Time to jump ship?

[SNJCruisers]

On 4/15/2021 at 10:43 AM, IntrepidFromDC said:

 

Now, not only have I secured the status-match at MSC, but they are expanding cruising to 10 ships!

Here is a link to a YouTube video about the Yacht Club, the only way to go if you're cruising on MSC.  They have suite, balcony and inside cabins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NBWTTMr59Y

 

[Essiesmom]

3 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

Here is a link to a YouTube video about the Yacht Club, the only way to go if you're cruising on MSC.  They have suite, balcony and inside cabins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NBWTTMr59Y

 

Respectfully disagree.  We have cruised four times on MSC, twice in Bella and twice in Fantastica.  And had a lovely time.  EM

[tkportersat]

On 4/16/2021 at 1:39 PM, Tapi said:

MSC matched my Carnival Platinum status to MSC gold. I have now sailed them in the Caribbean and Mediterranean and they’ve quickly become one of my favorite cruise lines.

 

MSC’s prices are VERY competitive. In fact, many times they are considerably cheaper than Carnival. It’s because of their unbeatable pricing why we decided to, not only sail MSC in the Mediterranean, but to book a Loft Suite with a long list of perks. What a wonderful vacation! Even after upgrading, it was still cheaper than a standard balcony stateroom out of Port Canaveral on yet another Caribbean cruise that same week! 
 

I will always cherish the memories from my Carnival cruises, but if there’s something that I’ve learned during the last few years is that there are too many other cruise lines and too many other places to see. I can’t stay loyal to just one cruise line anymore. 

 

Wow, that is an awesome looking cabin!!

[SNJCruisers]

6 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

Respectfully disagree.  We have cruised four times on MSC, twice in Bella and twice in Fantastica.  And had a lovely time.  EM

MSC is a true 4 Class ship.  First Class is Yacht Club, Second Class is Aurea, Third Class is Fantastica and Fourth Class is Bella. Aurea got anytime seating, Fantastica got set time seating (early/late) and Bella got the scraps.  When we cruised on the Seaside 3 years ago, was talking with a disgruntled Bella Class cruiser who got squeezed out of the MDR and was stuck eating is a newly opened section of the buffet where they then got served.  The European flair of the entertainment was a turn off, but some may like it.  If the price is right for a YIN cabin, we may cruise on them again.

[BlerkOne]

On MSC, the cabin is the same for some of the "classes". You can pay more or less for the exact same cabin depending on what extra services you want included. To me, different classes have different accommodations

[sparks1093]

9 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

On MSC, the cabin is the same for some of the "classes". You can pay more or less for the exact same cabin depending on what extra services you want included. To me, different classes have different accommodations

As the previous post suggests it is possible to have different classes based on perks/amenities provided. If the airlines offered this you'd be in your economy seat eating peanuts while the person next to you would be eating the first class meal (having paid the price for it, of course).

[nissach]

On 4/15/2021 at 10:14 AM, sparks1093 said:

I am loyal to my wallet and will book with the line that offers the best deal financially. We don't need a lot of bells and whistles and do not allow ourselves to be blinded by them. We've sailed on NCL, CCL and RCL and find the differences to be minor in the things that matter to us. We like what we experienced with our one Royal cruise, but didn't find the experience to be so "wow" that we feel the need to spend more money to experience it.

I like your thinking.  We are the same.  To us Carnival gives us the best bang for our buck!

[DarthGrady]

On 4/15/2021 at 10:43 AM, IntrepidFromDC said:

This major cruise line just announced plans to restart with more than half its fleet (thepointsguy.com)

 

I have cruised 17 times, all Carnival.  Never thought I'd even consider cruising another line because I've been overall soooooo happy with Carnival and because of the Platinum perks I wouldn't get elsewhere.

 

Now, not only have I secured the status-match at MSC, but they are expanding cruising to 10 ships!

