Dummy booking for April 2019 vouchers are back

[Mattnvick]

FANTASTICA EXPERIENCE

 

 

 

 

 

1 of 4

 

 

BALCONY FANTASTICA

 

Enjoy the following complimentary services with your Experience:

Bella benefits plus...

Free Room Service

Preferred Dining Time

Ideal stateroom location

Preferred staterooms: Suite, Balcony, Super Family, Ocean View and Interior

All benefits of the Bella Experience plus a variety of extra privileges:

• Ideally located staterooms and views, including the upper decks with easy access to main areas.
• Guests request either an early dining option or a late one and a dining time within that range will be assigned according to availability, but with priority over Bella guests.* For more details on dining times, click here.
• 24-hour room service with FREE continental breakfast**
• Free 12 drink vouchers (soda wine, beer, non-premium cocktails, coffee, gelato)***

We are sailing MSC Seaside in April. When we booked (balcony Fantastica) it was meal time drinks and vouchers.

 

With all the questions and worry over whats happening with the new drink packages and what people will now get, what's included, whats been taken away etc etc i just did a dummy booking for our dates using the same criteria and the above came up when i clicked on details. 

 

So it looks like at least for fantastic vouchers are back and they include gelato. 

 

At least today. Who knows what it might say tomorrow......

[Até]

I don't know if that experience page ever changed for Fantastica.  Drinks On Us took over for Caribbean sailings, but I think the vouchers have still been in effect for all other US bookings.  You forgot the fine print, which still says vouchers ends March 25, 2019.

*Extra benefit: Fantastica Experience guests staying in Balcony staterooms and Suites of the renovated MSC Armonia, MSC Opera, MSC Lirica and MSC Sinfonia can have dinner in the dedicated restaurants with time flexible My Choice Dining. Dining times vary slightly per ship and may be changed once on board.
**Choose from our free room service menu or upgrade for a fee.
***Drink package consists of 12 beverage vouchers to be used in bars, restaurants and buffet and includes wines by the glass, beers, non-premium spirits and cocktails, soft drinks, mineral water, hot drinks, and gelato in a cone or cup. Child version without alcohol also available. If booked with the Drinks On Us promotion/drink package, the 12 drink vouchers will not be included with the Fantastica Experience; the Drinks On Us package will replace the 12 drink vouchers. The 12-drink vouchers package will be included with the Fantastica Experience for cruises until March 25, 2019.

Edited November 16, 2018 by Até

[electro]

And according to the response I got when i asked on the MSC Facebook page, they are not replacing the vouchers.

So those of us who booked a cruise for April 2019 expecting to get some amount of free drinks, we are getting nothing!

 

MSC Cruises Hi Lois,

The drink vouchers are not being replaced. The Fantastica experience includes a better stateroom, prioriy dining times and 24 hour room service. Hope this helps!

[sidari]

If and I say if MSC had any sense they would offer Easy drink package with Fantastica, Premium with Aurea and the Plus for YC.

With the option to upgrade from Easy to the other two and from Premium to Plus.

For Bella they could offer D.o.U or vouchers and have something for everyone.

[Mattnvick]

6 minutes ago, sidari said:

If and I say if MSC had any sense they would offer Easy drink package with Fantastica, Premium with Aurea and the Plus for YC.

With the option to upgrade from Easy to the other two and from Premium to Plus.

For Bella they could offer D.o.U or vouchers and have something for everyone.

Sid if they did this it would be a downgrade as regards Fantastica as the vouchers were (in terms of what you could get) equivent to what was available for the old classic. The Easy pkg offers you far, far less in that respect. Sadly its a mess. But i do agree Aurea should be getting Premium as their fare is way more  than Fantastica and honestly what they are proposing for them in the form of Easy is very poor pkg.

[sidari]

Never used the vouchers hence the suggestion of Easy, clearly there was no genius at work when sorting it out.

[Mattnvick]

4 minutes ago, sidari said:

Never used the vouchers hence the suggestion of Easy, clearly there was no genius at work when sorting it out.

Now that is one thing that is crystal clear to all of us😂 no genius at all.

 

We have used the vouchers both times now when we have been on MSC and honestly i loved them. Thought it was the best value at sea. Was really disappointed when they decided not to make them available for purchase any more.

[Até]

I have two Fantastica bookings in Northern Europe for 2020 and have no idea what they might get, but I doubt it will be vouchers.

[sidari]

MSC have even managed to anger their Italian followers as well having read the comments on the MSC fans facebook page where the owner has turned off comments.

[Mattnvick]

7 minutes ago, sidari said:

MSC have even managed to anger their Italian followers as well having read the comments on the MSC fans facebook page where the owner has turned off comments.

 

Oh dear.........sadly which ever way you cut it they have really messed up here. 

