Black card taster dinner

[jazzmanfive]

Hi

I was wondering what the speciality  meal 'taster' dinner that comes with the black card benifits entailed?

 

Many Thanks

 

Jazz

[Até]

When you look at a specialty restaurant's menu the Black card meal is the section called "Dining Experience".  The same section as when you purchase a specialty meal package.  You can also order off the a' la carte section of the menu for 50% off.

[Oxo]

1 hour ago, Até said:

The section called "Dining Experience".  The same section as when you purchase a specialty meal package.  

If you buy a specialty meal package on any other cruise line, you may pick from the entire menu, NOT a section specifically limited to a Dining Experience Option. The only cruise line that we cruise on that  has one exception is RCI if the SR is Ale Cart. Then you get a credit up to $35. 

This is one thing that MSC does rate lower on in the package area. 

[Até]

Sure, it would be great to order anything off the menu, it's not going to happen.  When purchased as a package the specialty meals cost around $25 per meal so it is at least a price break versus paying the individual experience prices on the ship.  I'll agree the on ship single meal experience prices are ridiculous for what you get.  I also don't think the packages are that good of a value so I only consider the specialty dining package on a long itinerary when not in the Yacht Club, otherwise I'll just use my one Black card meal and then I will sometimes order from the a' la carte section and just pay the 50%.

 

Last I remember NCL had items you could not order with the SDP and there was an entree dollar limit on the Platinum meals.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Oxo said:

If you buy a specialty meal package on any other cruise line, you may pick from the entire menu, NOT a section specifically limited to a Dining Experience Option. The only cruise line that we cruise on that  has one exception is RCI if the SR is Ale Cart. Then you get a credit up to $35. 

This is one thing that MSC does rate lower on in the package area. 

I think you missed the point.  The OP is talking about the Black Card benefit which means that the "Dining Experience Option" is FREE!  So, when using that perk, you are not "buying" anything.  However, if you choose not to take advantage of the free meal offering you can order other items and get a discount.

 

Hank

[Oxo]

58 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I think you missed the point.  The OP is talking about the Black Card benefit which means that the "Dining Experience Option" is FREE!  So, when using that perk, you are not "buying" anything.  However, if you choose not to take advantage of the free meal offering you can order other items and get a discount.

 

Hank

Hank,  I really didn't miss the point.

I just added my thoughts on the MSC Dining Package. 

To say it again. 

Why does MSC restrict menu choice to the Dining Experience? 

 

[Hlitner]

5 minutes ago, Oxo said:

Hank,  I really didn't miss the point.

I just added my thoughts on the MSC Dining Package. 

To say it again. 

Why does MSC restrict menu choice to the Dining Experience? 

 

My own suspicion (based on experience) is that the restricted menu represents some of the lower cost options on the menu.   But we are seeing situations on other lines that cause us even more concern.  For example, one can buy dining packages on Celebrity.  But go to the Tuscan Grill (our least favorite Celebrity venue) and you will find "add on" prices for some of the menu offerings.   And recently (last week) we came off a Princess cruise which had a nightly menu insert (in the MDR) with extra cost items (mostly steaks or lobster tail). During our 16 days on that Princess cruise we did not notice a single passenger ordering an item off that extra cost menu (we shared large tables in anytime dining).  I asked a couple of our waiters if they ever sold those extra cost items and one told me never while another said it had happened a couple of times.    And in Princess's Crown Grill (their extra cost steakhouse) which has a $29 per person fee, they have several items with add-on prices.  

 

Hank

[Até]

I forgot about that NCL at Cagneys steakhouse was making the shrimp cocktail app $4.99 extra and several of the venues are/were an upcharge above the specialty dining plan.

[sidari]

1 hour ago, Oxo said:

Hank,  I really didn't miss the point.

I just added my thoughts on the MSC Dining Package. 

To say it again. 

Why does MSC restrict menu choice to the Dining Experience? 

 

Put simply Status match.

[Oxo]

35 minutes ago, sidari said:

Put simply Status match.

What do you mean status match? I know what status is. We are Black cards and got that by cruising MSC since Jan 2006 and in past 2 Years been on 3 MSC different ships cruising 6 times. 

 

MSC use to give 2 Black Card meals to each Black Card member,  now it is 2 per cabin.

 

Even when you buy pkg, you still pick from Dinner Experience,  not entire menu. 

Edited September 12, 2019 by Oxo

[sidari]

1 minute ago, Oxo said:

What do you mean status match? I know what status is. We are Black cards and got that by cruising MSC since Jan 2006 and in past 2 Years been on 3 MSC different ships cruising 6 times. 

 

MSC use to give 2 Black Card meals to each Black Card member,  now it is 2 per cabin.

Status match is the reason that the choice of meal is restricted due to the high numbers, we earned our Black card from six cruises and will be on number 10 with MSC this Xmas.

We were two of the lucky ones who were able to choose Tepanyaki on the First Seaside sailing out of Miami after which MSC stopped Black card holders using it.

[verodoodle]

Which specialty restaurants are included on the Meraviglia with the black card?

 

Thanks 

Dave

Edited September 12, 2019 by verodoodle

[sidari]

Butchers Cut will be one of them, no idea at the minute about others plus there is no Venchi outlet on Meraviglia. The Gelato is also a franchise on the ship.

