What is MSC doing to the Yachtclub?

[JK300]

Just came back from the MSC Fantasia in the Med. We stayed in the YC royal suite and paid the appropriate price. But from what we heard is that MSC is consistently giving away free upgrades of the YC for people who paid only for a regular stateroom. At least 6 couples we spoke to got a free upgrade and 1 couple got upgraded from the lowest deck. All these guests were not even repeat guests all new customers. That kind of practice has been applied since the end of 2014.

Asked for a meeting with the guest relation manager to address this matter, no time was the answer.

 

 

Is that the way to treat the loyal YC customers?

 

We were asked the first day to give our dining preferences, first or second seating. There was no free dining due to the fact mentioned above.

Last year we were with the family on the Splendida, also YC and had a fantastic time, it was like heaven. The waiter staff were eager to please you and you see the pleasure and feel their pride to serve you.

NOT this time. Never got a straight answer about the food served, only from the Italian maitre d'hotel.

The food was awful and the staff did not care at all except for the Italian maitre d'. Service in the YC restaurant was way below what it should be. Many times our glasses stayed empty only refill until asked and even worse was, asked a couple times for more bread, after 10 minutes still no bread. They served only 1 time lobster on the last of the 3 gala evenings, well the lobster died too many times :(, so overcooked and way too dry. The food served, mostly cold or too dry. What a huge difference with last year on the Splendida.

 

In the top sail lounge, for breakfast at 9 am they don't have no more fresh orange juice and asked for bottled ones the answer was the same and no white toast either, all out of stock. The people working there were simply too lazy to call the galley for a resupply.

 

The service from the concierge, the butlers and stewards were top, they were all very helpful.

 

Normally, we would go back to the YC next year with our adult kids, spouses and grandchild, as you can guess they were also spoiled last year. But now we doubt very much about doing so. Chances are: NO.

 

This is to MSC: The Yachtclub is a fine and wonderful product and we love it. Please don't mess it up.

 

John

 

ps. Any other subjects (itinerary, excursions,...) we didn't mentioned was because they were good or great. NOT all was bad or less good. :-)

Edited January 30, 2015 by JK300

[Mikesa1721]

We have not experienced any of what you are describing on the Divina. I can only hope that the issues you experienced were isolated to your sailing and not the beginning of a pattern which would degrade the value of sailing in the Yacht Club. I would be none to pleased if I found out pax were upgraded to the YC from a lower category after paying a premium for our accommodations!! Your grievances are valid and should be addressed.

[JK300]

We have not experienced any of what you are describing on the Divina. I can only hope that the issues you experienced were isolated to your sailing and not the beginning of a pattern which would degrade the value of sailing in the Yacht Club. I would be none to pleased if I found out pax were upgraded to the YC from a lower category after paying a premium for our accommodations!! Your grievances are valid and should be addressed.

 

We paid a premium price, a couple from New Zeeland paid almost 40% more than we did, can you imagine how p*ssed they were after finding out about the free upgrades.

John

[marcoigna]

Unfortuneatly - free upgrades are rapid in the entire travel industry - other ships, hotels and flights -

 

i know when booking a flight in business class - i see the seating chart, wide open 2-3 days prior to flight - then bang!!! - the business class section is full from free upgrades - do you think they give the paying passengers first choice of meals options - the answer is no.

 

i personally disagree with complimentary upgrades - it does cause frustration for the dedicated passengers that paid the price to travel in a more luxurious enviornment (whether it is a ship/hotel/flight) -

 

What is unfair, in MSC Yacht Club - regarding the gourmet dining room is it is advertised as open sitting - we have yet to be on a sailing that honored this. Right away we had to give the time we wished to dine so all passengers could be accommodated - so when Yacht Club is full, this open sitting clearly does not exist - ..... Now if they are giving free upgrades to the Yacht Club and this is disturbing my open dining option, then yes, i would be upset - i still go with the flow as we eat late every night 9-930pm -... but we must state what we want at the beginning of the cruise for the entire sailing...

 

we must face the facts that complimentary upgrades are out there - and we must accept this and go with the flow - it is not our product to decide if upgrades should be given - when we buy our own airline/ship/hotel, only then can we make our own rules....

 

Is upgrading acceptable - 99% no - i dont agree with it...