I cruised on MSC Seaside a couple of years ago (in an "Aurea experience" balcony cabin) and really enjoyed it. I got their highest loyalty level via status match, and enjoyed getting the perks on my first cruise with them. The ship itself was very nice, I liked how the bars and restaurants had outdoor areas on the wrap-around promenade. You could tell they still hadn't quite figured out American preferences (nachos with ranch dip, odd drink package tiers) but overall it was a great time. If you can get a sailing booked with them, I don't think you'll be disappointed. 

Edited April 22, 2021 by DarthGrady

[BlerkOne]

48 minutes ago, DarthGrady said:

I cruised on MSC Seaside a couple of years ago (in an "Aurea experience" balcony cabin) and really enjoyed it. I got their highest loyalty level via status match, and enjoyed getting the perks on my first cruise with them.

If you are referring to MSC matching Carnival Diamond to MSC Black, they no longer do that - they dropped it down a level. Also if you don't complete a MSC cruise with 3 years of your last cruise, they toss yo from the program and you have to start from scratch.

[DarthGrady]

5 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

If you are referring to MSC matching Carnival Diamond to MSC Black, they no longer do that - they dropped it down a level. Also if you don't complete a MSC cruise with 3 years of your last cruise, they toss yo from the program and you have to start from scratch.

I heard they downgraded the level matching which is unfortunate, but I get that they have to watch the numbers. I submitted my Diamond Plus from Royal Caribbean when they first started it a few years ago and got the Black/Diamond level. The perks were nice, but certainly wouldn't be a big factor.

[BlerkOne]

2 minutes ago, DarthGrady said:

I heard they downgraded the level matching which is unfortunate, but I get that they have to watch the numbers. I submitted my Diamond Plus from Royal Caribbean when they first started it a few years ago and got the Black/Diamond level. The perks were nice, but certainly wouldn't be a big factor.

It was brilliant marketing to poach customers, but it also quickly overwhelmed the ship resources and they had to cut back.

[IntrepidFromDC]

5 hours ago, DarthGrady said:

The perks were nice, but certainly wouldn't be a big factor.

From what I've been reading, the Carnival status perks are nicer than MSC's, do you agree?  For example, MSC matched my Carnival Platinum status with MSC Gold.  Platinum on Carnival gets me the early boarding and tenders, but I don't get that with MSC Gold, right?

[DarthGrady]

On 4/22/2021 at 8:56 PM, IntrepidFromDC said:

From what I've been reading, the Carnival status perks are nicer than MSC's, do you agree?  For example, MSC matched my Carnival Platinum status with MSC Gold.  Platinum on Carnival gets me the early boarding and tenders, but I don't get that with MSC Gold, right?

I'd put MSC's Black/Diamond in line with Carnival's Platinum, so yeah I would say Carnival has the edge in the past guest perks department. Not sure if MSC Gold gets priority embarkation.

[SNJCruisers]

11 hours ago, DarthGrady said:

I'd put MSC's Black/Diamond in line with Carnival's Platinum, so yeah I would say Carnival has the edge in the past guest perks department. Not sure if MSC Gold gets priority embarkation.

The only perks worth anything for MSC Gold are their free gift, which was a cheap one size fits all hat and a photo with the Captain. You do get an additional 5% discount on your base rate of your cruise. Even their Black status does not get priority embarkation.  They do get priority disembarkation at the end of the cruise as well as any tender ports.  With their Black you do get a free specialty dinner as well as a chocolate replica of your ship.  My Platinum on Carnival transferred to their Gold back in 2016 when we booked our lone MSC cruise on the Seaside.  Below is a link that has the different levels and what you get.

https://www.msccruises.com/en-gl/smart-ship-app/MSC-Voyagers-Club-Benefits.html

 

[IntrepidFromDC]

2 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

... Even their Black status does not get priority embarkation....   Below is a link that has the different levels and what you get.

https://www.msccruises.com/en-gl/smart-ship-app/MSC-Voyagers-Club-Benefits.html

 

Thanks for the link.  From reading it, it looks like Black Status does get priority embarkation ("boarding").

