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On 3/15/2021 at 2:22 PM, bgrmini said:

  

 

It's free, just like NCL's 'Free at Sea' promo has free drinks, specialty dining, shore excursion credits, internet, gold plated diamond encrusted unobtanium rings, and tap water. Just pay gratuities, a 40% higher base fare, and your 2nd born uncle's roommate's lawyer's son's soul!

Good One! So true! LOL!

Absolutely! Last week, I got two in one day. And they all excitedly promote that same bogus 30% off promo.

34 minutes ago, KayakOtter said:

Hi Cruise Critics,

 

I have to agree the MSC website is really bad. One thing is they need to spellcheck their forms. I have had a LOT of problems with it using my Mac:

 

Contact us fails on Chrome, Safari and Firefox using a Mac AND on my iPad.
_________

Contact us
    Booking number does not exists
    Send Contact Us Failed

I have been unable to login to my account for weeks. I've called at least a dozen time, 4 times to web site support. Can someone PLEASE help me!
When I try to login I get thru the 1st page but after many times as I have tried I can not get passed the "Complete your MSC account" I get "An error occured, please try again later". Please help.
__________

Called again 3-1-21 they told me they are still having problems and to wait some more.

 

This has been going on since January 15th

 

Super frustrated,

Erik 😷

Ditto to all above. Error messages all over the place. When you're use to being able to easily navigate other cruise lines' websites, it is astonishing how bad this is.

Just FYI. we are booked on an MSC cruise for this June. I spoke with an agent from the cruise line and they stated that with the exception of their private island, the only way to disembark the ship is with a ship sponsored excursion. Since this particular cruise just goes to their private island and Nassau, I wasn't concerned about Nassau because we often don't get off the ship anyway when we port there. The agent also stated that they are limiting passenger capacity to 75%, that masks will be required in all public areas and that dinners in the main dining room will have passengers seating people who are traveling together. The buffet will be set up so that passengers choose the food they want and a server brings it to their table. 

Regarding NCL's policies, I have never had much luck pulling any accurate information when I try to talk to someone at NCL. I think most the people I've spoken to are mainly there to help people book a cruise, not to give any information about policies.

It will be interesting to see how they would actually handle a mandatory  ship-sponsored excursion. We are booked on an August 2021 cruise in Europe. While looking over the excursion options, almost every port has some sort of 'on your own' excursion, where they will transport you in to town and then pick you back up after 6 or 7 hours. I can't imagine that particular option will still be available.

Also, it is often the case that at some point during an excursion it is very popular to offer the passengers some time to shop for souvenirs. How would they handle that? The whole souvenir thing hasn't really been my thing, but it does seem to be very popular for many people.

The only thing I would miss is the ability to get off the ship and explore ports on my own. We rarely use ship-sponsored excursions and when we do, we are often disappointed. Plus, add to that, how overpriced (IMO) they are.

We live near a cruise port in Florida and are booked on a late June cruise on another cruise line. It's just a little 4-day getaway and traveling to and from the port is not a problem. I''m interested in seeing how they manage to do things. (That is, if it doesn't get cancelled first!).  The cruise line told me about all the protocols they are putting in place, including sailing at 75% capacity and limiting port visits to ship-sponsored excursions. They said the main dining room will have less tables and they will be mostly 2 and 4 person seating. They said they will only seat passengers who are traveling together. 

This cruise has just two stops, one in Nassau and the other their private island. Since we don't usually get off in Nassau anyway, the excursion restriction doesn't bother us. At the private island we will be able to come and go as we please.

I imagine cruise critic will be filled with all kinds of stories about how life on board has changed. I'll be happy to report my findings when we get back!

On 2/22/2021 at 12:59 PM, MotownVoice said:

 

 

 

I think to access all the information that is currently available to your account, you should not select the option to log in using your username and password (the option on the right).  Instead, fill in your booking number and first and last name.  It will take you to an entirely different page.



 

I have tried it both ways and I get the same messaging every time. I've never seen a cruise line website so screwed up.

Thanks again everyone. I'm pretty excited about this pick. We have booked 'obstructed view" balcony cabins a few times and found them to be perfectly fine. The floor to ceiling window would be a close second! Looks like we'll be able to see some of the lifeboat near by, but not completely.

This cruise is actually a "Plan B' cruise. We are booked on an NCL ship for this August that goes to Norway and Iceland. Still not completely sure that cruise will actually happen so we decided to go ahead and book another one for 2022 just in case. We are also a little hesitant about the idea of cruise lines restricting port visits to ship-sponsored excursions only. While we have done that from time to time, it is not our favorite way to visit a port. 

Thanks again for all who commented. This is our first time trying HAL.

Thank you to all who responded. My TA has since found an OV on deck 4 that has a floor-to-ceiling window. Looking at the deck plan, it looks like it is close to a life boat, but not blocking  more than 20 % of the view. The room is E4039. I feel pretty encouraged about this. The room was actually cheaper than the other OV on deck 1. So ... i went for it! : )

I know what you mean about booking a GTY room. We have done it a few times in the past and managed to get away with it not being a major disappointment. But on a long cruise, you're right, its a pretty big risk!

I am considering an OV cabin on Nieuw Statendam. Presently the only ones available are on deck 1. I don't mind the low deck so much, but I'm concerned the window will be either a porthole or reduced in size. My TA said she contacted HAL and HAL told her that ship has no porthole windows. Can anyone reassure me on this?

Also, I'm wondering if I might do just as well picking a Guarantee cabin, considering I don't know if it can get much worse than an OV on deck 1. The cruise isn't until July 2022 and there is sure to be a lot of cancellations between now and then.

