MSC Club downgrading all its members and removing many perks

The MSC cruise advantages and cards just have been changed

They have removed almost all the advantages.

The reductions of 5%,8%,10% and 20% are all reduced to 5% for everybody (being loyal at MSC doesn't mean anything anymore now)

Most advantages that were interesting in the classic and silver membership have now been moved to gold membership (downgrading the solver and classic members and now GOLD has become more difficult to reach and is actually also stripped down)

Al the minibar and logoshop and specility restaurant reductions are all gone

Then there are also strange rules in place regarding the MSC experiences called (bella,fantastica,aurea,)

For example an interior fantastica cabine priced arround 600 euro for 7 days will get you 7000 points, while a balcony cabine that cost 1100 euro, will give you only 5000 points (so you pay double, but you get less points..)

They also stated that in their new program they give a 50 euro voucher to spend on board, but that ridiculous, because since this year you need to pay 8,5 euro per person per day for tips and fees, that is 17 euro per day for two persons, or on a 10 day cruise 170 euro against the 50 that they now offer...

Finally they also decided that if yo book a cruise of more then 10 days (12 or 14or more), that you should not get any more points then when you booked a cruise of 10 days, so it feels like they are punishing you when you take longer cruise trips (like the grand voyage or the nordic trips).

Summary: One majour big downgrade for the MSC cruis club members, for me the club was something that kept me going all the time with MSC, but now that I don't feel attached anymore, I'm gonna try another company, I think Royal Carrabian, they still reward the loyality of their customers! :mad:

There are already two threads on this; the main one being

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2231739#

the other one being

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2225616#

Pete

The MSC cruise advantages and cards just have been changed

 

They have removed almost all the advantages.

 

The reductions of 5%,8%,10% and 20% are all reduced to 5% for everybody (being loyal at MSC doesn't mean anything anymore now)

 

Most advantages that were interesting in the classic and silver membership have now been moved to gold membership (downgrading the solver and classic members and now GOLD has become more difficult to reach and is actually also stripped down)

 

Al the minibar and logoshop and specility restaurant reductions are all gone

 

Then there are also strange rules in place regarding the MSC experiences called (bella,fantastica,aurea,)

For example an interior fantastica cabine priced arround 600 euro for 7 days will get you 7000 points, while a balcony cabine that cost 1100 euro, will give you only 5000 points (so you pay double, but you get less points..)

 

They also stated that in their new program they give a 50 euro voucher to spend on board, but that ridiculous, because since this year you need to pay 8,5 euro per person per day for tips and fees, that is 17 euro per day for two persons, or on a 10 day cruise 170 euro against the 50 that they now offer...

 

Finally they also decided that if yo book a cruise of more then 10 days (12 or 14or more), that you should not get any more points then when you booked a cruise of 10 days, so it feels like they are punishing you when you take longer cruise trips (like the grand voyage or the nordic trips).

 

Summary: One majour big downgrade for the MSC cruis club members, for me the club was something that kept me going all the time with MSC, but now that I don't feel attached anymore, I'm gonna try another company, I think Royal Carrabian, they still reward the loyality of their customers! :mad:

You've got that wrong.

the points are awarded depending on which experience you book , and there are three levels within each experience which takes into account the length of the cruise

for a interior fantastica cabin you get 700 points, for a 7 night cruise, the same as a fantastica balcony.

Your grade will remain the same, you won't be downgraded, but the value of the perks has been lessened, especially the cruise discount!!!

Well here in europe you can book fantastica on all the type of cabins, also the interior cabins.

So if i take the interior cabine and pay the 45 euro extra for fantastica, then I got 2000 more points then the Balcony Bella (or am I still wrong?)

Also for poeple doing grand voyages 30 days etc.. they only get 1000 points in fantastica, where before you received 30 points (three times less)

I think it will become very dificult to become Black and black has also been thinned-out now, the perks ar going down

Well here in europe you can book fantastica on all the type of cabins, also the interior cabins.

