Diamond Upgrade Success....or Not?

[Sand and Seas]

Well I'm confused....

My usually knowledgeable CAS agent says they are still haven't had any questions answered about the Diamond Upgrade.  So, can any of you who have attempted to use the Diamond Upgrade give us your experience?  It sounds like it's all up to waiting for Latitudes to decide on each upgrade.

 

#1   Has anyone tried to use the upgrade for a longer than 7 day cruise?   (I would like it for an 11 day🤞)

#2-   Were you able to get a decent 'upgrade' with some cabin choices?

#3-   Is it one year to Book, or one year to use?

 

And, any other info you have?

 

With so many of us making Diamond Status on the same day, this one year to use (for the two of us) is going to be interesting.  It's especially difficult if cruises are still cancelling.  

 

 

 

Edited January 17, 2022 by Sand and Seas

[The Traveling Man]

1 hour ago, Sand and Seas said:

Well I'm confused....

My usually knowledgeable CAS agent says they are still haven't had any questions answered about the Diamond Upgrade.  So, can any of you who have attempted to use the Diamond Upgrade give us your experience?  It sounds like it's all up to waiting for Latitudes to decide on each upgrade.

 

#1   Has anyone tried to use the upgrade for a longer than 7 day cruise?   (I would like it for an 11 day🤞)

#2-   Were you able to get a decent 'upgrade' with some cabin choices?

#3-   Is it one year to Book, or one year to use?

 

And, any other info you have?

 

With so many of us making Diamond Status on the same day, this one year to use (for the two of us) is going to be interesting.  It's especially difficult if cruises are still cancelling.  

 

 

 

Yes, I was successful in redeeming a Diamond upgrade.  Per the instructions in the recently modified Latitudes benefits page on the NCL website, I called the dedicated phone number.  The person who answered the call identified herself as "just a regular telephone agent," not a specialist, but she did look up the terms & conditions and offer to assist.  She took all of my information, the reservation number, my choice of new cabin number, etc., and said that she would relay the information to the "Latitudes Desk" for further action.  I advised her that if NCL was not able to upgrade me to the specific stateroom number I had requested then they should cancel the request. 

 

Two days later I received an email with the upgrade cabin number I had chosen.  All of the perks we had arranged when we originally booked the cruise were still in place except those related to the new Latitudes benefits.  Our 60 minutes per person of free internet had been removed from the booking.  That was disappointing but not surprising.  I expect that all future cruises, even those booked before the new Latitudes rules went into effect, will lose those free minutes.  The reservation did still have our 500 internet minutes that we received as a Free at Sea perk, just not the additional 60 min pp. 

 

Our cruise is a 14 day Transatlantic, we got the exact room we wanted, and there was very little effort on our part to get the upgrade (Balcony to Club).  There has been significant discussion on Cruise Critic over the past week concerning whether the benefit must be used on a cruise that sails within a year or merely claimed and applied within a year.  I didn't want to take any chances so I jumped on it immediately.  NCL announced the benefit on Monday, I called in my upgrade request on Tuesday, and I received the confirmation on Thursday.  Easy Peasy.

[casofilia]

There has been quite a lot of chatter about 3-   Is it one year to Book, or one year to use?.

 

As usual NCL has put information out that will have to be corrected to explain which of the two is correct.

[Sand and Seas]

Thanks for your responses!   

@The Traveling Man-  good to know that it worked for your 14 day.  

 

I tried calling the 'dedicated number' today, but got a random agent who put me on hold to 'check on the benefit'.   When she came back, she told me that she had already sent the request to Latitudes desk and that I would have NO choice about vetoing an assigned cabin in a bad location.  Totally shocked me, so I asked her to withdraw the request.    Back on hold for awhile, but then she said she had sent a cancellation message to Latitudes.

 

  I'm going to wait and call back in another few days and try to get someone who will add my wishes to the request.   I'd rather keep my current cabin then end up in a cabin in a noisy area.   

 

[complawyer]

im a little confused (but still a ways from diamond) i thought i read that the cabin upgrade stopped at club balcony. is this correct? will they not upgrade to a suite or a haven from a club balcony?