[SNJCruisers]

8 hours ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

Thanks for the link.  From reading it, it looks like Black Status does get priority embarkation ("boarding").

You're right.  It's listed in the pre board section.

[IntrepidFromDC]

Vaccinated American Tourists May Soon Travel to Europe (msn.com)

 

Looks like I'm going to have to book that July MSC cruise!  I'll be back on Carnival in September -  hopefully!

[dltvermont]

Really the only thing stopping me from "jumping ship" and moving to one of the lines that ARE cruising this summer is all of the potential island restrictions that are or will be in place still. Many times we just like to get off the ship and spend the day at the beach. Its sounding like thats not going to be an option this summer at least.

[firefly333]

22 minutes ago, dltvermont said:

Really the only thing stopping me from "jumping ship" and moving to one of the lines that ARE cruising this summer is all of the potential island restrictions that are or will be in place still. Many times we just like to get off the ship and spend the day at the beach. Its sounding like thats not going to be an option this summer at least.

Actually I've read the opposite. Celebrity has said that you can get off in ports on your own.

 

Rcl I expect to be the same, though they are selling bahamas and cozumel. 2 days at coco cay which is a private beach, so if all adult pax and crew are vaccinated it is somewhat a bubble. Cozumel is a island. 

 

I think the ports are closely chosen so you can get off the ship in ports on your own. I dont follow ncl, but rcl and celebrity. I think you maybe made assumptions which are opposite from what these summer cruises are doing. I'm just looking at the nassau and Bermuda departures for rcl for instance. Maybe you are talking europe?

[dltvermont]

21 hours ago, firefly333 said:

Actually I've read the opposite. Celebrity has said that you can get off in ports on your own.

 

Rcl I expect to be the same, though they are selling bahamas and cozumel. 2 days at coco cay which is a private beach, so if all adult pax and crew are vaccinated it is somewhat a bubble. Cozumel is a island. 

 

I think the ports are closely chosen so you can get off the ship in ports on your own. I dont follow ncl, but rcl and celebrity. I think you maybe made assumptions which are opposite from what these summer cruises are doing. I'm just looking at the nassau and Bermuda departures for rcl for instance. Maybe you are talking europe?

 

Thats interesting. I thought most Caribbean sailings were making people use ship excursions to keep the "bubble".

 

If what your saying is the case then I will definitely be looking more closely!

 

 

[firefly333]

1 hour ago, dltvermont said:

 

Thats interesting. I thought most Caribbean sailings were making people use ship excursions to keep the "bubble".

 

If what your saying is the case then I will definitely be looking more closely!

 

 

The only excursion bubble talk I've seen was back early on with msc in Italy. Again I am not reading the ncl boards, only rcl. And celebrity said yes you can get off in ports and last I heard rcl hadnt said.

 

But coco cay is their private island. They want people to get off and spend money. Cozumel is also a island. All the nassau sailings spend 2 days in coco cay. People think you reboard at  night and pull out and then go back the next day to allow gambling on the ship, but its speculation how 2 days in coco cay actually plays out. Will be lots of utubers onboard making videos.

[MagnoliaBlossom]

On 4/15/2021 at 9:43 AM, IntrepidFromDC said:

This major cruise line just announced plans to restart with more than half its fleet (thepointsguy.com)

 

I have cruised 17 times, all Carnival.  Never thought I'd even consider cruising another line because I've been overall soooooo happy with Carnival and because of the Platinum perks I wouldn't get elsewhere.

 

Now, not only have I secured the status-match at MSC, but they are expanding cruising to 10 ships!

You obviously have not looked at NCLs latitude perks.   We are diamond on Carnival but Our NCL perks are light years above what CCL offers.  Add to that their credit card program and you’ld be foolish to not see the benefit of NCL over CCL.   Don’t get the flamethrower, I’m not dissing CCL, only it’s loyalty program, which, frankly, stinks.

Edited April 29, 2021 by MagnoliaBlossom
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