Preziosa

[Lovely Scouse]

I contacted travel agent again today. They have moved date for our final balance to be paid from 2nd December to 12th December as they agree MSC announcement on RIO cruises may be imminent. 

It took us 9 months to get full refund from our Canada/Alaska cruise May 2020 that was cancelled due to covid pandemic in March 2020. 

UK travel agents Cruise Nation and Iglu cruises both think cruises from Rio for spring 2021 are likely to be cancelled. Iglu cruises told my friend over phone that they’d unofficially heard MSC have cancelled all cruising from Rio up to March 19 2021. Has anyone else been told this? 

[Preziosa]

Preziosa is now sailing for the South of Spain close to Gibraltar.

[travelberlin]

20 hours ago, Lovely Scouse said:

I contacted travel agent again today. They have moved date for our final balance to be paid from 2nd December to 12th December as they agree MSC announcement on RIO cruises may be imminent. 

It took us 9 months to get full refund from our Canada/Alaska cruise May 2020 that was cancelled due to covid pandemic in March 2020. 

UK travel agents Cruise Nation and Iglu cruises both think cruises from Rio for spring 2021 are likely to be cancelled. Iglu cruises told my friend over phone that they’d unofficially heard MSC have cancelled all cruising from Rio up to March 19 2021. Has anyone else been told this? 

I am glad your TA has moved the date, but 10 days does not seem enough. I do not think that by then MSC will make an announcement on cruises with the Preziosa.

 

[sidari]

38 minutes ago, travelberlin said:

I am glad your TA has moved the date, but 10 days does not seem enough. I do not think that by then MSC will make an announcement on cruises with the Preziosa.

 

TB ... The short time gap might be due to information that the travel agent is not yet able to share but would help out Lovelyscouse overall.

[Até]

21 hours ago, Lovely Scouse said:

UK travel agents Cruise Nation and Iglu cruises both think cruises from Rio for spring 2021 are likely to be cancelled. Iglu cruises told my friend over phone that they’d unofficially heard MSC have cancelled all cruising from Rio up to March 19 2021. Has anyone else been told this? 

Hopefully by your December 12th new payment date MSC will need to make an announcement about the Brazil Preziosa sailings still set to start January 16th.  I find it questionable that Preziosa can make it to Italy, get crew aboard and head back to South America for the first set sailings.  It would be better if MSC doesn't keep making the cancellations one month at a time, but that keeps final payments coming in.  As an alternative I do think MSC could be holding out to possibly move people to Seaview if they can eventually get government approval to begin sailing before March.  Regarding the TA, a bigger question for MSC could be how the ship's arrival in Southampton/Europe with passengers would go.

[travelberlin]

1 hour ago, sidari said:

TB ... The short time gap might be due to information that the travel agent is not yet able to share but would help out Lovelyscouse overall.

You are right. I hope it is that way. 

[travelberlin]

11 minutes ago, Até said:

Hopefully by your December 12th new payment date MSC will need to make an announcement about the Brazil Preziosa sailings still set to start January 16th.  I find it questionable that Preziosa can make it to Italy, get crew aboard and head back to South America for the first set sailings.  It would be better if MSC doesn't keep making the cancellations one month at a time, but that keeps final payments coming in.  As an alternative I do think MSC could be holding out to possibly move people to Seaview if they can eventually get government approval to begin sailing before March.  Regarding the TA, a bigger question for MSC could be how the ship's arrival in Southampton/Europe with passengers would go.

The problem is that Preziosa and Seaview have different itineraries and dates. Preziosa is supposed to start later in March and the Grand Voyage is supposed to end in Hamburg. It is not an alternative to all passengers booked on the Grand Voyage with the Preziosa to take the Seaview Itinerary.

[Até]

1 hour ago, travelberlin said:

The problem is that Preziosa and Seaview have different itineraries and dates. Preziosa is supposed to start later in March and the Grand Voyage is supposed to end in Hamburg. It is not an alternative to all passengers booked on the Grand Voyage with the Preziosa to take the Seaview Itinerary.

I agree the dates and itineraries don't match, but unfortunately in the past even larger differences have not stopped MSC from making a switch.