[JK300]

Upgrades will always exist..... as a reward for the loyal customer, airlines, hotels, cruiselines,... doing it all the time, ok. No problem with that. But to first timers and even without asking for an upgrade??? Hard to understand.

John

[AmoMondo]

Upgrades will always exist..... as a reward for the loyal customer, airlines, hotels, cruiselines,... doing it all the time, ok. No problem with that. But to first timers and even without asking for an upgrade??? Hard to understand.

John

 

Here is a possible reason. They sell out of a certain lower category but are still getting demand for it. Meanwhile YC is not sold out. Rather than turn away additional revenue, they accept the bookings and upgrade. They also get the possibility that the first time cruisers will become repeat cruisers because they are so delighted at the upgrade.

 

Now I'm not saying it is fair to either those paying full price or much more loyal passengers but it does make commercial sense.

 

The way I see it, is there will always be someone who has paid less than you and probably someone who has paid more. You can choose to let that bother you, or not. I chose not to let it bother me at all. I book something, knowing the price and am happy with that deal. What someone else did or didn't pay has no nearing whatsoever on how I perceive my own experience at that time. It is just not relevant.

[JK300]

Out of commercial point of view it makes perfect sense for MSC. But losing a loyal repeat customer by doing so..... :confused:

 

 

Ah well, case closed. Done with MSC, time to move on but how to explain to my kids :o

John

[KSWind]

We were upgraded to YC last April when we sailed on the Splendida. It came as a complete surprise. As I recall we were not allowed some amenities, i.e. free mini bar access. As a result we are going on the Preziosa this June as YC1.

[JK300]

We were upgraded to YC last April when we sailed on the Splendida. It came as a complete surprise. As I recall we were not allowed some amenities, i.e. free mini bar access. As a result we are going on the Preziosa this June as YC1.

 

Good for you, well you obviously can appreciate the YC. :)

[Iluvcruising2]

On the issue of upgrades, I agree with OP that it should have been done with more precision and finesse.

 

There is a tension in giving upgrades. You risk alienating your core group of paying customers. In some companies, upgrades are notoriously hard to get, for this very reason.

 

In this day and age of computers and technology, my personal view is that MSC should be more targetted with their upgrades to YC.

 

If they wish to maximise revenue, one way is to offer these upgrades at a fee.

 

Alternatively, as OP has alluded to, be more targetted with the upgrades by offering them only to your loyal customers, e.g. the repeat cruisers or those high up on the loyalty programme.

 

If you give upgrades indiscriminately, it can only alienate your customers who are paying full fare, not just YC customers, but also loyal MSC cruisers on that particular sailing who are high on the loyalty programme but have never gotten that YC upgrade. How would they feel?

 

An accceptable upgrade policy is actually very easy to do. Say for a sailing MSC has 5 YC rooms vacant. Just get the computer system to churn out the top 5 cruisers by way of loyalty points who are in regular staterooms for that sailing, and offer to them. If they decline, offer to the 6th, 7th, 8th etc. Is such a policy acceptable and fair to most people? I would think so.

 

Overall, I think MSC should do better. I hope they are reading this thread.

Edited January 31, 2015 by Iluvcruising2

[antiq]

How about pricing differences for different countries. Australian are charged more than others. MSC Australia will not even match US prices.

[sidari]

We have been lucky on two occasions to get minor upgrades, on our first cruise with Costa we were given a large Outside cabin having booked an Inside and with our Second MSC cruise we were given a small Outside on the Opera having booked an Inside.

 

Moving first time cruisers from say an Inside or Outside to Yacht club should never be an option, that is like moving a first time cruiser from Classic to Black card in the MSC Club.

 

I think Iluvcruising2 has a valid way, ie by choosing those those who have highest number of club points, where there are people with the same number of points then the number of cruises could be used to decide.

 

MSC have clearly moved people in the hope that they will come back meanwhile they are alienating repeat cruisers as they have done with Solo cruisers.

 

Loyalty it seems means very little to MSC where customers are concerned.

[parallax]

I agree that it needs to be a controlled and selective process. I would be troubled if the people who were upgraded, were provided the rooms based on no or unreasonable criteria. I think the first approach would be to offer the upgrade at a reduced priced. If that fails, I would provide it to loyal members of MSC who actually spend money on the ship. When I'm in Las Vegas and I get upgraded to a complimentary suite it is because they know my money habits (gambling, spending).

