Latitudes

[NoleMini]

So after all the cruises you see below that we have done with NCL, we have had an issue that apparently cannot be resolved. We cruised this spring on the Getaway, and missed the Latitude offer by 2 days. No biggie- we booked a little 3 day out of Miami this fall with a Latitude insider offer. After we got back, the extra points were not there (we are like 1-2 points away from being Platinum, the whole point of taking the 3 day cruise). We called- the rep said she could see the insider offer but our cruise was "not booked that way" and was just a special pricing. We were told to send it to the Latitude Department, which we did six weeks ago. Today we got an email denying the points.

 

So, apparently even though we booked thorough NCL specifically regarding an insider offer (apparently had to be marked "LATITUDE" to get to Platinum, the person from NCL that booked the 3 day cruise did not mark it as such, and therefore we do not get the 2 points required to make Platinum. We did not even get the courtesy of a personal response and instead got a scripted email. We will be cancelling our 9 day Alaska trip that has been booked for next May and will not cruise or recommend NCL in the future.

 

So for those Latitude members out there booking using insider offers, MAKE SURE you have whatever code you need marked on your booking or you will get screwed for a few points. (We needed 5 each to get to Platinum, the Sky would have been 3 each, or 6 for the insider offer.)

[thatjoeguy]

So you liked NCL enough to get to (almost) platinum level, but not enough to stick with them after you missed a few points?

[NoleMini]

I think you are missing the point- the POINT of this post is that we are missing points we were scheduled to get and are NOT. I simply want other rewards folks to be aware of this possible bait and switch scheme and get their points as they deserve. :cool:

[Demonyte]

I think you are missing the point- the POINT of this post is that we are missing points we were scheduled to get and are NOT. I simply want other rewards folks to be aware of this possible bait and switch scheme and get their points as they deserve. :cool:

 

I have to agree with thatjoeguy's amazement. As you were told, you were not scheduled to get any extra points because there was no special code attached to the reservation, maybe because the rep did screw up or because of some other reason.

 

It is unfortunate that you thought that you'd get those points but the Latitudes dept seems to have made the right call based on your reservation. What comes to the response, the Latitudes dept is overloaded as it is, I take template answer over longer delays or possibly even no answer at all anytime.

[cliffd64]

I think you are missing the point- the POINT of this post is that we are missing points we were scheduled to get and are NOT. I simply want other rewards folks to be aware of this possible bait and switch scheme and get their points as they deserve. :cool:

 

I'm curious why you immediately jump to a conclusion that it was "bait and switch" when perhaps it was just the reservation clerk's mistake that cost you the points? Perhaps they thought they were doing you a favor in getting you the best possible deal and did not understand you needed the points to become platinum...

 

Not everything is a nefarious as it would seem... I really don't think they try to "bait and switch" people out of a couple of points. Not much to gain from NCL's perspective by doing that.

 

My suggestion to avoid this in the future is to pay attention to the offer codes on your receipt and if you don't see what you are looking for (i.e. LATTITUDES) then have it corrected immediately. Also, if it was important to get the extra points, that probably would be good to communicate to whomever is doing the reservation so they can ensure you get what you are interested in.

 

In any event, if you enjoy another cruise, you will achieve Platinum status in no time :) I think you should reconsider your stance and go for the platinum status.. the only people you are punishing here are yourselves. You're 97 percent of the way to platinum... why turn away from it now? Whatever you decide to do... Enjoy! :)

Edited November 25, 2014 by cliffd64

[SeaShark]

I think you are missing the point- the POINT of this post is that we are missing points we were scheduled to get and are NOT. I simply want other rewards folks to be aware of this possible bait and switch scheme and get their points as they deserve. :cool:

 

You aren't scheduled to get points unless you have the proper type of booking. There are a few different Latitude offers, but only the inside offer will get the bonus points. Many people assume that all Latitude offers have the bonus points, but that isn't the case.

[violettewaits]

So you received the regular points for the sailing, just not the extra offer ones?

 

I think they do go by a special promo code that needs to be entered for bookings, but nonetheless, considering how loyal you have obviously been to the brand, I can understand why you would be annoyed. I would definitely try to fight it a bit further, especially since it seems like its the fault of whoever you spoke to at NCL to make the booking.

[maywell]

Question- did you get Latitudes OBC that comes with room category? Because if you didn't, then it was probably the Latidudes reduced fare and that's tricky to resolve.

 

Sorry that happen to you - know that has to hurt paying for that and it not even credited properly.

 

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[NoleShaun]

Just for clarification, this was a Latitude Insider offer that was listed on ncl.com and booked directly from there under our login. Unfortunately, the website did not mention that you had to manually enter the code LATITUDE to get the proper credit - it just said this particular cruise was an Insider Offer so we booked it.

[weltek]

Were there other offers that you may have been eligible for (e.g., AARP discount) that made it cheaper, and thus somehow during the booking the LATOFFER was overridden with the AARP pricing? That can get super confusing. I always get frustrating when things aren't combinable, and I ended up torn between two offers.

 

Or did you change rooms before the sailing and thus there might have been a "negating all previous offers" issue going on?

 

Otherwise it seems strange, like it had to have been an error, and I'd keep asking.

[Rhea98]

Just for clarification, this was a Latitude Insider offer that was listed on ncl.com and booked directly from there under our login. Unfortunately, the website did not mention that you had to manually enter the code LATITUDE to get the proper credit - it just said this particular cruise was an Insider Offer so we booked it.

Sorry you have to deal with this. I also find the listings under "Insiders Offers" very confusing. One place will say to look for an "L" icon for applicable vacations. When I use the link provided from the Insiders site, only a very few sailings actually show that icon. I've only once seen information directing to fill in a code at booking. I'm sure I missed it at other times.

Good luck with your endeavor. Persistence seems to be the key.

[footballbabe3]

I understand your frustration. Stick it out and get the needed points on your next cruise. Then sit and laugh while enjoying all of your Plat. Perks. Your so close at this point. Don't ruin for yourself.

[radzer0]

Watch out for circus cruise lines. They hide under many names but it's still ran by clowns.

[rvsullivan]

Just for clarification, this was a Latitude Insider offer that was listed on ncl.com and booked directly from there under our login. Unfortunately, the website did not mention that you had to manually enter the code LATITUDE to get the proper credit - it just said this particular cruise was an Insider Offer so we booked it.

 

I know your upset, but when you book online for yourself, you are acting as your own agent. If you know all the codes and process's you have to use it's ok. However, as you found, it may have been better to have used an agent?

I don't think this is bait and switch though. That would be offering you one thing and giving another. They offered you a promotion, you just didn't know what codes to use.

[20YearsBetweenCruises]

I learned this lesson also. Every change we made to our last cruise I confirmed that we still had our extra latitudes points. Some discounts we turned down because I was told we would lose points ( like kids sail free). After the cruise I found out we did not get the extra latitudes points. But my sister did even though we made the same changes. Our reservations were done via a TA. She tried to get the points added but no luck. She was told my sister should not have gotten the points either. So the mistake was her getting points not me not getting them. I was pretty bummed too but let it go. Really is one less cruise without the extra Platinum perks . I wish they made it easier to see the points you will earn prior to cruising.

So let's add what we will be missing not being platinum on one cruise:

Laundry- $25

Le bistro -$22

2 bottles of wine -$50

Behind the scene ship tour -$79

Chocolate covered strawberries - $12

 

Total - $188 x2 = $376

 

Hmmmm.... That's a lot! Now I'm mad again too! But still going on my next NCL cruise (booked Epic for May) But next time I book an inside offer I will request to see the "codes" after the booking so there won't be any surprises.

 

 

 

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[Demonyte]

The calculation above is incorrect about every item. :) The laundry is $27.99 nowadays, behind the scenes tour for Platinums is only a very light version of the paid tour, there are only one strawberries per cabin, as well as only one bottle of wine per dinner - Le Bistro you'll get twice for each person though (but the price isn't $22 ea).

[20YearsBetweenCruises]

So the 2 bottles of wine was one with dinner, one in stateroom. The Bistro is $20 I believe. So how is this:

 

Items per person:

Bistro & wine -$20 +$25 = $45

laundry - $28

 

Total per person - 73

 

Item per stateroom

Strawberry - $12

Wine -$25

Total per stateroom = $37

 

Total value of platinum perks (73x2) +37 = $183 and the scaled back behind the scene tour.

 

 

 

 

 

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[bowbiter]

OP have you tried posting to the FB page? I know you have to type "LATITUDES" as the promo when booking to get credit but I'm sure you aren't the only one who has made that mistake. Maybe whoever responds will be more understanding about your situation.

 

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[clean1owner]

So after all the cruises you see below that we have done with NCL, we have had an issue that apparently cannot be resolved. We cruised this spring on the Getaway, and missed the Latitude offer by 2 days. No biggie- we booked a little 3 day out of Miami this fall with a Latitude insider offer. After we got back, the extra points were not there (we are like 1-2 points away from being Platinum, the whole point of taking the 3 day cruise). We called- the rep said she could see the insider offer but our cruise was "not booked that way" and was just a special pricing. We were told to send it to the Latitude Department, which we did six weeks ago. Today we got an email denying the points.

 

So, apparently even though we booked thorough NCL specifically regarding an insider offer (apparently had to be marked "LATITUDE" to get to Platinum, the person from NCL that booked the 3 day cruise did not mark it as such, and therefore we do not get the 2 points required to make Platinum. We did not even get the courtesy of a personal response and instead got a scripted email. We will be cancelling our 9 day Alaska trip that has been booked for next May and will not cruise or recommend NCL in the future.

 

So for those Latitude members out there booking using insider offers, MAKE SURE you have whatever code you need marked on your booking or you will get screwed for a few points. (We needed 5 each to get to Platinum, the Sky would have been 3 each, or 6 for the insider offer.)

 

I think you are missing the point- the POINT of this post is that we are missing points we were scheduled to get and are NOT. I simply want other rewards folks to be aware of this possible bait and switch scheme and get their points as they deserve. :cool:

 

 

Just for clarification, this was a Latitude Insider offer that was listed on ncl.com and booked directly from there under our login. Unfortunately, the website did not mention that you had to manually enter the code LATITUDE to get the proper credit - it just said this particular cruise was an Insider Offer so we booked it.

 

 

 

First it was "the person from NCL that booked the cruise did not mark it as such", definitely implying that you had booked the trip through an NCL rep, who was not doing their job properly.

 

 

Next it was a "bait and switch", now trying to imply that the NCL rep deliberately didn't mark it as LATITUDES, just so you don't reach Platinum.

How on earth would NCL benefit by blocking you from reaching Platinum?

 

 

Finally, at least some of the truth comes out when you admit you booked the trip yourself through the NCL website, and failed to enter the LATITUDE code. If the real problem is that the website is confusing and does not clearly direct you to enter the code, why try and direct blame to NCL agents deliberately trying to prevent your rise to Platinum?

 

There is a foul smell arising from this complaint.

So who is really doing the baiting and switching?

[maywell]

Dunno, To me the only Latitudes level I would want because it makes it easy to come on and get off the ship sooner is the Gold Level due to priority check-in, disembark and tendering. Everything else is just fluff to me. The only genuine good thing(s) at Platinum level is probably the Concierge Service and Complimentary dinner at Le Bistro, and even those are like meh...

[All-ready2cruise]

The simplest thing I can say as far as Latitude points are concerned is this: I cruise b/c I love to cruise and if the cruise line gives me loyalty points to stick with them, that's great but it won't change whether I stick with them.

 

If I start worrying about not getting points for the cruises I take anyway, doesn't that diminish the enjoyment of cruising and therefore devalue the Latitude points anyway? I understand it's upsetting not to get that free bag of laundry or box of chocolates, however, those things are gifts, not mandatory items NCL includes in it's list of included items. I love little presents.

 

Why would I even bother thinking about points in that way?

 

JMHO

[4774Papa]

NCL is being chicken----

I would write a letter to the company president.

[triptolemus]

Usually when I read "bait and switch" I file it alongside those other posts that tout "complain to the Better Business Bureau" and "blow them up on social media"...

[maywell]

Usually when I read "bait and switch" I file it alongside those other posts that tout "complain to the Better Business Bureau" and "blow them up on social media"...

You mean the 'are they serious?!?' and 'some research and/or reading could had prevent that" postings on social media and BBB? Those are always interesting and humorous to read....

 

But the OP's case, I have to admit is kinda valid complaint regarding Latitudes points / fare. I'm under the assumption that the Latidudes Rewards Inside Offer was the one that gives out OBC depending on room category that one paid for plus extra point- which is why I asked that question. And the Latidudes reduced fare just takes off a bit if money off the fare but doesn't mean you'll get inside offer extra point nor the room category OBC. The way you know if its a genuine Latidudes Inside Offer before it credited into points is to see if you got OBC for it in your reservation on the left-hand side on MyNCL. And if one make any changes to the reservation, you have to ask if you will lose inside offer or not.

 

Me personally, I usually book at least one reservation 9 months to a year out, so I'll get an extra point regardless. But that's annoying if the trip is not an Latitudes inside offer when booking in less than 9 months, on top of if its not a suite / Haven - I'll be upset too.

[hpecorari]

NCL is being chicken----

I would write a letter to the company president.

 

I'm not to sure about that. First OP said the agent put the reservation in wrong. Later during the thread OP said she booked it online himself/herself but didn't know he/she needed to put the promotional code in.

 

So....who really booked it?

 

Harriet