Status match program. Did it help you choose MSC, did you book another?

[AEckhardt]

I booked our first MSC cruise prior to knowing about the status match, but I was happy to match to their Gold status, although we are booked in the YC, and I'm not sure how many benefits we'd actually see from the status match. However, it does appeal to me for future cruises. Their points system seems a bit crazy, with the onboard purchasing. If you prepay for things, does that count toward your points??

 

 

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[Skier52]

I booked our first MSC cruise prior to knowing about the status match, but I was happy to match to their Gold status, although we are booked in the YC, and I'm not sure how many benefits we'd actually see from the status match. However, it does appeal to me for future cruises. Their points system seems a bit crazy, with the onboard purchasing. If you prepay for things, does that count toward your points??

 

 

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Yes

 

from the T&Cs

 

 

2. EARNING POINTS

All MSC Voyagers Club members earn points according to the following criteria:

a. “Experiences” purchased (Bella, Fantastica, Wellness, Aurea and MSC Yacht Club);

b. On board services pre-paid before the cruise;

c. On board Expenses

a. “EXPERIENCES PURCHASED” MSC Cruises SA offers the possibility of purchasing

different types of “Experience”: Bella, Fantastica, Wellness, Aurea and MSC Yacht Club.

Members can earn points in relation to the “Experience” purchased

 

 

Pete

[Skier52]

We status matched and got Black...we are Diamond on RCCL, Elite on Celebrity, Platinum on Princess, Gold on Cunard and I don't even remember what we are on Carnival or NCL but we have sailed them both several times. So it's not like we are newbies to cruising and got a random undeserved statue on MSC.

 

However, We booked a B2B on Seaside for 2/18 because some friends were going and asked if would like to join them. It sounded good and it will be interesting to sail on a new ship. We did the status match, but that is not what enticed us to book.

 

In the meantime, we saw a very good deal on the Divina later this year so we booked that to get a "taste" of what MSC is like prior to sailing in 2018. Of course we have the status match which we just look at as a small bonus, we would have booked anyway.

 

I don't get all the ire by the folks who "earned it"! We earned it too, except on different cruise lines. Sorry that the other cruise lines don't give a status match to MSC cruisers, but wouldn't it be silly of us not to take advantage of it with MSC?

 

The ire comes from the benefits that were removed from the old MSC club just days before the new watered down benefits came into being.

The major loss was the discounts (20% discount for black) on ANY cruise NOT Just the ones chosen by MSC and which any member can have.

the discounts were Classic 5%, Silver 8%, Gold 10% and Black 20%

 

see this link

page 2 post #32 and page 33 post #48 for the facts I've alluded to

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2347209&page=2

 

Pete

[Skier52]

Hmm? So you are saying when we sail, we should each use a different card to pay. YES

Do they automatically split the bill depending on who signed the check at dinner or elsewhere? NO

I mean, my DH and I will use a particular card, and each of us have our names on this account, but only one of us will get the credit? SOME will be split others go to the registered card holder

 

 

Here are the T&cs

 

See the underlined and italicised sentences

 

 

 

 

b. On board Services pre-paid before the cruise:

MSC Cruises SA offers the option of purchasing on board services before the cruise.

Services that can be purchased before the cruise include Food & Beverages, Excursions, SPA & Fitness (for a full list of services included please see the dedicated section online) and are divided into services that apply to all cabin occupants and services that apply to individuals only.

MSC Voyagers Club members earn 100 points for every €150 spent before the cruise on MSC packages/services included in the cruise booked*.

*For currencies other than € euro, the currency conversion on purchase day will apply.

 

Points awarded per cabin

 

The points will be calculated based on the total amount spent by the member on prepaid on board services. Points awarded for prepaid on board services that apply to all cabin occupants will be equally distributed amongst the cabin occupants. For example, if an excursion is booked for 2 members in the cabin, the points earned on that excursion would be divided between the two occupants. If only one member is occupying the cabin, they would receive all the points.

Members cannot claim points distributed to non-members occupying the same cabin for prepaid on board services that apply to all cabin occupants.

Per single cabin occupant

 

Points for prepaid on board services paid for by single cabin occupants will be assigned to those individual members.

The single occupant of the cabin will receive all points earned on their prepaid on board services.

 

c. ON BOARD EXPENSES

MSC Voyagers Club members earn 100 points for every €/$150 spent on board (excluding casino expenses).

Points awarded for on board expenses will only be applied to the Club card holder making the final payment.

