Black card holder ?

[sidari]

For anyone in any doubt as to MSC`s thinking, here is a chart of what was the then Loyalty club, the asterisks on the right show what is no longer available.

[Beamafar]

I know that Pete (Skier) has posted the pre-Voyagers Club benefits numerous times on the forum to highlight just how much the benefits have been eroded since the introduction of the new "loyalty" club, when MSC extended the term "loyalty" to mean anyone who has been "loyal" to companies other than MSC (to the detriment of those who'd been "loyal" to MSC!)

 

I attained Black Card level after our December 2014 cruise. I have since done 12 more cruises with MSC in that time and now have 3X the number of points required to get to Black, with far less benefits on offer than when I first became entitled to them. Just do a search for Pete's posts to see just how little we get now compared to what was promised when I first reached Black, as a result of status-match.

 

As far as I'm concerned, MSC is totally disrepecting their "loyal" customers.

 

ETA Dave, thanks for posting that. I have the old benefits chart somewhere and was going to search it out. You got there while I was typing this post.

[windlicht]

I know that Pete (Skier) has posted the pre-Voyagers Club benefits numerous times on the forum to highlight just how much the benefits have been eroded since the introduction of the new "loyalty" club, when MSC extended the term "loyalty" to mean anyone who has been "loyal" to companies other than MSC (to the detriment of those who'd been "loyal" to MSC!)

 

I attained Black Card level after our December 2014 cruise. I have since done 12 more cruises with MSC in that time and now have 3X the number of points required to get to Black, with far less benefits on offer than when I first became entitled to them. Just do a search for Pete's posts to see just how little we get now compared to what was promised when I first reached Black, as a result of status-match.

 

As far as I'm concerned, MSC is totally disrepecting their "loyal" customers.

 

ETA Dave, thanks for posting that. I have the old benefits chart somewhere and was going to search it out. You got there while I was typing this post.

 

Well, I won’t be a black card holder for a long time. But I am amazed how much they actually cut the benefits. I mean the free specialty dining is pretty much the only benefit worth mentioning at this point (and the cruise discount, which is what now? 15%?). I would be frustrated, too, if I was a loyal customer and now they told me it was to be one dinner per cabin instead of person. That’s nonsense, btw, not the claim but the cut, if it’s truly so.

 

Anyway I want to thank sll of you experienced cruisers for the wealth of information you share and give people like me an opportunity to kinda know what to expect.

[Beamafar]

.........and the cruise discount, which is what now? 15%?)

 

The cruise discount is 5% from Classic level all the way up to the top tier - Black. There are "selected" sailings under the Voyagers Club tab on the website which offer an extra 5% or 15% discount for Voyagers Club members. They tend to be priced quite high to begin with and sometimes work out more expensive than the regular prices even when the 5+5 or 5+15% discounts are applied:

 

"Voyages Selection are a collection of departures on which Voyagers Club members-only can save an extra 5% or 15%, plus the always-available 5% Voyagers Club discount!

Silver, Gold and Black card members enjoy, on top of the discounts, an additional €/$50 shipboard credit per person aged over 18 years old."

 

Note that the highest discount is now 5 + 15% - not quite the 20% discount that Black Card holders used to automatically get, regardless of whether the cruise price was on sale or not.

[windlicht]

The cruise discount is 5% from Classic level all the way up to the top tier - Black. There are "selected" sailings under the Voyagers Club tab on the website which offer an extra 5% or 15% discount for Voyagers Club members They tend to priced quite high to begin with and sometimes work out more expensive than the regular prices when the 5 + 5 or 5 + 15% discounts are applied:

 

"Voyages Selection are a collection of departures on which Voyagers Club members-only can save an extra 5% or 15%, plus the always-available 5% Voyagers Club discount!

Silver, Gold and Black card members enjoy, on top of the discounts, an additional €/$50 shipboard credit per person aged over 18 years old."

 

Note that the highest discount is now 5 + 15% - not quite the 20% discount that Black Card holders used to automatically get, regardless of whether the cruise price was on sale or not.

Wow. 20 to 5% is quite a cut.

[Beamafar]

Wow. 20 to 5% is quite a cut.

Which is why some of us are a little sensitive when we read posts such as the following:

"REALLY PEOPLE! It is a a free meal and it clearly states one per cabin. If you want another meal pay for it.Do you enjoy creating issues that are clearly non issues. The above discussion is interesting. Enjoy your one free speciality meal and be grateful, you have something free which is a wonderful perk. Are you next going to try and interpret MSC ‘s wording so that your cruise becomes free?"

