MSC Cruises

MSC refuses to process the future cruise credit or refund for a March cruise cancelled under their original Cruise Assurance Program. We booked an MSC Yacht Club cruise in the fall of 2019. The expected Sail date was March 13,2020. This cruise was paid in full December . The original Cruise Assurance Program was effective March 10th and allowed for a future cruise credit if a cruise was cancelled 48 hours or more prior to departure. We called and cancelled on March 10th, taking advantage of the program. We received a confirmation email on March 10th. On March 11th we received an email stating that our permanent future cruise credit would bee mailed to us within 14 days of the original departure date. It is now December 16th. The booking number is XXXXXXXX. The total amount paid to MSC for this cruise is $3,276.58, including taxes and fees. Nothing has been reimbursed, not even port fees and taxes. We have called and email more than 50 times. We have sent 3 letters to the corporate office in Fort Lauderdale. One was sent certified mail and we have the receipt. There has been no response. Only promises of future credits or refunds each time we call. We are usually told that we will receive a credit or refund within a week or 2. Doesn't happen. Sometimes when we call the employees act as if we've never called and that there is no record. I have to resubmit all of my documentation. Our last call was on December 11th at 3:15pm. We spoke with*** and were disconnected. We called back and spoke with Lashanda, who said our case was being sent to the escalation department for a full refund, not a credit. We have been told MULTIPLE times that our case was being sent to the escalation dep. We don't know what else to do. They have now offered us a complete refund rather than a cruise credit. We have not received this. We payed via a credit card. I had travel insurance, but by the time I realized that MSC was not going to issue a credit or refund, it was too late to use my travel insurance that is a benefit of my card. We trusted this company.

I have cancelled a booked cruise last May 30. To date, I have not received my refund or explanation of delay from accounting department. I book a cruise through Expedia (travel agent/third party) with MSC, last 07 and was PAID in full, due to pandemic, cruise was cancelled, flight cancelled, travel banned. This booking has been cancelled since 03/30. MSC accepted the cancellation and stated I would be refunded. It is now August 3rd and I still have not received my refund. The communication between with MSC Customer Service has been a nightmare. We keep getting different answers, but no refund being issued back. It started off by getting information that refund will be received within 60 days due to the processing of many passengers refunds, then after the 60 days, we get a response that it should really take 90 days and to call the beginning of July. I patiently waited and as I contacted Expedia to request to contact MSC, I received the same results same answers all over again, whether still in process, need to wait about a week, there may be an issue with the card info, low staffing and handling overwhelming refunds, so many reasons were given. At one point, we asked to speak to a supervisor, MSC said, it was being escalated and handled by a supervisor named Jeffrey. Still to date, no refund. Escalated twice with the account billing department. Still no response. I have sent 2 emails to get an acknowledgment and reason for the delay or even just to get an ETA as to when my refund will be received. Refund expected amount $3019.48, that is a big amount that we are expecting back and due to this pandemic, we need the money. I feel that MSC has had sufficient amount of time to be able to process my refund. I am requesting assistance with Complaintsboard.com to assist and intervene in this matter. I need an official response as to when I can expect my refund. I paid almost a year in advance for this cruise, there was no issue when it came to accepting my payment, why am I being given a hard time in receiving my refund? We are in a pandemic, I get it, minimum staffing and not a lot of help, but please extend additional assistance in this matter, it's only been over 120 days. I need my money back to assist me as well during these times. I have stressed and feel sick thinking about this, at times I feel I developed anxiety due to how this is handled. I feel like I am being discriminated, I am ignored. Please address my concerns, I am one of many awaiting for money we entrusted to MSC, it seems as if we are given a hard time to get our money back. We feel as if we are being ignored, which is unacceptable. We mostly feel we are being punished for cancelling by not getting our money right away. This is not a way to do business. Your consideration and assistance in this matter is appreciated!

