How does Crown & Anchor compare to MSC Voyagers Club…?

[Static events]

How does Crown & Anchor compare to MSC Voyagers Club…?
 

what line has the best loyalty scheme?

 

As a Diamond + member I believe it’s worth getting MSC to match my status and try an MSC cruise. 

[Tin can]

We haven't cruised with MSC but went through the process to get matched and was given Diamond (we are Diamond with Royal)

 

I believe you get early embarkation, bathrobe, a speciality meal and strangely a dance class. There are no drinks vouchers which are a real benefit with Royal.

 

 

 

 

[cublet]

Hello,

 

2nd Q first - Royal Caribbean, especially over 340 points.

 

1st Q - if you drink, Royal Caribbean, if you don't then MSC. You will get 5% off the price of the cruise, sometimes 10%, you will get a free Table d'hote meal in a specialty restaurant. You will have no problem finding (a) freshly squeezed orange juice, and (c) real coffee in most bars and no bl**dy 'half and half' in sight.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[nelblu]

Besides the # of daily drinks loaded to your Sea Pass the other values are teh C&A balcony discount ($250 for a 7 niter as D+) and the usage of the lounge.  In addition, you are provided a robe, welcoming cabin gift, special bath/shower amenities, BOGO SR, interned discounts, reserved seating at certain venues, shareholder's benefit, etc.  Also, a member with 340 + night single supplement fare in addition to the balcony discount.

 

IMO, these benefits really ad up.

[George C]

Diamond plus gives you 5 percent off price and a free meal in specialty restaurant, but since I am a veteran I got ten percent off, we did MSc yacht club which is much nicer than rccl suites for perks .

[cublet]

Hello,

 

And after 525 points on Royal you can select up to three bottle of alcohol on cruises of 7 nights and above (sadly though, not per 7 nights).

 

But what MSC knows and Royal  & X don't, is that Champagne, Prosecco and Sparking Wine are different and even come out of different bottles no less. For me, because of this, the Champagne Bar on MSC beats any bar on Royal and X.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[jean87510]

7 hours ago, Static events said:

How does Crown & Anchor compare to MSC Voyagers Club…?
 

what line has the best loyalty scheme?

 

As a Diamond + member I believe it’s worth getting MSC to match my status and try an MSC cruise. 

We are going to go on our first MSC cruise in Yacht club in December 2023.  I actually matched to Gold then, because I booked 4 upcoming sailings in the YC, I am now at Diamond for MSC.  I didn't ask...  Regardless, when I sail, I will be Diamond Plus on Royal so I can make the comparison at least from a YC perspective.  I believe as well as the other perks mentioned, for Diamond there is the specialty dinner as well but you have to order off of a particular menu.  I truthfully booked MSC for YC and the price which is far better then a balcony that holiday week.  Yes I will give up 5 drinks but to me to avoid crowds, I didn't care about perks too much.  I actually was thinking of trying the dance class!

[cublet]

1 hour ago, jean87510 said:

We are going to go on our first MSC cruise in Yacht club in December 2023.  I actually matched to Gold then, because I booked 4 upcoming sailings in the YC, I am now at Diamond for MSC.  I didn't ask...  Regardless, when I sail, I will be Diamond Plus on Royal so I can make the comparison at least from a YC perspective.  I believe as well as the other perks mentioned, for Diamond there is the specialty dinner as well but you have to order off of a particular menu.  I truthfully booked MSC for YC and the price which is far better then a balcony that holiday week.  Yes I will give up 5 drinks but to me to avoid crowds, I didn't care about perks too much.  I actually was thinking of trying the dance class!

Hello,

 

Herewith a link to PAYG drinks by the glass: https://profcruise.com/msc-bar-menus-and-drink-prices-2023/

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[little britain]

2 hours ago, jean87510 said:

We are going to go on our first MSC cruise in Yacht club in December 2023.  I actually matched to Gold then, because I booked 4 upcoming sailings in the YC, I am now at Diamond for MSC.  I didn't ask...  Regardless, when I sail, I will be Diamond Plus on Royal so I can make the comparison at least from a YC perspective.  I believe as well as the other perks mentioned, for Diamond there is the specialty dinner as well but you have to order off of a particular menu.  I truthfully booked MSC for YC and the price which is far better then a balcony that holiday week.  Yes I will give up 5 drinks but to me to avoid crowds, I didn't care about perks too much.  I actually was thinking of trying the dance class!

Your drinks are included in the YC fare.  Covers drinks anywhere on the ship, not only in YC and includes your mini bar too

 

If you are in a ship with Butchers Cut, their 🥩 steaks are far superior to current Chops offerings. It is a very good menu with several options.

Edited August 5, 2023 by little britain

[jean87510]

1 hour ago, little britain said:

Your drinks are included in the YC fare.  Covers drinks anywhere on the ship, not only in YC and includes your mini bar too

 

If you are in a ship with Butchers Cut, their 🥩 steaks are far superior to current Chops offerings. It is a very good menu with several options.

I know about the drinks.  I was making a point of comparing the 2 lines.  YC was cheaper than RCCL balcony so I either stay with Royal and get my 5 drinks or go to MSC YC for drinks galore.  

 

Thanks for input re Butchers cut!  Definitely trying that plus Hola Cantina when we go on Seascape.

[jean87510]

1 hour ago, cublet said:

Hello,

 

Herewith a link to PAYG drinks by the glass: https://profcruise.com/msc-bar-menus-and-drink-prices-2023/

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

Thx!  It's a good tool to see the drinks offered.

