Veteran pin

[Rdr202]

Anyone receive the veteran pin NCL sent out an email announcing a new program where you verify your military service on id.me and then will receive a pin unique to each ship when you cruise, I asked for pin on Getaway and  they didnt know anything about it.

[Waterluv]

 Never heard any mention of it and we signed up in November when the program kicked off 🤔

[MoCruiseFan]

I never heard that either.  Only pins I know of are Lat level pins.

 

[Funky Fusion FoodsJ]

Here is the info originallty provided   "In addition to discounts, guests who book through the program will also receive exclusive experiences and recognition on board, including a welcome reception and gifts such as military challenge coins and pins to designate program participation and collectible patches customized for each ship in the fleet."

 

My first sailing under this program is in March so we'll see what they provide.

[MagnoliaBlossom]

NCL in recent years has reduced its Veterans gathering to almost nothing.  While ir has been self led, usually someone from the CDs staff stopped in to say hello.  Now, the gathering is in tiny print amidst the long list of activities and many people miss it.  I know when it is usually held so thoroughly scan the a daily for time and place.   I hope that our cruise on the 26th will be a return to recognition of our veterans.  In December it was four guys in Maltings (I think).

 

FWIW, I don’t usually make posts about what other cruise lines do, as all lines are different and that’s the joy of sailing multiple lines.  But Carnival does a superb job. On the Breeze in October it was the finest recognition program we’ve ever had at sea, or at least in the last 15 or so years.   NCL could learn a lot about how to do a good gathering from then - and yes, they had pins.

[ggTexasGal]

DH just called NCL about their Military Appreciation Program. (We both signed-up in November.)

From listening to the conversation, it seems that the program is still too new for each ship to be able to implement any "MAP perks" effectively (and Miami Reservations know very little, overall, about it)!

DH requested the "MAP10OFF" (discount code) for a qualifying cruise we had already booked.

That reservation now shows the  MAP10OFF discount in the PROMO CODES, and within the Add-ons as "1 x Military Appreciation."

[DiverJohn]

Was  booked in a spa balcony for the bliss going to Alaska next June. (Ten rooms in total ) heard about veteran recognition program and verified last week, final due this week but 10% discount was not showing up on bill , group cruise consultant said couldn’t give to me because of other perks already included however if we upgraded to a club spa suite he could apply the discount and give the same perks we had in old room. So at the end of the day ended up spending an extra 140.00 (after factoring 10% discount )to have a slightly larger room with a larger bathroom. 

[nmuller328]

I've seen posts on FB from Veterans who have cruised the Gem since January- they were invited to a special Veteran's event attended by some officers- they were given a coin, letter & pictures were taken with officers & as a group. It's my understanding that the Gem is the first ship to start these events & they will be rolled out across the line during the coming year. 

[Molokai-Chuck]

That is awesome for sure...a very nice gesture and gift.

Hopefully this will continue!

 

Chuck

[ggTexasGal]

19 hours ago, nmuller328 said:

I've seen posts on FB from Veterans who have cruised the Gem since January- they were invited to a special Veteran's event attended by some officers- they were given a coin, letter & pictures were taken with officers & as a group. It's my understanding that the Gem is the first ship to start these events & they will be rolled out across the line during the coming year. 

Thank you for this post!!!

[bgTexasguy]

Thank you very much for posting this! It is so nice that they started this program. I am looking forward to possibly receiving this coin on our next cruise.

 

Command Sergeant Major, U.S. Army (Retired).

[Ken the cruiser]

We’re currently on the Dawn and this is the pin and badge we received, with a nice folder with other military appreciation information inside, once we got to our cabin.

 

[ggTexasGal]

5 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We’re currently on the Dawn and this is the pin and badge we received, with a nice folder with other military appreciation information inside, once we got to our cabin.

 

Thank you for sharing this information!  All of your photos and information during your cruises are wonderful!!!

DH and I are curious...

Did you make your current reservation while already enrolled in the Military program?

And/or, did your account(s) get updated as Military prior to this cruise?

I'm asking because we got nothing on our Mid-January cruise.  However, I believe that our accounts only recently had the "Military" designation show-up (which could explain "the miss" in January).

Currently we find that the Cruise consultants (NCL phones) are unfamiliar with the program.

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, ggTexasGal said:

Thank you for sharing this information!  All of your photos and information during your cruises are wonderful!!!

DH and I are curious...

Did you make your current reservation while already enrolled in the Military program?

And/or, did your account(s) get updated as Military prior to this cruise?

