MSC refund policy coronavirus

[sidari]

17 hours ago, floridian1 said:

Oh wow. Pls keep us updated on how this turns out. Ill report back tomorrow about what msc says about our cruise.

Fl1 ... here is the reply I just had from Axa.

 

Lloyds AVA Travel help team	3:10 PM (21 minutes ago)
Dear Mr D

 

Thank you for your email.

 

Providing you were unaware of any reason to be denied boarding the cruise at the time of booking your trip, you will be covered for the Cancellation section of your policy. 

 

Please note you should speak to your tour operator or accommodation provider for a refund of other costs before pursuing with a claim.

 

Please kindly refer to your policy documents to view limits, terms and conditions. 

 

Kind Regards,

Lloyds AVA Travel help team

Edited March 6, 2020 by sidari

[WonderMan3]

Royal Caribbean group just implemented a 48 hour cancel policy that allows you to cancel up to 48 hours prior to departure and get a full credit towards a future cruise within a year. This applies to cruises up through July of this year. I hope MSC adds a similar policy. I have a Seaside cruise in early May and one of my companions is already buzzing about cancelling.

[skings]

50 minutes ago, sidari said:

Fl1 ... here is the reply I just had from Axa.

 

Lloyds AVA Travel help team	3:10 PM (21 minutes ago)
Dear Mr D

 

Thank you for your email.

 

Providing you were unaware of any reason to be denied boarding the cruise at the time of booking your trip, you will be covered for the Cancellation section of your policy. 

 

Please note you should speak to your tour operator or accommodation provider for a refund of other costs before pursuing with a claim.

 

Please kindly refer to your policy documents to view limits, terms and conditions. 

 

Kind Regards,

Lloyds AVA Travel help team

 Okay I read this to mean, as long as you were healthy, (able to travel)  (who decides that?)when policy purchased, you would be reimbursed if temperature was recorded  over 100 at boarding

[BermudaBound2014]

50 minutes ago, WonderMan3 said:

Royal Caribbean group just implemented a 48 hour cancel policy that allows you to cancel up to 48 hours prior to departure and get a full credit towards a future cruise within a year. This applies to cruises up through July of this year. I hope MSC adds a similar policy. I have a Seaside cruise in early May and one of my companions is already buzzing about cancelling.

 

 Rumor has it the CCL group (Carnival, Princess, HAL, etc..) is soon to follow~!! Most of the luxury lines (Seabourn, viking, etc..) have already adopted a similiar customer friendly policy. Hopefully MSC will also jump on the bandwagon.

 

Here is where the difference between publicly traded co and private held company may come into play. MSC is not at the table tomorrow's meeting between Cruise Ship executives and Vice President Pence. 

[sidari]

21 minutes ago, skings said:

 Okay I read this to mean, as long as you were healthy, (able to travel)  (who decides that?)when policy purchased, you would be reimbursed if temperature was recorded  over 100 at boarding

I take it to mean Healthy when you made the booking, not all insurance will carry the same decisions as you may be aware.

[BermudaBound2014]

2 hours ago, Homosassa said:

Everyone can think of reasons to support their viewpoint.

 

The updates that I have received pertain specifically to my sailing on the Armonia this coming Monday (March 9).

 

It would not be of any help to post them here as it would just fuel more speculation from people trying to extrapolate based on limited information that pertains to a specific cruise  in a situation that changes daily. 

 

Try the MSC website from home; it might be that there is a block on the work computers for non-business related sites. The MSC updates on the site are easy to find and MSC is doing a good job of giving the facts on the different situations and decisions as they arise.

 

. 

 

There isn't a block. Seems the cruise lines have also thought of lots of reasons since so many are now offering full refund/rebooking opportunities through the summer. See post #52 for update on RCL policy. Rumor has it CCL will follow. Question is, what will MSC do?

 

Edited March 6, 2020 by BermudaBound2014

[sidari]

Here is where the difference between publicly traded co and private held company may come into play. MSC is not at the table tomorrow's meeting between Cruise Ship executives and Vice President Pence. 

 

BB ... Were they invited ? or is it just for US owned lines.

[Homosassa]

Viking is also a privately held company.

