Premium Extra Package Confusion - Currently on Seascape

[surfjock27]

We are currently on Seascape and have the Premium Extra Package. 

We tried to purchase a drink listed at $16 and were denied, with them saying drink only up to $15. 

We explained that a few weeks ago the price of the package went up, which included the price of thinks. We explained that the limit is now up to $16 according to the website AND the sales person who helped me upgrade from East Plus (included with cruise fare) to the Premium over the phone last week. 
 

Off to Guest Services we went. Not to complain, but to inquire, to make sure we understood properly. They are telling us it’s in fact $15 and the website is wrong. “An error.” 
 

Has anyone experienced this? I’m confused. The drink we tried to get was $15 a few weeks ago and we could get it with Premium. The price went up to $16 when the package went up, but they are saying the site is wrong. 

[rikitikitavii]

Here is a screenshot from MSC website that I just took.  But as with MSC, you never know!!  Good luck!!                                   

[Two Wheels Only]

Another forum member ("trintrav") is currently on World Europa and has reported that starting this week, MSC now only charges the difference if a drink is above the package limit. At worst, MSC should have charged you only $1.xx for the $16 drink. 

 

As for the limit going up to $16, you are correct that you should have been covered by your current package.  

 

I would try this....

 

If you make friends with a Yacht Club guest, have them order the same $16 drink that you ordered since Yacht Club gets the Premium Extra with booking. If there is no upcharge or no refusal, the same should happen with you since you both have the same package. 

Edited March 20, 2023 by Two Wheels Only

[defbref]

On the msccruises.co.uk site it says:

 

 

Please note that All-Inclusive Beverage packages for Summer 2023 up to Summer 2024 cruises are detailed here below.
To know the details of Beverage packages for Winter 2022/23 cruises, please login your personal area.

 

and then list the new max prices 14euros/16$, so I'm guessing there's some type of changeover period and if its classed as a winter cruise 2022/23 your on the old max price, if its classed as a summer cruise then your on the new. 

 

Which date this change will actually occur I am unsure of. And its really bad if your on a cruise where they have increased the individual price of the drinks but your on the old package.

Edited March 20, 2023 by defbref

[JamieLogical]

1 hour ago, Two Wheels Only said:

Another forum member ("trintrav") is currently on World Europa and has reported that starting this week, MSC now only charges the difference if a drink is above the package limit. At worst, MSC should have charged you only $1.xx for the $16 drink. 

 

Is this actually documented anywhere? If this is true across the fleet, this is welcome news as we sail in three weeks and hemmed and hawed a lot about whether it would be worth upgrading to the Premium package, since we would have to pay full price for any of those drinks.

[surfjock27]

15 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Is this actually documented anywhere? If this is true across the fleet, this is welcome news as we sail in three weeks and hemmed and hawed a lot about whether it would be worth upgrading to the Premium package, since we would have to pay full price for any of those drinks.

as my original post shows, we are currently on Seascape. I will find out in a few minutes, if that is accurate on here, and let you know. 

[surfjock27]

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Is this actually documented anywhere? If this is true across the fleet, this is welcome news as we sail in three weeks and hemmed and hawed a lot about whether it would be worth upgrading to the Premium package, since we would have to pay full price for any of those drinks.

Confirmed on Seascape. You pay the difference now. 

[Captain-John]

Another example of MSC's right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing!

 

I always remembered being told the MSC ships are run far better than MSC shoreside. Seems in this case the message wasn't communicated to the ship properly (or distributed within the ship!) until challenged. However I still think shoreside is pretty poor overall!

[JamieLogical]

2 hours ago, surfjock27 said:

Confirmed on Seascape. You pay the difference now. 

 

That is fantastic news!

[surfjock27]

Update: 

 

Spoke to the Bar Manager who told us we were wrong and the Premium Package only includes up to $15, although all of their Premium drinks are now $16. They told us it was a mistake and refuse to honor the $16 limit. 
 

Also, some bars are charging the difference and other bars are making you pay full price. 
 

It is absolutely ridiculous that we paid for Premium, the site says up to $16, but the ship won’t honor it and all we are able to get are Easy Plus drinks. 
 

First and last MSC Cruise. 

 

[Beamafar]

Just now, surfjock27 said:

Update: 

 

Spoke to the Bar Manager who told us we were wrong and the Premium Package only includes up to $15, although all of their Premium drinks are now $16. They told us it was a mistake and refuse to honor the $16 limit. 
 

Also, some bars are charging the difference and other bars are making you pay full price. 
 

It is absolutely ridiculous that we paid for Premium, the site says up to $16, but the ship won’t honor it and all we are able to get are Easy Plus drinks. 
 

First and last MSC Cruise. 

 

Wow - sounds like there’s a serious lack of communication on the subject.   Drinks package prices have increased, recently, as had drinks prices.  But the price limit should also have increased (as has always been the case before now).  

[surfjock27]

1 minute ago, Beamafar said:

Wow - sounds like there’s a serious lack of communication on the subject.   Drinks package prices have increased, recently, as had drinks prices.  But the price limit should also have increased (as has always been the case before now).  

100%! All the old Premium drinks that were $15 are now $16. So we should have just kept the Easy Plus and saved $300 because we’re only getting EP drinks now. 
 

I’m not one to complain or b*tch, but I’m irritated. GS and the Bar Manager didn’t seem to care at all. They said “yes the drink package prices went up and so did the drink prices themselves, but the max is still $15.” 
They are completely disregarding what their website AND my cruise contract says. 
 