MSC Cancelled our cruise dated 05/02 2020. We received a refund conformation # on 04/02 2020 but haven't received our money as of today. We scheduled a cruise with MSC Cruises USA for 05/02/XX XXXX sailing out of the Port of Miami. It was a 8 day/7 night cruise to the Bahamas and we booked it through our travel agent Lori Rushing, with Away You Go Vacations, Denham Springs LA (XXX-XXX-XXXX). We made our final payment on 01/10 and our booking number is XXXXXXXX. On March 31 we were notified that MSC had cancelled our cruise b/c of the Covid-19 pandemic. On April 2 we requested a full refund for the cruise, which was an option given to us by MSC. We received a Refund Reference Number XXXXXXXXX. Since we made our final payment for the cruise and the cancellation of the cruise, we moved from West Monroe, LA to Garden City KS. We had made the payments for our cruise out of two different bank accounts, using our debt cards. As a result of our move, we closed those bank accounts and opened a new one in Garden City. We talked with MSC and was told that they had tried to refund our deposit back to our old account, but since it was closed, the refund was returned. Although, since we used 2 different debt cards, I don't know which one they tried to send the refund to. We had several email exchanges starting on 04/16, with Mr. *** to which we gave our new address and banking information. We have had no less than 19 emails with Mr. Veal, inquiring about our refund. On April 24 he told us that refunds were, at that time, taking "up to 60 days" . After this, we got out travel agent involved and she made a number of phone calls and email requests for information and the return of our deposit. Each time, talking with the MSC customer service is like talking to them for the very first time. We have provided them with our new address and banking information numerous times and we always get the same response, and that is that they are going to "send this to accounting" or as of 07/01, our case was supposedly turned over to management. As of today, we are 112 days from our original refund request date and 82 days from our cruise date. We have made more phone calls than I can recall to try and get our refund, Unfortunately, looking at social media, we are far from the only ones that are frustrated with MSC Cruises and the way they are handling this situation. I have filed a complaint with the Federal Maritime Commission. We have been assigned a case # XXXXXX and our case mgr is *** But , from what I understand, they can only assist on an informal bases. I am appealing to you in hopes that 1. MSC will care enough about their reputation in the business community and process these refunds as required and 2. That any one that might consider using MSC Cruises (once things get back to normal) wil be aware that this is how MSC handles their customers during a crisis.

Cancellation issued on April, 15th 2020. Money has not been refunded as of October , 26th 2020 On 3/2 I booked a trip with MSC: Booking# XXXXXXXX. Ship Seaview. Embarkation date 07/15 (Attached document). On 3/15 at 2:45 pm, my husband called MSC to cancel cruise: S/w *** who gave him service request# X-XXXXXXXXXXX. On 4/15 my daughter received an email confirming cancellation (attached document.). This cancellation was generated with an error showing 7/29 as the embarkation date. At that moment my daughter called and was told that such error had generated a cancellation fee that had to be waived by upper management, so they had started the process to do so (Service request# X-XXXXXXXXXXX). On 06/18 at 1:50 pm (2 months later) I called again and spoke with *** She submitted a "refund status tracker form" because the fee had not been waived yet. On 07/16 at 3:22 pm I called again and s/w Kymessa (supervisor). She said that fee waiver had not been processed yet . At that moment I expressed my disappointment and frustration with the Company and she told me she was going to take care of the situation and asked me to call back by 08/01 if I had not received the refund by then yet. On 8/10 at 3:10 pm, I called and s/w *** She told me everything was still in process and that I had to allow another 60 days to received my refund. At that moment I was really upset and asked to speak with a supervisor or manager. I was told there was no supervisor available and she asked for my phone number so a supervisor could call me back. I did so and no one ever called me back. On the same day my daughter called again to clarify if at least the fee waiver had been processed. S/w *** who confirmed the cancellation fee generated in error had been finally waived. On 09/28 at 4:47 pm my daughter called again. S/w Shane who said that something had been done incorrectly and no refund had been processed yet. He submitted the request again . On 10/26 at 10:51 am, I called again and s/w Tris. She said exactly the same words I have heard before..."Error made, request sent again, had to wait another 60 days" (service# X-XXXXXXXXXXX). I asked again to speak with a supervisor. At 10:51 am there were no supervisors or managers available. She asked again to leave phone number so a supervisor could call me back when available. I explained to her that I had been told the same thing in the past and no one called me back, and expressed I needed to talk to some else that could give me a satisfactory answer. This person simply hung up on me. That is when I finally decided to file a complaint against this company that has made several errors that are not my responsibility, has provided a very poor customer service while handling my requests and as a result it has been almost 8 months since our first call to cancel the cruise and we haven't received our refund back. Do I have to wait another 60 days to call back and hear the same story again? Anyone reading this would agree that this is frankly disrespectful and beyond unfair to me as a consumer.