 

From top to bottom no one really seems to give the same consistent answers. In fact most times you have more questions than answers  when you come off the phone or receive your email or fb/ reply. 

 

If they want to fill their ships and have satisfied repeat customers ( and lets be honest they must do in theory judging by the amount of new ships that have been ordered) they need to do better. 

 

There is a lot of choice out there and if they are going to be pricing now the same as Royal, Norwegian, Carnival etc people will move away. Even people who really like the fact that MSC was different and finding the great prices just a bonus   seem to be not too happy at the moment. 

 

I really hope they can figure it out and get their act together.

[sidari]

The trouble is some of those responsible are from some of the lines you have mentioned, Celebrity/RCI and NCL, who seem to think it's the right direction to take MSC.

On Tuesday a US travel agent took a booking for a sailing from Miami, on Wednesday it was cancelled when the customer's heard the Aurea they had booked had been downgraded! That was just one so far, how many more will follow.

[hakko808]

Hopefully they go back to the vouchers, it was so much simpler.  Perhaps just do it electronically though for example first 12 qualifying drinks are free rather than messing round with the paper tickets.

[gavenalex]

I have a cruise booked on March 25th, 2019.  I am accepting all your unused vouches.  Last call.

[KayakingGirl2]

16 hours ago, electro said:

And according to the response I got when i asked on the MSC Facebook page, they are not replacing the vouchers.

So those of us who booked a cruise for April 2019 expecting to get some amount of free drinks, we are getting nothing!

 

MSC Cruises Hi Lois,

The drink vouchers are not being replaced. The Fantastica experience includes a better stateroom, prioriy dining times and 24 hour room service. Hope this helps!

But you will still have Drinks on us.  Which should be better because it is unlimited.  And you get a better stateroom etc.  Fantastica is not much more than Bella.  Now Bella will have drinks on us too.  All Caribbean Cruises.  Sounds good to me.   You can upgrade if you want.  For so much a day depending on the package.   THAT seems expensive unless you plan on drinking enough to ruin your liver, lol

[electro]

On 11/17/2018 at 8:21 AM, KayakingGirl2 said:

But you will still have Drinks on us.  Which should be better because it is unlimited.  And you get a better stateroom etc.  Fantastica is not much more than Bella.  Now Bella will have drinks on us too.  All Caribbean Cruises.  Sounds good to me.   You can upgrade if you want.  For so much a day depending on the package.   THAT seems expensive unless you plan on drinking enough to ruin your liver, lol

I  am sailing in the Med, no drinks on us package for Med sailing, no vouchers after March 26th so really I get nothing in the way of drinks for my Fantastica experience.

[Mattnvick]

On 11/17/2018 at 8:21 AM, KayakingGirl2 said:

But you will still have Drinks on us.  Which should be better because it is unlimited.  And you get a better stateroom etc.  Fantastica is not much more than Bella.  Now Bella will have drinks on us too.  All Caribbean Cruises.  Sounds good to me.   You can upgrade if you want.  For so much a day depending on the package.   THAT seems expensive unless you plan on drinking enough to ruin your liver, lol

 

For people that had "drinks on us" it included no cocktails at all. We had mealtime drinks ( a very short lived promotion) which also was no cocktails only a choice of 3 reds 3 whites and a rose wine and a couple of beers.

 

We also booked Fantastica not to get the cabin but to get the 12 vouchers so we could have some cocktails. 

 

If MSC dont honour them its not enough to say but you got a better cabin and you get to choose early or late dining. Those things i didnt care about: it was the vouchers and that why i paid extra so taking them away and giving me nothing as a substitute is fraudulent.

 

Its like chosing a new car and when you pick it  up there is no stereo in it. If you want it you now  have to pay extra.  But the salesman says but you got a choice of colours that the basic package doesnt have and nicer upholstery. 

 

When you picked the package you didnt care about those things they were an incidental bonus: you just wanted the radio.........

[KayakingGirl2]

20 minutes ago, electro said:

I  am sailing in the Med, no drinks on us package for Med sailing, no vouchers after March 26th so really I get nothing in the way of drinks for my Fantastica experience.

Wow,  that is not good.   I cannot imagine why they would do that.  They will get so many complaints they have to change it by then.  Sorry. Not right to do that.  

[KayakingGirl2]

8 minutes ago, Mattnvick said:

 

For people that had "drinks on us" it included no cocktails at all. We had mealtime drinks ( a very short lived promotion) which also was no cocktails only a choice of 3 reds 3 whites and a rose wine and a couple of beers.

 

We also booked Fantastica not to get the cabin but to get the 12 vouchers so we could have some cocktails. 

