Booking First ever Cruise with Msc?

[runner2013]

Hi all, 

Hubby and I have a cruise with RC booked for October and we're looking at doing a short cruise before that on Msc for the first time to see how the line is for us. Since we are Diamond on Royal, and he is retired military my question for everyone here is: would it be better to book directly through the cruise line or use our travel agent?  Would it make a difference as far as any perks we would be eligible for? 

Also, if we were to book directly with Msc, can they take the Status Match info over the phone or will we still need to submit it online after the trip is booked. 

Any advice greatly appreciated. 

Thanks

 

[morpheusofthesea]

Get a travel agent.

[Tierun]

You must submit for the status match online and it can be done before ever booking a cruise. Doing it should get you the VC discount and your booking should also get the military discount too. The combined savings could be as much as 20%.

[JamieLogical]

You can do the status match anytime and I would recommend doing it before booking so you get the 5% Voyagers Club discount on your first cruise.

 

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/manage-booking/msc-voyagers-club/status-match

[SailorfromBrazil]

Make yourself a favor and enroll in the Status Match before booking, that way you'll be eligible for the discounts and you respective level perks.

 

Most of the boards users recommend booking through a TA.

I've done my bookings with a TA and the price is exactly the same and generally you'll pay at the MSC's website. Some users tell that some TA offers some rebate, but unfortunately I haven't found one of those in Brazil yet.

[publicpersona]

As everyone has said, complete the status match before booking.

 

If you've cruised frequently, you may or may not need a travel agent. I always recommend a travel agent to cruise "never evers", but that's not you. Don't be surprised to find agents who don't handle MSC or are not really excited about it. If you do find one who has actually been on several MSC classes of ship, they might be useful.

 

Other than that, I occasionally basically use a TA if and only if they are offering an outstanding deal, which they may be able to do with group rates and/or sacrificing much of their commission. You are not likely to encounter that for MSC. At this point (70+ cruises), I would never use a TA otherwise - my personal experience has been that they complicate problem resolution, not help with it, but everyone has different opinions on this based on their personal experience. I respect that.

[morpheusofthesea]

55 minutes ago, SailorfromBrazil said:

Some users tell that some TA offers some rebate, but unfortunately I haven't found one of those in Brazil yet.

Up to 10% back.

[Bgwest]

5 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Get a travel agent.

This ☝️

[luckyinpa]

i didnt bother with any match before my 1st cruise but 2 weeks after i got back i booked another thru my TA. i got my 5% off from MSC and my TA had about 9 percent OBC for me.

[runner2013]

Hi all, 

We ended up using a TA. We did the status match to Gold, and received our loyalty #'s as well. We're excited to see what MSC has to offer. I downloaded the app and was surprised, there are several notable differences between MSC and other apps we've used for Royal, Celebrity and Princess. 

No ship map, check in isn't allowed until 30 days out, and no way to pull up what your loyalty status benefits are being the three that stood out for me. Not a big deal though, we'll learn as we go. 

Any recommendations as far as activities or venues we should make an effort to check out? We're open to pretty much anything. 😁

[JamieLogical]

28 minutes ago, runner2013 said:

Hi all, 

We ended up using a TA. We did the status match to Gold, and received our loyalty #'s as well. We're excited to see what MSC has to offer. I downloaded the app and was surprised, there are several notable differences between MSC and other apps we've used for Royal, Celebrity and Princess. 

No ship map, check in isn't allowed until 30 days out, and no way to pull up what your loyalty status benefits are being the three that stood out for me. Not a big deal though, we'll learn as we go. 

Any recommendations as far as activities or venues we should make an effort to check out? We're open to pretty much anything. 😁

 

The MSC app becomes MUCH more useful once onboard and connected to the ship's wifi. On land, it's pretty much useless and you are better off doing most things through the web site.

[runner2013]

One other question, 

Is there any type of walking track on the Magnifica ?

Thanks

[Essiesmom]

According to the deck plans (cruisedeckplans.com) there is a power walking track on deck 14 and a longer outside promenade beneath the lifeboats on deck 7.  EM

[luckyinpa]

newbies be aware to look at your account the night before you get off the ship. nothing is available without much effort post cruise

[JamieLogical]

4 hours ago, luckyinpa said:

newbies be aware to look at your account the night before you get off the ship. nothing is available without much effort post cruise

 

That's a good reminder to make sure you link a credit car to your shipboard account once onboard. There are kiosks in most of the public areas of the ship to do this. If you try to disembark without settling your account, you will be sent back to guest services by security.

[Dunchues]

On 5/26/2024 at 3:05 PM, runner2013 said:

Hi all, 

We ended up using a TA. We did the status match to Gold, and received our loyalty #'s as well. We're excited to see what MSC has to offer. I downloaded the app and was surprised, there are several notable differences between MSC and other apps we've used for Royal, Celebrity and Princess. 

No ship map, check in isn't allowed until 30 days out, and no way to pull up what your loyalty status benefits are being the three that stood out for me. Not a big deal though, we'll learn as we go. 

Any recommendations as far as activities or venues we should make an effort to check out? We're open to pretty much anything. 😁

Their app is way behind the competition but it's pretty new to them. Ive found MSC loyalty points do earn better discounts and obc than the competition,  but not as good as others on instant perks.