Disappointed

[Reenie75]

We booked for Mar 4, 2022,  Seashore 7-day cruise. MSC has changed the itinerary (no communication to us still!)and moved us to Balcony guarantees due their system change. Last week I paid for the cruise in full. Today after 6 pm I went onto the website did a phony cruise only to notice if I booked today I would have saved 800$ same exact room below balcony. I'm so very discouraged with MSC. 😞

[Reenie75]

I meant Bella Balcony guarantee 

[WoodyWindy]

Call. either your TA or MSC. Worst case, they won't adjust your fare. Best case, you'll get $800 back...

[styles27]

There’s a very good chance you’ll get some OBC if you call. 
I had a price adjustment for almost $300 after final payment for my cruise last month. It’s worth a phone call the worst they can say is no. 
 

Also if you haven’t already done so complete your web check in asap

 

I complete our check in immediately and I’m convinced this is why they don’t mess with my assigned room that I pick. 

[Reenie75]

I'll try to see if they can do anything.

[perakcruiser]

MSC pricing is different and much more moving. If the ship fills the prices go up extremely. If the cruise sells bad the prices will go really low. Great for people that live close to the ports and free to hop on the bat next sunday. And usually they have extreme strict cancellation policy, but this is different in the US market. 

[sverigecruiser]

 

Why are you disappointed?

 

Prices go up and down on everything, including cruises.

 

People pay for cruises everyday so if someone is disappointed because the price goes down a few days after they have paid for a cruise they can never lower the price without disappointing someone.

[JAGR]

12 hours ago, Reenie75 said:

We booked for Mar 4, 2022,  Seashore 7-day cruise. MSC has changed the itinerary (no communication to us still!)and moved us to Balcony guarantees due their system change. Last week I paid for the cruise in full. Today after 6 pm I went onto the website did a phony cruise only to notice if I booked today I would have saved 800$ same exact room below balcony. I'm so very discouraged with MSC. 😞

Can I assume you meant March 5th?  Seashore is in Ocean Cay on the 4th, I believe.  We're on the 5th, and they notified us of the itinerary change, and gave us a $50 OBC per passenger (unless you purchased your ticket in Ireland, like Beamafar).

[Homosassa]

9 hours ago, perakcruiser said:

MSC pricing is different and much more moving. If the ship fills the prices go up extremely. If the cruise sells bad the prices will go really low. Great for people that live close to the ports and free to hop on the bat next sunday. And usually they have extreme strict cancellation policy, but this is different in the US market. 

To the contrary, everyone should read the MSC Term and Conditions on the USA website.

 

MSC knows the booking tricks used by passengers to game the system and it will surprise many on the loopholes that MSC has closed for those trying to refare a cruise.

[Reenie75]

1 hour ago, JAGR said:

Can I assume you meant March 5th?  Seashore is in Ocean Cay on the 4th, I believe.  We're on the 5th, and they notified us of the itinerary change, and gave us a $50 OBC per passenger (unless you purchased your ticket in Ireland, like Beamafar).

Its the 5th 🙂

[Reenie75]

2 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

Why are you disappointed?

 

Prices go up and down on everything, including cruises.

 

People pay for cruises everyday so if someone is disappointed because the price goes down a few days after they have paid for a cruise they can never lower the price without disappointing someone.

My sister and I tried to make changes prior they said ship is at full capacity.

[JAGR]

17 minutes ago, Reenie75 said:

Its the 5th 🙂

So, hopefully, you got the $50/person OBC on your account.

[Two Wheels Only]

An itinerary change can happen to anyone. It's not great but does happen occasionally.

 

The stateroom change can be a big deal or not a big deal. it depends on what you had originally booked and where you get assigned. 

 

However, the price drop after final payment is pretty much standard. Just about every cruise line will drop prices in order to fill whatever remaining staterooms are on the ship. They don't "owe" anything to the passengers who booked prior to final payment. Sure, it's nice to receive something (upgrade, OBC, etc.) but nothing should be expected. 

 

Think back to the day that you booked. You were willing to pay that price and booked at that price. If others pay more or less than you did for the same category/experience, what they pay has no impact on you. 

 

I'm also sailing in March 2022 and also just made my final payment. I checked prices from the day that I booked until now and made adjustments when prices went down (different promos, different sales, etc.) but if anything happens after final payment, I don't worry about it. I got the best deal that I could. If someone cancels at the last minute and a savvy cruiser can swoop in and get that stateroom at a huge discount, I won't get upset because they paid less than I did.  

[JAGR]

6 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

An itinerary change can happen to anyone. It's not great but does happen occasionally.

 

The stateroom change can be a big deal or not a big deal. it depends on what you had originally booked and where you get assigned. 

 

However, the price drop after final payment is pretty much standard. Just about every cruise line will drop prices in order to fill whatever remaining staterooms are on the ship. They don't "owe" anything to the passengers who booked prior to final payment. Sure, it's nice to receive something (upgrade, OBC, etc.) but nothing should be expected. 

 

Think back to the day that you booked. You were willing to pay that price and booked at that price. If others pay more or less than you did for the same category/experience, what they pay has no impact on you. 

