Union Discount - no member #!

[BadKitteh]

So the union I am in is eligible for discounts through NCL, but when I spoke to an agent she said she needed a member #. I do not have a membership card with a number, but I sure as heck have a paystub with my weekly dues taken out of it.

 

This is what my union site says:

 

• Call your local travel agent and be sure to ask for your (union discount) and provide your local union number.
  

Union members may be asked to show a union card, Union Plus Credit Card or pay stub showing dues payment as proof of union membership when boarding the ship.

 

 

Oh and the number I have for my union rep? The guy was too busy chewing and being generally unhelpful to give me answers.

[scchasgal]

You should have a copy of your union contract the union local number will be on that document. If you don't have one contact your payroll department they will definitely know your local number since your deductions have to be paid to the union local.

[BadKitteh]

I know the local number but the gal on the phone was pushing for my personal member #. I am going to tear my house apart and see if I can find anything. My other coworkers usually come to me with questions so I don't anticipate getting answers from them.

[mommyto2girls]

I don't know what union you are in but we had a similar problem... we also pay membership dues on each paycheck. We do not have union numbers our union uses social security numbers as our membership numbers, NCL took that with no problem. I am not big on giving out my SS# but the NCL rep told us it is not uncommon and we have never (fingers crossed) had a problem.

[BadKitteh]

Good call! Will see where I can get!

[mommyto2girls]

I hope so! Please post and let me know. We have never had membership numbers and I work for local government.

[BadKitteh]

Now this woman is telling me that I will lose my onboard credit if I use my union discount. I was trying to get more credit! Boo!

 

Also, this one told me something very different from the first rep I spoke with. She said that showing my pay stub would no longer be sufficient and I would need to present either a member card or a letter from my union stating that I am a member in good standing. Not a risk I want to take since we don't have cards and if my letter gets denied at boarding now that is an additional fee I would be responsible for. I'll get this worked out eventually....

[scchasgal]

I know the local number but the gal on the phone was pushing for my personal member #. I am going to tear my house apart and see if I can find anything. My other coworkers usually come to me with questions so I don't anticipate getting answers from them.

 

Still ask payroll they have to supply the union by associate and NUMBER on a union payroll deductions report.

[BadKitteh]

Still ask payroll they have to supply the union by associate and NUMBER on a union payroll deductions report.

 

Will try that next week since I am off until then. ;)

[crimmper]

My TA advised NCL that I was a union member. NCL stated that all I needed to bring was my Union Card. Needless to say, when I checked in, no one asked to see my union card and yes, I still got the discount. Could be hit or miss.

 

http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/cruiser/cmsPages.html?pageId=UnionPlus

[jla418]

I've always sent my paystub to my PCC or faxed it to Miami and have always gotten the discount. I don't have a member card or number either, and so far it hasn't been a problem. I always carry the paystub copy to check-in, but have never been asked for it.

 

The requirement for a letter from the union could be new, but before, that was one of the options if you didn't have a card and didn't want to provide the paystub showing the dues.

[mommyto2girls]

Now this woman is telling me that I will lose my onboard credit if I use my union discount. I was trying to get more credit! Boo!

 

Also, this one told me something very different from the first rep I spoke with. She said that showing my pay stub would no longer be sufficient and I would need to present either a member card or a letter from my union stating that I am a member in good standing. Not a risk I want to take since we don't have cards and if my letter gets denied at boarding now that is an additional fee I would be responsible for. I'll get this worked out eventually....

 

NEVER have I heard of anyone actually being asked for the card and you can usually combine OBC with union discount. I am sure yo already tried but did you speak with a supervisor? I think you got a bad batch of people on the phone.

[Carnac767]

Thanks. Air Line Pilots Association, Council 11, AFL-CIO :)

 

And spouse of a hard-working teacher

[monicajay]

Reserved the Star, March 4 2012 today directly with NCL. I am a union member and an AARP member. I was asked for my union number, I didn't have one but insisted I had the discount in the past. He said he would enter the 'standard' code but it didn't bring up any additional discount.

 

I ended up only getting the 5% AARP. Would have liked to get the union discount or at least understand why it wasn't good. Still happy to be cruising again though!

 

What kind of discounts for union have people been able to get recently?

[scchasgal]

Reserved the Star, March 4 2012 today directly with NCL. I am a union member and an AARP member. I was asked for my union number, I didn't have one but insisted I had the discount in the past. He said he would enter the 'standard' code but it didn't bring up any additional discount.

 

I ended up only getting the 5% AARP. Would have liked to get the union discount or at least understand why it wasn't good. Still happy to be cruising again though!

 

What kind of discounts for union have people been able to get recently?

 

Possible capacity controlled for certain discounts?

