No Beverage or Specialty Restaurant options showing up to book/reserve (& Status Match issues)

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

My first 36+ hours within the MSC ecosystem has been a bit challenging - owing to their glitchy website. I have our first cruise with MSC booked on the Seaside for 4/27/23. As of this morning I can (again) get into my booking online via the account I set up on the MSC website. However, I'm still having some issues.

 

Can someone tell me if the following is normal?

 

> I can see options for adding spa, internet, and shore excursions - but clicking on Beverages or Specialty Restaurants returns no results. I'd like to see about upgrading my Easy Plus beverage pkg as well as see what dining options I might have.

 

> When I go to the (Loyalty) Status Match page, I can fill everything out except my City and State. I can't type into that field, and there's not a pull down feature (which works) for State. I can't proceed without having these required fields filled out. I sent an email to MSC about this - fully explaining my situation as well as providing them with the required documentation and screenshots. They replied within a couple of hours (NICE!), but were of zero help (NOT NICE), it was a simple for letter reply... probably not even reading what I sent to them:

 

Dear   Guest,     

Thank you for contacting MSC Cruises regarding Status Match.

We did not receive a completed application for your status match.
Please note that we only accept requests completed via our website – the form can be found at the  link below.
Please click on the provided link to complete and upload your information.
Please provide a card or online proof showing your full name and loyalty status with the cruise line.

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/manage-booking/msc-voyagers-club status-match

Please remember:
•    To enclose proof of eligibility making certain the attachment meets file type and size;
•    To submit one request per person – each  status match request submission should contain its own email address;
•    To clear your internet browser’s cache.

Sincerely,
MSC Voyagers Club Team

 

 

 

 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Oh.. I "GET IT"... after entering your zipcode you have to select GET IT in order to populate the fields in question, you can't directly enter into those fields. Odd, but it worked!

 

Still... Beverages and Specialty Restaurants ?

 

Thanks,

 

Tom

[shipgeeks]

We just made our specialty restaurant reservation once we were onboard, by going to the restaurant and speaking to the host there.  It was easy.

[wallyj]

14 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

We just made our specialty restaurant reservation once we were onboard, by going to the restaurant and speaking to the host there.  It was easy.

I believe the OP is saying, specialty dining packages are not displaying when they go into their booking and option to upgrade ‘easy plus’ to premium would usually show under beverage packages but they are saying, no results/ options are displayed, when they click on the link.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

26 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

We just made our specialty restaurant reservation once we were onboard, by going to the restaurant and speaking to the host there.  It was easy.

 

We're planners, and desire to pick specific dates/times for our specialty dining. Waiting until after one boards typically results in fewer options.

 

6 minutes ago, wallyj said:

I believe the OP is saying, specialty dining packages are not displaying when they go into their booking and option to upgrade ‘easy plus’ to premium would usually show under beverage packages but they are saying, no results/ options are displayed, when they click on the link.

 

Correct 🙂

[wallyj]

Hi @Tom-n-Cheryl, I believe MSC like Royal Caribbean does NOT allow you to make specific specialty dining reservation if you have a multi day ‘package’. You have to wait till you board.

 

Are you familiar with MSC dining package? For each restaurant ,  You are offered a ‘dining experience’ menu which is limited. If you want an item from the regular menu you will receive 50% off the listed price of that menu item, this is obviously in addition to the cost of the package you have purchased. There are also usually restrictions on how many times you can use at the steakhouse ‘Butcher’s Cut’, and I believe you need to use at least one meal on Day1 or 2 or your cruise. 
 

Check out YouTube as there are a few videos that address the topic of Specialty Dining on MSC and you should be able to find the ‘ dining experience’ menus so you can see if what is offered would be satisfactory for you.
 

For my upcoming 11 day on Meraviglia this month, the 3 night package states only one time for Butcher’s cut.

Edited January 3, 2023 by wallyj

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

9 minutes ago, wallyj said:

Hi @Tom-n-Cheryl, I believe MSC like Royal Caribbean does NOT allow you to make specific specialty dining reservation if you have a multi day ‘package’. You have to wait till you board.

 

Are you familiar with MSC dining package? For each restaurant ,  You are offered a ‘dining experience’ menu which is limited. If you want an item from the regular menu you will receive 50% off the listed price of that menu item, this is obviously in addition to the cost of the package you have purchased. There are also usually restrictions on how many times you can use at the steakhouse ‘Butcher’s Cut’, and I believe you need to use at least one meal on Day1 or 2 or your cruise. 
 

Check out YouTube as there are a few videos that address the topic of Specialty Dining on MSC and you should be able to find the ‘ dining experience’ menus so you can see if what is offered would be satisfactory for you.
 

For my upcoming 11 day on Meraviglia this month, the 3 night package states only one time for Butcher’s cut.

 

Thanks - that's helpful !

 

Obviously, more research to do 🙂

 

I did see something on the one ship tour video I watched yesterday where it looked like the steakhouse was à la carte? Or, can you pre-book at a cover charge (or is that the package approach)?

