MSC status match employees are LAZY- EPIC FAIL

[Cruising89143]

2 hours ago, Seadweller001 said:

If we enjoy our Upcoming January 7 day Caribbean Cruise in the YC with the personal butler service and all the amenities we just may abandon Celebrity and become MSC loyalists  
 

we calculated a commensurate Celebrity 7 night Caribbean sailing on the Equinox in a Sky Suite and are saving over $3,400.   Celebrity has gone way over the top with their prices.  The Butler service is impersonal because they have way to many rooms per Butler.  The personal attention is minimalized.  Also, there is no such thing as a comped Specialty Dinner on Celebrity.  Even the top cruiser gets nothing individualized but some flowers and a bottle of cheap wine.

 

if the MSC experience is close to the YC Reviews we have read, we will be delighted and book several more cruises.  From the many pictures and Youtube videos, the ships are huge, exciting and have many different venues.  Celebrity has very few places to relax, Al Bachio is one but there are hardly any tables during peak hours.  
 

Bravo to MSC for this great innovative YC experience.  We will do a thorough review/comparison after our cruise.

We are doing the same thing. We canceled an X cruise leaving out of Barcelona and booked the Grandiosa for spring of 2020. We are trying the YC. The price difference per day was staggering plus X does not have a true “ship within a ship” concept so the suites are spread out all over the ship creating more work for the crew. We actually booked the Seaside also for October of next year. If we enjoy the Grandiosa we will keep the Seaside booking. I’m sure that MSC will eventually raise their prices as the YC is becoming very popular but right now no one is touching them price wise. We love Celebrity and their ships but they have raised their suite pricing  to the point that we no longer feel that the product matches the price. We tried the Haven on NCL last month. Nice but again much more than MSC and while good the overall product did not match the price that we paid. 

[Seadweller001]

1 hour ago, Fogfog said:

@Seadweller001

Yes

Well for MSC it is a brilliant marketing strategy. They are trying to skim off loyal cruisers from competing lines.

Follow through is problematic. 

From review and posts here and FB there can be issues pre cruise, onboard etc

For them to attract and keep cruisers from going back to CCL, RCCL, NCL etc...they have to deliver on customer service both pre cruise-cruise and post cruise. Not just price. There are plenty of cheap fares on the competitors

 

The TA's experience is revealing--

It is not "just " me

 

Happy sailing

 

I recently heard that TWO X Hotel Directors are now with MSC, A Chief Housekeeper and a Future Cruise Mgr jumped ships.  MSC's new marketing plan is brilliant as you stated.  Maybe other competing companies will wake up.  Price out a suite on the Edge, way out of sight.  I think X will lose crew members and guests to MSC.  Since Celebrity's management changed a few years back and Mr. Bayley went to ROYAL, things have changed at X and IMO not for the better.  Their focus is not on the guests which is sad.
 

I will give MSC some leeway with their Customer Service.  I am sure they are monitoring the boards and comments from cruisers and hopefully will  beef up their customer services.  I am leaving in 100 days and have received 2 emails keeping me appraised of excursions, specialty dinner deals.   I have a great feeling we will have an amazing time residing in the YC and the Black Card.  Imagine, Zenith Status on the first cruise, lol.  Bye X.

 

 

Edited October 25, 2019 by Seadweller001

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

6 hours ago, Fogfog said:

@Seadweller001

Yes

Well for MSC it is a brilliant marketing strategy. They are trying to skim off loyal cruisers from competing lines.

Follow through is problematic. 

From review and posts here and FB there can be issues pre cruise, onboard etc

For them to attract and keep cruisers from going back to CCL, RCCL, NCL etc...they have to deliver on customer service both pre cruise-cruise and post cruise. Not just price. There are plenty of cheap fares on the competitors

 

The TA's experience is revealing--

It is not "just " me

 

Happy sailing

 

 

No, it's not just you.  My TA would rather walk over hot coals than deal with MSC.  So glad it's her and not me!  I've heard of some TAs who flatly refuse to deal with them.  Although I had no trouble getting my Black match, that was about three years ago.  I keep getting messages from MSC telling me to check in for my November 30 cruise.  That message takes me to the wrong place on their site.  (Well, maybe not from their view.  It takes me to a place where I can purchase more onboard stuff.  I've purchased my internet package long ago.)  I'm already checked in.  But I can't print my boarding pass or luggage tags until 20 days prior to the cruise.  If the onboard experience weren't so great, I'd have ditched them long ago.  