Refund not received since 3. Upgrade refund for drink pkg. on canceled cruise. 6 times called and 7 emails sent. Subject: Re: Issue with booking number XXXXXXXX-MSC Cruises. The problem date began on 3/30 when we rebooked the cruise due to Covid.At that time our booking number was XXXXXXXX. That booking has the additonal amount that we paid for AN UPGRADE ON THE DRINK PACKAGE FROM PREMIUM TO PREMIUM PLUS PACKAGE. The upgrade amt. was $119.00 p/p for a total of $238.00. First of all, I have been a travel agency owner and have been working in this industry for over 40 years and I have never had so many issues with a cruise line regardless of Covid. I have tried to resolve this issue by calling 5 or more times and sending 7 email requests to customer service. Nothing has been done yet! I am so sick and tired of dealing with MSC regarding these problems with our changing of the cruise due to Covid. I have spoke to Letoya on 5/10 and she told me that the refund would be credited to my account by July 10th. Then I spoke to *** on 7/29 and I got the same info from her. I then called and spoke to Emberli on 9/27 and she said that she would send it and have it "Esculated to Accounting." Still nothing done! I then called again on 11/10 and spoke to *** She told me that it is an "Insider Ticket and that she would also "Esculate it to Accounting. Again, NOTHING DONE!. Lastly I just called on 12/3 and spoke to Felika. Of course she told me the same thing and she said that this was the fifth request now. She could not understand why they have not sent us this refund. We received the refunds for the Fees and taxes even though they shorted us $91.09. I am not going to bother with that, but I do want my $238.00! All of the other cruises that we have booked for 2021 and 2022 on NCL and Oceania have been so easy to change. Not one problem with them. I think that it is time that the management of MSC starts to recognize that MSC is not operating under good management. Learn from the other lines! Now with the next problem that has not been settled since January! Our booking number at that time was XXXXXXXX. We paid in advance $119.00 p/p for a total of $238.00 for the upgrade drink package from Premium to Premium Plus Package (Code 699UPPPP.) When we were forced to change the cruise, we were suppose to be refunded the $238.00. IT HAS BEEN OVER 12 MONTHS AND WE STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE REFUND. WHY? WHY? WHY? I keep on getting the same responses from the agents telling me that they are going to send it to Accounting for payment, but it never gets refunded and now I am ready to take further action. I do have a question that might solve the problem. On our new and latest invoice it states that we have the upgrade drink package, but there is no amount next to it. Did MSC just transfer the drink package to our new invoice or ? our NEW INVOICE NUMBER IS XXXXXXXX. I am asking that MSC either refund the $238.00 to our credit card ending in 5708. I have spent so many hours on this issue that should not have happened. Please help me with this issue as I am not going to give up until I receive the refund that I deserve take Thank you, *** R. *** H. ***'s MSC Diamond Card Member-XXXXXXX ***'s MSC Diamond Card Member-XXXXXXX ***@aol.com

Purchased a Family Cruise that was paid in full - Per Company Pol;icy requested a "Future Cruise Credit" that has yet to be fulfilled. We booked a family (8 people) cruise for Christmas 2019, for a June 21st sailing. Booking was issued under 2 different confirmation numbers. Booking was paid in full in March . Cruise was Cancelled by MSC on April 29. A refund request was submitted May 4th for both confirmation numbers. A correction was made on May 15th to one of the requests (typo in confirmation number.) Per MSC - Credit would be issued within 14 days of original sailing. Being patient, I waited a full month before reaching out to MSC XXX-XXX-XXXX, I spoke with 3 different reps - two of which disconnected while discussing the Future Cruise Credit. The third rep advised they did not know when the credits would be issued, as they were still under review? I know we are not the only people that MSC is holding our money/credit over cancelled cruises, but this is getting ridiculous - I was advised that if I requested a refund that they would not be processing them until end of the year? Below is copies of the email bodies for the acknowledgement from MSC. May 15 Dear ***, Your MSC Cruise Assurance Form has been successfully submitted for a canceled Miami cruise booked through MSC Cruises. Your 125% Future Cruise Credit request is under Booking # XXXXXXXX Please use your Booking Number for all correspondence regarding this request. Your Future Cruise Credit certificate will be issued via email within 14 days of the original sailing date. Once received, please call our customer contact center at X-XXX-XXX-XXXX or your travel advisor to assist you. We thank you for standing by us and look forward to welcoming you aboard a future cruise. Thank you MSC Cruises May 4 Dear ***, Your MSC Cruise Assurance Form has been successfully submitted for a canceled Miami cruise booked through MSC Cruises. Your 125% Future Cruise Credit request is under Booking # XXXXXXXX Please use your Booking Number for all correspondence regarding this request. Your Future Cruise Credit certificate will be issued via email within 14 days of the original sailing date. Once received, please call our customer contact center at X-XXX-XXX-XXXX or your travel advisor to assist you. We thank you for standing by us and look forward to welcoming you aboard a future cruise. Thank you MSC Cruises Copy of cancellation of cruise dated April 29 April 29 Dear Guest, We want to make you aware of a change to your upcoming cruise. We are constantly monitoring the COVID-19 global public health emergency. Following the guidance of governments around the world, while always prioritizing the health and safety of our guests and crew, we've decided to extend the suspension of our cruises fleetwide through July 10. GUEST COMPENSATION - ACTION REQUIRED As a guest booked through MSC Cruises USA with a departure from May 30 through July 10, we are offering you a Future Cruise Credit for 125% of the original cruise fare paid. The Future Cruise Credit can be used on any sailing departing on or before December 31. Any applicable prepaid items and government taxes and fees will be refunded to the original form of payment. While we hope you choose to reschedule your cruise for a future date, we understand that this may not be the ideal option for you. If you choose not to take the Future Cruise Credit, you may request a refund on our online form that will be equal to the original amount paid. Please see detailed instructions below on how to select your Future Cruise Credit or refund on our online form, which will be available after 6:00 PM EST on Saturday, May 2. HOW TO USE YOUR FUTURE CRUISE CREDIT In addition to transferring the full amount paid for your original cruise, by opting for the Future Cruise Credit, MSC Cruises USA is providing you an additional 25 percent credit to use on a future cruise of your choice - including any ship and any itinerary in MSC Cruises' fleet.

