When is a package not a package?

[Mattnvick]

So called MSC today as the girl who we spoke to Sunday who told us the upgrade from Mealtime drinks to Easy  would be $28.50 pppd. We said we had seen it for $17ppd  on board from some one who got off last week and we actually screenshot it and sent it to her  as an email.

 

We have since worked out this was the price to the old classic. (We booked our  April 2019 cruise back in January 2018 so qualify for upgrading to old packages). 

 

After she received the sceen shot she was going to get a manager to call us back on Monday to confirm the price for an upgrade. No one called.

 

Called again this afternoon to be told it doesnt qualify to upgrade as Meal time drinks isn't a package.......not sure what it was as they gave it to us without asking when we first booked. 

 

Also transpired some one had already added an upgrade to classic (which We never intended to get without our knowledge at the cost of $658).

 

So the agent today said we could get the Easy package but because we had nothing to upgrade from 😏 the cost would be $490. ($35ppd)

 

 Curioser and curiouser. Right now the best we can do is hope we can still upgrade on the boat for the $17 a day.

 

MSC 3 Mattnvick 0

[sidari]

M&V ... Did MSC say what drinks were included and which meal times it covered ? It is certainly strange for them to say it's not a drink package.

[Mattnvick]

2 minutes ago, sidari said:

M&V ... Did MSC say what drinks were included and which meal times it covered ? It is certainly strange for them to say it's not a drink package.

 

Sid, no they just said " Its not a drinks package". I guess that will be the question we ask them tomorrow if we decide to have another go.

 

Some people watch football, some people watch Netflix, we phone MSC...... 😏

[sidari]

This must be very frustrating for you guys, if you have a choice of drinks with meal time drinks then it must be some form of package. Trouble is those giving the info are not clued up enough and appear to mostly be guessing.

[Beamafar]

The 'mealtime drinks' certainly is/was a drinks package and is formerly known as 'Cheers'!!!

 

You may have (unfortunately) been speaking with an inexperienced rep.  Speaking from experience, a lot of (regular) MSC cruisers often know a lot more than some of the reps that we have to communicate with.

[ssmea03]

1 hour ago, sidari said:

This must be very frustrating for you guys, if you have a choice of drinks with meal time drinks then it must be some form of package. Trouble is those giving the info are not clued up enough and appear to mostly be guessing.

Personally, I just think they are dissembling. 

Edited December 1, 2018 by ssmea03
Grammar

[Beamafar]

2 minutes ago, ssmea03 said:

Personally, I just think they are dissembling. 

 

Personally, I think you may be giving them too much credit, ssmea!  

[Mattnvick]

35 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

The 'mealtime drinks' certainly is/was a drinks package and is formerly known as 'Cheers'!!!

 

You may have (unfortunately) been speaking with an inexperienced rep.  Speaking from experience, a lot of (regular) MSC cruisers often know a lot more than some of the reps that we have to communicate with.

 

Too true Bea.

 

Btw good to see you back.  I was afraid you and your knowledge of all things MSC had disappeared for good. 

 

1 hour ago, sidari said:

This must be very frustrating for you guys, if you have a choice of drinks with meal time drinks then it must be some form of package. Trouble is those giving the info are not clued up enough and appear to mostly be guessing.

 

 

Sidari Yeah frustrating for sure. Gotta love  MSC reps and their guesses......😏

[Beamafar]

12 minutes ago, Mattnvick said:

 

Too true Bea.

 

Btw good to see you back.  I was afraid you and your knowledge of all things MSC had disappeared for good. 

 

Thank You!  It may seem a little twee, but I'm genuinely humbled by your (very lovely) comment.

[Mattnvick]

8 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

 

Thank You!  It may seem a little twee, but I'm genuinely humbled by your (very lovely) comment.

 

Totally genuinely meant i promise.  

 

When c.c. came back on line after all the changes i noticed quite quickly that you were not among the people that used to comment regularly. 

During all the furor someone said a lot of good people  have left and i thought you may have been one of them.

 

Whatever the reason it was great to see you back. Your knowledge is i know appreciated my many.