 

All points earned during the cruise will be assigned approximately 10 days after the end of the cruise.

Edited September 11, 2016 by Skier52

[Aulanis]

I am new to MSC and trying to understand "status match".

 

Help please

 

 

Cant see that anyone has replied to this so I will have a go.

We booked a cruise back in January before Status Match began and only when looking at joining the MSC Voyagers club did I spot it.

 

Although it looked pretty straightforward I couldnt see how it would work for us and sent this to MSC:

 

"To join up it appears you have to have cruised with MSC before OR booked a cruise.

If that is correct how would it be possible to Status match and get 5% of the first cruise when to join, you have to have a first cruise booked?

Can this be deducted from the balance still to be paid or credited as on board credit?"

 

Thinking they would come back and say the Status could not be back dated I was delighted to receive this:

"The Status match scheme is designed to match your current entitlement with another cruise line or hotel chain (EG: NCL, P&O, etc)

You would have need to make at least 1 booking, but you don't necessarily have to be a member of our loyalty scheme to take advantage of this scheme.

 

In order to qualify, we do advise you to complete an application form as attached and send us proof of your entitlement from our competitor. This can be a screenshot showing your current membership or a membership card

 

Once this is done, the 5% discount would applied to the base price of the cruise and a new confirmation would be sent to your travel agent"

 

Still not sure what they meant by "but you don't necessarily have to be a member of our loyalty scheme to take advantage of this scheme." but I just filled in the form and sent it back with copies of our Holland America cards and the same day they issued the matching status.

I still await a revised "account" from my TA but it all looks good so far.

 

I will try and attach a copy of the form they mention which in an ideal world our TA should have been on the ball enough to send when the Status match was introduced in March. Dont think we will use them again!!

This form and the instruction may only apply in the UK so check with the MSC in your country.

 

If you are new to cruising and/or have previously built up a loyalty record with a land based holiday co like maybe Hilton Hotels HHonors IHG Priority scheme or Leclub Accor hotels, then maybe they will match some of the perks on those cards. Got to be worth a try

as you have nothing to lose. Think you can only match once so try and decide which loyalty has the highest rating for them to match.

HTH

status match app.pdf

[AEckhardt]

Ails is, I had to call to get the 5% discount, they did not automatically apply it, so you might want your TA to contact them with your new MSC Voyagers # to have the discount applied.

 

 

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[Bollinge]

We have been a few times on MSC, not the best line, but OK.

 

Lovely clean vessels, but food budget per diem low, like Carnival, and it shows.

 

We are "Goldenballs" on several lines, and are now "Blackballs" on MSC. The perks don't seem that attractive compared to RCCL and Celebrity, where we get free drinks every night, free laundry, dry cleaning and pressing, internet hours and casino credits etc.

 

We'll see how the Blackballs are treated when we embark next week!

 

 

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[cooper9191]

Anyone know how long it takes for them to verify your status on another line and get back to you? Sorry if this has been covered somewhere else.

 

 

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[tjlj]

did you fill out the form and get a confirmation that the form was accepted? what we had a problem was our picture had to be one meg or less.. anything over it would not accept it... we received a submitted conformation instantly.. next day we had the official email with the cards...

[cooper9191]

Yes, said confirmed sent

 

 

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[tjlj]

if it has been a while I would follow up with a call and press the menu button for the voyagers club.. they took care of a small problem we had...

[mscdivina2016]

Anyone know how long it takes for them to verify your status on another line and get back to you? Sorry if this has been covered somewhere else.

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Mine took 3 hours. I posted the way to do it on another thread.

 

Most people are doing it wrong.

 

From the status match page you fill out all your stuff and hit submit?

 

That is only half of it. You need to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page after you submitted and it looks like it took it and you will see a link that you follow and it takes you to a different page and you fill out all the same stuff again and then submit.

 

Steve

[lcookie]

As a begining cruiser matching my status would be meaningless for the most part. I was drawn to the ship and the price. Looking forward to my first trip with MSC. Also ready to pull the trigger on Seaside.

[xxHadleyxx]

Wev just finished a week long cruise in MSC Splendida in the Yacht Club. We would not have looked into MSC had we not heard about the status match--I think it is a brilliant marketing move.

 

Will we sail again? Most likely, yes--but probably in winter (when only a few lines sail Europe) and not with our son (17 now)---he was not impressed; it was a much more relaxing cruise with much less activity going on (in and out of the YC) so not as good for a teen who likes a lot of the cruise staff led activites (this is a kid who finds plenty to do on Celebrity and on small RCI ships--he does not need a ton of bells and whistles, but he likes trivia and game shows and isn't interested in dance lessons which seemed to be the main thing offered on Splendida).

