New Latitudes Program to Launch

[avalanche2]

Evidently on November 20th NCL will launch a long awaited new Latitudes program. Does anyone have any ideas what it may be. The company is being very tight secretive about it

 

I shall hope it will give double points for suites and add a new level above platnium

[Partyatsea]

Avalanche mind if I ask where you heard this ? I agree with you also btw.

[avalanche2]

Can't really say but it was someone in the know

[camz]

Hmm guess we will have to stay tuned on this one.....:confused:

[Mooder]

I'll be on board when it happens - will look forward to finding out what it is when we return. Something to reach for after Platinum would be nice. :D

[youngestof9]

maybe it will be based on number of days sailed vs number of cruises sailed??

 

Just a guess :)

[Clover's Mom]

I hope they add things and not take away. I read somewhere that they were combining cocktail parties for the silver and up categories with the penthouses, etc. I know it's not important to many, but my DH and I always enjoy going to the one for latitudes, the one for silver and up and the one for penthouses. Guess, we have to wait and see.

[Davechipp74]

i for one hope that they take into consideration the number of days you have on-board

 

i have well over 40 and im still a bronze member :mad:

my next cruise is 17 days long and i feel it should count more than a 7 day cruise

[Mooder]

i for one hope that they take into consideration the number of days you have on-board

 

i have well over 40 and im still a bronze member :mad:

my next cruise is 17 days long and i feel it should count more than a 7 day cruise

 

I understand that point of view. I, on the other hand, think a loyalty program should reward the fact that every time someone chooses to cruise they cruise NCL. (It is not as though you are going to switch cruiselines in the middle of your cruise. :rolleyes:) So, even if I take a weekend or 1 nighter cruise, I like the fact that I am rewarded for choosing NCL.

 

Perhaps a hybrid program that can reward both length and frequency?

 

As for cruising in suites, isn't the experience reward enough? ;)

[terracool]

I understand that point of view. I, on the other hand, think a loyalty program should reward the fact that every time someone chooses to cruise they cruise NCL. (It is not as though you are going to switch cruiselines in the middle of your cruise. :rolleyes:) So, even if I take a weekend or 1 nighter cruise, I like the fact that I am rewarded for choosing NCL.

 

Perhaps a hybrid program that can reward both length and frequency?

 

As for cruising in suites, isn't the experience reward enough? ;)

 

Yes - very good idea. This is what Delta does for their awards programs. I fly every few weeks, but mostly within the Eastern US. So I don't rack up a lot of miles and would never ever qualify for anything based purely on miles flown. But they also allow you to achieve the award levels by segments flown, so short-hoppers like me are not shut out.

 

I fly many times per year on Delta but not a lot of miles - I qualify based in number of incidents. I have co-workers to go to Asia twice and that's all they do in a year on Delta - they only have two incidents but qualify based on miles. NCL could do the same thing with a hybrid of duration/length or number/incidents getting you through the awards levels.

 

.

[Agent999]

my next cruise is 17 days long and i feel it should count more than a 7 day cruise

 

 

Sorry, but I have to disagree with your point here.

 

Latitudes is a program to reward customer loyalty. Each time a person "chooses" NCL for their vacation (whatever that vacation may be), they become a "customer" and are rewarded with a Latitude credit. That is a fair and equitable system for rewarding all customers.

 

What you suggest would reward the customer based on their particular selection and not on the "choice" of NCL for the vacation. A person's choice is rewarded as a part of what they choose, not through Latitudes which rewards customer frequency. Rewarding customers for how much they spend (ie "I booked a suite") or how long they sail only serves to create a class system.

 

 

A person who books two 14 day cruises (28 sailing days) only chooses to be an NCL customer two times.

 

A person who books four 7 day cruises (28 sailing days) chooses to be an NCL customer four times.

 

 

In a customer loyalty reward program, which customer is more loyal, the one who is a customer twice or the one who is a customer four times?