 

If MSC dont honour them its not enough to say but you got a better cabin and you get to choose early or late dining. Those things i didnt care about: it was the vouchers and that why i paid extra so taking them away and giving me nothing as a substitute is fraudulent.

 

Its like chosing a new car and when you pick it  up there is no stereo in it. If you want it you now  have to pay extra.  But the salesman says but you got a choice of colours that the basic package doesnt have and nicer upholstery. 

 

When you picked the package you didnt care about those things they were an incidental bonus: you just wanted the radio.........

Did you already have your cruise?  I am amazed that the drinks on us included so little and no vouchers like promised when you booked.   I would call MSC and complain.  Not usually one to complain but I would on that.  I cruise March 3.  They have a better drinks on us plan but I am with a group and do not get that but I will get 12 vouchers.  I would not be happy if I got nothing either.  I did call and I will get them. 😏

[electro]

On 11/16/2018 at 3:53 PM, sidari said:

If and I say if MSC had any sense they would offer Easy drink package with Fantastica, Premium with Aurea and the Plus for YC.

With the option to upgrade from Easy to the other two and from Premium to Plus.

For Bella they could offer D.o.U or vouchers and have something for everyone.

This is what I was hoping they would do when they came out with the new packages.

I would be happy with the Easy package in place of the vouchers for Fantastica and would pay to upgrade to Premium. But taking something away after you paid for the experience and not replacing it with anything is unacceptable.

[sidari]

Electro ... The drink package is not the Experience, Bella, Fantastica, Wellness, Aurea and YC are the experiences.

[SirWolf]

24 minutes ago, Mattnvick said:

 

For people that had "drinks on us" it included no cocktails at all. We had mealtime drinks ( a very short lived promotion) which also was no cocktails only a choice of 3 reds 3 whites and a rose wine and a couple of beers.

The comparison chart for the old drink packages showed the Drinks-on-us with “Cocktails: Selection of mixed drinks (house-brand spirits with soda or juice)”. I don’t drink but that sounds like cocktails to me.

If Fantastica Experiences comes with “Easy Package” in the future you should get selected spirits and cocktails instead of vouchers.

Edited November 18, 2018 by SirWolf

[Mattnvick]

5 minutes ago, SirWolf said:

The comparison chart for the old drink packages showed the Drinks-on-us with “Cocktails: Selection of mixed drinks (house-brand spirits with soda or juice)”. I don’t drink but that sounds like cocktails to me.

 

Where did you see that?

 

Below is the  "Drinks on us" advert   there certainly was no cocktails mentioned as you can see.

 

THE DRINKS ARE ON US! ENJOY UNLIMITED DRINKS OVER $250 VALUE PER PERSON Set sail in the Caribbean on MSC Seaside, MSC Divina or MSC Meraviglia and receive unlimited drinks from our selection of bottled and draft beers, house wines by the glass, house brands of vodka, rum, gin, whisky and non-alcoholic beverages for the duration of your cruise. It's the ultimate in convenience and value! BOOK YOUR NEXT 7-NIGHT CARIBBEAN CRUISE WITH US AND RECEIVE DRINKS ON US THROUGHOUT YOUR CRUISE!

[electro]

8 minutes ago, sidari said:

Electro ... The drink package is not the Experience, Bella, Fantastica, Wellness, Aurea and YC are the experiences.

I realize that but the experiences from Fantastica up came with some from of drinks.

They have taken that away from Fantastica (after booking) and it looks like the Aurea will get less.

With the new drink packages, it makes sense to align them with the experiences the way you suggested. It would leave us not feeling like we are not getting what we paid for i.e. what was part of our original booking.

 

[KayakingGirl2]

4 minutes ago, Mattnvick said:

 

Where did you see that?

 

Below is the  "Drinks on us" advert   there certainly was no cocktails mentioned as you can see.

 

THE DRINKS ARE ON US! ENJOY UNLIMITED DRINKS OVER $250 VALUE PER PERSON Set sail in the Caribbean on MSC Seaside, MSC Divina or MSC Meraviglia and receive unlimited drinks from our selection of bottled and draft beers, house wines by the glass, house brands of vodka, rum, gin, whisky and non-alcoholic beverages for the duration of your cruise. It's the ultimate in convenience and value! BOOK YOUR NEXT 7-NIGHT CARIBBEAN CRUISE WITH US AND RECEIVE DRINKS ON US THROUGHOUT YOUR CRUISE!

Yes, that is acceptable.  To me a gin and tonic is a cocktail.  A rum and coke, whiskey sour, etc.  

[SirWolf]

6 minutes ago, Mattnvick said:

 

Where did you see that?

 

In the comparison chart for the discontinued drink packages (see first page, first line in Drinks-on-us column).

Link: https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/Assets/2018 Drink Package Comparison Guise with DRINKS ON US.pdf