[sidari]

Bea ... No wonder they removed the words Loyalty club and changed it to Voyagers club ...:o

[windlicht]

Which is why some of us are a little sensitive when we read posts such as the following:

"REALLY PEOPLE! It is a a free meal and it clearly states one per cabin. If you want another meal pay for it.Do you enjoy creating issues that are clearly non issues. The above discussion is interesting. Enjoy your one free speciality meal and be grateful, you have something free which is a wonderful perk. Are you next going to try and interpret MSC ‘s wording so that your cruise becomes free?"[/Quote]

Lol. :D

Well, in all fairness... some issues on CC are indeed nonissues.

But perks for high loyalty status should not be cut. Otherwise, what incentive do people have to stay with one cruise line?

I also think that the status match is a great idea by MSC to spirit long-term customers away from other cruise lines, even if it’s just temporary.

However, perhaps they should have left the black card status to people loyal to MSC (maybe x many cruises before you’re eligible).

On the other hand... I get it: They seem to be most interested in frequent cruisers and affluent people, with good reason. Hence the diamond/Black status match and the drive to satisfy YC customers. Other passengers will always come, if the price is right.

[Beamafar]

Bea ... No wonder they removed the words Loyalty club and changed it to Voyagers club ...:o

 

Yep! But even then, there used to be mention of MSC rewarding "loyalty". I've just had a look in the Voyagers Club section and can't see any reference to "loyalty" anymore.

[Beamafar]

Wow. 20 to 5% is quite a cut.

 

Having just worked up to Black Card level, it was quite a kick in the teeth for me when it was cut! To see other benefits being eroded, such as the dinner for 2 now being "per cabin" - without any notice so we don't even know and are then put in embarrassing situations onboard when we're refused something that we had on a previous cruise - is making it very difficult to accept. This is just one more straw - the camel is buckling under the weight!

[sidari]

MSC are fast losing the plot, they bring in the wellness experience that they are now going to scrap, they added a lower level in the VC while leaving the top end adrift with people accruing thousands of points with no further benefit.

 

When they decided to cut the 20% benefit for the top tier we were one cruise away, we made a decision that we would not give MSC any advance deposits for future cruises and did not cruise with them for two years.

 

I can understand why people did in order to get the discount before it went for their future cruises.

[Beamafar]

Dave ... we're at a point now where we're saying that we'll only book cruises with MSC in future if I manage to get the casino voucher offering the 30% discount.

 

With prices rising the way they have been for the last 2 years, levels of service being severely cut, food offerings not improving, reduced value of items included in the premium drinks package, coupled with the erosion of Voyagers Club benefits, there's no way we're going to continue to sail with MSC going forward - the value is just not there. We were willing to overlook some of MSC's little idiosyncrasies while we were getting what we felt were great prices, but what MSC is offering is certainly not worth the prices they're charging.

[asctony]

Being a Black Card member and sailing with MSC since 2006 here is my take on MSC. I am not an MSC CHEERLEADER. I am just trying to be unbiased. You make your own choice as it is your money.

1. MSC has some new fantastic ships and we are booked to cruise on the Seaside this year. Yes, the ships are cut-up and sometimes hard to get around. Had the same experience on NCL SS Norway back in 1986 and Regal Princess 2017. Yes, the Seaside has new ship problems. They all do!

2. MSC prices are really reasonable considering:

a. Price and categories of cabins. Bella, Wellness, Fantastica, Aurea Experiences, Yatch Club. Pay for what you want.

b. Drink Package - very reasonable per day cost at $47 or $55/day. Check Celebrity or NCL ($89/day.)

c. Specialty Restaurant Package - 4 meals $75. Celebrity $45 or 50/meal NCL ~ $89 for 3 meals

d. Drinks individual priced - MUCH cheaper than Celebrity or NCL

I could list a lot more as we cruise the other lines, too.

Yes, we are disappointed that MSC is reducing perks. We all should. It is our money and our choice. If we just sit back and accept every cut-back without saying a word, we are allowing it to happen and are silently approving the cuts. So, lets not make excuses for MSC! Lets not flame others for voicing their displeasure with the cut-backs. If you think it is OK, pay for the play. It's your money.

But, please don't give MSC the satisfaction of thinking we all agree with the cut-backs.

I DON'T! Happy Cruising on your choice.

[suzyed]

Bea ... No wonder they removed the words Loyalty club and changed it to Voyagers club ...:o

Exactly!

[nikkiw60]

MSC should have made the loyalty match on a cruise by Cruise basis if that makes sense?

You all know how we got it I think, and we will be on our 3rd Cruise with MSC next month.