 

So if i take the interior cabine and pay the 45 euro extra for fantastica, then I got 2000 more points then the Balcony Bella (or am I still wrong?)

 

Also for poeple doing grand voyages 30 days etc.. they only get 1000 points in fantastica, where before you received 30 points (three times less)

I think it will become very dificult to become Black and black has also been thinned-out now, the perks ar going down

I'm from Europe and and have completed 12 cruses with MSC and am a BLACK CARD Holder. so I've a good idea how it works

Here is the grid

iF you do a 7 night cruise in any Bella cabin you will get 500 points, in any Fantastica cabin you will get 700 points.

you don't multiply the points value by the number of nights.

Also You will get 100 points for every €150 of prepurchased items and the same for onboard spend

I'm from Europe and and have completed 12 cruses with MSC and am a BLACK CARD Holder. so I've a good idea how it works

 

Here is the grid

iF you do a 7 night cruise in any Bella cabin you will get 500 points, in any Fantastica cabin you will get 700 points.

 

you don't multiply the points value by the number of nights.

 

Also You will get 100 points for every €150 of prepurchased items and the same for onboard spend

I agree that with any bella you get the 500 points for the 7day cruise (wwe know that for a interior cabine this cost 500 euro and 950 for a balcony)

But if you pay for the interior cabin 45 euro extra you got the fantastica experience, so you then pay 550 and you get 700 point, while the bella blacon costed you 950 but still gave you 2000 less points

right?

I agree that with any bella you get the 500 points for the 7day cruise (wwe know that for a interior cabine this cost 500 euro and 950 for a balcony)

But if you pay for the interior cabin 45 euro extra you got the fantastica experience, so you then pay 550 and you get 700 point, while the bella blacon costed you 950 but still gave you 2000 less points

 

right?

NO !!

If you pay for a BELLA 7 night cruise you'll get 500 points (for any cabin grade)

if you pay €45 extra and have a FANTATISA 7 night cruise you'll get 700 points (for any cabin grade.)

THe cabin grade does not come into the calculation , it's only the experience that is used.

I don't know why you think you get 2000 points less

Pete

NO !!

 

If you pay for a BELLA 7 night cruise you'll get 500 points (for any cabin grade)

 

if you pay €45 extra and have a FANTATISA 7 night cruise you'll get 700 points (for any cabin grade.)

 

THe cabin grade does not come into the calculation , it's only the experience that is used.

 

I don't know why you think you get 2000 points less

 

 

Pete

You think too much in Black and white

Look it like this:

Bella Interior 7D : 500 euro : 5000 points

Bella balcony 7D : 950 euro : 5000 points <--- Compare this one

Fantastica Interior 7D : 549 euro : 7000 points <--- With this one

Fantastica balcony 7D : 999 euro : 7000 points

I for example booked a cruise in september on the MSC Opera -> the only cabins left were sea view Bella -> so I had to pay 950 euro and I will get 2000 points less then somebody that booked an interior cabine with fantastica (who has payed half of what I have payed)

You see the distorted situation now?

You think too much in Black and white

 

Look it like this:

 

Bella Interior 7D : 500 euro : 5000 points NO you'll get 500 ponits

Bella balcony 7D : 950 euro : 5000 points <--- Compare this one Again you'l get 500 points

Fantastica Interior 7D : 549 euro : 7000 points <--- With this one You'll get 700 points

Fantastica balcony 7D : 999 euro : 7000 points You'll get 700 points

 

I for example booked a cruise in september on the MSC Opera -> the only cabins left were sea view Bella -> so I had to pay 950 euro and I will get 2000 points less then somebody that booked an interior cabine with fantastica (who has payed half of what I have payed) You will get 200 points less not 2000

 

You see the distorted situation now?

You're still miscalculating the number of points by adding a '0' too many

but I take your point, they are rewarding you for the experience you purchase not the cabin grade.

