MSC UK alienating past guests and failing to release future cruises

[Skipper Tim]

1) Now no MSC itineraries from the UK from 2015 at all - when when RCi are increasing to 3 ships based in Southampton

2) No itineraries on sale beyond Autumn of this year (bar the silly £3k+ repo)

3) Fares increased 300-3000% across the board

4) Solo travellers no longer welcome at any fare for most itineraries

5) Not satisfied with completely changing itineraries on existing bookings, our roll call members are being systematically downgraded from the suites they had booked and fully paid for.

 

These are serious issues of current management failure.

 

Thankfully I have a 'land cruise' at the end of October. All our future cruise plans are cancelled and we are looking to other lines for next year. All other MSC loyal supporters of the past whom I know are either feeling the same way or are neutral at best.

 

My feeling is that loyalty is being betrayed and squandered by the recent young guns at MSC UK who, apparently, have little idea about anything. You only have to live and take an interest in one thing over a long period to have a reasonable idea. I don't believe these two have experienced either from the way MSC UK is going. Did they ever follow this CC forum? Did they ever discuss with people who did?

 

Hooray for the Divina. She appears to be getting interest from the U.S. market. The UK market appears to have been abandoned.

 

It was sweet, while it lasted.

 

They say an elephant has a long memory. Mine is mostly incident-rich. I will remember this.

[earn]

Tim,

 

How can they downgrade your cabin? I have always been of the impression (maybe wrongly, and most experience has been with RCI) that if they move you, you get at least the same grade of cabin.

 

How many of you have been affected? Is this for your cruise from the Canaries to Venice?

[sidari]

Tim ... MSC showed no loyalty whatsoever to those returning passengers who were on the transatlantic on Divina to Miami some of whom were Black card holders, in fact the only issue they cared about was getting the ship there and working on how to encourage North Americans to sail on the ship.

 

You really do have to wonder what MSC senior people were thinking when they looked to Carnival for inspiration!

Edited February 20, 2014 by sidari

[Skipper Tim]

Tim,

 

How can they downgrade your cabin? I have always been of the impression (maybe wrongly, and most experience has been with RCI) that if they move you, you get at least the same grade of cabin.

 

How many of you have been affected? Is this for your cruise from the Canaries to Venice?

 

Yes earn, you are absolutely right. EU law says and global industry-wide practice is only sideways and upwards moves. However, two members of our party so far, and independently, have been contacted and leaned on to accept a downgrade from a suite to an outside cabin "due to technical issues". And yes, this is the repo cruise from the Canaries which was originally from Sharm el Sheikh via the Suez canal, Turkey Rhodes and Crete, none of which we will see on the 'revised' itinerary.

 

Given that we all booked well back into last year, what we have been through with itinerary change, flight and hotel cancellations, I would have thought it more appropriate to cancel balcony suites from the more recent over-bookings, not ours.

 

I am not angry. I don't get angry. I am calm and considered. With all the recent changes at MSC UK piled on top of recent and ongoing pre-experience of our cruise, I feel that I am moving logically, and in the cold light of cheating, deception and lies, toward booking elsewhere from now on. Infact I already have.

 

Where will we discuss in future?

[Skipper Tim]

You really do have to wonder what MSC senior people were thinking when they looked to Carnival for inspiration!

 

A mistake that is just a matter of waiting for it to be revealed.

 

Time moves slowly sometimes.

 

When one is as mentally as old as me, one can patiently wait for sackings and corrections.

 

"'Twas always thus and always thus will be".

 

One can also help hurry them along by complaining. I know, very un-British, but very necessary.

 

Tim.

Edited February 20, 2014 by Skipper Tim

[Shipwrek]

Also got the phone call; also got an email saying for a £100pp refund how about spending 11 nights in a (tiny) 13m2 outside cabin instead of the 22m2 balcony suite! Can also have a large discount on a future cruise - but after the past week we will not want that anyway. We were also booked on the original Egypt trip; they owe us compensation for that before we even start with this one.

