Passengers wearing “crew- like” name tags?

[sandycruzr]

I was on Spirit recently and there were several guests with NCL name tags. I thought this was really strange. One passenger was acting like he worked on the ship…he did not! I asked the CD and he said he had no idea where these passengers got the name tags but guests were complaining about one name tag wearing guest because they thought he was an employee acting badly! 
Has anyone else ever seen this?

 

Edited July 17, 2023 by sandycruzr

[Agent999]

9 minutes ago, sandycruzr said:

I was on Spirit recently and there were several guests with NCL name tags. I thought this was really strange. One passenger was acting like he worked on the ship…he did not! I asked the CD and he said he had no idea where these passengers got the name tags but guests were complaining about one name tag wearing guest because they thought he was an employee acting badly! 
Has anyone else ever seen this?

 

 

Yes. They are rare, but they are out there. NCL gives name tags resembling. crew name tags to select VIP guests as a way to acknowledge their loyalty. These people are considered to be "brand ambassadors". A close look at the name tag will show the difference between this tag and one actually given to a crew member who is working.

[YVRteacher]

NCL passengers who reach ambassador with the latitudes program get an NCL gold name tag with their name on it.

 

NCL does not have brand ambassadors.

[mpk]

3 hours ago, Agent999 said:

Yes. They are rare, but they are out there. NCL gives name tags resembling. crew name tags to select VIP guests as a way to acknowledge their loyalty. These people are considered to be "brand ambassadors".

 

3 hours ago, sandycruzr said:

 but guests were complaining about one name tag wearing guest because they thought he was an employee acting badly! 

 

Doesn't sound like a good idea on NCL's part to do this...

[www3traveler]

Many years ago, NCL would "award" certain passengers an "Ambassador" name tag for thier loyality and thier support of crew members.  At one time there were about 10 or so, I think that there are only one or two still alive.  I was presented with my "Ambassdor" name tag on The Pearl April of 2011 by the Hotel Director Matthias Holz.  It was a very special honor then and still is.

 

This was long before "Ambassador" was added to the top of Lattitudes Reward Levels

[Coastalbreezes]

3 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

NCL passengers who reach ambassador with the latitudes program get an NCL gold name tag with their name on it.

 

 

This is no longer true. Many years ago NCL did present a handful of people (a few Ambassadors and VIPs) with these tags that were identical to employee name tags. They were intended to be a symbol of loyalty appreciation. There are people who continue to wear these tags on cruises and it is misleading and confusing to guests which is why the tags were discontinued.

[shof515]

a few months ago i did a cruise on royal and i saw passengers with those pinnacle name tags, similar to ambassador name tag .. this problem is not unique to norwegian

[dexddd]

Well, some here report of crew shortage due to being able to hire.  Maybe they are asking for volunteers.

[Silver Girl]

2 hours ago, www3traveler said:

Many years ago, NCL would "award" certain passengers an "Ambassador" name tag for thier loyality and thier support of crew members.  At one time there were about 10 or so, I think that there are only one or two still alive.  I was presented with my "Ambassdor" name tag on The Pearl April of 2011 by the Hotel Director Matthias Holz.  It was a very special honor then and still is.

 

This was long before "Ambassador" was added to the top of Lattitudes Reward Levels

My father was given his by Steven Jacobsen.

 

[Agent999]

6 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

NCL passengers who reach ambassador with the latitudes program get an NCL gold name tag with their name on it.

 

NCL does not have brand ambassadors.

 

Actually, they do. Ambassadors existed long before the Latitudes level of the same name.

 

2 hours ago, Coastalbreezes said:

This is no longer true. Many years ago NCL did present a handful of people (a few Ambassadors and VIPs) with these tags that were identical to employee name tags. They were intended to be a symbol of loyalty appreciation. There are people who continue to wear these tags on cruises and it is misleading and confusing to guests which is why the tags were discontinued.

