New format for silver/gold/plat/plus coupon packet

[casofilia]

Sounds like a terrible new system. Also, if I'm not mistaken I believe the old coupons were used at the Latitude Party for drawings for freebies (spa treatment, wine, etc).

 

If they don't have those slips with your name and cabin number I have to assume that they are not doing the drawings anymore either.

 

Penny wise and pound foolish NCL.

 

Surely if you book in they will have to give you an invitation otherwise everyone on the boat could go. I see no change in that part of the system.

[electro]

The silver sleeve that contained your coupon for meals, laundry, etc., has been replaced by a blue trifold. It is perforated in places and you tear off the items as needed.

 

BUT! Be sure to read the text which tells you call the latitude desk for other offers, or something like that. This includes the time and place of the cocktail party. They no longer send an invitation to your cabin.

 

As platinum plus we did get a phone call but no one in Other groups did. Apparently a few people did call to ask about it but not many. At the party which was for silver through plat plus, there were 40 people there! Oops! So, call and bug your poor rep if you plan on attending the party. She did tell me yesterday that she had been given permission to post the info on her office door, which has been a no no until now. But you will need to make an effort to get the info.

Did you use one of the meal vouchers for Cagneys? I'm wondering if there is a limit on the sides?

Thanks

Lois

[JUSRN]

I was on the Escape on 1/21/17 and the platinum party was in 5 O'clock Somewhere...... also way too small a venue for the number attending. I complained to the representative and he gave me some BS about more people attending than expected. Oh come on!!!!! You've been sailing the Escape for over a year now and the Getaway and Breakaway much longer. You know how many will be attending and it was way to small a location. On the Breakaway 3 years ago they had it at H2O which was great! Of course it would be weather dependent.

 

I'm also disappointed with the new Latitude benefits. Being Platinum Plus I do not see that I'm gaining anything more than a couple of bottles of water!!!! A single Platinum member in a cabin gets the same four 4 free dinners that my husband and I get being that we're both Platinum!!

[MagnoliaBlossom]

Did you go to the Platinum Plus dinner with Officers? Where was it held?

 

No, we didn't go. I really have no desire to do that. It always seem so stilted. I prefer to chat with them in the hallways, etc, as they are out and about so often.

[NMLady]

Did you use one of the meal vouchers for Cagneys? I'm wondering if there is a limit on the sides?

Thanks

Lois

 

On the new Latitudes Tier page there's a footnote to the dinner -- says there's an upcharge for the sides at Cagneys using the Platinum Perk.

[shadowmeboy]

The silver sleeve that contained your coupon for meals, laundry, etc., has been replaced by a blue trifold. It is perforated in places and you tear off the items as needed.

 

BUT! Be sure to read the text which tells you call the latitude desk for other offers, or something like that. This includes the time and place of the cocktail party. They no longer send an invitation to your cabin.

 

As platinum plus we did get a phone call but no one in Other groups did. Apparently a few people did call to ask about it but not many. At the party which was for silver through plat plus, there were 40 people there! Oops! So, call and bug your poor rep if you plan on attending the party. She did tell me yesterday that she had been given permission to post the info on her office door, which has been a no no until now. But you will need to make an effort to get the info.

 

 

What day/time did the silver to platinum plus party take place?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[casofilia]

On the new Latitudes Tier page there's a footnote to the dinner -- says there's an upcharge for the sides at Cagneys using the Platinum Perk.

 

The actual statement is:-

Benefit entitles each guest to one appetizer, one entrée and one dessert of your choice. Entrée items up to $20 are covered. For items over this amount, an upcharge will be added to your onboard account. Entrée item Côte De Boeuf Pour Deux in Le Bistro, is a shared dish and will be treated as two entrées. In Cagney’s where side dishes are not included in the entrée price but as a la carte items, an upcharge will be added to your onboard account.

 

So NO side dishes covered in Cagneys!! :mad:

[NMLady]

Did you go to the Platinum Plus dinner with Officers? Where was it held?

 

If it's like the Dinner with Officer that was offered last Oct/Nov transatlantic on the Jade, the dinners are in the two MDRs with one officer per group. Those places were assigned by drawing names of twelve folks, mostly couples, who'd signed up for the chance to dine with an officer. We were seated with two other couples and an officer from engineering dept. Our table was in Grand Pacific MDR. There was also one table assigned in Azura with an officer and six people.

[casofilia]

If it's like the Dinner with Officer that was offered last Oct/Nov transatlantic on the Jade, the dinners are in the two MDRs with one officer per group. Those places were assigned by drawing names of twelve folks, mostly couples, who'd signed up for the chance to dine with an officer. We were seated with two other couples and an officer from engineering dept. Our table was in Grand Pacific MDR. There was also one table assigned in Azura with an officer and six people.

 

Unless they increase the number of places/officers it doesn't sound as if the new system is a great improvement on the old one.

[electro]

The actual statement is:-

Benefit entitles each guest to one appetizer, one entrée and one dessert of your choice. Entrée items up to $20 are covered. For items over this amount, an upcharge will be added to your onboard account. Entrée item Côte De Boeuf Pour Deux in Le Bistro, is a shared dish and will be treated as two entrées. In Cagney’s where side dishes are not included in the entrée price but as a la carte items, an upcharge will be added to your onboard account.