[fightpiter]

Reserved the Star, March 4 2012 today directly with NCL. I am a union member and an AARP member. I was asked for my union number, I didn't have one but insisted I had the discount in the past. He said he would enter the 'standard' code but it didn't bring up any additional discount.

 

I ended up only getting the 5% AARP. Would have liked to get the union discount or at least understand why it wasn't good. Still happy to be cruising again though!

 

What kind of discounts for union have people been able to get recently?

 

On the most recent cruise we booked we were only able to save $50.00 but that's still $50.00 It seems that we saved more on our previous ones though. We did book them further ahead than this one, might have something to do with it.

[tiggerfan616]

NCL has changed the way they apply union discounts with current promotions. Many are not combinable anymore. We had the same issue when we booked our 11day next year. If I tried to use my union discount price was a little less but I lost my current OBC, wasnt worth the difference.

 

We have never had to produce any proof of union membership at check-in. Once we faxed a copy of my husbands card but that was it. We usually use my military discount and with that I have had to fill out the form and fax it back to the military desk. But they have changed the veterans promos as well.

[cherbear4000]

My mom had a really hard time getting the union discount. When she told her PVP that my dad was a member of the UAW he told her that he never heard of that union and wouldn't give the union discount. Of course that is one the largest and well known unions in the country. Her PVP wouldn't budge.

 

My mom called back, got someone at random and explained the situation. That person immediately honored the discount. My mom than asked if she could switch PVPs, because she liked the second one so much. The woman gave her extension in case my mom booked another cruise in the future, but said she couldn't switch this booking to her. Too bad. My mom hated her PVP so much that she transferred her booking to a travel agency. Her original PVP still gets his credit, but now she won't have to deal with him anymore.

[Anthony&David]

For our cruise in May 2010, we booked through an NCL PCC and I was told I needed to fax a copy of my union card; I did this the day we booked. I was also told to bring my union card to the dock, just in case, but I was not asked for it when we checked in. For our November 2011 cruise, we also booked through an NCL PCC; I did not have to fax a copy of the union card, but my reservation does indicate that I need to bring it with me. We booked the upcoming cruise in January and received nearly a 10% discount as well as the OBC that was being offered.

 

I just checked my union card. It does have a member number and an expiration date.

[faymuiheng]

I'm from Canada, and all I had to do, was to fax a copy of my paystub to show I was paying union dues. It doesn't state what union it's applied to, but that fax, satisfied my PCC to get me the discount.

[swedish weave]

What kind of discounts for union have people been able to get recently?

 

You can go to NCL website and pull up a list of cruises to see what discounts apply for Union. They run from 5 to 10 percent.

[teacher_md]

Hello,

 

American Federation of Teachers - woo hoo!

 

Anyway, I used my Union Discount on the Pearl years ago. I brought my union membership card (with number) to the dock and they didn't ask to see it.

 

Seems to vary from cruise to cruise as whether you can combine offers and the union discount. On the Pearl they gave me both. When I am booking the Epic now, I am only getting the OBC. I think there are still occassions where you can get both, but it depends. Some NCL cruises offer the union discount, others don't (perhaps it depends on availability).

 

Maybe if you skip past your local chapter and make a call to the national chapter you can get your member number. I am sure you have one.

 

Oh - and the union discount was 10% when I got it - a decent chunk of change.;

 

Good luck, AJ

[swedish weave]

I looked at the list of cruises on NCL, and it seems that most of the 10 percent discounts apply to cruises booked a few months in advance. As the time gets closer, some drop to 5 percent.

[raventhebouv]

So the union I am in is eligible for discounts through NCL, but when I spoke to an agent she said she needed a member #. I do not have a membership card with a number, but I sure as heck have a paystub with my weekly dues taken out of it.

 

This is what my union site says:

 

• Call your local travel agent and be sure to ask for your (union discount) and provide your local union number.
  

Union members may be asked to show a union card, Union Plus Credit Card or pay stub showing dues payment as proof of union membership when boarding the ship.

 

 

Oh and the number I have for my union rep? The guy was too busy chewing and being generally unhelpful to give me answers.

 

All you need is a letter from your union (on union letterhead) stating that you are a member. If your union rep won't answer your calls, call the headquarters and talk with a secretary...she will get what you need. That's what I do each time we cruise. Even your union card would work or a union dues receipt. When I book the cruise, I fax over the letter to the TA and she faxes it to NCL...that way it should be a part of our documentation. I also bring the letter along just in case but have never had to provide it at check in. Good luck and don't give up until you get someone to help you!

[Minoushka]

I got a letter from ny union saying we do not have numbers but that I am a member on its letterhead I hope they do not ask but I will take the letter with me I too belong to a Teachers Union QPAT WE deal with the Gov't directly so I guess that is Why we have no numbers

 

michele