Loyal "Royals" cruising on other lines??

[Aquahound]

Just so it's clear....the status match on MSC is only a one-time deal.

[lenquixote66]

We are Diamond on Royal and have enjoyed all of our cruises. I was wondering how many of you that are loyal to Royal actually book with another cruise line. Do you choose the other because of the ports or price that is offered or do you just cruise with Royal because of the status that you have with them?? Just wondering:)

 

Thanks and have a nice day.

 

We have cruised on 6 different cruise lines .We book cruises based on ports .

Royal-6 times

HAL-4

Celebrity-3

Norwegian-3

Carnival-1

Cunard-1

[JKrise]

Loyal to Royal? No way!!

DW and I have cruised Carnival and NCL along with RCL.

Diamond on RCL and Platinum on CCL (CCL Platinum = RCL Diamond---roughly equivalent)

We own stock in CCL because it was a really good price when we bought it and the ease of obtaining the shareholder benefit. RCL shareholder benefit is way to restrictive.

 

We usually cruise out of Port of Baltimore, but every now and then, fly down to Florida and catch a ship there.

Have no desire to sail Oasis, Allure or any of RCLs huge ships.

We looking forward to Carnivals Horizon ship in 2018...doing a back-to-back on it.

Our work schedules have a heavy weighting on our choice of cruise line, $$ for cabin choice, and next is the itinerary.

With all of the quality reductions with RCL lately, we are starting to book future cruises & migrate back to CCL more frequently.

Seems like each time we get off a RCL ship, DW and I have a discussion about yet another step downwards on the quality level of RCLs product. Getting tired of seeing the lower standards creeping into RCL.

 

With Carnival, the food seems to be as good, maybe a 'tick above' RCL.

With Carnival the food in the MDR has always been served warm and the staff happy.

With RCL the staff seems tired and its a roll of the dice if dinner is served warm.

 

But hey....if I am underway...I am happy.

Good with a sandwich (Grilled Cheese with a hint of butter on the bread...yum) and an iced tea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

[JustLoveToGetAway]

Love Carnival. Out of the Royal Caribbean, Princess, & Norwegian ships I've sailed on, I can say that Carnival's food is excellent - and their customer service goes *out of their way.* That has been noticeable & especially consistent. I haven't been on a Celebrity cruise, though!

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Forums mobile app

[LMaxwell]

Just so it's clear....the status match on MSC is only a one-time deal.

No it isn't a one time deal. Sailing in 4 days and still have my status match from last time. You have to cruise once every 3 years to maintain it; you also accumulate points in the program.

[diesel1973]

My wife and I also have mostly sailed RCCL and X (Diamond and Elite) and have been getting bored with them. We tried Disney last year(with grandchildren) and didn't think the "Magic" was worth the cost. We are trying MSC's Seaside with status match next year along with 2 RCCL cruises. Looking at Princess next.

[Clarea]

No it isn't a one time deal. Sailing in 4 days and still have my status match from last time. You have to cruise once every 3 years to maintain it; you also accumulate points in the program.

However, the status match is not a perk match. In my opinion, Black level on MSC (what they give for RC Diamond and above) is not as valulable to me as Diamond level on RC.

[Aquahound]

No it isn't a one time deal. Sailing in 4 days and still have my status match from last time. You have to cruise once every 3 years to maintain it; you also accumulate points in the program.

 

Where is that info posted? According to their webpage...

 

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/MSC-Voyagers-Club/Loyalty-Match-Program.aspx

 

...it says "Status will only be matched only once per guest."

[cjdixon4]

We have switched over to another cruise line based on itinerary. We reached D+ on RCI and we know we will never make Pinnacle so we have switched to Celebrity and have enjoyed that line. We get Elite status based on our D+ status on RCI.

 

We do find that RCI pricing has become rather stiff. We have been getting a better deal going on Celebrity.

Hubby and I will be Diamond very soon and while I've never had a bad RCI cruise through the years, we'd eventually like to try something new. I've always been curious about Celebrity...what do you like about them? Are the itineraries much different from their "cousin" RCI?

[Bootman4U]

We are Diamond and Elite on Celebrity. We sail those as well as NCL, Oceania, and Azamara. We pick based on ports/itinerary but we also consider vessel condition as well as service. All of them, in our opinion, have some drawbacks but overall we have been pleased with every sailing.

 

To answer the question above: the "things" I appreciate about Celebrity and others you might very well, and rightly so, consider to be totally unimportant. Just as one example: how "important" is it for you to be able to sail in a cabin which overlooks the bow of the ship? See?

[LMaxwell]

Where is that info posted? According to their webpage...

 

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/MSC-Voyagers-Club/Loyalty-Match-Program.aspx

 

...it says "Status will only be matched only once per guest."

 

That means you choose your highest and best other cruise line/hotel/etc. rewards program and match to that. So you can't keep trying to get them to rematch to other programs you may be in. So you only get the match once, but then you have it so long as you meet the terms and conditions to keep the status.

