MSC took away my Loyalty points!

[cntrydncr1]

I also had my loyalty status taken away.  I cruised MSC in 2012.  In preparation for my upcoming cruise in the summer of 2019 I did a status match after we booked in Feb. 2019.   Later they took  my status away because I hadn't booked in 3 years.   I called and talked to several people and they refused to reinstate it.  No big deal...they don't give that much for their loyalty program anyway but it really irked me.  Don't know why I went to the trouble to get the status match.  

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, cntrydncr1 said:

I also had my loyalty status taken away.  I cruised MSC in 2012.  In preparation for my upcoming cruise in the summer of 2019 I did a status match after we booked in Feb. 2019.   Later they took  my status away because I hadn't booked in 3 years.   I called and talked to several people and they refused to reinstate it.  No big deal...they don't give that much for their loyalty program anyway but it really irked me.  Don't know why I went to the trouble to get the status match.  

 

Status match is only if you never had MSC status before.  Your 2012 cruise ended your eligibility.  Their rules.

[Até]

25 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Status match is only if you never had MSC status before.

Pretty sure that's not true.  They do say you can only status match once, but even if you sailed in the past and had points in whichever system you could do the match that one time and get the higher status from the match. 

 

cntrtdncr1's original membership should have expired since they never sailed since 2012.  They should have been able to do the status match, if it was their first time, in 2019. 

[neptuno]

1 hour ago, Até said:

Pretty sure that's not true.  They do say you can only status match once, but even if you sailed in the past and had points in whichever system you could do the match that one time and get the higher status from the match. 

 

cntrtdncr1's original membership should have expired since they never sailed since 2012.  They should have been able to do the status match, if it was their first time, in 2019. 

Well, I would have to agree with Sidari, the current three year rule is less irksome than when MSC disolved our black card status without notice.  We were not notified in advance of any pending change and suddenly the rules changed, and all of the original loyal followers were thrown under the bus.  While we are still fans of MSC for their value product, it is nothing in comparison with the original product they introduced to the North American market a decade ago.  

[Até]

1 hour ago, neptuno said:

While we are still fans of MSC for their value product, it is nothing in comparison with the original product they introduced to the North American market a decade ago.  

As a status match I'm not 100% with the details of the old MSC loyalty program and can understand the indisposition prior customers have with the current current Voyagers club.  Did the previous loyalty program have an expiration date?  I infer from your comment it didn't.  By "original product" are you referring to the loyalty program or the on board experience? 

 

I ask because I can say I do not sail MSC for the current "loyalty perks" I receive, but more for the overall on board experience.

[Host Jazzbeau]

36 minutes ago, Até said:

Did the previous loyalty program have an expiration date?

 

All loyalty programs have an expiration date – it's the fine print where it says that the program may be changed or terminated without notice.

 

[neptuno]

2 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

All loyalty programs have an expiration date – it's the fine print where it says that the program may be changed or terminated without notice.

 

Despite the apologists for MSC, it is still true that the dissolution of the old Black Card memberships was a travesty not to be forgotten.

[sidari]

12 hours ago, Talex831 said:

Rules are rules, you don't like them, don't sail with MSC. So tired of entitled people screaming and crying when the rules are enforced.

What gives you the right to tell people where they can or cannot sail, some of the entitled people as you call them actually earned their status with MSC and were not just handed  it to them on a free gift plate under status match.

[sidari]

6 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

All loyalty programs have an expiration date – it's the fine print where it says that the program may be changed or terminated without notice.

 

If so then why are we booked with Princess at our previous level, if I book with RCI or NCL we remain at our previous level! Only MSC and Costa have this prehistoric system as far as I know in the cruise industry.

[neptuno]

17 hours ago, Até said:

  By "original product" are you referring to the loyalty program or the on board experience? 

