Loyalty programs offer incentives to cruisers who stick with their favorite cruise lines, and MSC Cruises has announced even more great reasons to remain loyal with a recent overhaul of the MSC Voyagers Club.
Included are new benefits and double points for earlier bookings to help members gain exclusive rewards even more quickly as they sail with MSC Cruises.
Voyages Selection Discount Replaced
One of the biggest changes to the Voyagers Club, which was last overhauled in 2015, is the removal of the limited “Voyages Selection” discounts that previously applied only to a few upcoming cruises in MSC Cruises’ global calendar.
Now, Voyagers Exclusives offers greater incentives for members, all of whom will automatically benefit from a minimum 5% discount for any cruise booked at any time.
“The new Voyagers Exclusives scheme is set to reward each and every member of our loyalty program with every booking made for our entire portfolio of ships and itineraries year round,” said Achille Staiano, Vice President of Global Sales for MSC Cruises.
The earlier a guest books their upcoming cruise, the greater the discount they can receive.
Any sailing booked at least six months prior to departure will result in a further 5% discount, on top of the minimum 5% loyalty discount. Silver, Gold, and Diamond tier members who book at least nine months ahead of departure will also receive onboard credit of โฌ50 or $50 (USD) per member, depending on departure port and applicable currency.
For a limited time, MSC Cruises is also offering a new Summer 2022 promotion exclusively for the MSC Voyagers Club. Members who book any cruise before June 30, to sail before October 30, 2022, will receive the onboard credit plus 700 extra points on top of the usual 5% discount.
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The extra points will be credited to the guestsโ account before departure, helping them to reach the next status level faster, and enjoy their new benefits sooner.
Points Doubling for Earlier Bookings
Another great benefit is that Voyagers Club members who book more than 12 months in advance will now receive double points for their booking, allowing even faster advancement through the program’s benefit tiers.
“We know that our Voyagers Club members are always keen to move from one tier up to another and the double points available for bookings made 12 months prior to departure are a fast track to success on all counts,” said Staiano.
Guests earn points based on their type of booking, pre-paid purchases before sailing, and onboard purchases. The MSC Voyagers Club had five tiers of benefits, with members entitled to exclusive benefits as soon as they begin earning points.
“All-in-all, Voyagers Exclusives has benefits for everyone who joins up when they book a holiday at sea with MSC Cruises,” said Staiano.
Depending on the program tier a guest has earned, benefits include welcome back cocktail parties; discounts for onboard photos, fitness packages, laundry services, internet connectivity, and spa treatments; priority debarkation for tender ports; and a variety of free gifts. Discount amounts increase in higher program tiers.
Guests’ memberships and points totals remain valid for three years after a cruise. If a guest does not sail with MSC Cruises for 36 months, their membership is invalidated and points are lost, though guests can re-enroll with their next sailing. Expired points are not reinstated, but re-enrolling members will get a fixed amount of 500 points added to their accounts.
Use MSC Status Match for Immediate Benefits
Frequent cruisers who are loyalty members of other cruise lines, hotels, or tour operators can also take advantage of MSC Cruises’ Status Match incentive, which assigns new members’ to the proper Voyagers Club tier based on their loyalty earnings with other programs.
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Registration for status match consideration must be done pre-cruise and is not available onboard MSC Cruises’ ships.
Benefits between programs are compared, and travelers are assigned to the Voyagers Club tier that most closely matches the benefits they have received with similar programs. Guests may only use status match comparison one time, even if they belong to multiple loyalty programs.