 

Page 5 of this addresses how you keep your status.

 

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/Assets/FAQVC.pdf

[Aquahound]

That means you choose your highest and best other cruise line/hotel/etc. rewards program and match to that. So you can't keep trying to get them to rematch to other programs you may be in. So you only get the match once, but then you have it so long as you meet the terms and conditions to keep the status.

 

Page 5 of this addresses how you keep your status.

 

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/Assets/FAQVC.pdf

 

Gotcha. Thanks.

 

Although, that's kinda ironic considering the topic of this thread. To keep the status match, you have to be somewhat loyal to them. ;)

[LMaxwell]

However, the status match is not a perk match. In my opinion, Black level on MSC (what they give for RC Diamond and above) is not as valulable to me as Diamond level on RC.

 

It's all personal preference and depends where you find value.

 

I get 5% off my booking. This applies to all categories. So I can get a discount on interior or oceanview, something I can not get on Royal. Royal's balcony discount is typically more than 5% however, so long as you are booking that level of cabin.

 

Royal gives me 3 free drinks in the evening plus "unlimited" in the lounge for the same hours; MSC invites me to two or three cocktail parties on a 7 day cruise and delivers 2 bottles of champagne to the room.

 

MSC provides each black card with a free specialty dinner for 2. So since my wife and I each have a black card we can go to specialty restaurants on two evenings at no additional charge. Since I can pre-purchase cocktails on MSC for $5 +/- per drink, I find the specialty dining to offer greater value than Royal's free drinks (But on Royal if I ordered drinks they would be about 2X the price).

 

Whether things like spa thermal suite access, chocolate strawberries, fruit bowl, slippers, late disembarkation, etc. make any difference in the value of your vacation is entirely up to you, but they are nice.

 

So while the perks do not match exactly, there is still some real value built in. Try it, you might love it, you won't set foot on a cleaner, more gorgeous ship that much I will guarantee you. I would have happily sailed Allure again but it was 2.8X more expensive than MSC. I can do a lot with the $2000 savings.

[LMaxwell]

Gotcha. Thanks.

 

Although, that's kinda ironic considering the topic of this thread. To keep the status match, you have to be somewhat loyal to them. ;)

 

I think there is a difference between booking incentives, which is what I view Diamond Status or Black Card as, and blind allegiance. Only so many times I can do same itinerary or ship repeatedly. I like the variety. For lines where the perks are basically zero, it doesn't even enter into my top 5 considerations if I like the ship, the ports, and the price.

[Clarea]

It's all personal preference and depends where you find value.

 

I get 5% off my booking. This applies to all categories. So I can get a discount on interior or oceanview, something I can not get on Royal. Royal's balcony discount is typically more than 5% however, so long as you are booking that level of cabin.

 

Royal gives me 3 free drinks in the evening plus "unlimited" in the lounge for the same hours; MSC invites me to two or three cocktail parties on a 7 day cruise and delivers 2 bottles of champagne to the room.

 

MSC provides each black card with a free specialty dinner for 2. So since my wife and I each have a black card we can go to specialty restaurants on two evenings at no additional charge. Since I can pre-purchase cocktails on MSC for $5 +/- per drink, I find the specialty dining to offer greater value than Royal's free drinks (But on Royal if I ordered drinks they would be about 2X the price).

 

Whether things like spa thermal suite access, chocolate strawberries, fruit bowl, slippers, late disembarkation, etc. make any difference in the value of your vacation is entirely up to you, but they are nice.

 

So while the perks do not match exactly, there is still some real value built in. Try it, you might love it, you won't set foot on a cleaner, more gorgeous ship that much I will guarantee you. I would have happily sailed Allure again but it was 2.8X more expensive than MSC. I can do a lot with the $2000 savings.

I have every intention of trying MSC. I just wanted others to realize that the loyalty perks were different.

[poncho1973]

We've done Royal & Disney, love them both. Wife has done Carnival, says she never wants to again. Thus we don't. No hatred, just her preference.

 

We want to try the NCL Breakaway Plus ships at some point and would like to try the MSC match since we're D on Royal and would get Black. We're also going to try Celebrity for the same match reason.

 

I have friends and co-workers that sail on other lines. I've heard their stories and seen their videos/pictures. We won't write anything off that we haven't tried, but it might put them further back in the queue. I know 4 different people (not 2 couples of 2) who sailed Holland and won't again because of the age thing. I know one couple that said they didn't mind it, but acknowledged the age thing was legit. My boss likes Princess, but we don't get a lot of other recommends for it.

 

We would like to try river cruising, but haven't yet.

[trivia addict]

We are Diamonds on Royal.

We started in 2005 when our two children were teens and even now they still continue to cruise with us a few times a year.

That being said, my husband and I just returned from our first cruise on Norwegian. 17 days through the Panama Canal.

Many will disagree with me, but we found many things with this cruise that we felt were better than on Royal.