[bundtkate]

Even outside YC, MSC's drinks packages are nearly always available at booking for a deeply discounted priced. Like NCL and others who advertise these somewhat all-inclusive packages as having "free" drinks, they aren't actually free and the cruise fare alone will be cheaper, but they are massively cheaper than RCI's package. To give an example, we're on a 9-night med with MSC in October and the difference between including drinks + WiFi with our balcony stateroom was about $300 total for 2 people. Given MSC's fares are already so low, you're probably going to be able to get drinks and WiFi included for less than the base fare on a similar RCI sailing. If you book early enough and can tolerate an inside cabin, don't discount Yacht Club either. An interior in the Yacht Club includes MSC's top drinks package and WiFi for 2 devices (among other perks) often for less than the cost of a balcony without drinks on RCI.

 

With that said, it's worth being aware of the differences between the drinks package you get with the inclusive package outside the YC and the vouchers you get from D+ on RCI because RCI does have a value add there. MSC includes their Easy Plus package which covers drinks up to (I think) 9 euro (in Europe) or $10 (on U.S. sailings). My husband and I find it includes plenty to keep us happy, but we're beer and basic cocktail people for the most part. We like a glass of wine, but don't know enough about wine to be picky so our needs are pretty basic. If you're a wine drinker, you may find the included wines don't meet your standards and will do better on RCI since the D+ vouchers work for anything. Obviously this isn't a concern if you're in YC since it includes the top package instead.

 

MSC is also a polarizing line. We really enjoyed our one MSC cruise so far, but I'm conscious of the fact that it was very shortly after the restart (Sept 2021) which is a profoundly different experience from today's sold out ships. Our upcoming Med will be our first MSC cruise since ships started filling up and we may well end up joining the haters if the crowds are as problematic as some claim. I've seen the same complaints about crowds and slow service on RCI more recently so I'm hopeful that it's just unreasonable expectations, but we'll see. It's worth doing some reading about MSC to understand what catches folks off-guard, just bring a healthy dose of skepticism with you. We've found some of the things others hate (for example, more laid back services vs. crew constantly asking if you need anything)  are things we actually like.

I'm very much of the opinion that MSC is worth a try and while their loyalty program may not be amazing, they make up for it with lower fares and cheap add-ons that eliminate the need for some of RCI's C&A perks. Plus, the status match means you get to skip some of the more lackluster tiers and start enjoying the perks early on. Just go in with reasonable expectations and you'll be fine. And if you're worried, the Yacht Club interiors are a great option. YC gets pretty glowing reviews vs. MSC in general so it's a lower risk choice at a very reasonable cost if the reviews put you off.

[George C]

Loved the live music in yacht club and outside pool area , only thing I didn’t like was there selections of red wines , no Napa .

[Saab4444]

10 hours ago, Tin can said:

We haven't cruised with MSC but went through the process to get matched and was given Diamond (we are Diamond with Royal)

 

I believe you get early embarkation, bathrobe, a speciality meal and strangely a dance class. There are no drinks vouchers which are a real benefit with Royal.

 

 

 

 

Diamond and Diamond Plus on Royal gives you Gold with MSC now, only Pinacle get Diamond (former Black status). Also if you have not not cruised with MSC for three years your membership will be deleted and status is gone.

[Biker19]

6 hours ago, cublet said:

And after 525 points on Royal you can select up to three bottles of wine on cruises of 7 nights and above (sadly though, not per 7 nights).

Fixed - you don't want to give folks the wrong idea.

Edited August 5, 2023 by Biker19

[cruiseboy89130]

2 hours ago, Saab4444 said:

Also if you have not not cruised with MSC for three years your membership will be deleted and status is gone.

Which is a good thing in general and also allows you to match again!

[Saab4444]

8 hours ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

Which is a good thing in general and also allows you to match again!

No, you can match only one time with the same loyalty scheme.

[Tin can]

13 hours ago, Saab4444 said:

Diamond and Diamond Plus on Royal gives you Gold with MSC now, only Pinacle get Diamond (former Black status). Also if you have not not cruised with MSC for three years your membership will be deleted and status is gone.

 

Very strange, I just checked and I was definitely matched Diamond with MSC and I am Diamond with Royal.

[Saab4444]

1 minute ago, Tin can said:

 

Very strange, I just checked and I was definitely matched Diamond with MSC and I am Diamond with Royal.

They did this at the beginning but changed it.some years ago. Your status match should be expired anyway if you have not cruised with them in the past three years.

[Tin can]

2 minutes ago, Saab4444 said:

They did this at the beginning but changed it.some years ago. Your status match should be expired anyway if you have not cruised with them in the past three years.

 

I only did the status match recently (a few months ago I think)  as I was looking at a few options with MSC at the time.

 

I'm definitely Diamond with MSC and only Diamond with Royal, maybe I slipped through the net 😄. Its a shame Royal don't status match and then I could have reversed matched and come back to Royal as Pinnacle 🤣

 

 

[cruiseboy89130]

4 hours ago, Saab4444 said:

No, you can match only one time with the same loyalty scheme.

No not true - just don't tell them you were matched before....you will just get a new member number....

They will erase your old data after 3 years of no activity - as required by EU law.

[Saab4444]

9 minutes ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

No not true - just don't tell them you were matched before....you will just get a new member number....

They will erase your old data after 3 years of no activity - as required by EU law.

Officially only once. If they have bad records in some countries you might have been lucky.

[cruiseboy89130]

11 minutes ago, Saab4444 said:

Officially only once. If they have bad records in some countries you might have been lucky.

They sure don't advertise it - but if you wait the 3+ years your data is gone and so is the match data...