Sapphire Loyalty questios.

[JIMESOPUS]

@TNcruiser501 We have used this perk and found this on a CC thread. Was able to make reservations for dinner and entertainment. Was never able to find this number thru NCL FAQ.

 

Edited April 9, 2023 by JIMESOPUS

[TNcruiser501]

11 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Yeah…the whole Latitudes Concierge perk has always been a bit nebulous.  I think if you’re expecting someone who is dedicated to Latitudes members, that’s not the case.  But, the Cruise Next desk has been identified as the place to go for concierge type services.  That desk is just very limited in what services they can provide to us.

 

Certainly isn’t anywhere near the level of service as the Concierges in the Haven provide.

I probably would never use the service anyway.  I don't plan of having them find special caviar. 😀  I think NCL should explain the perk better.  Maybe "Priority Assistance at CruiseNext Desk".

[graphicguy]

3 minutes ago, TNcruiser501 said:

I probably would never use the service anyway.  I don't plan of having them find special caviar. 😀  I think NCL should explain the perk better.  Maybe "Priority Assistance at CruiseNext Desk".

No disagreement.  

[Beaver1975]

59 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Yeah…the whole Latitudes Concierge perk has always been a bit nebulous.  I think if you’re expecting someone who is dedicated to Latitudes members, that’s not the case.  But, the Cruise Next desk has been identified as the place to go for concierge type services.  That desk is just very limited in what services they can provide to us.

 

Certainly isn’t anywhere near the level of service as the Concierges in the Haven provide.

I will restate it again if you find it so nebulous.

 

 

The actual perk for non-haven guests, that need the assistance of a concierge, is provided by  the General Managers (HD) secretary.  Occasionally the HD will put you touch with the actual concierge and you will be treated the same as any Haven guest.   Personally I have received much better service from the secretary than I have from most concierges

 

[Beaver1975]

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

Yeah…the whole Latitudes Concierge perk has always been a bit nebulous.  I think if you’re expecting someone who is dedicated to Latitudes members, that’s not the case.  But, the Cruise Next desk has been identified as the place to go for concierge type services.  That desk is just very limited in what services they can provide to us.

 

Certainly isn’t anywhere near the level of service as the Concierges in the Haven provide.

I will restate it again if you find it so nebulous.

 

 

The actual perk for non-haven guests, that need the assistance of a concierge, is provided by  the General Managers (HD) secretary.  Occasionally the HD will put you touch with the actual concierge and you will be treated the same as any Haven guest.   Personally I have received much better service from the secretary than I have from most concierges

 

[TNcruiser501]

5 minutes ago, Beaver1975 said:

I will restate it again if you find it so nebulous.

 

 

The actual perk for non-haven guests, that need the assistance of a concierge, is provided by  the General Managers (HD) secretary.  Occasionally the HD will put you touch with the actual concierge and you will be treated the same as any Haven guest.   Personally I have received much better service from the secretary than I have from most concierges

 

Sounds good, but NCL should state that in their program  instead of relying on someone to share that on CC.

[mking8288]

See below - this is the contact info / email address & contact number we've used before.  Whether you will get a response and/or not, and the request(s) will be properly addressed, that's something to find out & learn once you are onboard the ship - YMMV.  Suffice to say - kindly keep your expectations low.

 

Personally, I've come to know & met a # of HD and/or GM's secretary or executive assistants over the years, but not personally aware of them being designated as the liaison or contact person (vs. the CruiseNext team) to "help" with reservations & bookings, etc. etc.  They are sometimes my "go to" for other things needed but not as a routine contact whatsoever - cannot imagine a single secretary or assistant able to be designated to serve sometimes dozens & dozens of Platinum Plus (pre-Sapphire & pre-Diamond days) ... maybe, times have changed & it sure have lately, been only on 4 NCL cruises in the past year - soon to be on another.  Will see if this is true ... certainly not from what I heard from our Sapphire friends currently onboard the Sun's TA.  