 

MSC needs to be careful not to dilute the YC experience. We are going on first cruise on the Divina and are staying in the YC. Initial impressions are always important and if the experience does not match MSC representations, they will lose a customer for life.

[AmoMondo]

How about pricing differences for different countries. Australian are charged more than others. MSC Australia will not even match US prices.

 

Exactly! an folk that take advantage of special promotions may also get a better deal.

 

If you ask me, it is best not to go around asking fellow passengers what they paid for their cruise and whether they got an upgrade. You are bound to find someone with a better deal than you and that just makes you feel discontent.

[Satincruz]

Exactly! an folk that take advantage of special promotions may also get a better deal.

 

If you ask me, it is best not to go around asking fellow passengers what they paid for their cruise and whether they got an upgrade. You are bound to find someone with a better deal than you and that just makes you feel discontent.

 

I agree completely! I've never asked anyone else what they paid.

 

And I've learned that it's best to tell anyone who asks that I've paid more than I did (or that I didn't get an upgrade), so that they'll feel good about getting a great deal ;)

[greydog]

We were upgraded to YC last April when we sailed on the Splendida. It came as a complete surprise. As I recall we were not allowed some amenities, i.e. free mini bar access. As a result we are going on the Preziosa this June as YC1.

 

We're doing first YC in two weeks after 24 with Celebrity. From my research on these boards, it appears sometimes the upgrade to YC is "cabin only" and not full-paid perks status. I may inquire tactfully on board about this situation and will probably post a review afterward. Happy Cruising

 

If interested, here's my Celebrity review from 6 weeks ago.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2149819&highlight=foodsponge

Edited January 31, 2015 by greydog
add link

[JK300]

Exactly! an folk that take advantage of special promotions may also get a better deal.

 

If you ask me, it is best not to go around asking fellow passengers what they paid for their cruise and whether they got an upgrade. You are bound to find someone with a better deal than you and that just makes you feel discontent.

 

That's funny, those people with the free upgrades told us about without being asked.

John

[mrstrod]

I'm sorry but upgrades are a fact of life in the travel industry. When premium tickets are not sold out and economy are, the company has a way better chance of selling the less expensive tickets than the premium ones. So, they upgrade a few people and then sell their now empty spots. It makes perfect sense from a business prospective and if you can't see that then you are extremely obtuse!

 

That being said, regardless of someone volunteering the information or you asking for it, it's really none of your business. The only thing that you should be concerned with is did YOU receive the value that YOU paid for. If you had good service, yummy food, and an enjoyable vacation then, you received the vacation you paid for. If you didn't have one of those things, you need to look at whether it was the cruise line's fault or your own due to your upset over another passenger's ticket prices! I don't know about you guys but the only people's vacations that I pay for and worry about is my own family's - everyone else can worry about their own.

[travelberlin]

I'm sorry but upgrades are a fact of life in the travel industry. When premium tickets are not sold out and economy are, the company has a way better chance of selling the less expensive tickets than the premium ones. So, they upgrade a few people and then sell their now empty spots. It makes perfect sense from a business prospective and if you can't see that then you are extremely obtuse!

 

That being said, regardless of someone volunteering the information or you asking for it, it's really none of your business. The only thing that you should be concerned with is did YOU receive the value that YOU paid for. If you had good service, yummy food, and an enjoyable vacation then, you received the vacation you paid for. If you didn't have one of those things, you need to look at whether it was the cruise line's fault or your own due to your upset over another passenger's ticket prices! I don't know about you guys but the only people's vacations that I pay for and worry about is my own family's - everyone else can worry about their own.

 

Well said. I have seen people being upgraded for all kind of reasons. I do not find they are taking something away from me since they did not upgraded at my expenses. It would be nice if we get an upgrade also, specially to Yacht Club and maybe we will also get hooked on that category. But if this does not happen we wish all those people who get an upgrade that they enjoy their cruise. We certainly might be sorry it did not happen to us but this is not a reason to try to change policies for upgrades or suggest to the cruiseline, that they should not upgrade.

Edited February 1, 2015 by travelberlin

[Bracarense]

Hi all.