Over the years, Royal's service, and food have declined. Add to that, the fact that they offer very little in the way of booking perks and their prices for cruises are high.

Diamond perks are getting slimmer and most of them are unusable to us.

On Norwegian, we found the staff friendlier and happier, the choice of free style restaurants appealing, and we had found a deal that gave us the full beverage package and gratuities included, which one seldom finds with Royal.

Contrary to dealing with "red necks" as stated by someone previously, we found our fellow passengers well traveled, sophisticated, interesting and friendly.

I have 3 more cruises already booked on Royal for this year. At the moment I am fighting them over the loss of a $50 onboard credit that I lost when I upgraded my stateroom on my next cruise. I am getting nowhere and receive no interested customer service from phone calls or emails. My loyalty to them means nothing.

When these 3 cruises are finished, my future cruises will be booked with Celebrity and Norwegian. I will not miss my Diamond status at all.

[JKrise]

Wow....Never thought to try MSC until now.

Going to look at MSC Status match program this weekend and check their cruises itineraries.

May cancel a RCI cruise.

Added Bonus...MSC **DOES NOT** charge $7.95 for morning room service.

[Aquahound]

Added Bonus...MSC **DOES NOT** charge $7.95 for morning room service.

 

No Jim they don't. Just don't book the Bella Experience.

[Clarea]

No Jim they don't. Just don't book the Bella Experience.

Is that the low end experience?

[Aquahound]

Is that the low end experience?

 

It is. MSC has several booking categories and Bella is pretty much just cruise only. From what I can tell, room service is not included.

[actuarian]

This thread made me think a little more about being "Loyal to Royal". My wife and I have taken 58 cruises on 6 different cruise lines, although more of those cruises have been on Royal than any other line. We are D+ on Royal with 286 C&A points. The thread made me think about where we would be if all 58 cruises had been on Royal so I calculated it in Excel. It turned out that if all 58 cruises had been on Royal, we would have 586 points, exactly 300 more than we have. Then, we would have been on track to make Pinnacle some time in 2018. That Pinnacle Gold Card is the cost of not being completely loyal. We have had more varied itineraries than we could have had if we stuck with only one cruise line but the only experiences we have had that we would have really missed if all our cruises had been on Royal are two cruises that we have had in the Yacht Club on MSC. Now that we are retired, we cruise more often than we used to since we have the time. At present and for the foreseeable future, we will cruise on Royal about 10 times per year and MSC once per year, so we will be "almost" loyal to Royal.

[andrew2346]

I have sailed on:

Disney (better)

MSC (I felt slighter better)

X (same)

[RCI Cruisers 004]

Once we hit D+, we started to venture out. We currently have zero booked on Royal, and 2 upcoming on Disney and 1 on Celebrity.

[gkbiiii]

I was status matched as a Royal Diamond to Black Card. I am booking, later this month the following, direct from MSC:

 

MSC Divina 7 night, Miami-San Juan- St. Martin, Sept. 30th, 2017

Outside View Cabin, Fantasia for two people.

MSC website pricing with Tax: $1,356 approx

Minus -$100 10% Back Card discount, on Sept. 30th sailing.

 

Comparison: NCL (cheapest sailing) Norwegian Sun, 7 night from Miami. March 19, 2018

Ocean View Picture Window Cabin.

Drink & Dining Promo Included.

Total price before on-board gratuities: $2,249

 

Royal Caribbean is not offering (but for one Cuba cruise) any seven night cruises from Miami, until late 2018-2019.

 

So, the MSC cruise costs about half as much and will include the fallowing:

 

1. Fantasia includes 14 drink coupons, per cabin.

2. Free Room Service.

3. Priority boarding.

4. Black VIP boarding & leaving the ship, Plus extra two hours in cabin in Miami.

5. Black Sparkling Wine & Chocolate Dipped Strawberries.

6. Black Robe & Slippers in cabin & Upgraded Shampoo & Conditioners, etc..

7. Black VIP Senior Officer's Party.

8. Black 10% off Sept. Booking, which is $100 off.

9. Black Chocolate Ship.

10. Black Dinner for two, Specialty Dining.

11. Black Birthday Cakes for cabin.

12. Black VIP dinner seating.

13. Black $50 per-person, on-board credit.

14. Black Basket of fruit in cabin.

15. Black 1 Hour Thermal Spa use.

16. Black Voyager's Club Gift.

17. Black Voyager's Club Picture.

18. Black Comped Dance Class

 

I plan to buy two 5 meal, Dining Packages & a Non-Alcohol ticket package as well.

The total for the 7 night cruise, with Black Discount added, is just $1,256 which leaves, plenty of spending money for upgraded dining, spa treatments, & shore excursions. This is what I call great value!!

Royal are you listening, your higher tiers are trying you competitors and this WILL effect your bottom line!!!

 

If this goes well, I am going to book Seaside while on-board, for Jan 2018, yea baby!!

Edited May 10, 2017 by gkbiiii