Why Don’t You Get Additional Latitudes Perks on Extended Cruises

[gmbhardy]

1 hour ago, The Traveling Man said:

Years ago NCL would offer some itineraries as either a series of several separate cruises or as a single long cruise.  If you planned on being on board for the duration, you had the choice of booking it either as one long cruise or several segments.  We always chose to book as several separate B2B cruises so we would get our Latitudes benefits on each segment.  As I understand it, NCL still does offer some cruises differently in different markets.  You may be able to book it as a 21 day cruise if you book through NCL's UK office, for example, while in the US the same itinerary would only be available as three seven day cruises B2B2B.  I think I recall @casofilia reporting some difficulties with this when he booked a cruise through the NCL New Zealand office a few years ago.  They offered him one long  cruise on the Spirit which those of us in the US had booked as two or three separate cruises.  He not only came up short on Latitudes perks vis-a-vis other passengers, but also had some troubles with refunds when COVID cancelled the last legs of the cruise.  Mike, could you comment on this?

 

9 minutes ago, julig22 said:

On the other side, the shareholder benefit does increase for a longer cruise.  $250 for over 14 days, would only be $100 + $100 for B2B

Yes, that’s my point. The Shareholder Benefit and Latitude perks are both NCL sponsored reward programs. The shareholder benefit program acknowledges the longer cruise and gives you a larger benefit but it doesn’t give you more Latitude perks. I don’t care how you frame it, it doesn’t seem consistent to me.

[swmichigan cruiser]

34 minutes ago, gmbhardy said:

I haven’t registered for it yet,  but I will now. See you there. I’ll be wearing a Buffalo Sabres shirt (please no disparaging comments, it’s really hard being a Sabres fan).

If we can't agree on the perks no chance we can agree on hockey.

[The Traveling Man]

54 minutes ago, gmbhardy said:

 

Yes, that’s my point. The Shareholder Benefit and Latitude perks are both NCL sponsored reward programs. The shareholder benefit program acknowledges the longer cruise and gives you a larger benefit but it doesn’t give you more Latitude perks. I don’t care how you frame it, it doesn’t seem consistent to me.

It seems to me that the only thing consistent about NCL is its tendency toward inconsistency.

[casofilia]

Regarding B2B v 2 cruises.

 

In our case the two cruises (20 days and 24 days) we booked were NOT offered as a single cruise (44 days).

 

I have come across three specific cases where people have had great difficulties where two cruises were booked in this way under a single Reservation Number.   They were slightly different to the situation I think is being discussed.   In the cases I know of the two cruises were NOT offered as a single cruise by NCL but someone had done it off their own bat!!   In our case the Future Cruise Consultant on a cruise had done that, a single Reservation Number for two B2B cruises at a single, combined, price.

 

Our problems were that we only appeared on NCL's computers as being on the first cruise and not on the second for material being sent out from Miami or Sydney.   It meant we got paperwork (emails) about the first cruise but not about the second before we boarded.   As all communication, on board, was by paper we got it with no problems.

When the second cruise was cancelled and we had refunds available for both cruises no one was able to calculate the monetary values as we had only one "fare" and not two.

While it took a couple of months for most people to receive refunds it took us well over 5.   It only happened in the end as I had someone in Sydney who was so annoyed by what was happening that she took up the case on our behalf.   It was finally settled when a corporate lawyer from NCL in Europe became involved.   However no one was able to explain how the refunds were calculated.

 

I believe that NCL will, no longer, issue a single Reservation Number when two cruises are booked B2B and certainly will not quote a single, combined, "fare".

 

However I believe they will offer, at times, two cruises as a single cruise where there is a difference in fares and possibly in "perks" between the two B2B cruises (say 7 + 7 days) and the single 14 day cruise.   

 

However this has no bearing on the application of Latitude "perks".   As we didn't do the second cruise I don't know whether we would have "lost" a second set of Latitude "perks".   As we were on board at the time I very much doubt it!!!!!!!

 

Mike

[The Traveling Man]

19 minutes ago, casofilia said:

Regarding B2B v 2 cruises.

 

In our case the two cruises (20 days and 24 days) we booked were NOT offered as a single cruise (44 days).

 

I have come across three specific cases where people have had great difficulties where two cruises were booked in this way under a single Reservation Number.   They were slightly different to the situation I think is being discussed.   In the cases I know of the two cruises were NOT offered as a single cruise by NCL but someone had done it off their own bat!!   In our case the Future Cruise Consultant on a cruise had done that, a single Reservation Number for two B2B cruises at a single, combined, price.

 

Our problems were that we only appeared on NCL's computers as being on the first cruise and not on the second for material being sent out from Miami or Sydney.   It meant we got paperwork (emails) about the first cruise but not about the second before we boarded.   As all communication, on board, was by paper we got it with no problems.

When the second cruise was cancelled and we had refunds available for both cruises no one was able to calculate the monetary values as we had only one "fare" and not two.

While it took a couple of months for most people to receive refunds it took us well over 5.   It only happened in the end as I had someone in Sydney who was so annoyed by what was happening that she took up the case on our behalf.   It was finally settled when a corporate lawyer from NCL in Europe became involved.   However no one was able to explain how the refunds were calculated.

 

I believe that NCL will, no longer, issue a single Reservation Number when two cruises are booked B2B and certainly will not quote a single, combined, "fare".

 

However I believe they will offer, at times, two cruises as a single cruise where there is a difference in fares and possibly in "perks" between the two B2B cruises (say 7 + 7 days) and the single 14 day cruise.   

 

However this has no bearing on the application of Latitude "perks".   As we didn't do the second cruise I don't know whether we would have "lost" a second set of Latitude "perks".   As we were on board at the time I very much doubt it!!!!!!!

 

Mike

Thank you Mike.  I remembered that you had issues with that cruise, but I misremembered the exact details.  I thought it bore a closer resemblance to the matter under discussion here.  Anyway, I believe the info you presented here about your experience is valuable and enlightening.  Thanks.

 

As to NCL no longer offering cruises as either / or two short cruises or one long cruise, I have noticed that they haven't done that in the US market for a long time, certainly not since the return to sailing after the COVID shutdown, and possibly not in several years before that.  It did seem possible that they might still offer cruises that way in other markets.  You also mentioned Sydney - my mistake - I thought that since you live in NZ you booked through an NCL office there.  Thanks for pointing out that you book through the OZ office.

 

James

[casofilia]

@The Traveling Man

 

James

 

Our problem, and the others I know of, took place either just before Covid or early during Covid and I believe that they, collectively, were the cause of the change.

 

Mike

[The Traveling Man]

2 hours ago, swmichigan cruiser said:

If we can't agree on the perks no chance we can agree on hockey.

Horse hockey ???

[swmichigan cruiser]

2 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

Horse hockey ???

Polo