Can we find things to drink under $15? Yes. 
At this point, it’s the principal and I’m irritated. 

[Beamafar]

I’ll be just as irritated 😤 if we experience similar next week.  We paid almost $1000 to upgrade to PE. 

[Mike C]

41 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

I’ll be just as irritated 😤 if we experience similar next week.  We paid almost $1000 to upgrade to PE. 

Please let us know how it goes.

 

Mike

[Beamafar]

8 hours ago, Mike C said:

Please let us know how it goes.

 

Mike

I certainly will!

[CruisingFox27]

11 hours ago, Beamafar said:

I’ll be just as irritated 😤 if we experience similar next week.  We paid almost $1000 to upgrade to PE. 

Likewise. I'm not going to be happy if the PE package I've paid for, doesn’t include PE drinks! We've 2 weeks to sailing, I'll be closely following your reports (I would anyway 😊).

[mcoler181]

We only have the Easy Extra ( If that's what its called) which is now saying drinks up to $10, was $9. We can upgrade to PE for $20 a day which now says includes drinks up to $16, sounds like a case of MSC not knowing its ar$e from its elbow as usual. 

[8420PR]

17 hours ago, defbref said:

On the msccruises.co.uk site it says:

 

 

Please note that All-Inclusive Beverage packages for Summer 2023 up to Summer 2024 cruises are detailed here below.
To know the details of Beverage packages for Winter 2022/23 cruises, please login your personal area.

 

and then list the new max prices 14euros/16$, so I'm guessing there's some type of changeover period and if its classed as a winter cruise 2022/23 your on the old max price, if its classed as a summer cruise then your on the new. 

 

Which date this change will actually occur I am unsure of. And its really bad if your on a cruise where they have increased the individual price of the drinks but your on the old package.

 

 

The above is exactly what I can see for my bookings.

 

For a cruise departing on 5th April:   Premium Extra is described as all beverages up to $15, and the beverage packages are the old price.

For a cruise departing on 19th November:  Premium Extra is described as all beverages up to $16, and the beverage packages are the new price.

[CruisingFox27]

11 minutes ago, 8420PR said:

 

 

The above is exactly what I can see for my bookings.

 

For a cruise departing on 5th April:   Premium Extra is described as all beverages up to $15, and the beverage packages are the old price.

For a cruise departing on 19th November:  Premium Extra is described as all beverages up to $16, and the beverage packages are the new price.

I can't see the new prices for packages, could you confirm?  But, if I look to add PE for our April cruise, it states drinks up to €13/$15. Which now will not entitle you to PE drinks, if they're all €14/$16.

[TampaGambler]

This is exactly why Florida came out with FDUTPA, you could easily lead a class action and teach MSC a lesson….

 

Mark my words, one day soon, MSC will do  this to the wrong person and sue on behalf of everyone in the last 4 years and it will be a ***** storm for MSC.

[Morgsmom]

30 minutes ago, TampaGambler said:

This is exactly why Florida came out with FDUTPA, you could easily lead a class action and teach MSC a lesson….

 

Mark my words, one day soon, MSC will do  this to the wrong person and sue on behalf of everyone in the last 4 years and it will be a ***** storm for MSC.

MSC Cruises (USA) LLC operates as the sales agent only and does not own or operate any MSC Cruise vessels.  MSC Cruises S.A. out of Geneva operates the vessels and sets the rules.  

 

Is it a cluster?  Yup.  Likely to win in any sort of court?  Nope.  

[Beamafar]

47 minutes ago, CruisingFox27 said:

I can't see the new prices for packages, could you confirm?  But, if I look to add PE for our April cruise, it states drinks up to €13/$15. Which now will not entitle you to PE drinks, if they're all €14/$16.

On my booking, for our upcoming sailing, it shows the limit as €13 for PE.  On our October booking, it shows a limit of €14. 

 

[RandomUser123]

Is this issue happening on other MSC ships or is this issue limited to Seascape?

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

13 hours ago, surfjock27 said:

Update: 

 

Spoke to the Bar Manager who told us we were wrong and the Premium Package only includes up to $15, although all of their Premium drinks are now $16. They told us it was a mistake and refuse to honor the $16 limit. 
 

Also, some bars are charging the difference and other bars are making you pay full price. 
 

It is absolutely ridiculous that we paid for Premium, the site says up to $16, but the ship won’t honor it and all we are able to get are Easy Plus drinks. 
 

First and last MSC Cruise. 

 

 

I don't blame you one bit... what a cluster....

 

I'm sure they'll all get "up to speed" eventually, but their inept handling of this (and I'm sure it's happening across the fleet) will have others joining your ranks.

 

Having said that - I've seen similar (bang your head into a wall) things on other lines as well when changes are made, but people down the chain are poorly, or not at all, informed of the changes.

 

FRUSTRATING

 

Tom

[Beamafar]

1 minute ago, RandomUser123 said:

Is this issue happening on other MSC ships or is this issue limited to Seascape?

I have a feeling it’s on other ships who have increased their prices, too (some ships won’t change mid-cruise, but will wait til the home port to do this).  trintrac is on World Europa and made reference to purchasing a drink which was €1 above the €13 limit on PE. There was rarely (if ever) drinks at just €1 above.  My belief is that the €13 drinks have increased by that amount, thus taking them outside of the package limit.  The limits seem not to have been increased, yet, which is where the problem lies.  No idea when these will increase, but they are showing as increased on a booking I have for October.