 

If and when 95% of things expected & promised are uneventful and satisfactory - I see no reasons to bypass Guest Services, CruiseNext or Housekeeping. 

 

Link below & reply were more associated with suite services and not really for Sapphire tiered help - but you get the "general ideas"

 

Thank you for your inquiry. We have sent your request for dining directly to the ship and it will be confirmed once you are onboard with Concierge. You will not see the request on your end as its sent internally. Please speak to the maitre' d in regards seating as we cannot guarantee seating. If you have any further questions feel free to let us know. 

At your service,
Norwegian Concierge Desk
P: +1 855-625-4283
NorwegianConciergeDesk@ncl.com | www.ncl.com
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.
7665 Corporate Center Drive | Miami FL 33126

 

 

Edited April 9, 2023 by mking8288

[UKstages]

29 minutes ago, Beaver1975 said:

I will restate it again if you find it so nebulous.

 

The actual perk for non-haven guests, that need the assistance of a concierge, is provided by  the General Managers (HD) secretary.  Occasionally the HD will put you touch with the actual concierge and you will be treated the same as any Haven guest.   Personally I have received much better service from the secretary than I have from most concierges

 

so, if i understand you correctly, you're stating that it is NCL's intention to provide access to the general manager's "secretary" or assistant for routine concierge-type services... booking dinner or show reservations or assistance with priority tenders or disembarkation? 

 

that is not actually the GM's nor his or her assistant's job.

 

other than listening to and soliciting general feedback about the staff, the ship and its day-to-day operations, the GM and his designee generally only get involved with customers in escalated problem resolution. when something has gone seriously wrong, you reach out to the GM who has (along with his assistant) extraordinary powers to make things right. in fact, they hold much more power than a haven concierge. so it would be odd for a platinum latitudes member in an ocean view cabin to contact them to get a routine 7:30 dinner reservation at cagney's. there is zero rationale for that.

 

i have no doubt that you have contacted the GM's assistant and received professional and courteous service. they are very much in the "making people happy" business and i'm sure they were delighted to assist you.  but, unless there has been some sort of very serious problem (not being able to get a reservation or book an excursion wouldn't normally qualify), this is simply not done. this is not in fact "an actual perk." you may have utilized their services, but that doesn't make it a perk.

 

5 minutes ago, TNcruiser501 said:

Sounds good, but NCL should state that in their program  instead of relying on someone to share that on CC.

 

they shouldn't state it because it isn't true.

 

and i can assure you that they would prefer that people didn't share this idea on cruise critic!

 

2 hours ago, Beaver1975 said:

Cruse Next is not a "concierge".  I do find them to very helpful people and if they happen to do something that the concierge should do that is a bonus.

 

substitute "general manager" or "general manager's assistant" for "cruise next" and that statement would also be true.

 

the fact is that the concierge in the haven (and his or her team) is the very same concierge that is supposed to provide service to top tier latitudes members and those in suites. in reality, haven guests get the lion's share of the concierge team's attention and keep them pretty busy. even (non-haven) suite guests only get an introductory letter from them. there is rarely any other proactive contact or assistance. concierge service for top tier latitudes members is a stated benefit, but it is an elusive ideal. 

 

the cruise next desk can indeed fill in some gaps, as others have noted, but their primary job (other than selling certificates for future travel) is to oversee and administer top tier benefits... not to make routine reservations when none are available.

[dexddd]

On 4/8/2023 at 7:31 AM, JGmf said:

 

NCL should probably amend the Latitudes perk description from "Concierge Service" to "Priority Pin Distribution Service".  Staff at the Cruise Next desk would probably be OK with that.

Heck, they couldn't even get us pins or in wine tasting as Sapphire on Prima.  They spend more time robo calling to sell cruise next.

[FLAHAM]

39 minutes ago, dexddd said:

Heck, they couldn't even get us pins or in wine tasting as Sapphire on Prima.  They spend more time robo calling to sell cruise next.