[Davechipp74]

So, even if I take a weekend or 1 nighter cruise, I like the fact that I am rewarded for choosing NCL.

im pretty sure i spent more money on 10,14,17, and 28 day cruises then many people do on a 2 day c.t.n. or even a 7 day cruise for that matter

JMHO

[RaceAddict]

Latitudes is a program to reward customer loyalty. Each time a person "chooses" NCL for their vacation (whatever that vacation may be), they become a "customer" and are rewarded with a Latitude credit. That is a fair and equitable system for rewarding all customers.

 

A person who books two 14 day cruises (28 sailing days) only chooses to be an NCL customer two times.

 

A person who books four 7 day cruises (28 sailing days) chooses to be an NCL customer four times.

 

 

In a customer loyalty reward program, which customer is more loyal, the one who is a customer twice or the one who is a customer four times?

 

They are equally loyal. They both chose to make a commitment to NCL for 28 days of their respective vacation time. The investment in the first person's individual commitments is twice what the second person is investing in their individual commitments.

[Mooder]

Yes - very good idea. This is what Delta does for their awards programs. I fly every few weeks, but mostly within the Eastern US. So I don't rack up a lot of miles and would never ever qualify for anything based purely on miles flown. But they also allow you to achieve the award levels by segments flown, so short-hoppers like me are not shut out.

 

I fly many times per year on Delta but not a lot of miles - I qualify based in number of incidents. I have co-workers to go to Asia twice and that's all they do in a year on Delta - they only have two incidents but qualify based on miles. NCL could do the same thing with a hybrid of duration/length or number/incidents getting you through the awards levels.

 

.

 

Thanks - I did not know this - and it is good to know that something along these lines has already been shown to work.

 

Have a great cruise on the Jade - I'll be right behind you! :D

[Mooder]

im pretty sure i spent more money on 10,14,17, and 28 day cruises then many people do on a 2 day c.t.n. or even a 7 day cruise for that matter

JMHO

 

But it is a loyalty program not a money-back program.

[Mooder]

Sorry, but I have to disagree with your point here.

 

Latitudes is a program to reward customer loyalty. Each time a person "chooses" NCL for their vacation (whatever that vacation may be), they become a "customer" and are rewarded with a Latitude credit. That is a fair and equitable system for rewarding all customers.

 

What you suggest would reward the customer based on their particular selection and not on the "choice" of NCL for the vacation. A person's choice is rewarded as a part of what they choose, not through Latitudes which rewards customer frequency. Rewarding customers for how much they spend (ie "I booked a suite") or how long they sail only serves to create a class system.

 

 

A person who books two 14 day cruises (28 sailing days) only chooses to be an NCL customer two times.

 

A person who books four 7 day cruises (28 sailing days) chooses to be an NCL customer four times.

 

 

In a customer loyalty reward program, which customer is more loyal, the one who is a customer twice or the one who is a customer four times?

 

I agree 100%. Well said. But I am open to something that combines the concepts.

[Mooder]

They are equally loyal. They both chose to make a commitment to NCL for 28 days of their respective vacation time. The investment in the first person's individual commitments is twice what the second person is investing in their individual commitments.

 

No, loyalty isn't about that initial commitment, it is about return business. I could take a trip around the world on NCL and never return. Regardless of the time spent on board and the money spent, there is not much to reward there since the point of the program is to keep people coming back.

[Davechipp74]

In a customer loyalty reward program, which customer is more loyal, the one who is a customer twice or the one who is a customer four times?

 

im starting to see youre point

[RaceAddict]

No, loyalty isn't about that initial commitment, it is about return business. I could take a trip around the world on NCL and never return. Regardless of the time spent on board and the money spent, there is not much to reward there since the point of the program is to keep people coming back.

 

Given that there are other mainstream cruise lines (Princess, Holland America, Royal Caribbean off the top of my head) that reward loyalty based on number cruise as well as the length of said cruises, NCL seems to be in the minority.