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

7 hours ago, Seadweller001 said:

If we enjoy our Upcoming January 7 day Caribbean Cruise in the YC with the personal butler service and all the amenities we just may abandon Celebrity and become MSC loyalists  
 

we calculated a commensurate Celebrity 7 night Caribbean sailing on the Equinox in a Sky Suite and are saving over $3,400.   Celebrity has gone way over the top with their prices.  The Butler service is impersonal because they have way to many rooms per Butler.  The personal attention is minimalized.  Also, there is no such thing as a comped Specialty Dinner on Celebrity.  Even the top cruiser gets nothing individualized but some flowers and a bottle of cheap wine.

 

if the MSC experience is close to the YC Reviews we have read, we will be delighted and book several more cruises.  From the many pictures and Youtube videos, the ships are huge, exciting and have many different venues.  Celebrity has very few places to relax, Al Bachio is one but there are hardly any tables during peak hours.  
 

Bravo to MSC for this great innovative YC experience.  We will do a thorough review/comparison after our cruise.

 

If you are looking for a great place to relax, you will absolutely LOVE the Topsail Lounge!  Not crowded.  Walls of windows.  Direct access to the out of doors.  Attentive butler service.  Lovely live music in the evening.

[Seadweller001]

5 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

If you are looking for a great place to relax, you will absolutely LOVE the Topsail Lounge!  Not crowded.  Walls of windows.  Direct access to the out of doors.  Attentive butler service.  Lovely live music in the evening.

Thanks for the information!  What really irks us about the S Class Celebrity ships is the nightly loud music in the foyer at the bottom of the stairs.  Try dealing with the Front Desk  or the Excursion Desk with the loud music.  It is very annoying.  We want some nice places to relax like the Century Class ships had.  The S Class ships just dont have any romantic venues.

 

the more my wife reads about the YC the more excited she gets.  The YC will be a throw back to the C Class X ships.  And if we want some adventures and some fun mingling with lots of cruisers, we will depart the YC and join the many bars and coffee areas.  
 

Our last EQ cruise in a SS was a letdown.  The Retreat Lounge was not inviting.  15 mins to get a drink,  the female Concierge (Ukraine) paid attention to a few chosen people and ignored others.  During the afternoon teas it was just about self service UNLESS your particular happened to work the tea.

 

From what we have read, the Butlers on MSC work as a team and all are willing to help.  X was like that but times have changed.  
 

Cruise Critic made this all possible for us with the reviews and comments about MSC and namely the YC reviews.

 

 

[Fogfog]

28 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

No, it's not just you.  My TA would rather walk over hot coals than deal with MSC.  So glad it's her and not me!  I've heard of some TAs who flatly refuse to deal with them.  Although I had no trouble getting my Black match, that was about three years ago.  I keep getting messages from MSC telling me to check in for my November 30 cruise.  That message takes me to the wrong place on their site.  (Well, maybe not from their view.  It takes me to a place where I can purchase more onboard stuff.  I've purchased my internet package long ago.)  I'm already checked in.  But I can't print my boarding pass or luggage tags until 20 days prior to the cruise.  If the onboard experience weren't so great, I'd have ditched them long ago.  

I hear you!

Have been getting "reminders to pay" for months...long before it was due

...AND getting time to "BUY" things like a bev package (YC has one TY very much)

 

My TA says that there are folks like us that are responsible and of course find those monthy reminders annoying--then she'll have someone claim they "never got one" and "didn't know when they had to pay" and "can they delay paying etc"...

 

Looking fwd to getting some more infor from our TA after her sailing on MSC with the agents group.... her opinion of the website and apps is like ours...

 

Looking fwd to hearing your infor for OC. 

Hope we sail again together soon!

Best and hugs!

 

[LMaxwell]

Their shoreside stinks to high heaven but onboard experiences have been mostly positive and very good.  That's not an excuse or a pass though.  You need to go further into your account to your personal information to show full name and using the snipping tool to capture it.  

