Is the MSC Voyagers Club Loyalty Program Worth It?

In our series to find the BEST cruise line loyalty program, this post digs into all that MSC has to offer with the Voyagers Club. We’ll look at the various membership levels in the program, along with the benefits that come from each level. We’ll also share how the program compares with other cruise lines and our thoughts on the value at each level. So let’s answer the question, is the MSC Voyagers Club loyalty program worth it?

What is the MSC Voyagers Club

MSC describes the MSC Voyagers Club as “an invitation to exclusive benefits that elevate every cruise.” Their marketing team makes it sound special right from the start with the word invitation! In reality, anyone that sails with MSC is enrolled in the MSC Voyagers Club. It’s the line’s loyalty program that’s designed to encourage repeat business. Additionally, with how point earning is structured, it’s also designed to get those same guests to spend more with the cruise line.

The cruise line officially launched the MSC Voyagers Club on July 19, 2015 replacing the “MSC Club” loyalty program. With the exception of some minor tweaks, the program has remained mostly the same. In November of 2024, however, the cruise line introduced a new top-level Blue Diamond membership which we review in detail.

Membership Levels

The MSC Voyagers Club is comprised of six distinct membership levels. We’ll go through the benefits and value of each. The graphic below gives a quick preview to each membership level and points required to reach it.

Welcome Membership: 0 Points

Remember how the MSC marketing team made you feel special with that invitation? Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but ANYONE can be a part of the club. Even if you’ve never sailed with the cruise line. Their Welcome Membership entry level gives you “booking privileges.” That’s not something we’ve seen in any other loyalty club! lol

Let’s look at everything else that’s included in the Welcome Membership:

Access to a 15% discount on any “MSC Voyagers Selection” departures: These are sailings found on MSC’s Deals Page and are subject to availability. Essentially, think of this as a discount on cruises that likely aren’t selling well, or have excess inventory.
Voyagers Club Special E-Newsletter (i.e., mailing list)
Voyagers Club Online Access (i.e., you’ll have a logon to MSC’s website where you’ll have access to their rudimentary online profile)
MSC Voyagers Club luggage identification tag: paper tags you print off at home that state you’re a member of the program
10% discount on SPA, salon, and fitness services: Essentially everyone gets 10% off (which leads us to believe the cruise line has basically factored this in to the pricing of these services)

As you can already see, a membership level that is open to everyone, regardless of whether or not they’ve sailed with the cruise line, doesn’t offer much benefit. With that said, we bet MSC’s marketing team love Welcome Members as they’ve given the cruise line their information and are great prospects to sell a cruise to!

Classic Membership: 1-2,199 Points

Ok, so this level is for anyone that has taken at least one cruise with MSC. In addition to receiving all of the perks of the Welcome Membership level, the Classic Membership is where MSC introduces a 5% discount for Voyagers Club members. Simply log in when booking and you’ll see the 5% discount applied. We love seeing those prices go down when we log in!

The Classic Membership level also includes the following perks:

Members only special event celebrating your loyalty. We’re actually surprised to see this benefit introduced so early in the program as it usually includes complimentary drinks and time with the Officers of the vessel.
An additional 5% discount for cruises booked more than 12 months from departure. This is a cool differentiator for MSC as they encourage cruisers to book further out with the additional discount. The only exclusion on this discount is that it does not apply to World Cruises or group and network rates (unless otherwise specified).
Double points on cruises booked at least 12 months from departure. This will help you achieve that Blue Diamond level even faster! World Cruises are once again excluded as they already have a point multiplier.
More discounts:
– 10% Discount in the MSC Logo Shop (first purchase only of MSC-branded items. Transaction must be at least $50);
– 20% discount on photographs (not valid on private photo sessions or Iris Programme);
– 10% discount on “wide selection of digital accessories”;
– 5% discount on internet package (internet café excluded);
– and a 50% discount on F1 Simulator

Interestingly enough, all of the discounts offered to Voyagers Club members are not available to members under 18 years of age. So that F1 Simulator discount is all for you mom and dad! The other interesting point: with the exception of the MSC Logo Shop discount, all other discounts are combinable with other offers unless specified above.

While the Classic Membership doesn’t provide you some of the complimentary items higher levels offer, we’re not mad at all of the discounts MSC throws in. Plus, we’re surprised to see you already receive an invite to an exclusive special event at this level. The extra 5% discount and double points are a sweet perk for those booking at least 12 months from departure. We love these perks and think the cruise line does a great job rewarding those sailing on just their second MSC cruise.