 

I find it a little bit strange that somrone gets upset because someone else got lucky with an invest/contract (buying a cruise holiday) they made and that didn't had nothing to do with someone' s else contract.

 

I never got a free upgrade in any of my holidays but those I met who had one just made me happy for them.

 

It's simply sad that one would stop buying something they loved (YC) just because someone else had it for a best price.

 

Enviado do meu GT-P7500 através de Tapatalk

[parallax]

I don't think people have an issue with upgrades. I think the bigger issue is how it is handled. Upgrading a person at the Aurea level or who purchased a high category balcony is one thing, but upgrading a couple who paid $500 for an interior cabin is another thing. When I used to travel somewhat frequently, I would receive upgrades from the basic room but I was not put in the presidential suite.

 

I think the original poster found that people who paid the bare minimum were upgraded. They decided to share this information with guests in the YC. This bothered him. While some might see this unreasonable, he did not appreciate that he paid quite a bit more (10x?). In the end, it appears that MSC has lost a high end customer, which are difficult to replace.

[oreosmile]

I think the bigger issue is how it is handled. Upgrading a person at the Aurea level or who purchased a high category balcony is one thing, but upgrading a couple who paid $500 for an interior cabin is another thing.

 

I don't understand how the degree of the upgrade impacts the experience of others in the Yacht Club.

 

This is the similar to cruisers getting annoyed when they don't get upgraded out of the guarantee that they bought to save money - which often seems to happen when they see others getting the upgrade they were hoping for.

 

I am sure that filling a cruise ship is a complicated process, especially with so many cruisers agonizing over the details of which room to select. Every person has a different reason for their room choices (little things like being close to an elevator can be seen as good or bad). We have seen the posts where people got an upgrade that they considered to be a downgrade because of their individual priorities. It must be time consuming for them to try and coordinate a multiple-booking shuffle so that each person would only get a small upgrade. I don't blame them for sometimes choosing to do it in one leap. And maybe there are other good reasons to choose to upgrade those people - perhaps they were celebrating a special occasion or had some other life circumstances that MSC was aware of. Or maybe it was just a case of having an opportunity to resell their specific room. Whatever the circumstances, it is MSC's prerogative to do what made the best business sense to them at the time.

 

At the end of the day, we should all book being comfortable with the price and the category of our room. And we should all be prepared for a full ship. If a few lucky people get an upgrade, we should be happy for them. Their luck doesn't take away from our experience unless we choose to let our own jealousy tarnish our experience.

[parallax]

I think it can bother some people if the people who were upgraded are yammering away to everyone in the YC about the steal of a deal that got. Unfortunately, there are some people who do not know how to be quiet and thereby they are encroaching on your experience in a somewhat confined space. It can be hard to forget.

 

There is no right or wrong reaction to this situation. The original poster decided he did not like how MSC was handling the situation and decided to take his business elsewhere.

[AmoMondo]

I think the bigger issue is how it is handled. Upgrading a person at the Aurea level or who purchased a high category balcony is one thing, but upgrading a couple who paid $500 for an interior cabin is another thing.

 

I don't understand how the degree of the upgrade impacts the experience of others in the Yacht Club.

 

This is the similar to cruisers getting annoyed when they don't get upgraded out of the guarantee that they bought to save money - which often seems to happen when they see others getting the upgrade they were hoping for.

 

I am sure that filling a cruise ship is a complicated process, especially with so many cruisers agonizing over the details of which room to select. Every person has a different reason for their room choices (little things like being close to an elevator can be seen as good or bad). We have seen the posts where people got an upgrade that they considered to be a downgrade because of their individual priorities. It must be time consuming for them to try and coordinate a multiple-booking shuffle so that each person would only get a small upgrade. I don't blame them for sometimes choosing to do it in one leap. And maybe there are other good reasons to choose to upgrade those people - perhaps they were celebrating a special occasion or had some other life circumstances that MSC was aware of. Or maybe it was just a case of having an opportunity to resell their specific room. Whatever the circumstances, it is MSC's prerogative to do what made the best business sense to them at the time.

 

At the end of the day, we should all book being comfortable with the price and the category of our room. And we should all be prepared for a full ship. If a few lucky people get an upgrade, we should be happy for them. Their luck doesn't take away from our experience unless we choose to let our own jealousy tarnish our experience.

 

Well said. This is completely now I view it too.