CruiseNext desk gave me a full set of pins, bronze through sapphire, on Prima’s embarkation afternoon in February.

Edited April 9, 2023 by FLAHAM

[phillygwm]

2 hours ago, TNcruiser501 said:

Sounds good, but NCL should state that in their program  instead of relying on someone to share that on CC.

This.  In reading through this thread, I'm told to go to the CN desk, call an 800 number, and to call the GM's secretary.  All, I'm sure, good ideas. None clearly stated on the website or in the welcome info in your cabin, or anywhere else AFAIK.

 

Please don't misunderstand: I appreciate many of the benefits I receive as Sapphire (you'll pry those strawberries from my cold dead hands!) but, let's be honest, some are "inflated":  Concierge is one, Internet discount (off the base rate, which nobody pays) is another.  And other benefits need to be updated, like the two free dinners, which may now be used anywhere.  Aside from this being a better/more flexible benefit than advertised, it's the most practical solution given the varying restaurants on the different ships.  I mean, who wants to read through footnotes to understand their benefit?

Edited April 9, 2023 by phillygwm

[Beaver1975]

1 hour ago, UKstages said:

 

so, if i understand you correctly, you're stating that it is NCL's intention to provide access to the general manager's "secretary" or assistant for routine concierge-type services... booking dinner or show reservations or assistance with priority tenders or disembarkation? 

 

that is not actually the GM's nor his or her assistant's job.

 

other than listening to and soliciting general feedback about the staff, the ship and its day-to-day operations, the GM and his designee generally only get involved with customers in escalated problem resolution. when something has gone seriously wrong, you reach out to the GM who has (along with his assistant) extraordinary powers to make things right. in fact, they hold much more power than a haven concierge. so it would be odd for a platinum latitudes member in an ocean view cabin to contact them to get a routine 7:30 dinner reservation at cagney's. there is zero rationale for that.

 

i have no doubt that you have contacted the GM's assistant and received professional and courteous service. they are very much in the "making people happy" business and i'm sure they were delighted to assist you.  but, unless there has been some sort of very serious problem (not being able to get a reservation or book an excursion wouldn't normally qualify), this is simply not done. this is not in fact "an actual perk." you may have utilized their services, but that doesn't make it a perk.

 

 

they shouldn't state it because it isn't true.

 

and i can assure you that they would prefer that people didn't share this idea on cruise critic!

 

 

substitute "general manager" or "general manager's assistant" for "cruise next" and that statement would also be true.

 

the fact is that the concierge in the haven (and his or her team) is the very same concierge that is supposed to provide service to top tier latitudes members and those in suites. in reality, haven guests get the lion's share of the concierge team's attention and keep them pretty busy. even (non-haven) suite guests only get an introductory letter from them. there is rarely any other proactive contact or assistance. concierge service for top tier latitudes members is a stated benefit, but it is an elusive ideal. 

 

the cruise next desk can indeed fill in some gaps, as others have noted, but their primary job (other than selling certificates for future travel) is to oversee and administer top tier benefits... not to make routine reservations when none are available.

I will not even try to counter all of the misinformation contained here.  I have been presenting my personal experiences and what I have been told by the people involved.  This has occurred over my past 10-15 cruises that I am basing my post on.  Now, there a number of "know it alls" that believe they know the only truth that exists. So be it, I will continue to enjoy the "concierge" perk as it has been presented to me.  The rest of you can follow which ever path you believe works for you.  I am done here.

[TNcruiser501]

7 minutes ago, phillygwm said:

This.  In reading through this thread, I'm told to go to the CN desk, call an 800 number, and to call the GM's secretary.  All, I'm sure, good ideas. None clearly stated on the website or in the welcome info in your cabin, or anywhere else AFAIK.

 

Please don't misunderstand: I appreciate many of the benefits I receive as Sapphire (you'll pry those strawberries from my cold dead hands!) but, let's be honest, some are "inflated":  Concierge is one, Internet discount (off the base rate, which nobody pays) is another.  And other benefits need to be updated, like the two free dinners, which may now be used anywhere.  Aside from this being a better/more flexible benefit than advertised, it's the most practical solution given the varying restaurants on the different ships.  I mean, who wants to read through footnotes to understand their benefit?