 

All I want to know is will MSC honour my booking or not!. I have asked what is the extent of the double booking so can gauge what to do. No answer to either in a week.

 

I have also asked if best to transfer to another MSC cruise or even book another cruise with another line and will they compensate me for extra costs. MSC will not provide any answer to that either - so I am 100% in limbo. Flight costs to get to other cruises have risen over the past week and one cabin category I like with another line has sold out. Going to Gran Canaria no matter what now so might as well just turn up at the dock with my booking details and fully paid invoice!

[Skipper Tim]

Also got the phone call; also got an email saying for a £100pp refund how about spending 11 nights in a (tiny) 13m2 outside cabin instead of the 22m2 balcony suite! Can also have a large discount on a future cruise - but after the past week we will not want that anyway. We were also booked on the original Egypt trip; they owe us compensation for that before we even start with this one.

 

All I want to know is will MSC honour my booking or not!. I have asked what is the extent of the double booking so can gauge what to do. No answer to either in a week.

 

I have also asked if best to transfer to another MSC cruise or even book another cruise with another line and will they compensate me for extra costs. MSC will not provide any answer to that either - so I am 100% in limbo. Flight costs to get to other cruises have risen over the past week and one cabin category I like with another line has sold out. Going to Gran Canaria no matter what now so might as well just turn up at the dock with my booking details and fully paid invoice!

 

Shipwrek, very sorry to hear that you have also been approached by MSC requesting you downgrade.

 

As I have said on our roll call (which I hope that you will join - link in my signature), MSC are obliged to honour the booking or better it. It is your choice regardless and you do not have to accept any alternative if you don't want. That is the law.

 

I have difficulty understanding how MSC dare approach people who have had their original cruise cancelled and then ask them to downgrade cabins for a worthless discount off an unlikely future cruise.

 

If you have not claimed compensation for cancelled flights and hotels, you must do so. We were able to get back the losses in the form of on board credit.

 

Tim.

[anniegb]

Silly question - is it only direct booking clients who are 'bumped' ??

 

Apparently the going rate from P&O for relocation of a balcony cabin but still a balcony cabin is several hundred pounds of OBC.

 

Annie

Edited February 21, 2014 by anniegb

[sidari]

Maybe you guys should put the issues you have to ABTA and ask them to investigate for you.

[anniegb]

Maybe you guys should put the issues you have to ABTA and ask them to investigate for you.

 

or involve a lawyer??

 

Annie

[Skipper Tim]

Maybe you guys should put the issues you have to ABTA and ask them to investigate for you.

 

Maybe. My experience of these professional bodies is that they look after their own first. There is an offering of arbitration but it really is a heavy wall of dismissal. I have been through it three times. Each ABTA decision has been against me. I won each time in court.

 

So, you see, maybe.

[sidari]

Tim ...

On a TV travel programme today based in Liverpool mention was made of MSC pulling out of the UK, the reason was given that MSC want to concentrate on Air packages to the Med .. seems you were right.

 

Any chance you can email me, lost the one from you off my address book for some reason!

[earn]

This is disgraceful. I hope it works out for everyone.

[riclop]

We love MSC in the USA and they will be adding ships here.

[Norwegian Cruiser 73]

While leaving UK MSC increase their presence in Northern Europe. Next year MSC Splendida will be based in Hamburg in addition to two Musicaclass ships. For the first time Yacht Club will be available in Northern Europe and the Fjords.

 

Is low sales on the Southampton MSC Opera departures the reason for leaving UK?

[sidari]

We love MSC in the USA and they will be adding ships here.

 

Riclop ... Maybe you can post the link to this claim ?

 

NC73 ... MSC are going to concentrate on fly cruises to the med, see my earlier post. There is currently nothing on the MSC UK site beyond November 2014 for Splendida or the others you mention.

 

This year, Magnifica, Poesia and Orchestra will be sailing from Copenhagen and Hamburg with some sailings from Warnemunde.