MSC's North American (on board) experience has been greatly "americanized", and their original old world charm has been lost, at least on the sailings out of Florida.  No longer are we allowed to linger at dinner in the MDR, or see a seven course menu.  Most lately, on Meraviglia even the music venues have been greatly reduced.  I understand that MSC is in business to make money, and they won our loyalty early on with an exceptional product.  However, of late, there is little to set the Florida sailings apart from any other mainstream mass-market cruise line, except maybe the Yacht Club.

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, TheSoccerCoach said:

The terms and conditions are pretty clear. Sail with MSC once every three years to maintain your status. Don't sail with them in that period and lose your status. I, for one, think it is great! How can you consider yourself a loyal customer of a company and NOT do business with them at least once every three years?! We will be going on our fifth MSC Cruise in a few weeks since 2016. And, if the product does not resonate with you, move on. Life is too short. 

 

This is exactly what I have been saying!  'Loyalty' works both ways...

 

These programs started with airlines trying to steer business travelers [the ones who generate real profit...] to prefer them; then tourists got into it and even though their points grow more slowly they do ultimately pay off [and their smaller profits are still not nothing...]  But airlines can control the payoff by restricting the pool of seats available for free tickets and upgrades, so they have nothing to lose.

 

Cruise ships, OTOH, have a lot to lose because the typical loyalty program offers discounts, perks, and recognition parties.  Discounts and perks [which are otherwise profit centers, like laundry and internet] cost the line, and the recognition parties have started to overflow the venues.  Perhaps more importantly, the cruise lines have discovered that there is 'gold in them thar' suites, and they want to reserve the most desirable real estate for current suite guests rather than long-time cheap-seats travelers.

 

So I think MSC, rather than being 'prehistoric' is actually a 'creative-destruction' innovator.  Award loyalty points easily through status match to get frequent cruisers from other lines to give you a try, then weed out the 'tire kickers' by requiring a sailing every three years so you only reward your truly loyal customers.

 

Note: because we tend to choose our trips based on itinerary first, we are among those likely to be weeded out.  [We have taken 21 cruises spread over 11 cruise lines, plus 2 land tours from 2 different vendors; over the next two years we have 2 cruises with one repeat and one new cruise line and 3 land tours booked with 2 different vendors.  Lots of travel, but little 'loyalty.']  But I still think this is a smart policy by MSC.

[TheSoccerCoach]

16 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

This is exactly what I have been saying!  'Loyalty' works both ways...

 

These programs started with airlines trying to steer business travelers [the ones who generate real profit...] to prefer them; then tourists got into it and even though their points grow more slowly they do ultimately pay off [and their smaller profits are still not nothing...]  But airlines can control the payoff by restricting the pool of seats available for free tickets and upgrades, so they have nothing to lose.

 

Cruise ships, OTOH, have a lot to lose because the typical loyalty program offers discounts, perks, and recognition parties.  Discounts and perks [which are otherwise profit centers, like laundry and internet] cost the line, and the recognition parties have started to overflow the venues.  Perhaps more importantly, the cruise lines have discovered that there is 'gold in them thar' suites, and they want to reserve the most desirable real estate for current suite guests rather than long-time cheap-seats travelers.

 

So I think MSC, rather than being 'prehistoric' is actually a 'creative-destruction' innovator.  Award loyalty points easily through status match to get frequent cruisers from other lines to give you a try, then weed out the 'tire kickers' by requiring a sailing every three years so you only reward your truly loyal customers.

 

Note: because we tend to choose our trips based on itinerary first, we are among those likely to be weeded out.  [We have taken 21 cruises spread over 11 cruise lines, plus 2 land tours from 2 different vendors; over the next two years we have 2 cruises with one repeat and one new cruise line and 3 land tours booked with 2 different vendors.  Lots of travel, but little 'loyalty.']  But I still think this is a smart policy by MSC.

