Black Card Members

Could someone please clarify this Perk?

COMPLIMENTARY SPECIALTY RESTAURANT DINNER (no beverages) | Members are entitled to enjoy one tastymenu dinner for 2 during the cruise (beverages excluded) at one of our specialty restaurants (Galaxy, Kaito Sushi, Oriental,Eataly Steakhouse, or Tex Mex. Eataly Ristorante Italia excluded). Members may extend an invitation to one occupant ofthe same cabin. Members under 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult in order to enjoy the privilege.

What if each occupant of the cabin are Black Status? Does that mean that each occupant receives 1 complimentary speciality restaurant dinner for 2?

TIA

This has been discussed elsewhere and the short answer is No, only one per cabin and the latest muddled wording says that a black card holder cannot take another black card holder !

Complain to MSC as I and others have done about this issue.

This has been discussed elsewhere and the short answer is No, only one per cabin and the latest muddled wording says that a black card holder cannot take another black card holder !

 

Complain to MSC as I and others have done about this issue.

Well that doesn't make sense! We are both Black Status. Are we supposed to go to dinner alone? If they want it to be 1 dinner per cabin then say so. That is what NCL does now.

Here's a link to a thread where the subject is discussed:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2593600

See post no 26 on page 2.

This has been discussed elsewhere and the short answer is No, only one per cabin and the latest muddled wording says that a black card holder cannot take another black card holder !

 

Complain to MSC as I and others have done about this issue.

We are both black members and both received a dinner for two on the Divina in late August. We went to Galaxy as well as Eataly. Please tell me it hasn't changed.

See post no 26 on page 2.

Thank you,

A very interesting read. I’ll find out at the end of April!

We are both black members and both received a dinner for two on the Divina in late August. We went to Galaxy as well as Eataly. Please tell me it hasn't changed.

It HAS changed !!

But the wording is nonsensical; see the posts above for the link to the thread

We are both black members and both received a dinner for two on the Divina in late August. We went to Galaxy as well as Eataly. Please tell me it hasn't changed.

As of Nov 15th 2017 - which has been widely posted here since Sidari first advised us of his discovering this fact on his Seaside Christmas cruise.

As my husband and I are both Black Card members, I discussed this very issue with the Cruise Consultant on our Christmas cruise on Orchestra, having read about the new policy here on the forum while onboard. He very kindly offered us a second voucher so that we could enjoy another complimentary dinner for 2. I doubt that this will happen again as I reckon the offer was made due to the fact that the policy had only just changed.

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The MSC UK rep has been actively pushing complaints received to senior management along with suggestions for 2 new card levels above Black and will restrict status match no higher than Black.

Will they listen ? who knows but if they have any common sense between them they will.

The MSC UK rep has been actively pushing complaints received to senior management along with suggestions for 2 new card levels above Black and will restrict status match no higher than Black.

 

 

 

Will they listen ? who knows but if they have any common sense between them they will.

This won’t work as a match is to the same level so top tier in one is matched to top tier in another.

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Nikki ... It will work with the will behind it to carry it out, black level is high enough for any status match and if people do not like it then they have lost nothing, if they do then they gain a lot more than most people who will be working their way up through the MSC current levels.

Nikki ... It will work with the will behind it to carry it out, black level is high enough for any status match and if people do not like it then they have lost nothing, if they do then they gain a lot more than most people who will be working their way up through the MSC current levels.

Status match is big in the hotel world, my husband stays at least 2 nights a week in hotels for his job.

He worked up to the top tier of Spire with IHG (Holiday Inn etc), however the Hilton Group offered a status match to their top tier of Diamond, he applied for this and got the match.

However the match was only valid for x number of months and you had to complete x number of nights to keep the status for another 12 months.

He now staggers his stay between both hotel groups.

That is the way that MSC should have done the match and keep it on a year to year basis.

That’s what I think anyway!

As I have said before a lot of the people who have been matched have decided they do not like MSC so won’t be cruising again with them so their match should have naturally expired after a year.

And also I think a lot of people jumped on the status match band wagon and will never even sail with MSC anyway as they seem to be influenced by reviews....

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ETA I was composing this post while the latest discussion between Nikki and Sidari was going on, so it's not a response to anything in that discussion.

The Voyagers Club rep phoned me on foot of an email I sent to express my dissatisfaction at the erosion of benefits and the manner in which it's being done.

We had a discussion, which lasted for over 20 minutes, in which she confirmed that she has received complaints about the dinner for 2 situation and that she was, indeed, making earnest representations to the powers that be on behalf of members.