22 hours ago, dumbth said:

This cannot be a blanket policy. My next cruise will go only in my own state and country, and I have little wish or budget to go on excursions, but rather just walk around ports in a couple mile radius. If I have to pay $100's every day in ransom money just to get off the ship and be herded into dumb touristy outings, that makes the cruise pointless and doubles the cost. I know the ports well, and just want a casual saunter around.

I have to say I agree. More often than not we have been disappointed whenever we have gone on a ship sponsored excursion. We have a cruise booked for August, 2021. If this policy is in place at that time, we will probably cancel.

Death is not the only indicator of the tragedy of Covid. I have friends (one that died) who got this disease and recovered, but some not completely after several months. They all said this is the worst thing they have every been through. 

On 1/26/2021 at 1:47 PM, 0ssie said:

We were on the Joy LA to Miami Panama Canal sailing

Us too. I remember hearing about the virus on the news. Toward the end of the cruise the ship began taking the usual precautions that happen when there was a Noro outbreak. We unluckily did get sick but it only lasted about 36 hours.

Ooooooooh! Now its called a President's Day Sale. I guess next it will be a St. Pattys Sale, then a Spring Break Sale, followed by Mother's Day and Father's Day sale, and of course Independence Day Sale.

I have 9 friends who have gotten Covid. One died. Two were hospitalized (one of the two still in the hospital). We are all over 65. The rest reported this was the worst thing they have ever been through. While statistics are useful, the reality is that this is more than just numbers on a graph. Deaths and even hospitalizations don't tell the whole story. Many of the ones who recover do so slowly and for some, still not completely.

4 hours ago, cellfree said:

But I have learned an email may not be generated and I can call in and find out what it is.

Thanks cellfree. That sounds encouraging!

1 hour ago, coastcat said:

I use Chrome on a Mac and hey, this problem sounds familiar! I thought it might be due to me trying to book as a solo traveler but I noticed it happened again when I started a mock booking with two people. All I could see was YC cabins.

Hi Coastcat, wow. Thanks! At least I know its not just me!  I'll try your technique in the future.

38 minutes ago, cellfree said:

Not sure what you are doing that doesn't allow you to see Cabins. I too am in the process of making choices for two cancelled cruises. Website is working fo rme. I always search for the cruise/cabin I like and then call MSC directly and book with an MSC Agent. I do not think you can use FCC when simply booking on-line. Many people do use TAs, I have not.

Thanks for your reply. It occurred to me that maybe it has to do with my being on a Mac. I had tried using 3 different browsers (Safari, Firefox and Chrome). Whenever I went to select my cabin, all the photos of the different categories pop up, and then they immediately disappear.  

It occurred to me to try on DH's ChromeBook laptop. All the categories now magically appear! Yay!

I have another question, if you don't mind. When will I know that my FCC has come through? Do they send you an email? Does it show up in your account? The cancellation email I received said it would be there by February 28. In your experience, do you think that will be the case, or is it wishful thinking.

Thanks for your input.

We just received our second shot yesterday (Moderna). Arm a little more sore than the first shot, but that is about it. It was very difficult to schedule our appointments but after much perseverance we were finally able to get it. I am hopeful that when more and more vaccines become available the process will be smoother.

Is the MSC website always this difficult? My April 2021 cruise was cancelled (not really surprised) and I'm looking around for options to rebook. Every cruise to the Bahamas I try to look at shows no cabins available. Occasionally it shows some YC available. This is even when I look out into January of next year.

Obviously all these cruises can't be fully booked. Is this a glitch? I've tried looking at these cruises with some of the online travel agents I've used in the past and I see plenty of availability. Should I just abandon trying to book directly with MSC and use a travel agent instead? How does that affect using a FCC? Any suggestions?

I've cruised extensively with Celebrity, NCL, Royal Caribbean and Carnaval and I've never seen a website so difficult to navigate.

We are booked on April 25 out of Port Canaveral. All the major cruise lines have already cancelled everything until at least May, so I wouldn't be surprised if ours gets cancelled too. But we live near the port and we will just rebook if it gets cancelled.

I don't think it is a glitch. A glitch would have been fixed by now.

More likely it's a glitch in the same way that the big 30% off sale isn't really 30% off any price they've ever actually ever had.

3 hours ago, ericfromri said:

1  i did 2 years ago

2 yes, they will be added later

3 status match takes only a day or two usually. they took my RC pinnacle and made it into MSC black in 30 hours.   your welcome drink will be one drink.  the black benefits are pretty good and black is the only level that gets the cocktail party.

Thanks for the info

1 hour ago, WhoDatNan said:

I booked my first NCL cruise with this discount/5 freebie thing last week.  Should my reservation on the NCL site say something about the 5 freebies?  It only shows the amount paid.

After you log in, click on the tab that says Summary. It should show you your itinerary and then when you scroll past that, it should show you your perks.

3 minutes ago, Até said:

If the OBC is from a travel agent I cannot say.  But I've had OBC from MSC that is simply put as a credit to your on board account and good against any expenses.  It was applied against the service charge on my last US based MSC sailings which were added all in one lump a few days into the cruise.

 

No excursions 90 days out is not usual and likely caused by the current uncertainties.

 

The Welcome Back event is ironically available to all passengers who have a Voyagers Club status other than Welcome.  It's a large gathering in a lounge where they serve several basic drinks and most often I've seen some small snacks on tables.  You are usually able to get more than one drink if you ask a server.

Thanks so much. This is exactly what I was looking for. Our OBC is from MSC, not a TA. Thanks for your info.