However from all the negative reviews a lot of whom I think got matched to black and I expect won’t travel with MSC again.

If the validity had been for one year or one Cruise and could be extended by a year each time you Cruise then a lot of the Blacks etc would be culled!

 

 

 

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[Beamafar]

Being a Black Card member and sailing with MSC since 2006 here is my take on MSC. I am not an MSC CHEERLEADER. I am just trying to be unbiased. You make your own choice as it is your money.

1. MSC has some new fantastic ships and we are booked to cruise on the Seaside this year. Yes, the ships are cut-up and sometimes hard to get around. Had the same experience on NCL SS Norway back in 1986 and Regal Princess 2017. Yes, the Seaside has new ship problems. They all do!

2. MSC prices are really reasonable considering:

a. Price and categories of cabins. Bella, Wellness, Fantastica, Aurea Experiences, Yatch Club. Pay for what you want.

b. Drink Package - very reasonable per day cost at $47 or $55/day. Check Celebrity or NCL ($89/day.)

c. Specialty Restaurant Package - 4 meals $75. Celebrity $45 or 50/meal NCL ~ $89 for 3 meals

d. Drinks individual priced - MUCH cheaper than Celebrity or NCL

I could list a lot more as we cruise the other lines, too.

Yes, we are disappointed that MSC is reducing perks. We all should. It is our money and our choice. If we just sit back and accept every cut-back without saying a word, we are allowing it to happen and are silently approving the cuts. So, lets not make excuses for MSC! Lets not flame others for voicing their displeasure with the cut-backs. If you think it is OK, pay for the play. It's your money.

But, please don't give MSC the satisfaction of thinking we all agree with the cut-backs.

I DON'T! Happy Cruising on your choice.

 

Certainly in your part of the world, MSC prices are reasonable, from what I often see quoted on here. However, we don't all get the fantastic offers that you're getting. Nor do we benefit from dropped prices after final payment date for cruises, except maybe for the boring Med routes that they can't sell. Even then, they're still a good bit above what we would have expected to pay for them a couple of years ago.

 

I've seen Fantastica balcony cabin prices rise 50% in the last 2 years. Prices for repositioning cruises have also increased dramatically. A YC inside cabin on Seaview for this Summer was €1769 pp last October and is now €2869 (that's $3500 PP!!).

 

You quote prices for Speciality Restaurant dining packages. Not all MSC ships have Speciality Restaurants onboard and there is only one on many of their ships, so there's not much choice if the MDR and buffet food isn't to your liking. In fact, only Divina, Preziosa, Meraviglia and Seaside have more than one.

 

We cruised 4 times last year with MSC on 4 different ships; I can honestly say that we only really enjoyed one of them - that was on Meraviglia and only because we were in YC. In my view, MSC is on a downward spiral with all the cutbacks. I have lowered my expectations considerably for our upcoming cruise and am contemplating cancelling a cruise we have booked next year (something I've never considered doing before) but will wait to make a decision on that 'til we get back.

 

I've already notified the Voyagers Club office of our displeasure at this recent development - I emailed them this day, last week. I still haven't received a response!

 

One particular aspect of this latest cut is the date in which it was introduced, - November 15th, 2017 - as per Dave's (Sidari) information, which he came across on Seaside. Now, usually when MSC make changes, they're implemented for the coming season, for either April 1st (Summer) or October 1st (Winter), so they're the times to be on the lookout for changes to T&Cs, etc. (This is where Pete (Skier52) comes into his own - he's one of the only posters on here - that I know of, anyway - who reads the T&Cs thoroughly each time a new brochure comes out). Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that this new cutback wasn't instigated at a 'regular' time in the cycle. Does this now mean that we'll have to pour through the T&Cs every week in the future to keep abreast of changes?

[perakcruiser]

2. MSC prices are really reasonable considering:

a. Price and categories of cabins. Bella, Wellness, Fantastica, Aurea Experiences, Yatch Club. Pay for what you want.

 

What makes MSC different from others are also their extremely attractive Last Minute and Super Last Minute offers. That you will not find anywhere else, not just in the cruise industry, I would say almost in the travel industry.

[sidari]

What makes MSC different from others are also their extremely attractive Last Minute and Super Last Minute offers.

 

 

Where ?

Since our first cruise with MSC in 2012 and knowing they have all of our details including email etc, we have never yet had these so called offer emails nor have we ever had the Voyagers Club so called emails that are supposed to be part of the so called benefits, despite a number of complaints to them about the issue.