 

if not, what is the actual benefit of an upgrade if you usually book a suite?

i dont mean so sound like a diva or prima donna, but i'm like sthrngary in my choice of cabins

 

[MagnoliaBlossom]

I was the first person to contact my excellent PCC and she contacted the upgrade dept. who gave us an unacceptable cabin on deck 8, right above the theater.   She said that to reach the upgrade people I had to do it solely by email and gave me the address.

 

meanwhile, I reread my Diamond letter with the upgrade phone number.   I called it and a very polite and knowledgeable gentleman got me a cabin on deck 9.  Apparently upgrades to balconies get you only to the BF category.

 

I did ask my PCC if I could book an inside, use world points to receive an OV and then upgrade to a balcony and she said she was pretty sure the system would not allow that because of the way it was coded.  But - if ya’ don’t ask, the answer is always “no”.

 
before I rediscovered the phone number I had written the Diamond upgrade department.  They responded a day or so later and said the only decks with cabins for upgrades were 8 and 9, reinforced my belief that upgrades only went to the lowest level balcony.    
 

im not one to whine a lot about perks, but it seems to me that since this is a one time upgrade, anything to a BA should. E offered.  It’s not like we’ve had three cruises and are expecting a Haven suite.   Especially since they removed our internet minutes.  When I use my word points, I have to book the highest category room, whether In or OV to upgrade to a balcony (30,000 or 60,000 points) but I receive a BA cabin.  I just don’t understand NCLs treatment of its upper level loyalists.

 

I’ll be interested in reading everyone else’s upgrade responses.

 

 

[kjquilts]

 

Link to the Latitudes Rewards FAQ & Terms at the bottom of the main Latitudes Rewards Page is copied and pasted below.  Also copied the very first footnote that gives the phone number to call to request Diamond stateroom upgrade..... doesn't sound like that is going very well.

 

^* Please visit our Latitudes Rewards Terms & Conditions for more details.

https://www.ncl.com/latitudes-rewards-program/benefits-terms-and-conditions

 

¹ To redeem your one-time free cabin upgrade, please call 1-866-625-6086.

 

This is from the FAQ section of the Latitudes Rewards FAQ & Terms

 

What cabin categories are included in the one-time complimentary cabin upgrade?

 

The cabin upgrade is not eligible for Suites or Haven. The highest cabin category that a member may be upgraded to is Club Balcony.

 

This is from the Program Terms & Conditions section of the Latitudes Rewards FAQ & Terms

One-Time Free Cabin Upgrade – Diamond

Diamond members will be offered a one-time complimentary cabin upgrade once they have reached the Diamond tier. The cabin upgrade is valid for one category increase from the category that the guest booked. The Latitudes member must first make their booking, then call to redeem their complimentary cabin upgrade. The cabin upgrade is not eligible for Suites or Haven. The highest cabin category that a member may be upgraded to is Club Balcony. Eligible members will have one (1) year to take the complimentary cabin upgrade after graduating to the Diamond tier.

The complimentary cabin upgrade may only be redeemed once for each member. There are no destination restrictions but holiday sailings are excluded. All upgrades are subject to availability. This benefit is not combinable with other cabin upgrade promotions or offers. Taxes and fees are not included. Complimentary cabin upgrades are non-transferable.

Terms and conditions are subject to change and inventory is subject to availability.

Edited January 18, 2022 by kjquilts

[Sand and Seas]

32 minutes ago, MagnoliaBlossom said:

I was the first person to contact my excellent PCC and she contacted the upgrade dept. who gave us an unacceptable cabin on deck 8, right above the theater.   She said that to reach the upgrade people I had to do it solely by email and gave me the address.

 

 

Do you have the email address for the Latitudes Upgrade desk?   

 

I had a very unsuccessful call with the non-Latitudes person who answered the Latitudes line.   I would like to try an email to Latitudes to give them a list of the 10 or so cabins I would be happy to upgrade to.

[Sand and Seas]

48 minutes ago, MagnoliaBlossom said:

 

im not one to whine a lot about perks, but it seems to me that since this is a one time upgrade, anything to a BA should. E offered.  It’s not like we’ve had three cruises and are expecting a Haven suite.   

 

 

I totally agree!  If they are rewarding our loyalty, you would think they would make this one category upgrade something that feels more special.   

 

The generic person who answered my call sounded like I had NO choice of what they could give me.  Told me I had to take what they decided to give me.  This made me feel very NOT appreciated.   All I would like is to know what type and deck of cabin I could get and then make the choice to say yes or keep my original cabin.   

Edited January 18, 2022 by Sand and Seas

[NW Pacific]

??? must have missed what it takes to get from Platinum Plus to Diamond? anyone that has time, let me know.  I could dig deep for info on NCL, but you guys have better info

[kjquilts]

4 minutes ago, NW Pacific said:

??? must have missed what it takes to get from Platinum Plus to Diamond? anyone that has time, let me know.  I could dig deep for info on NCL, but you guys have better info

 

Platinum Plus is gone.  Sapphire starts at 150 points followed by Diamond at 350 points followed by Ambassador at 700 points.  See the Latitudes Rewards section 🙂

Edited January 18, 2022 by kjquilts

[NW Pacific]

kjquilts,  thanks from another Oregonian, guess we are between  Diamond  Ambassador now.  Geez, did not receive any msg. from NCL, just got off the Bliss, like having your own private Ship.    

[kjquilts]

2 minutes ago, NW Pacific said:

kjquilts,  thanks from another Oregonian, guess we are between  Diamond  Ambassador now.  Geez, did not receive any msg. from NCL, just got off the Bliss, like having your own private Ship.    

 We (CC board readers) have had a few days to try and digest the changes.  After you rest up take a look and see what you think.   If you are Diamond the one time stateroom upgrade being discussed applies to you.

 

Final payment is due Friday for our May Alaska cruise on the Bliss.  We'll probably go ahead and make payment even though it is irritating we have to pay 120 days prior to the cruise in a pandemic.  We love the Bliss and can drive to Seattle if we want to avoid airports and airplanes.  We did two Pacific Coastals on her and didn't have a problem with crowds except for having to go early to the Cavern Club for the Beatles.  Hope you had a wonderful cruise.

[The Traveling Man]

3 hours ago, complawyer said:

im a little confused (but still a ways from diamond) i thought i read that the cabin upgrade stopped at club balcony. is this correct? will they not upgrade to a suite or a haven from a club balcony?

 

if not, what is the actual benefit of an upgrade if you usually book a suite?

i dont mean so sound like a diva or prima donna, but i'm like sthrngary in my choice of cabins

 

Yes, the maximum you can go to with the Diamond upgrade benefit is a Club stateroom.  Sorry, but if you usually travel in a Suite or the Haven, this perk would be of no benefit to you.

[complawyer]

traveling man, thank you for confirming.  so even if i dont book a suite or haven, and choose to book a club balcony (which used to be called mini suites) then there is no upgrade available either, correct.

 

so if anyone sailing books a club balcony or higher, this new perk and status is really of no value.

 

i never look a gift horse in the mouth, and i've posted before people have complained about the latitudes program, and now that it has been revamped, some are still b**ching about the new status, but i feel, once again this is an excellent example of ncl's underwhelming generosity.

so in the end, i'll just keep booking the cabins i really want, and not worry about reaching diamond status. we've been platinum+ for a few years, and now i dont mind that they call it sapphire ( arose by any other name,etc)

[MagnoliaBlossom]

9 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

Yes, the maximum you can go to with the Diamond upgrade benefit is a Club stateroom.  Sorry, but if you usually travel in a Suite or the Haven, this perk would be of no benefit to you.

That is not what I was told either on the phone or in the email I received.   Upgrade is to a BF on decks 8 and 9.   

[MagnoliaBlossom]

10 hours ago, Sand and Seas said:

Do you have the email address for the Latitudes Upgrade desk?   

 

I had a very unsuccessful call with the non-Latitudes person who answered the Latitudes line.   I would like to try an email to Latitudes to give them a list of the 10 or so cabins I would be happy to upgrade to.

latitudesupport@ncl.com

[The Traveling Man]

1 hour ago, MagnoliaBlossom said:

That is not what I was told either on the phone or in the email I received.   Upgrade is to a BF on decks 8 and 9.   

The Diamond upgrade benefit provides the opportunity to move up one category, i.e. Inside to Ocean View, OV to Balcony, or Balcony to Club.  Only Suites and the Haven are excluded from this benefit.  If you currently are booked in an OV, then your upgrade only could be to a Balcony.  If you already are booked in a Balcony, then you could upgrade to a Club, subject to availability.  Also please note that the upgrade must be to the same or lesser subcategory as the one in which you currently are booked.  For example, if you are booked in an OD room, you could move up to a BD, but not to a BA stateroom.  For more details, please see the NCL Latitudes Program Benefits at

https://www.ncl.com/latitudes-rewards-program#tier_benefits

and the Terms & Conditions at

https://www.ncl.com/latitudes-rewards-program/benefits-terms-and-conditions

[The Traveling Man]

10 hours ago, complawyer said:

traveling man, thank you for confirming.  so even if i dont book a suite or haven, and choose to book a club balcony (which used to be called mini suites) then there is no upgrade available either, correct.

 

so if anyone sailing books a club balcony or higher, this new perk and status is really of no value.

 

That is correct.  My wife and I have splurged on a Suite or the Haven on about one-fourth of our NCL cruises.  Early on, we occasionally sailed in an Inside cabin.  Never again!  More than half of our cruises, though, have been in Balconies, so the Diamond upgrade to a Club Balcony is a real benefit for passengers like us.  We also have used World Points on our NCL-branded Master Card to upgrade several time from OV to Balcony, and once we had double-meta-upgrade from Inside to Balcony.  The restrictions on that program limit you to a maximum upgrade to a Balcony stateroom, so the new Diamond upgrade takes things a step further.

[Sand and Seas]

Some great information everyone is sharing!    

 

I called this morning and a much friendlier agent answered the call.  He was willing to list the cabin numbers I would be happy with in the MC category.  Now I can sit back and wait 'up to 72 hours' for the Latitudes department to assign (or not).     

 

Also very happy to have that Latitudes email address so I can follow up in the event that they ignore my request and the assigned cabin is not better than my current BF Balcony.  (Current balcony is reported to have 58 sq ft.)

[MagnoliaBlossom]

Of course it should come as no surprise to any of us that what is printed, is not followed, and every agent at NCL has their own interpretation of said rules.   When my PCC started our booking, she told me I was her first customer to do a Diamond upgrade so she placed me on hold while she called the help desk to get the procedure.   Would have been nice to have had the opportunity to pick a better cabin, especially as I paid for the highest OV in order to receive the lowest balcony.

 

I imagine they will figure it out eventually, in the meantime, enjoy the show! 

[Beaver1975]

After all these years of experiencing the Latitudes rewards program I am astounded that any of you expected something worthwhile in a supposed upgrade to the program. SMH!!

[Sand and Seas]

40 minutes ago, MagnoliaBlossom said:

Of course it should come as no surprise to any of us that what is printed, is not followed, and every agent at NCL has their own interpretation of said rules.   When my PCC started our booking, she told me I was her first customer to do a Diamond upgrade so she placed me on hold while she called the help desk to get the procedure.   Would have been nice to have had the opportunity to pick a better cabin, especially as I paid for the highest OV in order to receive the lowest balcony.

 

I imagine they will figure it out eventually, in the meantime, enjoy the show! 

I thought that if you had an OA, they would give you a BA.   Silly of me to think that!

 

With a little research, you can sometimes find a 'secret' larger balcony among those BF categories.  For instance, on our recent Breakaway we were in BF category #8738.   It had room for two loungers and two chairs.   

[TrumpyNor]

Long story short: Have a 10 days cruise booked with the Escape in August 2022, and last week requested a free "Diamond upgrade". We had originally an IC inside cabin on deck 10, and they "upgraded" us to a porthole OB oceanview cabin on deck 5. Needless to say I was not too happy about that one, so have cancelled the upgrade and just today received a new confirmation that shows that we are back in our original cabin on deck 10. 

 

As my husband also has Diamond status, we used his free upgrade on a Gem cruise in July 2022. Got upgraded from IB inside cabin on deck 9 to OK obstructed oceanview on deck 8 midships, and we are very content with that one.

Edited January 18, 2022 by TrumpyNor

[MagnoliaBlossom]

19 minutes ago, Sand and Seas said:

I thought that if you had an OA, they would give you a BA.   Silly of me to think that!

 

With a little research, you can sometimes find a 'secret' larger balcony among those BF categories.  For instance, on our recent Breakaway we were in BF category #8738.   It had room for two loungers and two chairs.   

No, if we were upgrading with world points that would be the case, but not so if you’ve got 400 cruise days under your belt!