[Mooder]

Given that there are other mainstream cruise lines (Princess, Holland America, Royal Caribbean off the top of my head) that reward loyalty based on number cruise as well as the length of said cruises, NCL seems to be in the minority.

 

A. There's is nothing wrong with being in the minority. The best usually are. ;)

 

B. I've already said I wouldn't mind seeing a program that combined the concepts, I just don't want to see the current system discarded altogether.

[Agent999]

im pretty sure i spent more money on 10,14,17, and 28 day cruises then many people do on a 2 day c.t.n. or even a 7 day cruise for that matter

JMHO

 

You would be surprised. In general, per day revenue is lower on repo cruises than it is on round trip itineraries.

 

When you shop on a cost per day basis, you will find out that the short CTNs are typically more expensive (ie more revenue for the cruise line) than a longer sailing.

 

You stated that your next cruise is a 17 night sailing. NCL only has one of those coming up, a Canal transit embarking on 4/28/12. The minimum cost per day for this sailing is $73.47 per day (based on today's pricing). As an example, the cost per day to be on the Pride of America embarking on the same day is a minimum of $149.86 per day. So the person choosing the seven day cruise pays (at least) slightly more than TWICE what the person on the longer itinerary pays. If you were the cruise line, which customer would you rather reward: the one who gives you $73.47 per day or the one who gives you $149.86 per day?

[Mooder]

You would be surprised. In general, per day revenue is lower on repo cruises than it is on round trip itineraries.

 

When you shop on a cost per day basis, you will find out that the short CTNs are typically more expensive (ie more revenue for the cruise line) than a longer sailing.

 

You stated that your next cruise is a 17 night sailing. NCL only has one of those coming up, a Canal transit embarking on 4/28/12. The minimum cost per day for this sailing is $73.47 per day (based on today's pricing). As an example, the cost per day to be on the Pride of America embarking on the same day is a minimum of $149.86 per day. So the person choosing the seven day cruise pays (at least) slightly more than TWICE what the person on the longer itinerary pays. If you were the cruise line, which customer would you rather reward: the one who gives you $73.47 per day or the one who gives you $149.86 per day?

 

Fascinating, edjack! While I have seen this first hand, I never thought about it like that. I confess to having paid some crazy prices for 1-nighters! And it is safe to say we drink a lot more that night than the average night on a longer cruise. Not to mention how much more crowded the casino is that night!

[njhorseman]

Personally, I would like to see a program structured like Celebrity's Captains Club. You get one point for any cruise, an additional point if your cruise 12 days or longer, and an additional point if you book their higher end cabins...Concierge Class, Aqua Class or suites.

[Davechipp74]

 

You stated that your next cruise is a 17 night sailing. NCL only has one of those coming up, a Canal transit embarking on 4/28/12. The minimum cost per day for this sailing is $73.47 per day (based on today's pricing). As an example, the cost per day to be on the Pride of America embarking on the same day is a minimum of $149.86 per day.

interesting you chose the POA for youre point as it is pretty much the only ship in the entire industry sailing under a u.s. flag and therefore has a much much higher cost of operation. i will be spending way more then $149.86 a day, when all is said and done(gambling,drinking,dining,excursions,cruise fare,gambling) i will be in the 10,s of thousands of dollars. surely more than i will ever spend on any 7 day cruise

[njhorseman]

interesting you chose the POA for youre point as it is pretty much the only ship in the entire industry sailing under a u.s. flag and therefore has a much much higher cost of operation. i will be spending way more then $149.86 a day, when all is said and done(gambling,drinking,dining,excursions,cruise fare,gambling) i will be in the 10,s of thousands of dollars. surely more than i will ever spend on any 7 day cruise

 

I agree that comparing fares on POA to any other NCL ship is comparing apples to oranges. POA doesn't have a casino or duty free shops...two major sources of revenue on the other ships, and the crew salary costs are much higher as US and Hawaii minimum wage and benefit laws have to be obeyed on the POA.