[Lovely Scouse]

So this morning i check my emails at 7am to find one with receipt for payment of my balance ?!?!? Seems the adviser and her manger didnt notify the payments team!?!? I emailed right away as their phonelines dont open until 10am. The booking is in my name but the monies have been taken from my husbands bank account that he used to pay the deposit. I was furious as after several phone calls they knew exactly why i was delaying paying balance and i had not given permission to take monies from my husbands bank account! They have apologised and promised to repay the money back into his account by close of play today. It is now 11pm and the money did not go back into his account but i did have a message on my answer phone at home from travel agent that they wanted to speak to my husband regarding this matter. 
i do feel that Travel Agents and the cruise lines are desperate for payments and they want us all to pay up (even though they know ship wont be sailing) and then make us wait for our money to be repaid. As i’ve said on here in earlier post... We had to wait 9 months to get our money back from our covid cancelled Canada/Alaska cruise this year 😞

[travelberlin]

6 hours ago, Lovely Scouse said:

So this morning i check my emails at 7am to find one with receipt for payment of my balance ?!?!? Seems the adviser and her manger didnt notify the payments team!?!? I emailed right away as their phonelines dont open until 10am. The booking is in my name but the monies have been taken from my husbands bank account that he used to pay the deposit. I was furious as after several phone calls they knew exactly why i was delaying paying balance and i had not given permission to take monies from my husbands bank account! They have apologised and promised to repay the money back into his account by close of play today. It is now 11pm and the money did not go back into his account but i did have a message on my answer phone at home from travel agent that they wanted to speak to my husband regarding this matter. 
i do feel that Travel Agents and the cruise lines are desperate for payments and they want us all to pay up (even though they know ship wont be sailing) and then make us wait for our money to be repaid. As i’ve said on here in earlier post... We had to wait 9 months to get our money back from our covid cancelled Canada/Alaska cruise this year 😞

This is certainly irritating. How can the travel agency take the money from the credit card without permission? I hope you get it solved. Otherwise your husband can ask the Credit Card company to reverse that charge.

[CruisingFox27]

Celebrity have cancelled South American cruises through to April 7th 2021

 

https://presscenter.rclcorporate.com/press-release/124/royal-caribbean-group-extends-suspension-of-cruisingrnnbsp/

[sidari]

16 hours ago, Lovely Scouse said:

So this morning i check my emails at 7am to find one with receipt for payment of my balance ?!?!? Seems the adviser and her manger didnt notify the payments team!?!? I emailed right away as their phonelines dont open until 10am. The booking is in my name but the monies have been taken from my husbands bank account that he used to pay the deposit. I was furious as after several phone calls they knew exactly why i was delaying paying balance and i had not given permission to take monies from my husbands bank account! They have apologised and promised to repay the money back into his account by close of play today. It is now 11pm and the money did not go back into his account but i did have a message on my answer phone at home from travel agent that they wanted to speak to my husband regarding this matter. 
i do feel that Travel Agents and the cruise lines are desperate for payments and they want us all to pay up (even though they know ship wont be sailing) and then make us wait for our money to be repaid. As i’ve said on here in earlier post... We had to wait 9 months to get our money back from our covid cancelled Canada/Alaska cruise this year 😞

Did you pay with a Debit card for your deposit ? If so that may be the reason they took the final payment, with you saying the money was taken from his bank account makes me think it was rather than a credit card.

[Lovely Scouse]

Celebrity Cruises have confirmed they have cancelled all South American sailings until early March 2021. 
and i found this re more MSC ships leaving South America. I have heard that the MSC Seaview is taking Brazil passengers only. 
 

http://crew-center.com/msc-sinfonia-and-musica-depart-south-america

MSC need to make announcement

[travelberlin]

12 hours ago, Lovely Scouse said:

Celebrity Cruises have confirmed they have cancelled all South American sailings until early March 2021. 
and i found this re more MSC ships leaving South America. I have heard that the MSC Seaview is taking Brazil passengers only. 
 

http://crew-center.com/msc-sinfonia-and-musica-depart-south-america

MSC need to make announcement

Yes, MSC needs to make an announcement. It can not be that not even travel agents either do not answer or do not know...It looks like the Transatlantic with the Preziosa will not take place at all, so what is the point of not letting us know in advance? 