[Oxo]

57 minutes ago, sidari said:

Status match is the reason that the choice of meal is restricted due to the high numbers, we earned our Black card from six cruises and will be on number 10 with MSC this Xmas.

We were two of the lucky ones who were able to choose Tepanyaki on the First Seaside sailing out of Miami after which MSC stopped Black card holders using it.

K, understand BC restriction. However,  why the restriction if you buy a DP? It should be anything on the menu. 

[Até]

Personally I'm okay with MSC having menu items not included with the dining package experience.  I really only have NCL for reference because my earlier cruising didn't have specialty restaurants.  Over the years NCL has chopped away at their specialty menu choices to the point I can hardly recognize them compared to 10 years ago, all the really good items are gone.  It seems to be a common theme on mass market cruise lines.  Rather than just remove the expensive items MSC at least offers them.  They may not be included in the "dining experience" but you can still get them either at the a' la carte price or at 50% off and using the dining package.  MSC is pretty up front about what you get with the specialty dining package, they just tempt people to pay more for the a' la carte "premium" options.

[Até]

1 hour ago, verodoodle said:

Which specialty restaurants are included on the Meraviglia with the black card?

Meraviglia just went through a specialty restaurant change.  I know you can use the Black card meal at Butchers Cut and Ocean Cay.  I'm pretty sure I saw a tasting/experience menu for Hola! Tapas so that would suggest Black card meal would work there.  I'm pretty sure the sushi bar would also be okay, but I'm not sure what would be included.  Roy's teppanyaki on Seaside was taken away, but on MV it is Kaito teppankaki so it might possibly be included.  Hopefully someone who's sailed her recently can fill in the gaps - interested to know myself.

Edited September 12, 2019 by Até

[Shippy]

2 hours ago, Oxo said:

What do you mean status match? I know what status is. We are Black cards and got that by cruising MSC since Jan 2006 and in past 2 Years been on 3 MSC different ships cruising 6 times. 

 

MSC use to give 2 Black Card meals to each Black Card member,  now it is 2 per cabin.

 

Even when you buy pkg, you still pick from Dinner Experience,  not entire menu. 

   We were on the Seaside last summer and each received 2 meals for our black card status.

[Oxo]

4 minutes ago, Shippy said:

   We were on the Seaside last summer and each received 2 meals for our black card status.

We were on the Seaside last Nov 10,2018 and only received 1 meal each, which was 2 meals per cabin even though we are both Black Card. Previously on the Divina we both received 2 meals each. They have reduced that from 2/BC to 1/BC. 

[rkacruiser]

If YC dinners are so excellent, why should I consider using my Black Card benefit to patronize any of the Meraviglia's specialty restaurants?

[Oxo]

4 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

If YC dinners are so excellent, why should I consider using my Black Card benefit to patronize any of the Meraviglia's specialty restaurants?

Why not try another restaurant on the ship? That is like saying I go to this one restaurant at home and it is very good so I never try another one. 

However, that is your choice, only you can answer your question. I just gave you my opinion which I assumed you were asking for. 

[rkacruiser]

5 minutes ago, Oxo said:

However, that is your choice, only you can answer your question. I just gave you my opinion which I assumed you were asking for. 

 

Yes, it was.  This YC experience is going to be a very "out of my comfort zone" for me.  I am trying to gain information from those more experienced with the MSC cruise experience than me.

[frank808]

4 hours ago, sidari said:

Put simply Status match.

To make it to black card status does not take very many cruises.  You book 1 week in YC you get 1500 points.  Book 3 more YC 7 day cruises onboard and you will have 9000 more points.  Agent told me double points for on board bookings.  So four 7 day YC bookings will get you to black card.  That is assuming you spend nothing else onboard.  With the massages, tours booked through cruise line and other onboard spend we got almost half way to black in 2 cruises.  

[frank808]

46 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

If YC dinners are so excellent, why should I consider using my Black Card benefit to patronize any of the Meraviglia's specialty restaurants?

We were on seaside last summer for 14 nights.  We tried butchers cut for dinner one day and for lunch another day.  There were 3 of us in the cabin but all three are black.   There was no charge for the 3 of us eating in BC.  

[omarchs]

1 hour ago, Oxo said:

We were on the Seaside last Nov 10,2018 and only received 1 meal each, which was 2 meals per cabin even though we are both Black Card. Previously on the Divina we both received 2 meals each. They have reduced that from 2/BC to 1/BC. 

I thought MSC changed it officially to one Black card meal per cabin even if there are two Black card members in the cabin? I know we only received one on the Seaside last year even after complaining onboard we should be entitled to two. Maybe this is another situation where it is interpreted differently by ship/staff member.

 

Maybe I am confusing it with NCL that only gives 1 platinum meal even if two platinum members are in the cabin.

[George C]

2 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

If YC dinners are so excellent, why should I consider using my Black Card benefit to patronize any of the Meraviglia's specialty restaurants?

Why have every meal in same restaurant when you can try another for free, looking forward to our first YC but will try at least one specialty. Same as celebrity love there suite restaurant luminae but we have a royal suite for next cruise which gives us free specialty, we will still eat most meals in luminae.