 

All in all, the probably sucessfully got us to book a week long or more cruise once every year or so with this promotion---I would guess that is a win for them.

[mafig]

As a begining cruiser matching my status would be meaningless for the most part. I was drawn to the ship and the price. Looking forward to my first trip with MSC. Also ready to pull the trigger on Seaside.

 

Yes, but.....

Even one cruise on another lines earns you the 5% off the price of your cruise. (at least I think it does, I'm new to MSC also).:o

[hencoll]

My interest in the Yacht Club is what got me to book a MSC cruise. The status match was just a bonus. I'm Platinum on NCL and DCL so I was given Black status on MSC.

[nikkiw60]

As a begining cruiser matching my status would be meaningless for the most part. I was drawn to the ship and the price. Looking forward to my first trip with MSC. Also ready to pull the trigger on Seaside.

 

 

 

Do you have status with a hotel chain you could match to?

 

 

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[diesel1973]

As we are getting bored with X and RCCL we have been looking for an alternative cruise line. We looked at the new Seaside and the level match cinched the deal. Will be sailing 1/2018 and are very excited to compare.

[suzyed]

We have been a few times on MSC, not the best line, but OK.

 

Lovely clean vessels, but food budget per diem low, like Carnival, and it shows.

 

We are "Goldenballs" on several lines, and are now "Blackballs" on MSC. The perks don't seem that attractive compared to RCCL and Celebrity, where we get free drinks every night, free laundry, dry cleaning and pressing, internet hours and casino credits etc.

 

We'll see how the Blackballs are treated when we embark next week!

 

 

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Please let us know!

[twoflyers]

Two flyers ... Are you both Elite with Celebrity ? I am guessing that both were earned via one persons booking with them, unlike with MSC where only one person gets the appropriate level while their spouse is on a lower level unless they take turns in paying the final onboard bill with their own Credit card.

 

This shows yet again how MSC are discriminating against customers.

 

Yes, Sidari, we are both Elite on Celebrity. One has to look closely at the MSC match program to understand that you have to submit requests for both spouses/partners - they do not match status for both on the basis of one spouse/partner being elite, platinum, etc.

[Aulanis]

Ails is, I had to call to get the 5% discount, they did not automatically apply it, so you might want your TA to contact them with your new MSC Voyagers # to have the discount applied.

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Thanks for that:) - I left it a while to see if they would just send a new invoice but when nothing arrived I contacted them. The TA didnt say if they had heard from MSC or not but came back and said they would have to contact MSC to see if they would honour the discount for a cruise booked before the offer was made. I suppose I can understand that but I did send

all the paperwork re the status match so perhaps they just didnt believe me!!

Anyway it is all sorted now - so a few extra drinks as I was unable to blag a

free drinks package.

[chebumosqui]

Status Match definitely worked on us - we would never look at MSC if it wouldn't be for this program!

We now booked a cruise and looking forward it.

 

Very good initiative the other companies should closer look at!

[Beamafar]

Status Match definitely worked on us - we would never look at MSC if it wouldn't be for this program!

We now booked a cruise and looking forward it.

 

Very good initiative the other companies should closer look at!

 

The backlash from their loyal cruisers would be too great. They're called 'Loyalty' programmes for a reason. Who knows how many loyal customers MSC has lost as a result of the introduction of the scheme - especially those who were aiming for a Black Card and the benefits that went with it before they were eroded when 'Voyagers Club' came into being.

 

This Status Match doesn't seem to have caught on so much in Europe - there were only 12 Black Card members on our April cruise and only 9 on our August one - both Eastern Med cruises. If the posts on here are anything to go by, it seems that it's working in the market that MSC is currently trying to build a share in i.e. United States.

 

I hope you enjoy the benefits you get from the status match and that you have a great cruise, too! :)

Edited September 22, 2016 by Beamafar

[mafig]

Although Celebrity and Royal Caribbean are owned by the same company, a few years ago they status matched these two lines (and I think Azamara too).

 

There were some complaints, mainly from Celebrity people that the Elite Lounge was too crowded, but not that much.

 

As has been posted, hotels do this, casinos do this; I think it's pretty common in the travel industry.:)

[sidari]

From memory I believe that P and O and Princess used to do a similar thing, no idea if RCL and Celebrity still do.