Pete

Pete ... The Scam is on any cruise over 10 nights, 700 points in a Bella for an 18, 19, 20, 21 or 22 night cruise is having people over! the same applies to the others Fantastica and Aurea and YC.

Bella ... 7 nights 500 points, 22 night cruise as in Orchestra to Caribbean this year 700 points! :mad:

So Pete, you're saying if I booked Fantastica balcony for 7 nights, I would receive 700 points for the whole cruise. And it didn't matter what I paid for it. This is how I am reading it. Not 700 points per night.

Carol

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

So Pete, you're saying if I booked Fantastica balcony for 7 nights, I would receive 700 points for the whole cruise. And it didn't matter what I paid for it. This is how I am reading it. Not 700 points per night.

Carol

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

700 points for the whole cruise, 7 nights, for any fantastica cabin; inside ; OV or balcony it doesn't matter, it's the experience which gets the points not the cabin

in this instance it just the same as 1 point per night on the old system , just that they have multiplied all the points by 100. Remember that the fantastica experience is what you used to get as the basic service level. they cunningly added a lower level of service when they introduced the Bella experience.

Pete

Instead of gaining customers they will now lose them, not to bright.

Instead of gaining customers they will now lose them, not to bright.

Indeed! Marketing 101, it costs less to sell to existing customers than it does to continually have to advertise to attract new ones.

Even more daft when you consider the additional capacity they're going to have soon with the seaside ships being delivered. Glad I'm not a shareholder.

The MSC cruise advantages and cards just have been changed

 

They have removed almost all the advantages.

 

The reductions of 5%,8%,10% and 20% are all reduced to 5% for everybody (being loyal at MSC doesn't mean anything anymore now)

 

Most advantages that were interesting in the classic and silver membership have now been moved to gold membership (downgrading the solver and classic members and now GOLD has become more difficult to reach and is actually also stripped down)

 

Al the minibar and logoshop and specility restaurant reductions are all gone

 

Then there are also strange rules in place regarding the MSC experiences called (bella,fantastica,aurea,)

For example an interior fantastica cabine priced arround 600 euro for 7 days will get you 7000 points, while a balcony cabine that cost 1100 euro, will give you only 5000 points (so you pay double, but you get less points..)

 

They also stated that in their new program they give a 50 euro voucher to spend on board, but that ridiculous, because since this year you need to pay 8,5 euro per person per day for tips and fees, that is 17 euro per day for two persons, or on a 10 day cruise 170 euro against the 50 that they now offer...

 

Finally they also decided that if yo book a cruise of more then 10 days (12 or 14or more), that you should not get any more points then when you booked a cruise of 10 days, so it feels like they are punishing you when you take longer cruise trips (like the grand voyage or the nordic trips).

 

Summary: One majour big downgrade for the MSC cruis club members, for me the club was something that kept me going all the time with MSC, but now that I don't feel attached anymore, I'm gonna try another company, I think Royal Carrabian, they still reward the loyality of their customers! :mad:

Booked yesterday on USA site showed same discount:confused:

Booked yesterday on USA site showed same discount:confused:

GOLDEN,,,the new Voyagers Club program starts on July 19th so you booked just in time!!!:)

GOLDEN,,,the new Voyagers Club program starts on July 19th so you booked just in time!!!:)

Wow I knew I should harry up :p and book it.

Wow I knew I should harry up :p and book it.

Yeah I booked 2 this week so I could still get my old discount rate.

Pete ... The Scam is on any cruise over 10 nights, 700 points in a Bella for an 18, 19, 20, 21 or 22 night cruise is having people over! the same applies to the others Fantastica and Aurea and YC.