We would so get along in real life! Totally agree with this perspective! Yes! The cruise lines, all of them, would do well to kick the "tire kickers" to the curb! How anyone can claim they are a loyal cruiser to a line and then not cruise with them yearly, or more, is beyond my comprehension! It is so silly. It is like saying you are a member of a church, but only attending every Christmas. We benefit from this, however, because we choose line and ship over itinerary. We have cancelled two cruises so far on other lines, because we will be able to sail those itineraries with our beloved MSC in the future. We would rather put off cruising an itinerary, and wait until we can do it with MSC. 

[capitalbarry]

On 2/15/2020 at 1:21 PM, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Exactly! But ours was in a plastic box. It was dark chocolate that had white spots, like chocolate gets when it's old. This was on Divina and not one of the ships with Venchi, so it is likely those chocolate ships are better quality. Ours was, well, yucky :(.

 

Sid: the 5+15% is an excellent perk. I had no idea they would offer 5+15% for a holiday sailing. The ship must not have been selling well. Do you recall if that was just for Aurora? I can see where MSC would need to discount Aurura more now that they have have watered down the Aurora benefits. 

 

Maybe I should ring MSC..... but the though actually makes my head hurt lol

Last time on Seaside , MSC actually gave us FROZEN Chocolate ships, yes they freeze them in batches, but on other sailings they had been fresh. I have received ALOT of chocolate ships that were not good...

[sidari]

18 hours ago, neptuno said:

MSC's North American (on board) experience has been greatly "americanized", and their original old world charm has been lost, at least on the sailings out of Florida.  No longer are we allowed to linger at dinner in the MDR, or see a seven course menu.  Most lately, on Meraviglia even the music venues have been greatly reduced.  I understand that MSC is in business to make money, and they won our loyalty early on with an exceptional product.  However, of late, there is little to set the Florida sailings apart from any other mainstream mass-market cruise line, except maybe the Yacht Club.

Neptuno ... Well said, only those who have cruised areas other than the Caribbean with MSC will understand your post.

[Stockjock]

My loyalty points expired once and it was definitely annoying.  We had a cruise booked that would have kept the 3 year clock running.  MSC changed the date of sailing, the itinerary, the number of days drastically, even the continent (from Europe to South America) and never bothered to notify us in any way.  Good thing I checked my online booking prior to the penalty period.

I called MSC because I didn't want to lose my status points, plus I was annoyed at the changes without notification.  They assured me they wouldn't take my points away, as the fact that we couldn't sail was due to their schedule change.  Then, they took them away anyway!

I've taken several cruises since then, including 2 in 2019 (Barcelona and Miami) with 2 more booked, (2020 and 2021) and worked my way back to gold.  But I do understand that it can be irritating.  Frankly, as mentioned, MSC's "status" doesn't really provide much of a benefit, so not the end of the world.

There are pros and cons to MSC's loyalty program.

Pros:

1. Status match.
2. Easier to reach a higher level.
3. Some of the Voyager's Club sailings are a great deal with double points and up to a 20% discount.

Cons:

1. They can expire.
2. Benefits are of limited value.

I've worked for one of the big Wall Street firms for 3 decades.  We have certain status benefits, usually starting at $1,000,000 in total assets.  If total household assets fall below that, due to withdrawals or market conditions, there's a grace period, but at some point, some of those perks may go away.  So I guess I understand that perks don't necessarily last forever in every instance.  Still, I remain annoyed that I lost my MSC points due to the issue described.

Edited February 17, 2020 by Stockjock

[Host Jazzbeau]

@Stockjock in your case, I definitely sympathize.  You followed their rules, they screwed up your cruise = should not have hurt you.  

[GatorMomInNC]

So we are cruising MSC for the first time in June.  They status matched  us to diamond.  I'm interested in booking a carribbean cruise just to keep my status - but I am a little confused.  Do I need to sail in 3 years from my first sailing - or sail a 2nd time within 3 years of when I booked this sailing and got the status match (which was LAST summer)?  Any benefit by waiting to do an on board booking?  I'm also wondering if it is worth it - I thought we were getting free drinks, massage, etc.  Sounded pretty good, but not so sure after reading on here...