 

So NO side dishes covered in Cagneys!! :mad:

 

WOW! They must have added that recently because it wasn't there when they first posted the new perks.

I can't believe they are charging for sides on the platinum meal.

NCL, that is a new level of cheap!

I wonder if I can trade my bottle of wine for some broccoli and potatoes:rolleyes:

Edited February 14, 2017 by electro

[pcakes122]

I have yet to grasp the reason for attending.

Me, too. In all my cruises I have never attended one of these Latitudes parties. What am I missing?

[NMLady]

Unless they increase the number of places/officers it doesn't sound as if the new system is a great improvement on the old one.

 

Since there are so few Platinum Plus they are probably guaranteed a place at the dinner with an officer whereas for the rest of us the place is done by lottery.

[casofilia]

Since there are so few Platinum Plus they are probably guaranteed a place at the dinner with an officer whereas for the rest of us the place is done by lottery.

 

Any idea of numbers? I would have thought there would be quite a lot. At the last Platinum Cocktail party we attended there were lost of couples with lots of cruises.

[MagnoliaBlossom]

A few comments to your comments.

 

Yes, the website does say you need to go to the office by 9:00 pm, etc, and that there will be other events such as parties and gatherings so please contact the latitudes office for further information.

 

Point 1. It is in relatively small print and all the text is rub together in one paragraph. Not the most user friendly way to disseminate information.

 

Point 2. With a few more words it could have said "we no longer issue invitations so please contact us for specs on the party. In the past the plat party was by invitation that usually did not come in the packet, so I would not have expected this "party and additional gathering" (or whatever it said, that is not verbatim) to include the plat party. We are after all having a big shake up.

 

Point 3. The manpower in the latitude office is too slim for everyone to call in or stop by, especially since I was told that Miami forbid them from ever putting a sign on the door telling when the party is (that policy was changed by the end of the week and nice professional signage is on order) this week there were two latitude reps on board and one in training. On this cruise there were 400 some silvers and up, with only 10 percent of those attended. Others I spoke to felt very put out that they did not receive an invite as they too, did not take the verbiage on the trifold to mean an invitation would not be forthcoming

 

Point 4. There is no longer a drawing so there is no need for a slip.

 

Point 5. I think the 25percent spa discount (exclusive services only and not combineable with other discounts such as port day) is new.

 

Point 6. Yes, we did use one coupon for Cagneys. It included a bottle of wine, while the other coupon for LeBistro or LaCucina did not. But you got those two extra liters of water so we're even, right? There is a limit of one soup or salad, one appetizer, entree and desert. I also remember there was a limit on the dollar value of the entree but I don't recall what it was.

 

Point 7. Attendance at the party. Yes, that is always an uncertainty, but if they really wanted to solve that, they could require an RSVP. I remember when they switched the party from happy hour to 11:00 am. Quite a change in turn out and I always thought they did it to reduce turn out. It was later moved to early afternoon, which I guess sat a bit better, although we have occasionally had platinum only gatherings at happy hour. This one was at 12:30. Odd time I think, but look at all the money they saved with a meager turn out!

 

Point 8. I have no idea how the priority seating worked. Sorry

 

Point 9. Priority embarkation. I know this will vary by the port since they all have different abilities to handle groups. So for New Orleans, the Suite and invited casino guests were in their usual room. They had roped off a little seating area closest to the embarkation cattle chute and had a very nice but no nonsense lady guarding the entrance. She would check your card and admitted plat plus only. Even if a group had one or two pps and the other members of their party did not, only pps were admitted. There were only 11 onboard and there were probably only 18 or so chairs set out. We went before group one, pretty much along with the suites. They even have a VIP rep who escorts you from the check in line to the seating area. But you do check in at the regular latitude line.

 

Point 10. So you don't have to ask, no, there is not a special key card color, it's just printed on your card

 

Okay, I think I've covered everything, but feel free to ask or expound on anything.

 

Sweet dreams, y'all

Georgia

[NMLady]

Any idea of numbers? I would have thought there would be quite a lot. At the last Platinum Cocktail party we attended there were lost of couples with lots of cruises.

 

I don't know numbers but even if there were several hundred there wouldn't be that number on the same cruise and not everyone wants to eat dinner with an officer.

 

We are 3 points from Platinum Plus :o

[MagnoliaBlossom]

There probably are a bazillion plats because of their ridiculous double, triple and quadruple point system. They artificially boosted their upper levels, which is why we on a cruise recently with almost 800 platinums :eek:. Needed two parties just for them, and anther for silver and gold.

 

On the other hand we were once the only plays on board. You just never know. But that will make a good question for the lat rep next cruise.

[NMLady]

There probably are a bazillion plats because of their ridiculous double, triple and quadruple point system. They artificially boosted their upper levels, which is why we on a cruise recently with almost 800 platinums :eek:. Needed two parties just for them, and anther for silver and gold.

 

On the other hand we were once the only plays on board. You just never know. But that will make a good question for the lat rep next cruise.

