ste17l

Original sail date: May 9, 2020 on Seaside 

Applied for refund: April 1, 2020 (was told refund will be processed 60 days from refund request)

Cruise deposit refunded to AMEX: May 29, 2020 (close to 60 days since applying for refund)

Cruise fare pending on CHASE: May 29, 2020 (hoping it will finalize soon) 

I originally booked with travelocity. Seems like I lucked out and actually got my refund within 60d of refund request. 

I DID NOT request any charge backs with either of the CC companies. 

On 5/7/2020 at 12:58 PM, DCGuy64 said:

We got a refund from Delta on our credit card for our (now cancelled) MSC cruise which was to begin 5/19. It took them less than a week. Ironically, we saw a video on TV last night featuring the cruise ship we were to take. Made me a bit sad but also excited to look to the future when we can cruise with MSC again.

Ahh dang it, now I wished I had booked with Delta at first. The only thing that turned me away was the $25 'fee' for booking, I guess I should have just went for it! 

6 hours ago, jmoak said:

For those who requested a refund through the form, did you get an email confirmation at least acknowledging your submission?  
 

I just submitted but haven’t gotten an email and was just wondering should I expect one...  thanks

Yes I got an email. It stated: 

Your MSC Cruise Assurance Form has been successfully submitted.
Your Refund Reference Number for this request is - xxxxxxxxx
Use this Reference Number for all future correspondence regarding this request.
Your refund will be processed within 60 days.
Thank you,
MSC Cruises 

1 hour ago, jmoak said:

You mentioned the FCC can only be applied to base fare only.  So, I'm assuming that when you rebook that you will have to pay out of pocket for taxes/port fees (I know this is supposed to be refunded with the cancellation correct?)  

Yes that's correct, out of pocket for taxes. I'm having a hard time finding another cruise that will utilize the 25% without upgrading and potentially spending more money. But again, I work in a tight schedule so my options were limited. 

On 4/17/2020 at 1:30 PM, DCGuy64 said:

I'm curious to know how I can realize a 25% gain in one year like the poster above! That's awesome, I may have to rethink my decision about FCC vs refund if I know what that is.

Haha! Potentially cruise stocks 😉. They dropped 75% of it's value, once it returns in (hopefully) a years time the return could potentially be greater than 25% 

I opted for the refund instead. Once I learned the FCC (125%) can only be applied to the base fare only (remaining balance cannot be applied to on board credit, instead you have to cruise again or upgrade the sailing to benefit) I realized I would not benefit by allowing MSC to hold my money for over 1 year. I can do a lot with that money in 1 year that will net me higher gains than 25%. Also, I looked at the cost of future cruises and they cost similar to my current cancelled cruise, meaning I may not be able to fully utilize the extra 25%, which was a compelling reason for me. Everyone's situation is different. I am young, have a less flexible travel schedule, and finances are more important to me, so these reasons led me to pick refund instead.  

EDIT: side note, did anyone get their refund yet? 

On 1/4/2017 at 10:10 AM, GOLDENBONNY said:

Dose any one know email address I can send my review and complains? I have time now and really want them to know about all mess and undelivered promises :p I had one from the ship but I lost it. :rolleyes:

I got this email from a prior phone call with MSC USA: feedback@msccruisesusa.com 

I wanted to do the same thing, however the price difference in my case is only $240 due to the recent low booking volume. 

I called them and they refused to offer any sort of onboard credit, which is understandable. I entertained the thought of cancelling using the Assurance program and then rebooking the same cruise at the lower rate, but was told the credit won't come until after the original cruise date has past. 

Depending on how far you are from your sailing date, you can lose just only the deposit (if > 60 days) if you cancel outright, then rebook the same cruise immediately. However if you are within 60 days or even less you can lose 50%+. Do some calculations and see what is best. 

13 hours ago, aprilF said:

I guess this is being used as a measure to keep people from rebooking the same cruise at a lower rate? 

 

With MSC's um, track record in honoring promotions like missed OCs 20% I'd be loathe to have to wait until June to rebook and hope that MSC keeps their word and makes the process easy.  Cancellation and losing the deposit it is for me then.  😞

Yes I definitely think it's to prevent people from rebooking on the same cruise, which is likely at a lower rate now. 

This was added to the cruise assurance faq page: "Your Future Cruise Credit will then be sent within 14 days of your original cruise date. " However, based on the replies above, they seem to be quoting different time frames. 

36 minutes ago, aprilF said:

Wow, so we cant even make plans for the rebook until 15 days after our sailing date?  Or I wonder if that was just because you date was so close.

This is indeed true. I was on hold for 45min with their call center. When I finally got a hold of them, they mentioned that the FCC is issued within that 15 day period after sailing of your original booking. 

Side note, I am disappointed that my current category on the MSC Seaside (May 9) is now $240 cheaper than what I paid.