u/Temporary_Bike8381

Please help me understand the options—what is possible and what isn't.

Here is the situation: I have a fully paid booking under the "Bella" fare (non-refundable). The cruise is coming up soon. Currently, the MSC website shows a large number of unsold cabins for this itinerary, and MSC has significantly lowered the prices.

I have been assigned an inside cabin.

Could I do any of the following without cancelling my booking (i.e., without incurring penalties or making a new booking)?

1. Pay the price difference to upgrade to, say, an OB or BB cabin?

2. If so, which fare would MSC apply? The current fare for new bookings, the fare in effect when I originally booked or made the final payment, or something else?

3. Can I only upgrade the cabin category or the "experience" level, or can the fare itself be changed? I originally booked a standard "Last Minute" fare, but they are now offering a very attractive "Last Minute + Drinks" deal. Is there a chance to switch to that fare during an upgrade, or does that require a full cancellation and a new booking?

Thanks to everyone for your answers. I’d really like to hear about your personal, practical experiences so I know how to handle the conversation with MSC (keeping in mind that their staff aren't always knowledgeable).

Has anyone encountered this in practice and knows the answer to the following situation.

During a cruise, I purchase an open-dated voucher for myself (i.e., a deposit without selecting a specific cruise, valid for one year). Then, when I book the cruise, I decide to share a cabin with someone else, and the booking includes two Voyagers Club members. Will only the person whose name was on the deposit receive double points, or is this multiplier linked to the booking number and applies to everyone traveling with me in the same cabin (as is the general rule for the Voyagers program).

The original purpose of purchasing these vouchers was to quickly achieve Blue Diamond status, as I regularly use MSC services.

I'd like to hear your experience and opinions about the MSC loyalty program.

I'll share my opinion:

1. The statuses are purely formal, and you don't receive any special attention even with Diamond status.

2. Your requests are also ignored; you're stuck in line with everyone else at reception, and you have to go back 2-3 times just to get them to fix minor issues with your cabin (which takes a maximum of 5 minutes).

3. Getting a table for 2 in the restaurant is also problematic, and you're put on a waiting list along with everyone else, and ultimately, you're effectively left out.

4. The benefits you're entitled to aren't prepared for check-in, and you have to go and request them, or they're brought to you on the 2nd or 3rd day of the cruise (even robes and slippers).

5. When assigning cabins (if you book a guarantee cabin), the algorithms are also extremely ineffective, and your status actually hinders rather than helps you get a good upgrade. A real-life example: there were two Junior Balcony cabins (reduced in size) and 90 Fantasy Class cabins with a standard balcony left available... the company continued to sell internal guarantees (which were clearly no longer available). My booking included two Diamond-level passengers. The result: we (having priority for a cabin upgrade) get one of the two smaller cabins, and the larger cabins go to passengers with no status at all.