 

Remember, that MSC seems to be dealing with each unique situation as it arises. There is no reason for any of us to know what decisions are being made about current cruise departures on ships that we do not have bookings on.

 

I do know how MSC has kept us up to date on our sailing this Monday and I am impressed at the amount of information I have received.

 

Also remember, that due to its world wide base of clientele, many of those who have had recent dealings with MSC are not members here on Cruise Critic. 

 

LOL - I am not personally impressed on any meeting being held with current personnel from White House as there has been several occasions of eye rolling  reaction based on the statements made by said personnel.

 

One would at least expect someone having a taped meeting would at least have some basic information on why the coronavirus is not the flu and that there is no cross immunity between a flu shot and coronavirus infections.

[aprilF]

The silence from MSC this morning is deafening.

[BermudaBound2014]

 

58 minutes ago, sidari said:

BB ... Were they invited ? or is it just for US owned lines.

 

I'm honestly not sure. I found a list of the lines involved in the conference yesterday, but can't find it right now.

 

@Homosassa I disagree. I think that MSC making their policy public (as so many other cruise lines are doing) will allow everyone (including those thinking about booking a MSC cruise) know what to expect from the company. 

 

I think the frustration from so many is that other lines are making policy statements public while MSC is, as you say, handling 'each unique situation as it arises'.  Hardly seems efficient, but I suspect MSC has more balls in the air due to it's clientele.  

 

People simply want to know what to expect in the upcoming weeks. So many other cruise lines have put their consumer minds at ease, it makes MSC look less consumer friendly than the competition. Not to mention the consumer skepticism that has risen as a result of MSC publishing a policy and then retracting it. 

 

With that said, I do believe that MSC will eventually follow suite with the rest of the industry. This is a very dynamic situation. It is just taking MSC longer to get a plan together. I suspect that if MSC had a policy to share, they would. Hopefully it won't be too much longer. 

 

 

[BoundForSea]

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

 Rumor has it the CCL group (Carnival, Princess, HAL, etc..) is soon to follow~!! Most of the luxury lines (Seabourn, viking, etc..) have already adopted a similiar customer friendly policy. Hopefully MSC will also jump on the bandwagon.

 

Here is where the difference between publicly traded co and private held company may come into play. MSC is not at the table tomorrow's meeting between Cruise Ship executives and Vice President Pence. 

Interesting. Same boat as you Bermuda, so I’m following your quest for info, which is a valid quest, for those who see it differently. 

[Rob-Bob]

2 hours ago, Homosassa said:

I do know how MSC has kept us up to date on our sailing this Monday and I am impressed at the amount of information I have received.

I am booked on a cruise leaving 3/22/20 and I have not heard one thing from MSC.

[BermudaBound2014]

@Homosassa I thought you said the MSC site was updated today but I can't find your post :(. I am not finding any new updates other than a few enhanced screening policies. Am I missing something? If so, can you please point me to it? I'm clicking on the very top of the page (the orange) coronavirus update. The site says updated March 3rd (see red arrow below), but then when you click on it it says updated March 6th, but nothing is actually updated March 6th, it's still the March 3rd update. Anyway, where is the update you mentioned? I'm eager to read it.

 

 

 

[BermudaBound2014]

Just in case people aren't aware, Carnival, Princess, and Royal Caribbean have all revised their cancellation policies in response to the Corona Virus. Most of the luxury lines were the first to revised with very customer friendly policies (see above). I suspect HAL and NCL will be next. C'mon MSC.... let us know your plans please!

 

Carnival (BTW: a carnival ship was turned away from Grand Turk today).  Sailings between now and April 4th can cancel 3 days prior to receive 100% FCC.

Sailings departing between April 4 and May 31: booked guests can cancel by March 31, 2020, receive a Future Cruise Credit for 100% of the cancellation fee amount, and move your booking to any voyage that departs by December 31, 2021.

 

If you choose to keep your booking as currently scheduled for departures between March 9 and May 31, you will receive the following Onboard Credit amounts:

• $100 USD/ $150 AUD per cabin for 3 and 4 day cruises
• $150 USD / $225 AUD per cabin for 5 day cruises
• $200 USD / $300 AUD per cabin for 6 day and longer cruises

 

 

Princess: Notice the OBC incentive for those that choose to sail.