 

I'm also sailing in March 2022 and also just made my final payment. I checked prices from the day that I booked until now and made adjustments when prices went down (different promos, different sales, etc.) but if anything happens after final payment, I don't worry about it. I got the best deal that I could. If someone cancels at the last minute and a savvy cruiser can swoop in and get that stateroom at a huge discount, I won't get upset because they paid less than I did.  

Exactly!  That's why I never discuss my air fare with anyone sitting near me.  Don't want to see their (or my) tears! 😂

[shipgeeks]

Nor do I talk about my cruise fare/OBC/cabin gifts while aboard the ship or here on CC!

[Homosassa]

Many have commented on Cruise Critic on the lower prices on MSC which equates in their minds as the cruise experience being on the level of Carnival. 

 

However, I believe that MSC can offer the fares that they do because they have eliminated the fare churning or fare games that many seem to expect is standard across all cruise boards.

 

As a result, they have a good idea of the per diem that they will have available to spend per customer and do not need to inflate their fares to allow or the fare games.

 

An example is the infamous single fare avoidance where a double cabin is booked with the intention of having the  second passenger being a no show.  

 

The assumption is made that the price of the double cabin will be the cruising passenger's fare and any single supplement that might be higher will be avoided.

 

Not on MSC - the Terms and Conditions states that any passenger that cancels (no show) at embarkation (voluntary or involuntary) will forfeit the fare and any additional single supplement will be assessed to the remaining passenger.

[sverigecruiser]

1 hour ago, Reenie75 said:

My sister and I tried to make changes prior they said ship is at full capacity.

 

Maybe you should have said that in your first post.

[Reenie75]

3 hours ago, JAGR said:

So, hopefully, you got the $50/person OBC on your account.

No they never contacted me at all even after I tried to communicate to them. They said they would be communicating to me it's been 5 weeks.

[styles27]

1 hour ago, Reenie75 said:

No they never contacted me at all even after I tried to communicate to them. They said they would be communicating to me it's been 5 weeks.

With MSC you’ll need to call them every other day til it’s resolved. It’s a pain but they may never contact you unfortunately. 

[DrSea]

7 hours ago, Homosassa said:

Many have commented on Cruise Critic on the lower prices on MSC which equates in their minds as the cruise experience being on the level of Carnival. 

 

However, I believe that MSC can offer the fares that they do because they have eliminated the fare churning or fare games that many seem to expect is standard across all cruise boards.

 

As a result, they have a good idea of the per diem that they will have available to spend per customer and do not need to inflate their fares to allow or the fare games.

 

An example is the infamous single fare avoidance where a double cabin is booked with the intention of having the  second passenger being a no show.  

 

The assumption is made that the price of the double cabin will be the cruising passenger's fare and any single supplement that might be higher will be avoided.

 

Not on MSC - the Terms and Conditions states that any passenger that cancels (no show) at embarkation (voluntary or involuntary) will forfeit the fare and any additional single supplement will be assessed to the remaining passenger.

I don't understand how that works. If you book 2 to a room and the other no shows, didn't you already pay for that spot?

[DrSea]

5 hours ago, Reenie75 said:

No they never contacted me at all even after I tried to communicate to them. They said they would be communicating to me it's been 5 weeks.

I think the OP's legit concern is the poor customer service. She is waiting over a month for a response. I think she deserves a response, even if it is not in the affirmative.

 

With that being said, the way I see it, the OP is paying extra for the convenience of having your plans set in stone for months in advance. In the past, I had to book cruises out almost a year or 2 in advance because my schedule is immutable and I only get this solid block of time off. I am paying extra/premium to reserve that specific time. For those who have flexibility in their schedule and can book things last minute, then they are sacrificing the flexibility and chaotic nature of last minute deals in exchange for a cheaper fare. Imho, you can't have both.

 

I have had fares sky rocket after the non-refundable deadline. I also have fares plummet after I paid. It's a wash when you start to do many cruises.

[no1talks]

9 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

Nor do I talk about my cruise fare/OBC/cabin gifts while aboard the ship or here on CC!

"Cabin gifts" 😉

[Beamafar]

On 12/5/2021 at 2:27 PM, JAGR said:

Can I assume you meant March 5th?  Seashore is in Ocean Cay on the 4th, I believe.  We're on the 5th, and they notified us of the itinerary change, and gave us a $50 OBC per passenger (unless you purchased your ticket in Ireland, like Beamafar).

It’s not because we booked from Ireland, J.  It’s because we used an FCC that had an added 25% compensation element for the cancellation of a cruise.  MSC doesn’t think we should be eligible for compensation for anything else, as a result. 

[Reenie75]

Well I have to say I received a customer service person, Maya that really explained everything. They ended up giving me a OBC for $450 then explained they put me in a Fantastica balcony on deck 12. She explained that she could send the communication on the itinerary change. The requirement on covid testing prior and after and covid insurance. I feel better that everything was acknowledged. 

[Native Floridian 26]

39 minutes ago, Reenie75 said:

Well I have to say I received a customer service person, Maya that really explained everything. They ended up giving me a OBC for $450 then explained they put me in a Fantastica balcony on deck 12. She explained that she could send the communication on the itinerary change. The requirement on covid testing prior and after and covid insurance. I feel better that everything was acknowledged. 

Wow that's an excellent outcome!