Totally agree.

[phillygwm]

1 hour ago, dexddd said:

Heck, they couldn't even get us pins or in wine tasting as Sapphire on Prima.  They spend more time robo calling to sell cruise next.

Maybe they'll be more helpful if I make my request in conjunction with purchasing a couple certs 🙂

[julig22]

3 minutes ago, phillygwm said:

Maybe they'll be more helpful if I make my request in conjunction with purchasing a couple certs 🙂

On my last cruise, they would only make adjustments to my upcoming but already booked cruises if I also bought CNs.  New policy, I really don't know.  But I don't think it's unreasonable either, especially after reading some of the responses in this thread!

[UKstages]

2 hours ago, Beaver1975 said:

will not even try to counter all of the misinformation contained here.

 

oh, my goodness, please do try.

 

i, for one, would welcome the feedback. we're all here to learn and share.

 

and, lawd knows, i make misteaks all the time. i'd be eager to learn what was misstated in my post, so the error can be corrected.

 

2 hours ago, Beaver1975 said:

Now, there a number of "know it alls" that believe they know the only truth that exists.

 

we are in complete agreement.

 

and you pretty much just described every online forum.

 

2 hours ago, Beaver1975 said:

I have been presenting my personal experiences...

 

indeed. i noted that in my post. ("i have no doubt that you have contacted the GM's assistant and received professional and courteous service.")

 

i think we all believe that you have contacted the GM's office when you need help with something, although that bit about having based your experience on 10 - 15 cruises is new for post #37, as is the data that you were told this by the "people involved." you hadn't mentioned either of those things before. it does lend credibility to your comments.

 

i think what most find incredible is that a GM's assistant would have the responsibility of potentially  tending to the ordinary booking requests of 1500 or 2000 (or more) passengers. and that NCL has never advised anybody of this method of utilizing concierge-like services. and that passengers who speak directly with the  GM's office would enjoy a higher priority for their requests than passengers sailing in the haven. it doesn't make any sense. 

 

if true (it isn't), that would be a terrible business decision by NCL to devote such limited resources to such a monumental task.

[debenson0723]

3 hours ago, FLAHAM said:

CruiseNext desk gave me a full set of pins, bronze through sapphire, on Prima’s embarkation afternoon in February.

I got a full set of pins also on the Prima TA in September. 

[graphicguy]

5 hours ago, mking8288 said:

See below - this is the contact info / email address & contact number we've used before.  Whether you will get a response and/or not, and the request(s) will be properly addressed, that's something to find out & learn once you are onboard the ship - YMMV.  Suffice to say - kindly keep your expectations low.

 

Personally, I've come to know & met a # of HD and/or GM's secretary or executive assistants over the years, but not personally aware of them being designated as the liaison or contact person (vs. the CruiseNext team) to "help" with reservations & bookings, etc. etc.  They are sometimes my "go to" for other things needed but not as a routine contact whatsoever - cannot imagine a single secretary or assistant able to be designated to serve sometimes dozens & dozens of Platinum Plus (pre-Sapphire & pre-Diamond days) ... maybe, times have changed & it sure have lately, been only on 4 NCL cruises in the past year - soon to be on another.  Will see if this is true ... certainly not from what I heard from our Sapphire friends currently onboard the Sun's TA.  

 

If and when 95% of things expected & promised are uneventful and satisfactory - I see no reasons to bypass Guest Services, CruiseNext or Housekeeping. 

 

Link below & reply were more associated with suite services and not really for Sapphire tiered help - but you get the "general ideas"

 

Thank you for your inquiry. We have sent your request for dining directly to the ship and it will be confirmed once you are onboard with Concierge. You will not see the request on your end as its sent internally. Please speak to the maitre' d in regards seating as we cannot guarantee seating. If you have any further questions feel free to let us know. 