Full policy here: https://www.princess.com/news/notices_and_advisories/notices/temporary-cancellation-policy.html

 

 

 

Royal Caribbean  has published "Cruise with Confidence: Full policy here: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-with-confidence

 

 

 

[sidari]

MSC Opera was denied entry to Malta today, while the Costa Fortuna was turned away from Phuket in Thailand because there are 64 people onboard who had visited Italy in the last Two weeks and because there are 262 High risk Italians onboard! The Madness continues.

Edited March 6, 2020 by sidari

[shukapaw]

Looks like NCL has followed suit...

 

[BermudaBound2014]

@shukapaw This is excellent news thank you for sharing. NCL isn't offering OBC incentives, but allowing no penalty changes through September just trumped RCL''s July. And they are allowing re-booking through December 31, 2022. Bravo! Very customer friendly.

 

MSC? Are you listening? All the big players are taking care of their customers in the Caribbean, a little bone will go a long way to mend your customer service reputation. 

 

In fairness to MSC, they have more balls in the air given how many Europeans they cater to, but I do expect a policy similar to NCL, RCL, Carnival, and Princess to come through very soon.

 

PS: I should note that while HAL hasn't officially published a revised cancellation policy (maybe they have and I've missed it), the revision they published on Tuesday would include me simply because I have been in contact with someone from Grant Princess, so if I had a HAL cruise booked in a few weeks, I could get 100% FCC. I don't want HAL to get a bad rap. I suspect HAL will follow the CCL grouping shortly anyway.

[brightestfan]

5 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

 

I'm honestly not sure. I found a list of the lines involved in the conference yesterday, but can't find it right now.

 

@Homosassa I disagree. I think that MSC making their policy public (as so many other cruise lines are doing) will allow everyone (including those thinking about booking a MSC cruise) know what to expect from the company. 

 

I think the frustration from so many is that other lines are making policy statements public while MSC is, as you say, handling 'each unique situation as it arises'.  Hardly seems efficient, but I suspect MSC has more balls in the air due to it's clientele.  

 

People simply want to know what to expect in the upcoming weeks. So many other cruise lines have put their consumer minds at ease, it makes MSC look less consumer friendly than the competition. Not to mention the consumer skepticism that has risen as a result of MSC publishing a policy and then retracting it. 

 

With that said, I do believe that MSC will eventually follow suite with the rest of the industry. This is a very dynamic situation. It is just taking MSC longer to get a plan together. I suspect that if MSC had a policy to share, they would. Hopefully it won't be too much longer. 

 

 

I think that MSC should follow suit of the other cruise lines with this new cancellation policy.  If anything, it would promote "good will".  Otherwise, future consumers are just going to remember that MSC was not compassionate during this time when people are so undecided and uncertain.

[shukapaw]

4 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

@shukapaw This is excellent news thank you for sharing. NCL isn't offering OBC incentives, but allowing no penalty changes through September just trumped RCL''s July. And they are allowing re-booking through December 31, 2022. Bravo! Very customer friendly.

 

 

Most of the sailings I've looked at with NCL are offering OBC... the higher your cabin category, the more OBC.... from $100 up to $1000.  Also, NCL is now allowing even lowly inside cabin cruisers (like me) to get all 4 of their "Free at Sea" offers. These include internet, unlimited beverage package, Specialty dining package and $50 per port excursion credit. In the past, an inside cabin had to pick one of the 4 offers but now all 4 are included.

 

Also, I had a December 2020 SE Asia cruise booked with NCL. Just today, they made the decision to not sail in Asia through March of 2021. As a result, my cruise was cancelled. They are offering a full refund of deposit, up to $300 for airline change/cancellation fees for those who might have booked airfare independently (with documentation) and a 10% credit toward a different booking. I have a number of "issues" with NCL (obviously not enough to avoid them) but they certainly seem to be doing the right thing under the circumstances.

 

~Brian

[aprilF]

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

@Homosassa I thought you said the MSC site was updated today but I can't find your post :(. I am not finding any new updates other than a few enhanced screening policies. Am I missing something? If so, can you please point me to it? I'm clicking on the very top of the page (the orange) coronavirus update. The site says updated March 3rd (see red arrow below), but then when you click on it it says updated March 6th, but nothing is actually updated March 6th, it's still the March 3rd update. Anyway, where is the update you mentioned? I'm eager to read it.