 

Tom

[wallyj]

Hi @Tom-n-Cheryl, MSC specialty restaurants have a ‘dining experience’ menu, I believe on the Meraviglia for Butchers Cut it is $47? So when you buy a multi day dining package the per restaurant price works out less. All of the restaurants have an ala carte menu where you pay per item or you decide you will do the experience set price menu.

 

My Meraviglia sailing is offering the 3 night for $71, which includes service charges/tips as an example. If you wait to book dining package on board, price is higher and you add gratuity on top of the on board price.

 

Are you looking at multi restaurant or just one?

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

1 hour ago, wallyj said:

Hi @Tom-n-Cheryl, MSC specialty restaurants have a ‘dining experience’ menu, I believe on the Meraviglia for Butchers Cut it is $47? So when you buy a multi day dining package the per restaurant price works out less. All of the restaurants have an ala carte menu where you pay per item or you decide you will do the experience set price menu.

 

My Meraviglia sailing is offering the 3 night for $71, which includes service charges/tips as an example. If you wait to book dining package on board, price is higher and you add gratuity on top of the on board price.

 

Are you looking at multi restaurant or just one?

 

Frankly, I don't even know yet what specialty options there are (sad, I know!). But, we usually only dine in specialty restaurants - so we'll probably skip the package and book ahead of time ... assuming I'm ever given that option, lol.

 

Tom

[ready2cruzagain]

51 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

Frankly, I don't even know yet what specialty options there are (sad, I know!). But, we usually only dine in specialty restaurants - so we'll probably skip the package and book ahead of time ... assuming I'm ever given that option, lol.

 

Tom

Have you tried not signing in with your email but try signing in with your booking number? Sometimes that works.  I also find it easier to navigate their website on my laptop on a browser than on my phone.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

18 minutes ago, ready2cruzagain said:

Have you tried not signing in with your email but try signing in with your booking number? Sometimes that works.  I also find it easier to navigate their website on my laptop on a browser than on my phone.

 

Yes - using either method (when it works, lol) gets me to the same place.  😞

In all cases, it's been with either my laptop or desktop.

 

Tom

[ready2cruzagain]

36 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

Yes - using either method (when it works, lol) gets me to the same place.  😞

In all cases, it's been with either my laptop or desktop.

 

Tom

Then I can't help you 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

18 minutes ago, ready2cruzagain said:

Then I can't help you 

 

Thanks for trying though!

 

I was hoping that someone else might be in the "same boat" !

 

Tom

[Ryan82]

I have a few cruises booked and speciality restaurants / shows brings up nothing to book on any of them. First cruise is 21 April 23.

 

Not sure if they've just not released them yet.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

14 minutes ago, Ryan82 said:

I have a few cruises booked and speciality restaurants / shows brings up nothing to book on any of them. First cruise is 21 April 23.

 

Not sure if they've just not released them yet.

Misery loves company! With the limited time prior to April sailings, I can't imagine that they're holding off. How long have you noticed this?

 

Tom

 

 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

 

Well - I have my answer, not that I particularly like it!

 

I had figured that my issues were pretty common, thus my asking here - turns out it's specific to short sailings.

 

Regarding beverages -- I'm told that because it's a 3-night sailing, they don't offer beverage packages. HOWEVER, since it was a promo/booking offer, I was able to get the Easy Plus package. Having said that, normally (apparently) one could upgrade to the Premium package ahead of time, but since this is again a short sailing, they don't extend to option to upgrade prior to sailing. She said I "should" be able to (not holding my breath) once onboard should I desire, but even then she didn't know what that cost might be (I'm guessing $20/pp/day - based on what others have reported).

 

Regarding specialty dining... she tells me that since it's a short sailing THEY DON"T EXTEND THE OPTION OF PRE-BOOKING DINING. She seemed pretty sure of that. I asked "why is that?" and was told it's MSC policy. I ventured to tell her I've sailed many other lines and had never encountered a situation where I could not pre-book specialty dining. So, what... it will be a race to see who grabs what date/times first? Being our first MSC sailing, and not in a suite, I'm thinking that plenty of people will be able to board prior to us. We should be able to get status matched to their Gold level --- does that help with boarding times at all?

 

Back to the drinks, I had mentioned to her that my desire to upgrade was because I didn't want to drink Smirnoff (I read a couple of posts on here indicating that it was their "well" brand. She directed me to a list (HERE) comparing what alcohol is included in what package (the second chart, not the first). Turns out that there are ample vodka selections which, although not our preferred Grey Goose, will certainly suffice. I then asked if the drink was over the $9 limit, would I pay the difference or be charged in full - as I had already learned on here yesterday, you'd be paying in full. So, then I asked what an Absolut and Club Soda would run. She didn't know, but said if Absolut was on that list, it would be covered under the plan. Perhaps it's just me, but I'm not fully banking on that!

 

Tom

[smokeykat]

I am having the same issue. We are cruising at the end of May out of NY.  I spoke to MSC and they said after the January 1st they will be released onto the website. I guess we just have to keep checking.