I'm asking because we got nothing on our Mid-January cruise.  However, I believe that our accounts only recently had the "Military" designation show-up (which could explain "the miss" in January).

Currently we find that the Cruise consultants (NCL phones) are unfamiliar with the program.

Thanks for the kind words. Yes, we registered our Military status with NCL (both of us are retired), based on the instructions provided on their website, in early November prior to boarding our Jade cruise later that same month. Once the registration process was completed, which was almost immediately, I could see the 10% military discount being applied when I would do fake bookings when logged onto my  account on any future cruises we were looking at.  Note: I believe the military discount is only applicable on new bookings or those that are rebooked after Jan 1, 2023.
 

We then booked the 11-day Dawn cruise we’re on right now in early Dec while we were on the Africa cruise on the Jade and got the 10% discount. We also booked a B3B on the Getaway for the fall of 2024 and got the military discount applied to those as well.

 

Edited February 5, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[nmuller328]

NCL Military Appreciation Program FAQs

 

1. Who is eligible for the NCL military discount?

Active members, veterans, spouses and surviving spouses of the following branches of the United States military with a verified ID.me account:

Army

Navy

Air Force

Marine Corps

Coast Guard

Space Force

National Guard

 

2. How does NCL verify proof of military service?

NCL partners with ID.me, our trusted third-party verification service, which uses private and secure data sources to confirm the accuracy of the information you provide. The verification process typically takes five minutes or less. Once your credentials are verified, you will begin seeing your discounted rates on NCL.com at checkout when logged in. The discounted rate displayed at checkout is reflective of 10% off the cruise fare portion of any cruise.

 

3. Where can I learn more about ID.me?

To learn more about the offers and benefits of ID.me, or for company information, please visit www.ID.me

 

4. How much do I save with the NCL military discount?

You save 10% off the cruise fare portion of any cruise for sailings beginning 1/1/23. To make it even sweeter, this discount is in addition to Norwegian’s Free at Sea promotion which includes unlimited open bar, free specialty dining, free excursions, free airfare^ and more. It is also combinable with other promotions that are available, but subject to change.

^Buy an air ticket and the 2nd guest flies for free. View for full terms and conditions

 

5. Why do I need a My NCL account to receive my discount?

You will need a My NCL account so we can link your military discount to your account. This will allow you to see your discounted prices when logged in to NCL.com and/or allow your travel agent to see your discounted prices.

 

6. How do I apply for the discount?

Visit www.ncl.com/military

Login to your My NCL account and/or register to create one

Follow the prompts to verify with ID.me which will pop up in a separate window.

After you complete the ID.me registration and verification process, you will be returned to NCL.com to begin shopping for your next cruise vacation. If you are logged in to your My NCL account, the prices displayed will be inclusive of your 10% off.

 

7. Will my discount apply to all members of my group?

The discount will apply to the verified military member’s entire stateroom. The discount is limited to one stateroom per verified military member per sailing.

 

8. Can my spouse use my discount if I’m not traveling with them?

Yes, your spouse is also eligible for the discounted rates if verified via ID.me.

 

9. Can I provide my discount to non-eligible friends?

No, the discount is only for eligible members. ID.me’s identity platform can detect fraudulent use across accounts and reserves the right to revoke access/membership from anyone abusing the terms of usage.

 

10. What should I do if I have issues enrolling?

Call 1-866-775-4363 or visit help.id.me/hc/en-us/p/contact_support for assistance with the registration process and/or to get additional information on the documents required for verification.

 

11. Can I book through my travel agent and still receive the discount?

Absolutely. All you have to do is visit www.ncl.com/military to enroll in the program. Then provide your travel agent with your My NCL/Latitudes number. The discount is tied to your account.

 

12. Do I have to verify with ID.me every time I want to book a cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line?

You only have to validate with ID.me once. Your eligibility will be permanently associated with your My NCL account.

 

13. Am I able to cancel my reservation due to active duty deployment?

Yes. Once your reservation is cancelled, please contact Guest Experience at https://www.ncl.com/case-submission. Here you will be directed to submit the request and attach the active duty military deployment orders. Upon receipt, orders will be reviewed, and if compliant, a Future Cruise Credit Certificate will be issued.

[MagnoliaBlossom]

Just a piece of information from my personal experience.  This situation will not apply to everyone, but it’s worth considering.

 

When the MAP program was announced I signed DH up as a veteran, and I registered as a military spouse.  While DH has a separate account from me, I always handle the details so we book everything under my account.