 

Bella ... 7 nights 500 points, 22 night cruise as in Orchestra to Caribbean this year 700 points! :mad:

I WIN ON THIS BASIS !!!:):)

2 X 14 night cruises in aurea B2B gives me 3000 points.

On the old sytem I'd have got 28 points (=2800 in the new system)

Still time (3 days) to book another 20 cruises, BFGOF (Buy Four Get One Free ), with 20% discount:D:D LOL LOL

So now I get 2 old points as well as a chocolate ship for giving up a 20% discount. STILL LAUGHABLE!!!

Pete

PS

I forgot the extra 8 old points for my booking last week, 2017, in the YC for 7 nights STILL LAUGHABLE

At least my BLACK CARD won't run out until Sept 2020 !!!!!!!!!! STILL LAUGHABLE

I WIN ON THIS BASIS !!!:):)

 

2 X 14 night cruises in aurea B2B gives me 3000 points.

 

On the old sytem I'd have got 28 points (=2800 in the new system)

 

Still time (3 days) to book another 20 cruises, BFGOF (Buy Four Get One Free ), with 20% discount:D:D LOL LOL

 

 

So now I get 2 old points as well as a chocolate ship for giving up a 20% discount. STILL LAUGHABLE!!!

 

 

Pete

 

PS

 

I forgot the extra 8 old points for my booking last week, 2017, in the YC for 7 nights STILL LAUGHABLE

 

At least my BLACK CARD won't run out until Sept 2020 !!!!!!!!!! STILL LAUGHABLE

Oh yes let's not forget the chocolate ship!

They definitely "value" us.

Also we will have these mysterious onboard discounts that we will never be able to determine in advance as they're going to vary them depending on the ship and itinerary. My suspicious is they will be discounts on laundry, excursions, photos and spa. We already had a discount on laundry. I'm going to lose up to around £400 discount on average per cruise. I reckon with that I could decide how to spend that myself. I don't do their excursions, I no longer buy photos, don't go to the casino. A discount on the spa or Allegrissimo would be good for me, but not necessarily for someone else. It is going to have to be a hecjk of a discount to make this new club "better"!

Oh yes let's not forget the chocolate ship!

Mairi ... About as much use as a chocolate Fire guard! :rolleyes: and still no explanation as to why someone booking two x seven night b2b cruises get more points than someone doing 20 nights! you could not make it up.

There will be 41 new ships built between now and 2021 which include the four from MSC, MSC need to up their game and their club if they do not want their customers heading off elsewhere including to Branson`s Virgin brand.

I'm on the Fantasia on Sunday - this cruise takes me to Black level (for all the good it's going to do me).

Having experienced MSC 's organisational skills (or lack of them) in the past, I'm not holding my breath about the discount booklet.

I'm on the Fantasia on Sunday - this cruise takes me to Black level (for all the good it's going to do me).

 

Don't despair just yet. The "Voyager Specials" with the extra 15% discount may include some attractive prospects. It remains to be seen, I know, but there's always the hope that a new tier will be introduced which will make the accrual of points worthwhile for those at Black.

 

Having experienced MSC 's organisational skills (or lack of them) in the past, I'm not holding my breath about the discount booklet.

 

I wonder if it will be introduced on your trip. Please come back and let us know.

Buon viaggio!

I'm on the Fantasia on Sunday - this cruise takes me to Black level (for all the good it's going to do me).

 

Having experienced MSC 's organisational skills (or lack of them) in the past, I'm not holding my breath about the discount booklet.

Well it is even possible that those that got the discounts under the old rules may not qualify for the discount booklet. Then again as you say I doubt they're organised enough to be doingnthat!

Have a great cruise. Come back and tell us if you got this so called fabulous perks and benefits that make it such a better club for all of us!

Don't despair just yet. The "Voyager Specials" with the extra 15% discount may include some attractive prospects. It remains to be seen, I know, but there's always the hope that a new tier will be introduced which will make the accrual of points worthwhile for those at Black.

I had only finally reached Gold and then they introduced Black!

I booked this latest cruise two days before they announced the new Club - and only booked it to get to Black as I am interested in the Opera TA to Cuba and wanted to get the higher discount!