Edited December 4, 2020 by travelberlin

[Lovely Scouse]

Iglu Cruises announcement 4pm on 4th December - cancelled cruises

https://*****cancelled-cruises-updates

[Até]

23 minutes ago, Lovely Scouse said:

https://*****cancelled-cruises-updates

From their website:

 

MSC cruise cancellations: All MSC cruises are cancelled up to and including 30th November 2020, apart from Lirica Dubai sailings which are cancelled until 31st October 2020. The following additional cancellations are also in place:

• MSC Grandiosa sailings between 1st and 14th December 2020 for UK and IE guests only
• MSC Opera South Africa sailings on 1st and 28th February 2021 and 5th and 9th March 2021
• MSC Opera Grand Voyage between 8th November-11th December 2020
• MSC Fantasia Grand Voyage between 14th November-6th December 2020
• US sailings up to 28th February 2020

[travelberlin]

20 hours ago, Lovely Scouse said:

Iglu Cruises announcement 4pm on 4th December - cancelled cruises

https://*****cancelled-cruises-updates

Thanks. Clearly they are not mentioning the cancellations in South America even though the cruises have been cancelled for example all those cruises until mid January.

[sidari]

Musica, Preziosa and Sinfonia currently headed towards Algeciras and the Med, Seaview was still anchored in South America.

[edsareg]

Hi All , We along with Lovely Scouce are booked on this Cruise, But we have a bit of a different problem. Along with not wanting to go any where near Brazil, We booked our cruise on March 7, Seven days later on March the 12th the UK Gov gave advice that any over 70 SHOULD NOT CRUISE any where. Im 73 and my wife will be 70 at the time of tthe sailing. There is no end date to this advice, I keep looking on the F.C.O. site for updates the last on being on Nov 11 and no change , Do not sail. We are booked with Iglu  I have infored them of our problem but they just keep refering me back to there T/C. sO I HAD A GOOD LOOK at the t/c  in it they state I MUST have Comprehensive  Travel Insur to travel.  So i got in touch with mt insur Company AXA, They have told me if i travel on this cruise , My cover will be NULL AND VOIID, They will not cover me as i have gone against Gov Advice.  Also before you are allowed to fly to Brazil , The Brazil gov have said you MUST have a Medicak check at the airport before you will be allowed to fly.  If this cruise where to go a head, Its not the Cruise we booked back in March 7. Facilities on board reduced by up to 50%, wearing Masks 24/7 unless in your cabin, You can not go a shore by yourself only when booked thru the ship.
I have no faith in MSC cancelling this before the balance due date, As they will have A LOT of money in there bank for months to come. Like Scouse we have just waited from Last April for our refund of £2000 from the last cruise we where booked on.
But we can only hope, If its not cancelled i will loose my deposit with Iglu rather than pay an other few thousand £ and have to wait months again.
Reg

[Até]

Have those of you with non-refundable deposits tried asking your agent or MSC if you could move your deposit money to a different sailing?

[edsareg]

Hi Ate, Yes they have said any deposit can be moved to an other Cruise which must be used by Dec 31  2021. But Im not sure its going to be safe to sail on a Cruise ship for a loooong time to come. With all the changes taking place on board, It dont sound like its going to be our type of Holiday.
Reg.

[Lovely Scouse]

3 hours ago, Até said:

We have also decided we don’t want to book a cruise or any holiday abroad whilst this covid-19 pandemic is still  ongoing 

[travelberlin]

22 hours ago, Até said:

Have those of you with non-refundable deposits tried asking your agent or MSC if you could move your deposit money to a different sailing?

Unfortunately it is not easy to find another cruise until December 2021 in which we would say, it is safe to cruise. Covid will stay for a while and it is not adequate to expect that seniors over 70 shall ignore the risks in order not to loose their deposit. MSC as an Italian family owned company shall see be able to understand that.

[Até]

I don't see MSC/TA's completely letting people out of their deposit contracts, they have been making several concessions.  I've noticed MSC US is allowing the current batch of cancellations to book cruises out as far as April 30, 2022.  As long as you book it by December 31, 2021.  Perhaps your MSC office could offer something similar for moving your deposit?

 

Even if they force booking a sail date by the end of 2021 ask if that booking falls under Total Cruise Flex.  If so you could cancel up to 48 hours before sailing for a FCC, perhaps if the virus situation is still bad by that date they will also extend that book by date to later in 2022.  Total Cruise Flex is good for sailings to December 31, 2021 so they basically have to extend the re-booking dates into 2022. 

 

If you cancel or don't make final payment for your current booking you are guaranteed to lose the deposit but moving it to a later 2021 date would at least give you a chance of using the money.

[Até]

Today Preziosa was removed from the CDC list of ships planning to sail into a US port, transfer crew to/from US cities or be allowed onto MSC's other US based CDC compliant ships.  So it is likely there were no COVID-19 cases on the Preziosa.  More likely is they had finished any crew transfer needs and stopped filing the CDC compliance documents once the ship was ready to leave the area.