 

Yeah, there's a bazillion platinums but I doubt there's more than a couple hundred Platinum-Plus.

[casofilia]

It would be interesting if people on a cruise now or on a cruise later this month would ask the question of the Future Cruise staff (How many at each level on board?) and post the result.

 

How about someone in the USA phoning NCL Future Cruise Headquarters to find out for us all?

Edited February 14, 2017 by casofilia
added a second question.

[NMLady]

It would be interesting if people on a cruise now or on a cruise later this month would ask the question of the Future Cruise staff (How many at each level on board?) and post the result.

 

How about someone in the USA phoning NCL Future Cruise Headquarters to find out for us all?

 

I've now emailed our PCC to see if he knows or can find out.

I'll post answer tomorrow night.

[casofilia]

It would be interesting if people on a cruise now or on a cruise later this month would ask the question of the Future Cruise staff (How many at each level on board?) and post the result.

 

How about someone in the USA phoning NCL Future Cruise Headquarters to find out for us all?

 

I've now emailed our PCC to see if he knows or can find out.

I'll post answer tomorrow night.

 

Thank you; it could be quite informative.

 

Mike

[KeithJenner]

The number of platinums and platinum pluses onboard will vary a lot. I imagine that on some cruises out of Miami, for example there are regularly hundreds of Platinums and there will be quite a few pluses. I've certainly been on some cruises with lots.

 

On the other hand, I've been on some cruises where there were only a handful of platinums onboard. This seems to be especially the case in Europe.

 

I note the comment about them being very strict about entry to the priority boarding area, and not allowing people in your party who aren't platinum. I certainly hope they use common sense here when it comes to kids. Our son our be platinum (platinum plus after our next cruise), but has no status due to his age. It would be surprising if they don't let us through, but you can't rule anything out. I suspect I would kick up a fuss about that one. :)

[KeithJenner]

That extra note about the sides in Cagneys is a bizarre one.

 

I have never really sympathised too much with the grumbles when they limited the platinum meal to just one starter or dessert. However, per the website at the moment the complementary meal in Cagneys doesn't actually include any vegetables. Your entree will be a steak by itself.

 

I have to wonder whether that is a mistake. It will be interesting to see how this is actually dealt with onboard.

 

If that is correct then it would appear to make sense for anyone who is platinum and also has the dining plan to use their latitudes meal in Le Bistro.

[dexddd]

To be fair to them, this is the sort of thing that some people would appreciate a call about as the second certificate is cheaper.

 

Due to the price break between getting 1 or 2 credits, I can see why they do push on that one.

 

I don't need a call to my room when they advertise it multiple times a day in different forms. To be fair to me, I'm on vacation and I don't need a call to my room selling things.

[dexddd]

If there is only one rep and this rep is trying to sell Cruise Next Certificates at the same time as accepting reservations for the cocktail party, how long do you think people standing on line will be willing to wait patiently? What is the point of pre-booking dinner reservations if you stand the chance of missing your chosen dining time standing on line the first night when people are tired from traveling and already are dealing with a ton of information being thrown at them and still finding their way around the ship? Seems doomed to fail!!!!:(

 

Hopefully, on the larger ships like Breakaway this horrible system will be be replaced. How about giving you an RSVP card in your cabin that you can drop off in a box outside of the Lat. Rep's Office instead? On the day of the party, provide a ticket in your cabin/mail box to allow you access to enter the place where the party is being held, have several cruise staff members at the door collecting these tickets, and if too many respond for the size of the venue have 2 sessions instead of only one overcrowded one?

 

MARAPRINCE

 

Our last trip on Gem in Dec. we went down to the CruiseNext desk to sign up for the BTS tour. We were third in line with 2 people working - one outside and one in an office. The couples in front of us were not there on CruiseNext business - the one couple in office was complaining about something and the couple outside was complaining about how they paid too much, prices dropped, wanted money back, wife had foot run over while embarking... So in addition to a bunch of Lats now having to go to the desk you could have a bunch of other folks wasting time down there.

[KeithJenner]

I don't need a call to my room when they advertise it multiple times a day in different forms. To be fair to me, I'm on vacation and I don't need a call to my room selling things.

 

 

 

You miss my point.

 

I agree totally about not wanting calls selling things (and I have hotels that I will no longer stay at after getting daily calls for such things even after telling them I'm not interested).

 

However, it is fairly standard practice, in many places to point out to customers when they are just missing out on a deal. For example, at the checkout in a supermarket when someone has bought one of an item and a second would be at a discounted price.

 

Such things have certainly been pointed out to me in the past. Usually I have not taken the offer out of choice, but occasionally it has been the case that I missed it, and I appreciated it being pointed out.

 

My point here is that the call that you got may well be a standard one to people who just bought one credit, and it is probably appreciated by some people who had missed the deal.

 

Obviously it isn't ideal for all, and I'm sure I would rather not get that call as well, but I don't necessarily see it as a totally bad thing or an indication of them pushing the FCCs any more than just having the second one at such a discount indicates.

 

Anyway, hopefully they will now be too busy dealing with invites to the reception to have time to call anyone. :)

Edited February 14, 2017 by KeithJenner