[George C]

My travel agent seemed to get different info from msc on each call, I got more info from everyone here. Pretty sure we will like yacht club in 5 weeks, if so , most likely will book for next year while on the cruise. 

[cmdchiefthom]

A couple of years ago, my wife and I had enough of  what Jack Del Rio was doing to NCL, a line that we really enjoyed over the years prior to his choice as the NCL CEO!  We were looking for a a cruise line that was something different.  Our Booking agent told  us about the MSC line, and thought we would love cruising in the Yacht Club aboard their brand new ship, the Seaside!  She said she would get our loyalty info from NCL and submit it for review by MSC for similar status with them.  MSC matched us with their Black level for our first cruise with them in April of 2019!  I now have 25 days booked in the YC for winter of 2020 between the Divina and the Seaside.  MSC's business plan sure seems to be working for my wife and I! I can't think of a reason to go anywhere else.😉

[Seadweller001]

12 hours ago, Fogfog said:

@Seadweller001

Yes

Well for MSC it is a brilliant marketing strategy. They are trying to skim off loyal cruisers from competing lines.

Follow through is problematic. 

From review and posts here and FB there can be issues pre cruise, onboard etc

For them to attract and keep cruisers from going back to CCL, RCCL, NCL etc...they have to deliver on customer service both pre cruise-cruise and post cruise. Not just price. There are plenty of cheap fares on the competitors

 

The TA's experience is revealing--

It is not "just " me

 

Happy sailing

 

Great story.  I hope we feel the same way!

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

7 hours ago, Seadweller001 said:

Thanks for the information!  What really irks us about the S Class Celebrity ships is the nightly loud music in the foyer at the bottom of the stairs.  Try dealing with the Front Desk  or the Excursion Desk with the loud music.  It is very annoying.  We want some nice places to relax like the Century Class ships had.  The S Class ships just dont have any romantic venues.

 

the more my wife reads about the YC the more excited she gets.  The YC will be a throw back to the C Class X ships.  And if we want some adventures and some fun mingling with lots of cruisers, we will depart the YC and join the many bars and coffee areas.  
 

Our last EQ cruise in a SS was a letdown.  The Retreat Lounge was not inviting.  15 mins to get a drink,  the female Concierge (Ukraine) paid attention to a few chosen people and ignored others.  During the afternoon teas it was just about self service UNLESS your particular happened to work the tea.

 

From what we have read, the Butlers on MSC work as a team and all are willing to help.  X was like that but times have changed.  
 

Cruise Critic made this all possible for us with the reviews and comments about MSC and namely the YC reviews.

 

 

 

I was also underwhelmed with the Retreat Lounge on EQ this fall.  The rest of the cruise was great, but that was pretty much a self-service disaster.  Not used to that in Michael's.  You will love the lounge on Seaside.

[Seadweller001]

Just now, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

I was also underwhelmed with the Retreat Lounge on EQ this fall.  The rest of the cruise was great, but that was pretty much a self-service disaster.  Not used to that in Michael's.  You will love the lounge on Seaside.

ooops, i didnt mention this but we are cruising on the Divina.  Hopefully, it will be as nice.

[Skoobdo]

On 10/25/2019 at 6:57 AM, Fogfog said:

@Seadweller001

Yes

Well for MSC it is a brilliant marketing strategy. They are trying to skim off loyal cruisers from competing lines.

Follow through is problematic. 

From review and posts here and FB there can be issues pre cruise, onboard etc

For them to attract and keep cruisers from going back to CCL, RCCL, NCL etc...they have to deliver on customer service both pre cruise-cruise and post cruise. Not just price. There are plenty of cheap fares on the competitors

 

The TA's experience is revealing--

It is not "just " me

 

Happy sailing

 

Nope.  It's not just you.  I registered for a status match about September 15th, and finally today October 26th (on a Saturday of all days), I received the approval notification.  I flooded them with calls and sent numerous emails to existingreservations@,  mscvoyagersclub@, and reservations@, and all my account and current bookings have since been updated.  Never giving up and being persistent is the only way to deal with MSC.  That's the price we have to pay for booking inexpensive cruises, unfortunately.  It's pitiful.

 

FYI: For other folks still waiting........the approval email came from the "existingreservations@msccruisesusa.com email.