Problems with moving Cruise Flex policy

[Markanddonna]

Has anyone had this situation?  I researched the MSC website so I could prepare for moving my cruise. I found quite a few cabins available and selected several. The agent told me it wasn't showing on her screen and gave me only four options, none great. She insisted the cabin I wanted that their website said was available wasn't. Is MSC withholding the better cabins for cruise flex and only offering their good cabins for new bookings and therefore giving us the inferior cabins?

[styles27]

58 minutes ago, Markanddonna said:

Has anyone had this situation?  I researched the MSC website so I could prepare for moving my cruise. I found quite a few cabins available and selected several. The agent told me it wasn't showing on her screen and gave me only four options, none great. She insisted the cabin I wanted that their website said was available wasn't. Is MSC withholding the better cabins for cruise flex and only offering their good cabins for new bookings and therefore giving us the inferior cabins?

Yes this happened to me when I moved our Jan 8th Seashore to November. 
I was on the MSC site at the same time as the agent on the phone and she said the rooms I was seeing as available were showing as booked on her screen. 
Every room she told me was available wasn’t showing available on my screen. 
 

It was ridiculous. Not only that but her prices were higher on her end but she did adjust the price and gave me the price I was showing on my end. I called back a few days later and got the room I originally wanted (that the agent said was not available) 

 

It does seem like they’re holding back better rooms for new bookings. 

Edited January 11, 2022 by styles27

[Markanddonna]

Okay, now I attempted to just accept the inferior room choice with the hope of getting a better cabin at a later date. Now, the agent tells me that there are NO bookings at all available on that cruise, that the bosses know about it, and it will be fixed "by the end of the week."  I am SOOOO frustrated.

[Fogfog]

Re cabins

 

We have noted that different cabins show available depending on whether its a long sailing (14 days) vs looking at each 7 day separately...

also the MSC site vs a TA site shows different cabins

 

I think some cabins are allotted to various TAs

 

All this means the cabin may be available yet the TA can't see it--as its held back, alloted to other agencies etc

 

Just an educated guess from our experience

[Markanddonna]

The last agent I spoke to had ZERO cabins to move me to.  I'm really frustrated!

[alohayall]

Check out this thread: “Used 48 hr flexible booking option and now the cruise I moved to doesn’t exist.”

 

I think it’s a corollary to your problem.  The dates of several Seashore cruises in November have shifted and selecting rooms was very iffy.

 

[ready2cruzagain]

Read somewhere else from a TA that MSC bookings are not totally ready and they are having problems moving the Flex bookings over.  I think this might have something to do with it.

 

MSC finally added bookings to Miami and PC that are longer than 7 nights yesterday so they are working on it.  They now need to add the drink package on the cruises which I was told they will be doing soon. 

 

Why not have everything ready and release at once is a good question but this is MSC IT so who in the world knows.

 

Our cruise does not sail until the end of Feb. so we have time to switch still but that does not help the ones that sail soon.

[dexddd]

As I've said before, MSC covets thy cabins.  Whether computer does it or people, it has existed long time.  When we first sailed Divinia, we had a RS and wanted a second room, one of the square ones which is now a separate category.  Told no but as ship filled up, assigned one as they held those.

 

Seaside first trip, YC for five, plenty available.  Wanted due to two kids that the pullout bed would be too small for both and wanted room for five with drop down bed.  NO, CANT DO.  We came up with our work around.

 

Shortly after, had two YC rooms booked, wanted to add third late in game, got a five person room for two people.  Go figure.  The ones for five were last available.

[cheeseheads4ever]

After you flex change and pick a say interior room can you change down the road to upgrade to a balcony? With or without charges?

[Markanddonna]

1 hour ago, cheeseheads4ever said:

After you flex change and pick a say interior room can you change down the road to upgrade to a balcony? With or without charges?

I was told there would be no problem upgrading at a later date, and that was what I prepared to do. When I called back, I was told booking any cabin on the Divina in 2023 using Cruiseflex was impossible. Only new bookings were allowed. I was told there would be no fee and I believe that as that has always been allowed. 

Edited January 12, 2022 by Markanddonna