A initial double charge has led to MSC canceling my reservation, forfeiting my FCC and the service center not connecting me through to management RE Reservation ending 1008 On April 30, I upgrade from an interior Yacht Club Stateroom to a Deluxe Yacht Club Stateroom for an August 1 sailing out of Miami. This increased my cruise fare by $1,045. I immediately went on line and remitted the payment as this was also the final payment due date. Prior to this, I had already paid off 100% of the cruise fare of $3.877.10 back in March. On April 30th, after submitting the initial $1,045 payment I was redirected to a blank payment screen. Before taking any further actions and inputing all my information again, I opened my credit card and verified that there was a pending payment of $1,045 to MSC Cruises. This very situation happened when I submitted my previous final payment back in March. I contacted the MSC Service Center on May 1 to explain the situation. I was told by the agent that she saw 1) no payment being made by MSC, 2) it was beyond the payment due date and, 3) I would need to make a payment. I asked if there could be notation made on my account and see if the payment would process within a few business days and was again told that my payment was past due and I needed to make that payment or else (I forget the actual wording) I would forfeit my deposit? I made specific mention about the pending charge and was again assured that there was nothing in the MSC system indicating a payment being made. I asked about disputing a charge and was told I could initiate that with MSC or my credit card company if, in fact, duplicate charges were to post. Again though, I was assured there was no payment processing in your system. I ended up making that forced payment with the MSC Service Center in the amount of $1,045 on May 1. - On May 2, a payment in the amount of $1,045 posted to my account dated April 30. This brought my investment in the cruise to $4,922.10. 100% of the cruise fare had been paid. - On May 3, that duplicate payment forced by the MSC service center posted in the amount of $1,045 to my account dated May 1. This brought my investment in the cruise to $5,967.10. An overpayment of $1,045. I am furious with MSC for insisting and rushing a payment instead of offering, even 72 hours to allow the pending transaction to process; even with me insisting that this was the very same thing that occurred when I made my final payment on March 21 - On May 4th I initiated the dispute with my credit card of the second "forced" charge taken over the phone. The cruise was canceled in July. I opted for the FCC and received a certificate in the amount of $6,742.63 ($1,045 more than what it should have been). 5 MONTHS LATER On October 4, I was unable to access my reservation. After speaking to someone at the Customer Service Center, I was told me that reservation was canceled, I was referred to Ms. Miller who (while I assume was texting with a single manager on duty) attempted to piece together what had exactly happened. I was told that there was a chargeback, which resulted in the reservation being canceled and that the cruise fare should be refunded to my card. The taxes were refunded in July. None of what I initiated, none of what was true. Ms. secured the stateroom and gave me a new reservation total that was $1,045 more than my original cruise fare. It was then that she told me that I forfeited the FCC due to the chargeback I had initiated and the refund of the reservation. What Ms. fails to realize after multiple attempted explanations is that the only amount being disputed was the duplicate $1,045 payment. Had MSC simply responded to that, the total investment of the cruise would have gone down, but still have been equal to $4,922.10. 100% of the cruise fare still would remained paid in full. I don't know who screwed this up, but certainly I will not not be being penalized because of multiple MSC billing errors and failures. Taxes and Cruise Fare have been refunded as of 11/12. No contact from management. No resolution