[Beamafar]

1 minute ago, Mattnvick said:

 

Totally genuinely meant i promise.  

 

I missed the furore about the changes to the site.

 

Funnily enough, I had dropped off the site just prior to it going offline for the 'enhancements' for personal reasons (I made a comment on another thread about it being for "my mental health" but it wasn't meant literally - I was just taking a break from all things online).

 

I'd just like to say that I do really appreciate your very kind comments and that, those who know me, know that I would be blushing from now 'til Sunday because of them.

 

 

[Mattnvick]

3 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

- I was just taking a break from all things online).

 

I'd just like to say that I do really appreciate your very kind comments and that, those who know me, know that I would be blushing from now 'til Sunday because of them.

 

 

I totally get about taking a break. Sometimes you just have to do it. 

 

As regards the blushing til Sunday,  Monday isnt far off 😉

[sidari]

Only this last week a friend who is a TA in the USA sent me a text after speaking to MSC USA about a new Aurea booking and the agent was still saying that Aurea got Premium! talk about not all singing from the same Hymn sheet.

 

M&V ... It took me ages and I talked until I was Blue in the face but would she listen ? only joking Bea .... 

[Beamafar]

1 hour ago, sidari said:

M&V ... It took me ages and I talked until I was Blue in the face but would she listen ? only joking Bea .... 

 

Well ... obviously I did - I'm back, aren't I?  

[Mattnvick]

We may try calling again this afternoon. Depends if we can summon up the energy to do battle with the agents at MSC.

 

Theres something so not right about the above paragraph. Battle and holidays shouldn't be synonymous with each other but they seem to be with MSC on occasions.......

 

However, maybe just maybe we will strike gold and it will be 3's a charm.......we will see.

[Beamafar]

Best of luck ... fingers crossed you'll get the 'right' rep!

[ssmea03]

When it's  an old package and you want to upgrade to a new package. In the end we upgraded to the old classic rather than cancelling and rebooking to get complementary easy. We had a very helpful csa who was happy for us to do either. What swung it was the $6 limit on soft drinks on easy, and the reports that classic is working just fine with the new prices.

[Até]

3 hours ago, ssmea03 said:

In the end we upgraded to the old classic ... What swung it was the $6 limit on soft drinks on easy, and the reports that classic is working just fine with the new prices.

I truly hope that works out for you in April.  I just don't trust MSC to indefinitely keep letting the Classic package people order drinks that are officially above the price limit of the purchased package.  If there was some type of official written or verbal commitment by MSC I would have kept Classic, but lacking that I paid the extra $8pp/pd to go Deluxe.

[ssmea03]

5 hours ago, Até said:

I truly hope that works out for you in April.  I just don't trust MSC to indefinitely keep letting the Classic package people order drinks that are officially above the price limit of the purchased package.  If there was some type of official written or verbal commitment by MSC I would have kept Classic, but lacking that I paid the extra $8pp/pd to go Deluxe.

Is one package any more reliable than another? Both old packages are being grandfathered until they whither away. I wouldn't want to rely on an old package for next summer but I would hope to be safe in the spring. 

[Até]

4 hours ago, ssmea03 said:

Is one package any more reliable than another? Both old packages are being grandfathered until they whither away. I wouldn't want to rely on an old package for next summer but I would hope to be safe in the spring. 

I have no idea.  My thought process was that Classic as I purchased it had very specific dollar limits as to which drinks were included.  Deluxe also had limits, but were higher.  The new ship menu pricing officially eliminated 90% of the drinks that Classic once covered, but would not affect Deluxe package choices.  After a lot of clamor here and on other media MSC would only say they "will honor the packages as purchased", which it was pointed out did not address the question about increased prices.  So far MSC has been quietly allowing Classic to have drinks which are no longer in the plans price criteria.  MSC has not stated this as official policy.  Unfortunately there are also too many instances where MSC seems to have Classic as an equivalent to Easy.  $8pp/pd was cheap insurance in case this allowance ends by Nov 2019, my furthest booking with the DOU/Classic/Deluxe price structure.  I also went Deluxe for two sailings later this Winter/Spring. 

Edited December 3, 2018 by Até