[The_Big_M]

It's just amusing that some who used to dismiss other's dissatisfaction with it being good Italian service, are now suddenly dissatisfied because it's not so good for them.

 

I also don't think the above is good... but then it's not so dissimilar from the experience that others reported here before but were laughed off.

[sidari]

M ... I think you may be misunderstanding the land based service to that of the ships, there are more issues with the land based services and that is what annoys most of those who are regular committed cruisers with MSC ... Well for now that is!

[cruisingcanadian]

It's just amusing that some who used to dismiss other's dissatisfaction with it being good Italian service, are now suddenly dissatisfied because it's not so good for them.

 

I also don't think the above is good... but then it's not so dissimilar from the experience that others reported here before but were laughed off.

 

Oh,that's SO TRUE! ;)

[soloadventurer]

Awful customer service :mad:

[JoLoca2208]

It's just amusing that some who used to dismiss other's dissatisfaction with it being good Italian service, are now suddenly dissatisfied because it's not so good for them.

 

I also don't think the above is good... but then it's not so dissimilar from the experience that others reported here before but were laughed off.

 

 

I couldn't agree with you more...

[Shipwrek]

Hi Tim

 

Thank you. I agreed the compensation for the previous aborted trip way back and it was far in excess of what MSC first offered. I too agreed to take it as on board credit. In fairness MSC UK agreed to pay everything without any dispute over one short phone call and follow up email.

 

Armonia should be our 40th cruise taken with 9 different lines including Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Cunard, P & O and NCL. It should be our 5th with MSC . Until last week we held MSC customer service in high regard as well as the on board service teams. It had been exemplary and before this there have been no issues whatsoever with MSC. We had a major timing issue on a previous cruise and MSC customer services advised and helped us out. We also had a significant medical issue on Musica last year and medical care and injections were needed for 8 days. The medial team were fantastic and charged out at a very low price- far lower than they could have charged. Just £140 all in.

 

So I think this double booking matter (they have confirmed that at least to me) may have caught MSC out in a couple of areas. I have speculated that none of the suite bookings for the aborted Egypt to Venice trip found there way onto the revised cruise booking. As the price was so low 12 months ago I assume most booked the balcony suites. I also wonder if MSC predicted that more would agree to downgrade and accept a cheaper future cruise than have agreed to and now MSC is wondering what to do next. It is a terrible own goal however to provide no further info. I have suggested a nr of options - but no reply to anything. I will keep plugging away....

[anniegb]

Hi Tim

 

Thank you. I agreed the compensation for the previous aborted trip way back and it was far in excess of what MSC first offered. I too agreed to take it as on board credit. In fairness MSC UK agreed to pay everything without any dispute over one short phone call and follow up email.

 

Armonia should be our 40th cruise taken with 9 different lines including Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Cunard, P & O and NCL. It should be our 5th with MSC . Until last week we held MSC customer service in high regard as well as the on board service teams. It had been exemplary and before this there have been no issues whatsoever with MSC. We had a major timing issue on a previous cruise and MSC customer services advised and helped us out. We also had a significant medical issue on Musica last year and medical care and injections were needed for 8 days. The medial team were fantastic and charged out at a very low price- far lower than they could have charged. Just £140 all in.

 

So I think this double booking matter (they have confirmed that at least to me) may have caught MSC out in a couple of areas. I have speculated that none of the suite bookings for the aborted Egypt to Venice trip found there way onto the revised cruise booking. As the price was so low 12 months ago I assume most booked the balcony suites. I also wonder if MSC predicted that more would agree to downgrade and accept a cheaper future cruise than have agreed to and now MSC is wondering what to do next. It is a terrible own goal however to provide no further info. I have suggested a nr of options - but no reply to anything. I will keep plugging away....

 

What a fair and balanced post.

 

I now suspect this double booking is not uncommon for MSC. On my last repo cruise, passengers who had booked also for the following week were asked to reconfirm their bookings with reception. There was much poring over deck plans.

 

Annie