 

Not identical. These name tags had the guest's name, then Norwegian Ambassador, then the name of the ship on which it was awarded. Crew name tags have their name, job title, and home country.

 

One of the reasons that the tags were discontinued was because guests wearing them were seen by Cruise Karens as another place to complain, when they were simply fellow guests who wanted to enjoy their vacation in peace.

[MagnoliaBlossom]

Yes, Ambassadors do have the oval name tags with their names on them.  We were on the Star in August and two ambassadors were onboard, and attended a Diamond and ambassador event where I met them.  They both wore their name badges.

[RocketMan275]

There was a passenger on Royal who had a personal name tag made.  IIRC, it said something like

 

Captain Bob

(loyalty level)

 

He made it a point to proclaim his loyalty level when ordering from the bar.

He would by pass the line and move directly to a waiter where he would proclaim his name and loyalty level and order his drink.

[nadeki]

1 hour ago, Silver Girl said:

My father was given his by Steven Jacobsen.

 

My family still talks about Mr. Happy and we have a key chain that hangs ceremoniously on our rack. He made us smile for sure.

[www3traveler]

3 hours ago, Silver Girl said:

My father was given his by Steven Jacobsen.

 

I remember  him.  Had the honor of sailing with him a couple.  Blessings to you and to your family.

[graphicguy]

2 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

There was a passenger on Royal who had a personal name tag made.  IIRC, it said something like

 

Captain Bob

(loyalty level)

 

He made it a point to proclaim his loyalty level when ordering from the bar.

He would by pass the line and move directly to a waiter where he would proclaim his name and loyalty level and order his drink.

That's not good.  I can't imagine many guests allowing that to continue past the first time.

[Cruising Lynne]

It sounds like there was a group of Ambassador level Latitude members on the same trip, or a group cruise that though it would be fun to have NCL name tags for their group. Not the best idea for a group cruise, especially if some were behaving badly..

[Agent999]

Should also point out that while NCL does allow their Cruise Directors to wear "civilian clothes", other members of the crew are typically wearing some sort of uniform. Guests who have been given a name tag will NOT be wearing a uniform, and unless someone thinks the guest is actually the Cruise Director (which the name tag will clarify that they are not), there should be no confusion over who is a guest and who is an employee.

[ziggyuk]

5 hours ago, MagnoliaBlossom said:

Yes, Ambassadors do have the oval name tags with their names on them.  We were on the Star in August and two ambassadors were onboard, and attended a Diamond and ambassador event where I met them.  They both wore their name badges.

 

Yes, I also met a couple recently who had just reached Ambassador level and were awarded their crew style badges on our cruise.

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, Agent999 said:

Should also point out that while NCL does allow their Cruise Directors to wear "civilian clothes", other members of the crew are typically wearing some sort of uniform. Guests who have been given a name tag will NOT be wearing a uniform, and unless someone thinks the guest is actually the Cruise Director (which the name tag will clarify that they are not), there should be no confusion over who is a guest and who is an employee.

There are a lot of crew in “civilian clothes” with name tags on the ship. Many of the entertainment staff have privs to eat in the buffet. And will be in the theater to encourage guest appreciation of the shows. 

[MacGuffin3]

I just looked for some on eBay.  Couldn't find anything.

[Agent999]

14 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

There are a lot of crew in “civilian clothes” with name tags on the ship. Many of the entertainment staff have privs to eat in the buffet. And will be in the theater to encourage guest appreciation of the shows. 

 

Sure, but only when they are off-duty, not while they are working. You can take the position that some guests aren't bright enough to know the difference, but I think it is pretty easy to tell a working employee from one who is off duty. Unless you are looking specifically for the Cruise Director, perhaps not bothering people who are not dressed as crew might be a good practice.

[RB9643]

7 hours ago, Agent999 said:

One of the reasons that the tags were discontinued was because guests wearing them were seen by Cruise Karens as another place to complain, when they were simply fellow guests who wanted to enjoy their vacation in peace.

 

2 hours ago, