Obc?

[Beamafar]

You need to sail Yacht Club with us in October 2015 Beam on the TA from Genoa to Miami!!!:D:D

 

Oh how I wish - your personality shines through your posts, Mike and it would be such a pleasure to meet you - there's no doubt. Unfortunately MSC is not marketing that crossing in Ireland :mad: I can't even get a quote for YC for my upcoming TA from Brazil - I've been told on the QT that it's being reserved for the Brazilian market :(

[Mikesa1721]

Oh how I wish - your personality shines through your posts, Mike and it would be such a pleasure to meet you - there's no doubt. Unfortunately MSC is not marketing that crossing in Ireland :mad: I can't even get a quote for YC for my upcoming TA from Brazil - I've been told on the QT that it's being reserved for the Brazilian market :(

 

Well that's unfortunate Beam!!! I have a feeling that the TA in October 2015 was marketed in Europe before we here in the states were offered it. I think 90% of the Yacht Club was already booked :( when I had our TA book this sailing for us.

I'm still struggling with the fact as to why some sailings are only offered to certain regions. One would think MSC would open all of their sailings up to anyone who would want to book them.:confused::confused:

[Beamafar]

Well that's unfortunate Beam!!! I have a feeling that the TA in October 2015 was marketed in Europe before we here in the states were offered it. I think 90% of the Yacht Club was already booked :( when I had our TA book this sailing for us.

I'm still struggling with the fact as to why some sailings are only offered to certain regions. One would think MSC would open all of their sailings up to anyone who would want to book them.:confused::confused:

 

I hope you don't take offense when I say that I find it funny when Americans mention "Europe" as though it's a collective entity - it's a continent of different countries which are treated as individual markets by MSC (as they should be). I genuinely hope that doesn't come across as patronizing as I'm trying to explain that I'm Irish - not "European" - with a national identity. So, when you say that it was marketed in Europe it appears that ALL of Europe had access to the itinerary. What I'm trying to say is that this is not the case. Perhaps Italians or Germans were given the opportunity to book it as it is sailing from Genoa - just like the crossing from Brazil in YC is being marketed there.

 

I've come to accept whatever MSC offers - living in a country of little more than 4 million and my TA explained that in 1 year there may be about 2000 bookings for MSC - it's no wonder we don't rate as a market. However, as I only book when there are offers I feel I get great value and have learned not to be disappointed that I can't access some of the itineraries.

[Mikesa1721]

I hope you don't take offense when I say that I find it funny when Americans mention "Europe" as though it's a collective entity - it's a continent of different countries which are treated as individual markets by MSC (as they should be). I genuinely hope that doesn't come across as patronizing as I'm trying to explain that I'm Irish - not "European" - with a national identity. So, when you say that it was marketed in Europe it appears that ALL of Europe had access to the itinerary. What I'm trying to say is that this is not the case. Perhaps Italians or Germans were given the opportunity to book it as it is sailing from Genoa - just like the crossing from Brazil in YC is being marketed there.

 

I've come to accept whatever MSC offers - living in a country of little more than 4 million and my TA explained that in 1 year there may be about 2000 bookings for MSC - it's no wonder we don't rate as a market. However, as I only book when there are offers I feel I get great value and have learned not to be disappointed that I can't access some of the itineraries.

 

Sorry for my ignorance Beam!!! I now understand exactly what you are saying when you refer to certain sailings being marketed in certain areas. I still don't quite understand why all sailings wouldn't be made available to all areas though??

[Beamafar]

Sorry for my ignorance Beam!!! I now understand exactly what you are saying when you refer to certain sailings being marketed in certain areas. I still don't quite understand why all sailings wouldn't be made available to all areas though??

 

Heavens, I'd never see it as ignorance, maybe misconception, perhaps.

 

I believe all the cruise lines are the same and, in a way, it can make sense if you see that a company will take into consideration how accessible their product is to the market they wish to sell in e.g. potential passengers' ability to get to embarkation ports, etc.

[Skier52]

Sorry for my ignorance Beam!!! I now understand exactly what you are saying when you refer to certain sailings being marketed in certain areas. I still don't quite understand why all sailings wouldn't be made available to all areas though??

The Oct 2015 Divina Repo is not available on the UK site , in fact it is not even in the 2014/2015 brochure of Grand Voyages so I don't think it has ever been on sail here.

 

What's more i've just looked at the Italian web site , it's not in their Grand Voyages brochure or listed as a cruise on their booking site either

 

In fact the only place I can find it is the US web site. Looks as thought MSC USA has Divina Repos all sewn up for themselves

 

pete

[Mikesa1721]

The Oct 2015 Divina Repo is not available on the UK site , in fact it is not even in the 2014/2015 brochure of Grand Voyages so I don't think it has ever been on sail here.

 

What's more i've just looked at the Italian web site , it's not in their Grand Voyages brochure or listed as a cruise on their booking site either

 

In fact the only place I can find it is the US web site. Looks as thought MSC USA has Divina Repos all sewn up for themselves

 

pete

 

Really Pete???? I booked that sailing as soon as it was released and just about every Yacht Club stateroom had been already booked. Do you think that maybe blocks of staterooms are being held by TA's? I currently have 16013 which is only one of the 3 YC1 staterooms my pvc told me were available on deck 16. I'm on the waiting list for 16008 but am not going to hold my breathe.

[Skier52]

Really Pete???? I booked that sailing as soon as it was released and just about every Yacht Club stateroom had been already booked. Do you think that maybe blocks of staterooms are being held by TA's? I currently have 16013 which is only one of the 3 YC1 staterooms my pvc told me were available on deck 16. I'm on the waiting list for 16008 but am not going to hold my breathe.

It's something they do frequently in the European market.

Quite often you go to look at a cruise and it says SOLD OUT, but if you look on the German site there's plenty of choice available.Then a few weeks later it's suddenly available on the UK site.

 

Maybe they have favoured TAs in the US who get the first crack at sales for a certain length of time before the ones they can't shift go for more general release

Edited September 7, 2014 by Skier52

[moomoocow]

Oh how I wish - your personality shines through your posts, Mike and it would be such a pleasure to meet you - there's no doubt. Unfortunately MSC is not marketing that crossing in Ireland :mad: I can't even get a quote for YC for my upcoming TA from Brazil - I've been told on the QT that it's being reserved for the Brazilian market :(

 

 

This is my thoughts exactly.

 

I wasn't able to book YC for Rio to Miami. I was advised it had sold out but it was never offered on MSC.co.uk website so how could it have sold out?

 

It's so strange that there is a control mechanism in place for which territories get which bookings available and when.

 

 

From my ipad

[Beamafar]

It's so strange that there is a control mechanism in place for which territories get which bookings available and when.

 

Not only bookings but different pricings. Even between the Ireland & UK markets which you would imagine MSC would have the same price offers.

 

One that springs to mind (and I've posted it on the site in a few threads) is a 4 night Splendida cruise on May 1st 2015 starting from €169 for Ireland and £259 (€325 approx) in UK.

 

They're also still offering the €40pppd promotion on the Preziosa TA from Santos in Ireland. They increased the price in UK very soon after the promotion began. It's now at the equivalent of €70pppd approx. It's a similar journey for people from both countries to get to the port in Brazil so it's not as though MSC is taking that factor into consideration.

[moomoocow]

Not only bookings but different pricings. Even between the Ireland & UK markets which you would imagine MSC would have the same price offers.

 

 

 

One that springs to mind (and I've posted it on the site in a few threads) is a 4 night Splendida cruise on May 1st 2015 starting from €169 for Ireland and £259 (€325 approx) in UK.

 

 

 

They're also still offering the €40pppd promotion on the Preziosa TA from Santos in Ireland. They increased the price in UK very soon after the promotion began. It's now at the equivalent of €70pppd approx. It's a similar journey for people from both countries to get to the port in Brazil so it's not as though MSC is taking that factor into consideration.

 

 

Beam - you and I should book each other's cruises. ;-)

 

Actually is there anything in the CC rules asking people to post how much a particular cruise is in their territory or if it is available? That might be a decent experiment....

 

 

From my ipad

[Beamafar]

[beam - you and I should book each other's cruises. ;-)]

 

:D:D:D

 

[Actually is there anything in the CC rules asking people to post how much a particular cruise is in their territory or if it is available? That might be a decent experiment…]

 

I wonder how MSC would react if that were happen. I also wonder if we could invoke our rights to access prices across the EU as member states are supposed to have this right.

 

I like to think that I've accepted that I can get prices that other markets can't and vice versa but then I come across a particular itinerary at a time of year that I would love to do and can't access and then I feel the frustration start to build! There's a 10 night sailing from Barcelona in Oct 2015 on Divina which I would book in a heartbeat with a great price in YC but it's on the US site :mad:

I'm tempted to wait and see if it'll become available here but I have a voucher for Early Booking which I can use if I settle for a 7 night on her (I'm determined to do Divina while she's in the Med - I'll then have done the 4 in the Fantasia Class)

 

Perhaps a thread should be started on the subject - I'm always conscious of derailing threads and this one started out about OBC :o

[Skier52]

Beamafar

 

[Actually is there anything in the CC rules asking people to post how much a particular cruise is in their territory or if it is available? That might be a decent experiment…]

 

I wonder how MSC would react if that were happen. I also wonder if we could invoke our rights to access prices across the EU as member states are supposed to have this right.

 

 

 

I do that quite often se an example on this thread

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2081139

 

 

Pete

[Skier52]

 

 

They're also still offering the €40pppd promotion on the Preziosa TA from Santos in Ireland. They increased the price in UK very soon after the promotion began. It's now at the equivalent of €70pppd approx. It's a similar journey for people from both countries to get to the port in Brazil so it's not as though MSC is taking that factor into consideration.

 

Still that price in the uk

 

From £1119 for 20 days £56pppn (€70pppn)

 

 

Pete

[Beamafar]

I do that quite often se an example on this thread

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2081139

 

 

Pete

 

As I have myself, Pete. It was on that thread that I quoted the fab price for YC for the Splendida 4 night cruise on May 1st next.

 

Every so often people quote prices in different threads or start threads about prices on a particular sailing but it would be interesting if a dedicated thread were started; something along the lines of "Which bargain did you spot today?" or even "How is MSC screwing you in your neck of the woods - check out what they're offering us". If it could run the way the 'six letters change one letter at a time' thread where it stayed true to its title it could be an informative exercise.

[Beamafar]

Still that price in the uk

 

From £1119 for 20 days £56pppn (€70pppn)

 

 

Pete

 

 

That's what I posted - the promotion in UK was £35/£40/£45 pppd originally. MSC didn't increase the price for Ireland but did for UK :confused:

 

I know this has been discussed on other threads, but surely we should be able to access prices outside our own countries, especially if they are in EU ones, without having to resort to Tunnel Bear or the like.

[Skier52]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikesa1721

I was hoping you would see this post Pete!!! I asked him,," So, If I purchase $400.00 of chips at the blackjack table using my room key,,and I lose those $400.00 in chips, I get 2 loyalty points??" his response "YES",,we shall see in a couple of weeks if what he told me is true or not.

 

 

Quote:

I'd be delighted for you if I was wrong, and the "computer is having a laff and saying:- YES" and you get the extra points

i'm can't wait for the answer you get, though I suspect it will be more than two weeks.

 

of course you'll get your two points at the expense of my two cruises, well in my dreams i put the bet on :D:D:D

 

Pete

 

Well Pete,,my invoice shows Location 7000(Entertainment),,,I'm hoping my PVC was right,,,I could use 2 or 3 extra points,,and you're probably right,,,more like 3 -4 weeks I'm thinking as well.

Any news on your extra points yet?

 

Did the "computer say NO; or YES"

 

Pete

Edited September 25, 2014 by Skier52

[Mikesa1721]

Any news on your extra points yet?

 

Did the "computer say NO; or YES"

 

Pete

 

Still waiting Pete!!! I'll have to give them a call or try the online chat. My PVC is off today so I'll give the chat a try,,,it seems to work most of the time.:)

[Skier52]

Any news on your extra points yet?

 

Did the "computer say NO; or YES"

 

Pete

 

Still waiting Pete!!! I'll have to give them a call or try the online chat. My PVC is off today so I'll give the chat a try,,,it seems to work most of the time.:)

 

 

Any news yet ???