The subject of a new tier being introduced came up and I asked her if there was any substance to the rumours I'd been told about when on Orchestra a few weeks back. She said she hadn't heard anything. Perhaps that's true; or, maybe, she's not at liberty to say. Interestingly, she was the one who brought up the subject of a new, higher tier by saying that she thought MSC should have one. Now, the interesting part was she mentioned the word *Platinum* when discussing the possible introduction of a new tier. The person who told me on Orchestra about the rumour that a new tier is in the offing also told me that it was rumoured that it would be named *Platinum*. Was it a Freudian slip on her behalf, I wonder?

Anyway, we discussed the notion that, should a new tier be introduced, it should be exclusive to those who accrue points for cruises on MSC ships only. In other words, it should not be included in the status-match programme and that the Black level would be the highest level that could be matched to. Those who've been awarded 10000 points through status-match would still be eligible to attain the higher tier, but would have to sail on MSC to get there - just like the rest of us.

He now staggers his stay between both hotel groups.

That is the way that MSC should have done the match and keep it on a year to year basis.

That’s what I think anyway!

As I have said before a lot of the people who have been matched have decided they do not like MSC so won’t be cruising again with them so their match should have naturally expired after a year.

And also I think a lot of people jumped on the status match band wagon and will never even sail with MSC anyway as they seem to be influenced by reviews....

Nikki ... I do get where you are coming from but at some point MSC will have to end the status match, we have seen already how it has impacted massively on the benefits that were available to those who were happy to stay with MSC and work their way to the current highest level of Black.

Those people us included have now seen their worth as loyal customers basically trashed by MSC and status match, if it is not impacting on MSC at Black level why remove all the old benefits, why recently remove the meal for each individual Black card holder ? and make it one per cabin ? the same goes for the Prosecco and Strawberries.

The change of wording in the T & C`s for the voyagers Club is enough to see that these Cuts will not stop at what has been lost so far, the addition of the wording that means you have no complaints makes that quite clear.

4.1.4 Benefits may be subject to changes without warning for operational reasons. Theorder and days of allocation of the on board benefits may vary according to the durationof the cruise and the organisation of the ship and may not be disputed by members

He now staggers his stay between both hotel groups.

 

That is the way that MSC should have done the match and keep it on a year to year basis.

 

That’s what I think anyway!

 

As I have said before a lot of the people who have been matched have decided they do not like MSC so won’t be cruising again with them so their match should have naturally expired after a year.

 

And also I think a lot of people jumped on the status match band wagon and will never even sail with MSC anyway as they seem to be influenced by reviews....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nikki ... I do get where you are coming from but at some point MSC will have to end the status match, we have seen already how it has impacted massively on the benefits that were available to those who were happy to stay with MSC and work their way to the current highest level of Black.

 

Those people us included have now seen their worth as loyal customers basically trashed by MSC and status match, if it is not impacting on MSC at Black level why remove all the old benefits, why recently remove the meal for each individual Black card holder ? and make it one per cabin ? the same goes for the Prosecco and Strawberries.

 

 

 

 

 

The change of wording in the T & C`s for the voyagers Club is enough to see that these Cuts will not stop at what has been lost so far, the addition of the wording that means you have no complaints makes that quite clear.

 

 

 

 

 

4.1.4 Benefits may be subject to changes without warning for operational reasons. Theorder and days of allocation of the on board benefits may vary according to the durationof the cruise and the organisation of the ship and may not be disputed by members

Basically they have made a rod for their own backs in that they are going to loose their original customers and also potential new ones!

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With the ease at which the words "per cabin" can be inserted - and the impact that they actually have in effectively removing a benefit from one Black holder in that same cabin (when both occupants are *Black*) - leads me to wonder: What's next? One chocolate ship *per cabin*, one VC gift *per cabin* etc, etc.

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Bea ... What is annoying, is that the VC chart benefits are per person! how long before certain things are put into a separate category for the "per Cabin" benefits.

It does make you think which Clueless wonder MSC put in charge of this.

The bean-counters have been busily counting the cost of the status-match programme, Dave.

Due to the timing of the recent cutback (Nov last), the conclusion I come to - and it's based solely on what I've read here - is that there has been a surge in the number of status-match applications (in the US, especially), with, seemingly, very many of them matching to Black. I am putting this down to the arrival of Seaside.

