MSC Cruises, Princess Cruises Extend Paused Operations

On Thursday, MSC Cruises announced that it will further extend the temporary fleet-wide halt of its cruise operations through July 31, 2020. MSC Cruises USA guests impacted by the July 11-July 31, 2020 canceled cruises will automatically receive a 125 percent Future Cruise Credit of the original cruise fare paid by June 19 to be used on a sailing on or before December 31, 2021. 

In addition, for all guests currently booked with MSC Cruises USA between August 1 through October 31, 2020, their bookings will now be eligible for Cruise Assurance, due to a new extension of the program, which will allow them to cancel their sailing up to 48 hours prior to departure and reschedule their cruise with a 100 percent Future Cruise Credit good for any ship and any itinerary on or before December 31, 2021.

Princess Cruises is also extending its pause in cruise operations with respect to the following voyages:

  • All cruises sailing in and out of Australia through mid-September on Sea Princess, Majestic Princess, Sun Princess and Sapphire Princess
  • All cruises in and out of Vancouver and Seattle in September and October on Coral Princess, Emerald Princess, Grand Princess, Royal Princess, Ruby Princess and Star Princess
  • Pacific and California Coast seven-day roundtrip cruises from San Francisco departing in September and October 2020 on Star Princess
  • All roundtrip cruises from Keelung, Taiwan, departing August 2020 on Majestic Princess

Guests currently booked on these canceled voyages, who have paid Princess in full, will have the option to receive a refundable Future Cruise Credit (FCC) equivalent to 100 percent of the cruise fare paid plus an additional non-refundable bonus FCC equal to 25 percent of the cruise fare (not applicable on charter voyages). For guests who have not paid in full, Princess will Double the Deposit, providing a refundable FCC for the money currently on deposit plus a matching bonus FCC that can be used on any voyage through May 1, 2022. The matching bonus FCC is non-refundable, will not exceed the base cruise fare amount of the currently booked cruise and will have a minimum value of $100 per person.  

In order to receive the above FCC no action is required.  

Alternatively, guests can request a full refund for all monies paid on their booking through this online form. Requests must be received by June 30, 2020, or guest will be registered for the Future Cruise Credit option.

Good to know: Princess will protect travel advisor commissions on bookings for cancelled cruises that were paid in full, in recognition of the critical role they play in the cruise line’s business and success.

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