Silver Membership: 2,200-4,299

For those cruisers that reach the silver level, you’ve likely taken a handful of cruises on MSC. That, or you booked a Yacht Club Stateroom more than 12 months out and scored a sweet 3k points and skipped Classic Membership altogether!

In addition to all of the previous perks, the Silver Membership introduces another perk for those booking at least 12 months from departure: a $50 onboard credit. At this membership level, you’ll also find:

Milestone Reward: Upon reaching the next level of membership for the first time, cruisers will receive a milestone pin delivered to their stateroom. Sadly, we never received a pin when we reached Gold Membership and the fine print is clear: pins “cannot be sent to members’ homes.”
Priority Dining Reservations Line: If you didn’t get the dinner reservation you wanted, you have a priority line to make changes. Keep in mind that “depending on the ship and the route, priority line might not be working,” according to the fine print.
Complimentary Birthday Cake on your birthday. Did you know that you also get bonus Voyagers Club points for sailing within 3 months of your birthday? I guess you could say that’s the “icing on the complimentary birthday cake?”
Additional discounts:
– 10% discount on Laundry Package;
– 10% discount on Minibar (discount will be deducted from total minibar spend and applied at end of cruise)

Like the other discounts, these additional ones are not available to members under the age of 18. Unlike the discounts in the Classic Membership level, the Laundry Package and Minibar discounts are not combinable with other offers.

To us, there’s not really a “wow factor” between the Classic and Silver Membership levels. Sure the $50 OBC is nice when booking 12 months out, but the one-time pin and cake only if you sail on your birthday… those are kind of throw-aways in our book. The priority for Dining Reservations is nice, but not guaranteed. Definitely not our favorite level in the MSC Voyagers Club. But let’s see what Gold Membership has to offer!

Gold Membership: 4,300-9,900

For those reaching the Gold Membership level, you’re showing some true signs of loyalty with MSC Cruises. And the cruise line recognizes that loyalty with a whole bunch of new perks. In fact, they want you to show off your loyalty with pride with an increased MSC Logo Shop discount of 15% on your first purchase over $50.

In addition to the perks from the previous level, Gold Membership also brings you:

Special MSC-branded gift each sailing. As of the time of this writing, the gift is currently an MSC-branded drawstring bag.
Complimentary one-hour thermal suite session. Need a break from it all? Take an hour to yourself and make use of the sauna, steam room, and spa amenities for free. Just be aware, they may try to get you to purchase an upgrade in your relaxed state!
Bathrobe and slippers for your cruise. The fine print clearly states that these items are “to be left in the cabin at the end of the cruise.” Also, this perk is not available for members under the age of 18.
One free F1 Simulator circuit (applies to all members over 10 years old)
Early access to theater shows. You’ll get access 15-30 minutes prior to the show, but remember, reservations are still required.
Priority Debarkation on the last day and access to transfer buses where booked. This is a great perk for those that need to get to the airport for an early flight.

We always enjoy a free branded gift! Plus, the thermal suite session and early access to theater shows are nice perks for loyalty members. While the free F1 Simulator credit sounds neat, how often are you really going to use this perk if you’re a regular cruiser? And the extra 5% discount on MSC Merch is just… meh. Sadly, this is the highest the discount gets, even as you advance in the Voyagers Club.

Diamond Membership: 10,000-24,999

Until November of 2024, Diamond Membership was the highest level in the MSC Voyagers Club loyalty program. Cruisers that amassed 10,000+ points reached this level and received the highest tier of benefits. MSC then introduced Blue Diamond which we reviewed in great detail in our MSC Voyagers Club series.

Diamond Membership keeps all of the previous benefits from the lower levels and finally introduces Priority Check-In! Reserving this perk for Diamond Members makes it even more special. Let’s look what else you get with Diamond Membership:

Priority Luggage Drop Off. This perk goes hand-in-hand with your new Priority Check-In perk. Luggage must be tagged with your Diamond status and be “left at the drop off point with Diamond Sign” according to the fine print.
Priority Free Cabin Upgrade. Cabin upgrades are not guaranteed and only apply when there are free cabins available (which makes sense! lol). According to the fine print, the upgrade is at the “sole discretion of the MSC Office.”
Priority Line when calling the MSC Contact Center. While the priority phone number “does not guarantee no wait time,” it’s a nice perk. Especially to make your most loyal cruisers feel like a priority.
Diamond Party – we love loyalty recognition parties and have heard great things about this one! Free drinks, a more intimate setting with the Officers, and mingling with fellow Diamond members. Note: This perk is not available on cruises less than 4 days.
One Complimentary Picture – Another cool perk that helps you remember your cruise. I had to do some Googling for this article as MSC shares the free photo is 13x18cm (that’s 5×7 for the rest of us). There’s a bunch of fine print with this free photo: any photo already printed from the photo gallery; it’s mandatory that photo is of the Diamond member; you can pay the difference to choose a larger size photo if you’d like.
Bottle of Spumante and Macrons (one per cabin per cruise) – Another perk that has us striving for Diamond Membership! Keep in mind, this perk is not applicable for those under the age of 18.
Sweet Chocolate Gift – The gifts just keep coming to the stateroom for Diamond Members! This sweet gift will be delivered to the stateroom. The perk, however, is not available on cruises less than 4 days in length.
Complimentary Specialty Restaurant – Diamond Members receive a free “Tasting Menu” dinner at a specialty restaurant during their sailing. MSC fine print states that beverages are not included and may not be brought in to the restaurant. Additionally, Diamond Members can invite ONE guest from the same stateroom to dinner – as long as they are not also a Diamond or Blue Diamond Member. The perk is valid at only certain Specialty Restaurants. Full details are available once on board.
Free bottle of water – Each Diamond Member in the room will receive one free bottle of water delivered on the first day of the cruise
Exclusive Pillow Selection – Using the Pillow Menu in room, Diamond Members simply let their stateroom steward know what pillow they would prefer for their sailing. Pillow selection is not guaranteed.
Late Cabin Checkout – One of the best perks we’ve seen – and such an easy one for MSC to offer! For the cruise line’s most loyal guests: give them a little extra time in their cabin at the end of a voyage instead of rushing them out. Specific details about checkout time are available once on board by talking to Guest Services.

There is a reason we’re working so hard to reach Diamond Membership on MSC Cruises! This level of status is a gamechanger and certainly recognizes the line’s most loyal cruisers. Free specialty dining, chocolate treats, spumante, macrons, special parties, and LATE CHECKOUT?! These perks definitely speak to me and I think you, too, will love what Diamond Membership has to offer.

One thing that I wish they would consider updating is the “free bottle of water.” Not because I don’t like water, it just cheapens the entire Diamond Membership level. A single free bottle of water for the duration of the cruise compared to all the other amazing perks listed?! Make it a six-pack and then it feels more in line with all the other superior amenities.

The only other perk I wish this level offered was free laundry service. With all of the other benefits, this addition would blow Carnival’s VIFP Diamond level out of the water. In fact, it would likely be enticing enough, with all the other perks, to lure more Carnival VIFP Diamond members away.

Blue Diamond Membership: 25,000+

When MSC Cruises launched the Voyagers Club Blue Diamond Level in 2024, it was big. It was the first real change the loyalty program saw in almost a decade. I detailed out each of the perks in a post dedicated to Blue Diamond. I won’t rehash it all here, but instead provide a couple key features. Check out the full Blue Diamond Membership article for all of the perks with photos!

As with every other Membership level, Blue Diamond Membership inherits the perks and benefits from the previous tiers. But being the top tier of the MSC Voyagers Club loyalty program, cruisers get some really interesting and cool perks like Flexible Check-In Time, Dedicated Luggage Drop, Access to the Yacht Club for Check-In, plus so much more.In my Blue Diamond Membership post, I shared that “We think this is a smart move by the cruise line to encourage regular cruisers to keep booking – and spending – with the cruise line. As MSC works to secure more market share in the US market, having a compelling top tier level in their loyalty program will certainly cause frequent cruisers to give this program another look.”

The perks offered at this level have definitely caused us to seriously look at our upcoming cruise schedule to determine how we work in more MSC sailings. Which is exactly what a successful loyalty program is designed to do.

So Is the MSC Voyagers Club Loyalty Program Worth It?

Our verdict is ABSOLUTELY! We all have a limited amount of time and money to spend with cruise lines, so determining which loyalty program is best for each person is key. The perks that MSC Voyagers Club offers make it a definite contender for cruisers to consider. As mentioned above, if the line were to add laundry service as a perk, it would likely be enough to draw us (and others) away from Carnival Cruise Line.

Based on the latest addition of the Blue Diamond membership level, you can be sure to find us on more MSC cruises in the future.

Be sure to check out our other articles in the MSC Voyagers Club Series:

MSC Voyagers Club Launches New Top Level: Blue Diamond
How to Earn Blue Diamond Status on MSC Cruises
Coming soon: How to leverage MSC Cruises’ status match program to achieve top-tier status even faster!

Check out all of our other content on Cruise Line Loyalty Programs to help determine which program is best for you! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below or email us on our About Page.

This Cruise Life