 

[Ryan82]

Gold status won't give you priority when boarding. 

 

Are you booking on UK or USA website? Drinks packages are normally available on all UK cruises even the two day ones.. 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

32 minutes ago, Ryan82 said:

Gold status won't give you priority when boarding. 

 

Are you booking on UK or USA website? Drinks packages are normally available on all UK cruises even the two day ones.. 

USA site

 

THANKS

[ready2cruzagain]

34 minutes ago, Ryan82 said:

Gold status won't give you priority when boarding. 

 

Are you booking on UK or USA website? Drinks packages are normally available on all UK cruises even the two day ones.. 

 

They just changed it on the USA cruises I think about a month ago.

[ready2cruzagain]

1 hour ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

Well - I have my answer, not that I particularly like it!

 

I had figured that my issues were pretty common, thus my asking here - turns out it's specific to short sailings.

 

Regarding beverages -- I'm told that because it's a 3-night sailing, they don't offer beverage packages. HOWEVER, since it was a promo/booking offer, I was able to get the Easy Plus package. Having said that, normally (apparently) one could upgrade to the Premium package ahead of time, but since this is again a short sailing, they don't extend to option to upgrade prior to sailing. She said I "should" be able to (not holding my breath) once onboard should I desire, but even then she didn't know what that cost might be (I'm guessing $20/pp/day - based on what others have reported).

 

Regarding specialty dining... she tells me that since it's a short sailing THEY DON"T EXTEND THE OPTION OF PRE-BOOKING DINING. She seemed pretty sure of that. I asked "why is that?" and was told it's MSC policy. I ventured to tell her I've sailed many other lines and had never encountered a situation where I could not pre-book specialty dining. So, what... it will be a race to see who grabs what date/times first? Being our first MSC sailing, and not in a suite, I'm thinking that plenty of people will be able to board prior to us. We should be able to get status matched to their Gold level --- does that help with boarding times at all?

 

Back to the drinks, I had mentioned to her that my desire to upgrade was because I didn't want to drink Smirnoff (I read a couple of posts on here indicating that it was their "well" brand. She directed me to a list (HERE) comparing what alcohol is included in what package (the second chart, not the first). Turns out that there are ample vodka selections which, although not our preferred Grey Goose, will certainly suffice. I then asked if the drink was over the $9 limit, would I pay the difference or be charged in full - as I had already learned on here yesterday, you'd be paying in full. So, then I asked what an Absolut and Club Soda would run. She didn't know, but said if Absolut was on that list, it would be covered under the plan. Perhaps it's just me, but I'm not fully banking on that!

 

Tom

 

Absolute runs $8.00, not sure about Club Soda. The Easy Plus covers drinks $9 and less.  Here is a list of most Food and Drink Menus on MSC if that helps. 

 

 

Combined Food and Drink Menus - MSC Meraviglia - August 2021.pdf

Edited January 3, 2023 by ready2cruzagain

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

38 minutes ago, ready2cruzagain said:

 

Absolute runs $8.00, not sure about Club Soda. The Easy Plus covers drinks $9 and less.  Here is a list of most Food and Drink Menus on MSC if that helps.

 

Thanks - Since they retooled things beginning with the Winter of '21, I wonder what, if anything, might have changed from that list.

 

I sincerely hope that an Easy Plus vodka would include a mixer! 🙂

 

Tom

[ready2cruzagain]

5 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

Thanks - Since they retooled things beginning with the Winter of '21, I wonder what, if anything, might have changed from that list.

 

I sincerely hope that an Easy Plus vodka would include a mixer! 🙂

 

Tom

I was just on the Seashore in Feb/March and the prices were the same as those menus from Aug. 2021. Also, seen several menus lately and the bar and specialty restaurant menu prices are still the same. Will let you know for sure in 19 days.  I leave for 11 days on the Meraviglia.

[ready2cruzagain]

14 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

Thanks - Since they retooled things beginning with the Winter of '21, I wonder what, if anything, might have changed from that list.

 

I sincerely hope that an Easy Plus vodka would include a mixer! 🙂

 

Tom

Here is a thread with a list of drink menus from Nov. 27, 2022 on the Meraviglia. Looks like some of the drinks went up recently .50 but they are still covered by the Easy Plus.

 

 

Edited January 3, 2023 by ready2cruzagain

[Moz]

20 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

Thanks - Since they retooled things beginning with the Winter of '21, I wonder what, if anything, might have changed from that list.

 

I sincerely hope that an Easy Plus vodka would include a mixer! 🙂

 

Tom

Have been on several MSC cruises but only 7 day ones,  The easy plus package will cover your vodka plus mixer even a martini if you desire,  We found it adequate as it included Jameson whiskey which we love.  You can specify the desired liquor you wish,  Have you tried calling and visiting with a concierge, If the first one doesn't seem to know keep calling,  I had to call four times to book to get what I wanted for our next MSC cruise in October,  It's a very classy line and different clientele than Carnival, Hopefully it stays that way