'll love this aspect. Along with that, many report that the staff is more "European" instead of "American". Basically, they don't approach you 50 times an hour with a smile asking if you want/need anything. Instead, they "stand by" waiting for you to speak up and ask if you need something. 6) You didn't ask, but the Yacht Club is a completely different experience that really isn't matched on any other mainstream cruise line. My personal opinion of MSC is that, once onboard the ship, it's amazing. In fact, until I sailed an E class with Celebrity, MSC ships were the most beautiful I'd ever seen. However, getting to that point can sometimes be incredibly frustrating. Pray you never have to contact customer service, or have anything "automatically and silently" changed by their computers.

So true. On my first X cruise I was very upset to have to go to the buffet for lunch...until I tasted the food there 🙂 NOTE: this was immediately post-covid and the MDR wasn't open for lunch...

I'm not sure of the Edge, but last Feb on the Apex (7 day Carib) they had them.

It was kind of crazy...some people really wanted to tell us this wouldn't work. We all knew it was a "gamble", and we all felt it was worth $10 to take that gamble. So why the "doubters" who just insisted on telling us we would fail? It's like they took delight in telling us that.

And I also did the exact same thing a little over a week ago. Got the same answer as @Wineaux007

Gotcha...now I understand. Please let us know what happens...

LOL, I just re-read the thread and I'm still confused. I thought the OP had premium, canceled, then bought basic + upgrade. If so, X should tell them they have premium, right?