 

we decided to do a family cruise and take our grandchildren with us (a first for us). They will be in a room across the hall from us with either DH or I as they will be 15 and 18.   Since I booked the inside under my name and the BA under DHs name, so we got a 10% discount on both cabins.  
 

here’s the problem we encountered.   Since DH and I were both registered under my number, they only recognized one discount.  I had to go through an arduous process, that took about ten days to complete to remove DHs idme account then log in to DHs account and re-register him.   So we each have separate accounts that allow us to receive discounts on both rooms.

 

aa I said,it may not be an issue for any of you, but as you register just do it in your individual accounts in the event you may want to sail with family and take advantage of your well deserved honor.

 

thise are nice looking coins.  DH has quite a few and looks forward to getting a new one.  We are sailing the BA on the 26th so I’ll report back on what we receive.

 

[schmoopie17]

As a Veteran, I and the other Veterans onboard our recent Prima cruise were given a couple of medallions in recognition of our service. That was a nice gesture, but honestly they will find a home in a drawer. I wonder how the money spent to produce these things could have been put to better use...or to reduce the cruise fare.

[MagnoliaBlossom]

Schmoopie, I am not big on materialistic displays, but I realize that many of our veterans of the Viet Namn era, yourself being one, may have never received a positive “welcome home”.  I applaud any company who is trying to correct the negative way our veterans were and are treated.   
 

On another line we always go to the veterans gathering and my husband receives his pin.   He has no desire to collect those (unlike service coins) and he watches for an older child and with his parents permission gifts him/her the pin and asks the recipient to one day find someone to explain the honor of serving in the US military.  The always look like they’ve received the Nobel Peace Prize ( well, that’s not accurate because they probably don’t know much about it, so let’s say the MTV best video award) 😉.   Maybe a bit of appreciation for our hero’s will come from one old soldier’s sharing a piece of Chinese produced piece of tin with an impressionable youth.

 

just my thoughts.

MB

Edited February 7, 2023 by MagnoliaBlossom

[asiantraveler]

I have an upcoming cruise on the Joy next week that I booked last year. I just updated my account to verify my military status. Does anyone know if I qualify for the MAP stuff minus the 10% since I paid in full already for my cruise next week? Or I only get recognized in the future cruise not the one I booked already.

[schmoopie17]

16 hours ago, MagnoliaBlossom said:

Schmoopie, I am not big on materialistic displays, but I realize that many of our veterans of the Viet Namn era, yourself being one, may have never received a positive “welcome home”.  I applaud any company who is trying to correct the negative way our veterans were and are treated.   

I said it was a nice gesture, but nothing beyond that...at least for me.

 

I agree about not receiving a positive welcome home. Upon returning from SE Asia, I was stationed in the DC area. Being in the military in the early 70's we stood out like sore thumbs with our haircuts, when everyone else had hair down to their shoulders. I can't tell you how many derogatory comments we endured (Baby Killers, scum, trash come to mind). So to say we didn't receive a positive welcome home doesn't even come close to what we endured.

 

Now, when someone says, "Thank you for your service" it rings hollow with me. I think to myself, "Where were you in 1974?"  Which probably accounts for my feelings regarding the medallions.

Edited February 8, 2023 by schmoopie17

[Nilbog]

4 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

"Where were you in 1974?" 

In 1974 I was 11 years old, watching the war on TV wondering why people were treated the way they were when they got back from doing what their country asked them to do.  My war was 15 years later in Desert Shield/Storm.  Now when I meet a Vietnam Vet I say "Welcome home, and thank you."  After my 20+ years in the military I am sincere in welcoming all vets home.  I'm glad you made it home, when so many haven't made it home from our wars.

 

Welcome home, and thank you, Schmoopie17.

[MagnoliaBlossom]

Welcome home to you all,

MagnoliaBlossom

POW wife

[newty25]

As a veteran, I'll take one of those sweet challenge coins!

[MoCruiseFan]

On 2/7/2023 at 2:49 PM, schmoopie17 said:

As a Veteran, I and the other Veterans onboard our recent Prima cruise were given a couple of medallions in recognition of our service. That was a nice gesture, but honestly they will find a home in a drawer. I wonder how the money spent to produce these things could have been put to better use...or to reduce the cruise fare.

They probably cost about 50¢ each to produce.  I highly doubt that there would be any impact of cruise fares if they were eliminated.

[Waterluv]

2 hours ago, newty25 said:

As a veteran, I'll take one of those sweet challenge coins!

Ditto that, both my husband and I are USAF vets and I Want My pin and the coin.