 

 

I sadly have to agree with Bea that MSC do appear to be on a downward spiral with what she has described, we no longer sail on the repo cruises due to their overly inflated prices over the last few years. Since the decision to build ship after ship after ship they display the signs of the old saying that they are trying to Run before they can Walk and while we enjoyed our Seaside Xmas cruise that ship in particular is a good case in point, left the shipyard on 30th November and sailed for Miami on the 1st December with many untrained crew members, I know this because we were told by one of the head waiters who carries out the training, this as many have seen has lead to many complaints.

Cuts to the number of staff and an Increase in workload is also adding to the number of genuine complaints.

 

 

MSC corporate have not yet learned to walk let alone run, they are constantly telling us all how great they are because we have all these new ships arriving and various other announcements about how much better they are than others, a short cursory look at the online website alone is enough to prove what I say. Conflicts with the workings of the site, I found at least three different explanations of what is included in the Aurea Experience. It is like publishing a book without a proof reader!

Describing Seaside by saying you can walk all the way around the ship knowing that you can`t, telling people that the express lifts at the back of Seaside will go between deck 7 and 14 and that only those in the Aft suites can get on or off in between. These people are either Clueless or Stupid or both or just don`t care about their clientel.

 

 

Changing benefits and removing included items without any announcements, then removing the 18 drink vouchers in the USA without explanation, the Senior management of this company really do need a reality check and need to sail within the crowds of their ships in order to find out just what it is they are getting wrong! because otherwise they never will.

 

 

We sail again on the Seaside on April 28th for my other halves birthday, this will for now be our last MSC cruise until and if things improve. not with the ships crews who work their backsides off but with the micro management mentality of the Italian owners and the senior people they employ along with their chain of command military style of getting problems fixed.

 

 

On the first Divina T.A to Miami we spoke to a certain member of the staff who told us then that persmission had to be requested from the head office to print out 6 colour posters for use on the ship! I kid you not, on Seaside we spoke to that very same person who is well known to many who have sailed on the same ships and reminded the person of our convesration, the answer was that nothing had changed in all that time and the impression we got from our conversation was that MSC are running the cruise side of their operation in the same way as they run their commercial fleet.

 

 

Unless MSC remove this mentality from their management style and allow managers who they pay quite a lot, to actually manage, then they will sadly remain where they are regardless of how many ships they bring out, and the sparkly staircases will not impress guests forever.

[Beamafar]

Our complaint regarding the wording has been passed from the UK office to those responsible for this issue, we await the reply.

I take it you haven't heard anything back, Dave? It's a week since I originally emailed and have yet to get a response, so I've sent another one to them this afternoon.

 

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[perakcruiser]

Where ?

On their website.

 

On the Italian always.

 

On the German starting every Friday 12:00.

 

On the Austrian they come and go as they want :D

 

But you know, comparing is difficult, in some countries taxes and fees will be added later in the booking.

[sidari]

Bea ... No response so far, one email said they would take upto 28 days to respond,we have been home that long now and still had no Feedback form despite emailing two different people about it! as I said this BS of Micro managing means they have to send the complaints to either Switzerland or Italy.

 

More people need to email or write to complain about this issue because they will continue to undermine the current privileges of everyone and not just Black card holders. Had a message from my friend at Fincantieri this morning regarding their next order of 4 small ships, they cannot get what they have right at the minute so what chance for these 4 ? ...:confused:

[suzyed]

On their website.

 

On the Italian always.

 

On the German starting every Friday 12:00.

 

On the Austrian they come and go as they want :D

 

But you know, comparing is difficult, in some countries taxes and fees will be added later in the booking.

I never got any adverisements of specials either....anywhere!

[perakcruiser]

I never got any adverisements of specials either....anywhere!

By post I think I got one every two or three years :D

[suzyed]

• 
  
• Complimentary Speciality restaurant “Tasting Menu” dinner (no beverages)[black], per stateroom. Members are entitled to enjoy a tasting menu dinner for 2at a speciality restaurant once during the cruise (beverages excluded). Membersmay extend their invitation to one occupant of the same stateroom only once andonly if the stateroom occupant is not a Black member. Privilege and speciality
   
  

restaurants may not be available on all ship classes. Privilege is not available if themembers decide to eat dinner at self-service buffet. Members under 18 must beaccompanied in order to enjoy the privilege.

How do either one of these comments even make sense??

Firt they take away the free dinner for one of the Black card members in the cabin and then they say you can extend an invitation to you cabin mate "only if the stateroom occupant is not a Black member"!!!

Privilege is not available in the buffet??? LOL! What a ridiculous comment!!!

[sidari]

Susan ... What you have posted forms part of my complaint about it to MSC. ie that it makes no sense, the person at MSC UK it was sent to also agrees.