At your service,
Norwegian Concierge Desk
P: +1 855-625-4283
NorwegianConciergeDesk@ncl.com | www.ncl.com
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.
7665 Corporate Center Drive | Miami FL 33126

 

 

Thanks!

[graphicguy]

53 minutes ago, debenson0723 said:

I got a full set of pins also on the Prima TA in September. 

Got all my pins from the Cruise Next desk from the person. who also helped as my “concierge”!

[ziggyuk]

This is what the Latitudes T&Cs says on the subject.

 

 

 

[Beaver1975]

The GM’s secretary is not responsible for the restaurant reservations for 2,000 or more passengers. The comments at the beginning of all this was based on Platinum Latitudes and above Concierge perk. As I said there are a few “no it alls” that pass around misinformation. 

[UKstages]

6 minutes ago, Beaver1975 said:

The GM’s secretary is not responsible for the restaurant reservations for 2,000 or more passengers.

 

agreed! i very much appreciate your saying this! thank you!

 

6 minutes ago, Beaver1975 said:

The comments at the beginning of all this was based on Platinum Latitudes and above Concierge perk.

 

yes, that is correct!

 

and what i actually said was that i doubted that the GM's assistant would be given the responsibility of "potentially tending to the ordinary booking requests of 1500 or 2000 (or more) passengers." you seem to have a different impression of the number of folks eligible for the benefit than i. and that's certainly valid.

 

but you also seem to be conflating "passengers" with "platinum members" (and above). please remember that most people travel in a group of two or more people. so to take care of the reservations of 1500 passengers would mean there only need be 750 platinum (or above) members on board. you don't need to be a platinum member yourself to have a concierge reserve something for you, if you're traveling with a platinum member. the platinum member makes the reservation, which is for at least two passengers.

 

so how many on a ship of 4,000 plus passengers are platinum, sapphire, diamond and ambassador? how many are eligible for this benefit? is it a dozen, do you suppose? is it sixty? is it a thousand?

 

let's say it's just sixty. i'm pretty darn sure it is hundreds more than that, especially after a year or more of double and triple points promos. but let's say it's just sixty... out of 4,000 passengers. and let's say that only half of those attempt to utilize the concierge services perk on any given day. let's also say that it takes ten minutes to talk to that passenger, find out what they'd like and make the appropriate reservations. some bookings might take twenty minutes, some might take an hour, but let's call it ten minutes. that would be 300 minutes - or five hours - to process just one interaction for each of those thirty passengers. you really think the GM's assistant has that much free time to do something that is not a primary job responsibility? five hours? and what if there were eighty platinums and above requesting services? the assistant would not have enough time to answer the phone and process the requests and do his or her primary job. and how long do you think NCL could keep such an assistant who was subject to such relentless pressure?

 

32 minutes ago, Beaver1975 said:

As I said there are a few “no it alls” that pass around misinformation. 

 

oh, my goodness.

 

if by "no it alls" you mean me, that's disappointing. and not really accurate, quite frankly. there is a lot i don't know. that's why i am on cruise critic... to learn from others. perhaps it's the same for you. (perhaps not.) is there something you think you could possibly learn from your fellow cruisers?

 

look, i'm not saying you didn't receive concierge services from the GM's assistant. i'm quite confident you have. i'm not saying somebody told you to talk to the GM...somebody probably did. what i'm saying is that the GM's assistant is not responsible for providing concierge services for an entire ship full of elite passengers and their guests. it is not a platinum (and above) perk to talk to the GM's assistant and have him or her book reservations for you.

 

please don't get hung up on the number of people! it could be 1500, it could be 2000, it could be 120. whatever the number, it would be an impossible task for the GM's assistant to achieve.

 

in closing, i do believe the good people of this forum are fully capable of deciding for themselves which ideas are impractical and fantastic, as well as who knows it all, who knows a little and who - like jon snow - knows nothing.