 

 

MSC's site is bad with the updates.  As you click around to different parts pf the site the updated link changes, often to a very outdated link.  This, along with the pulling of the offer and the silence from them since gives me very little hope about MSC.  The update is linked in the Thinking of Canceling thread if you want to read it.  I didnt see any meaningful changes beyond MSC patting themselves on the back for not allowing people from certain countries on there ship for the past month.

 

As for me I am pretty sure I am outright canceling.  I have a few days to decide still before I move from losing my deposit to losing 50%.   I doubt I would trust MSC since they have seemingly renegotiated their stance at least once from allowing rebookings to not.  The only thing MSC has to gain from me by reinstating the rebooking offer and actually sticking to it is if I would consider sailing them for a big vacation again.  I like them enough that Id take a cheap, short notice cruise in the future but right now I am not feeling booking any sort of pricier trip with them.

[BermudaBound2014]

3 minutes ago, aprilF said:

.   I doubt I would trust MSC since they have seemingly renegotiated their stance at least once from allowing rebookings to not.  The only thing MSC has to gain from me by reinstating the rebooking offer and actually sticking to it is if I would consider sailing them for a big vacation again.  I like them enough that Id take a cheap, short notice cruise in the future but right now I am not feeling booking any sort of pricier trip with them.

 

This is the reason I'm holding out hope the MSC will fall in line with the rest of the industry. NCL, CCL, and RCL have to answer to their shareholders (you and I) and are doing everything they can to stabilize their stock. MSC Is privately held, so they don't need to respond quite as quick, but they aren't total idiots. Not revising their cancellation policy will do very serious long term damage to their company. North American's sailing in the Caribbean won't forget, and with social media, they won't let others forget either. 

 

 

[floridian1]

On 3/5/2020 at 4:01 PM, floridian1 said:

Wow. My agent is off today but she cancelled and rebooked ours on tuesday after msc told thrir agency we could cancel and rebook. Yesterday she said she was still waiting for msc to transfer the money (msc said it takes 48 hours) now im super nervous. You need to fight this.

update on my situation. My TA called MSC today and they still are waiting for accounting to move my money over to the new booking (since tuesday). They said their accounting is backed up.

[aprilF]

40 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

This is the reason I'm holding out hope the MSC will fall in line with the rest of the industry. NCL, CCL, and RCL have to answer to their shareholders (you and I) and are doing everything they can to stabilize their stock. MSC Is privately held, so they don't need to respond quite as quick, but they aren't total idiots. Not revising their cancellation policy will do very serious long term damage to their company. North American's sailing in the Caribbean won't forget, and with social media, they won't let others forget either. 

 

 

This is all true but you arent mentioning that they briefly offered to rebook once and then quickly pulled the offer.  For those few that took advantage, some have had their rebooks cancelled, many are in limbo.  I dont recall any saying very recently (last 6 hours or so) that they are still good (meaning still booked on their new cruise).  So even if they were to make an offer again, why should they be trusted.  That's where my biggest issue is.

[BermudaBound2014]

6 minutes ago, aprilF said:

This is all true but you arent mentioning that they briefly offered to rebook once and then quickly pulled the offer.  For those few that took advantage, some have had their rebooks cancelled, many are in limbo.  I dont recall any saying very recently (last 6 hours or so) that they are still good (meaning still booked on their new cruise).  So even if they were to make an offer again, why should they be trusted.  That's where my biggest issue is.

 

Oh, please don't get me wrong. I'm not a corporate cheerleader. I have mentioned that the withdrawal of your offer will cost them dearly in terms of consumer confidence in one or two of my posts today. If I were you, I'd be doing everything within my power to get that offer back on the table (where it should be).

[mamaneedsavacay]

5 hours ago, Rob-Bob said:

I am booked on a cruise leaving 3/22/20 and I have not heard one thing from MSC.

I'm on 3/15 and also haven't heard anything. Maybe because it's a Caribbean itinerary, but I would still love to get some options to weigh. It's not the illness that scares me, but I am concerned about the possibility of a quarantine like Princess.