MSC have calculated the potential cost and, in their wisdom, have slyly halved the number of complimentary meals they'll have to provide. You only have to look at the fact that one of the restaurants has been removed as a venue in which to enjoy the perk.

Bear in mind (again, based on what I've read here) it appears that many couples both match to Black (which the same isn't generally the case for couples who *earn* their points), so it's really doubly unfair on those of us who are part of a couple with *earned* Black cards due to the extra cruises it took for the second person to get to Black.

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The VC terms and conditions also deals with the change from the original loyalty club and you can also see from the way it is worded that they had no intention of showing any loyalty back to those who had earned their levels.

A sensible thing to have done would have been to allow members who had earned their levels to retain those existing benefits while any with status match at any level would have the changed benefits.

In effect, that would have created a new tier, Dave. I don't think it would have washed with those already on Black that they were going to be changed (or a lesser tier introduced) but that the benefits were going to remain the same.

Even back then, we were clamouring for a higher tier, with *increased* perks to be introduced. IIRC, status-match didn't come into effect 'til after Voyagers Club came into force, so we wouldn't notice the coincidental drop in benefits (I'm open to correction on this as I'm a bit foggy as to exactly when status-match appeared - I just know it was in, or around the same time as VC).

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In effect, that would have created a new tier, Dave. I don't think it would have washed with those already on Black that they were going to be changed (or a lesser tier introduced) but that the benefits were going to remain the same.

 

Even back then, we were clamouring for a higher tier, with *increased* perks to be introduced. IIRC, status-match didn't come into effect 'til after Voyagers Club came into force, so we wouldn't notice the coincidental drop in benefits (I'm open to correction on this as I'm a bit foggy as to exactly when status-match appeared - I just know it was in, or around the same time as VC).

 

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The voyages club came first in EARLY July 2015. status match came in to being in LATE July 2015

pete

Yeah, I thought that alright, Pete, but wasn't sure enough to state it categorically on here.

I reckon MSC didn't want us to conflate the benefits' reductions with offering non-customers non-earned perks!

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May I post an alternative way of looking at this situation? I'll break down my observations, point by point.

1. Part of me says "why do those who've earned their status the old-fashioned way resent newbies (like me) being able to enjoy some of the benefits? What's it to you?" (I'm reminded of a certain parable about the vineyard owner paying all of the workers the agreed sum, regardless of how many hours they'd worked)
   
2. If it's true that a majority of new status match passengers are from the US, doesn't that fit in with MSC's desire to expand its share of the US market? People on these boards are constantly bashing MSC for inconsistency, mixed messaging, misleading people, etc. Yet when they are consistently offering status match to their American audience, they get slammed for that, too. Wow.
   
3. It stands to reason that if it costs the company a certain amount to do this, and the response exceeds their expectations, they may have to make certain changes, such as reducing some of the benefits. That's just how it is in business.
   
4. Many times someone posts a complaint or a review and reveals that he/she failed to live up to the contract he/she had with the cruise company (ex: embarkation ends 90 minutes prior to sailing, Passenger X turns up 1/2 hour before sailing, is refused entry and then complains about it on CC), he/she is reminded that there are rules in force and everyone has to respect them. Why, then, are people aghast that MSC is exercising its right to alter the terms and conditions (and benefits) of VC, since I'm sure that's their legal prerogative?
   
5. Lastly, please don't go flaming me over my comments. If I were a loyal member of a cruise line and had spent lots of money on cruises and had attended a higher status, OF COURSE I'd be irritated that others got the benefits I'd work hard for just by obtaining a status match. But guess what? I bet those receiving status match DID have to shell out for the cruises they sailed with NCL, RCCL, etc. Furthermore, this could be a good thing, perhaps the other lines with follow suit and begin giving MSC Black Level guests equivalent status on their lines, which I would see as a win-win.
   

My final thought is that the cruise industry is very sensitive to demand, and if enough Black Level guests put up a fight, MSC may restore some of the benefits they're currently reducing. If they can take things away, they can add them back. I think a lot of people posting about this are assuming that won't happen, but again, they do say they reserve the right to make changes. That doesn't mean they'll all be bad. Thanks for reading.

DC ... A quote from a guy I know who has done 44 cruises with Princess on this issue.

I think the same Princess wise, i have paid 100,000 for my Black Elite status and don`t think its right, folks who sail on P and O and try it once get my perks, so I see where everyone stands, they could have handled it better.

Since this, Princess no longer have this arrangement with P an O so the chances of other lines following suit I would say is Zero.