[ziggyuk]

6 hours ago, GatorMomInNC said:

So we are cruising MSC for the first time in June.  They status matched  us to diamond.  I'm interested in booking a carribbean cruise just to keep my status - but I am a little confused.  Do I need to sail in 3 years from my first sailing - or sail a 2nd time within 3 years of when I booked this sailing and got the status match (which was LAST summer)?  Any benefit by waiting to do an on board booking?  I'm also wondering if it is worth it - I thought we were getting free drinks, massage, etc.  Sounded pretty good, but not so sure after reading on here...

 

 

The three year window starts from your last disembarkation, You just need to sail once within 3 years from the date you last stepped off your last cruise.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

On 2/16/2020 at 10:40 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

This is exactly what I have been saying!  'Loyalty' works both ways...

 

These programs started with airlines trying to steer business travelers [the ones who generate real profit...] to prefer them; then tourists got into it and even though their points grow more slowly they do ultimately pay off [and their smaller profits are still not nothing...]  But airlines can control the payoff by restricting the pool of seats available for free tickets and upgrades, so they have nothing to lose.

 

Cruise ships, OTOH, have a lot to lose because the typical loyalty program offers discounts, perks, and recognition parties.  Discounts and perks [which are otherwise profit centers, like laundry and internet] cost the line, and the recognition parties have started to overflow the venues.  Perhaps more importantly, the cruise lines have discovered that there is 'gold in them thar' suites, and they want to reserve the most desirable real estate for current suite guests rather than long-time cheap-seats travelers.

 

So I think MSC, rather than being 'prehistoric' is actually a 'creative-destruction' innovator.  Award loyalty points easily through status match to get frequent cruisers from other lines to give you a try, then weed out the 'tire kickers' by requiring a sailing every three years so you only reward your truly loyal customers.

 

Note: because we tend to choose our trips based on itinerary first, we are among those likely to be weeded out.  [We have taken 21 cruises spread over 11 cruise lines, plus 2 land tours from 2 different vendors; over the next two years we have 2 cruises with one repeat and one new cruise line and 3 land tours booked with 2 different vendors.  Lots of travel, but little 'loyalty.']  But I still think this is a smart policy by MSC.

BRAVO Jazz,  MSC loyalty program is a 2 edge sword.  Cruise within 3 years of your last debarkation or lose your points.  I am in the same boat (pardon the pun).  I am on dialysis and am sitting here on the sidelines until I can get a new kidney.  I will lose my status/points in November.  I also lost my 30% discount from the casino program.  No...it’s not fair from my perspective but rules are rules and MSC wants us to cruise every 3 years or more.  I don’t like it but I can understand.

 

I’d rather be cruising!

 

 

 

[jkgourmet]

On 2/16/2020 at 11:02 PM, TheSoccerCoach said:

How anyone can claim they are a loyal cruiser to a line and then not cruise with them yearly, or more, is beyond my comprehension! It is so silly.

Seriously???  News flash:  most Americans only get 2 weeks of vacation.  To call them "silly" for not selecting to cruise "yearly, if not more" is nonsense.  

 

(I'm NOT defending or complaining about MSC's expiration program.  Your comments and assumptions are what ticked me off a bit.)

[TheSoccerCoach]

4 hours ago, jkgourmet said:

Seriously???  News flash:  most Americans only get 2 weeks of vacation.  To call them "silly" for not selecting to cruise "yearly, if not more" is nonsense.  

 

(I'm NOT defending or complaining about MSC's expiration program.  Your comments and assumptions are what ticked me off a bit.)

Well, your choice to let me "tick you off..." 

 

Life is too short to get angry over what strangers say on the internet. 

 

And, as someone from the US, I think our two week vacation, over work mentality is idiotic. Life was meant for so much more than being hamsters on this wheel...

 

Which is why we cruise in the first place...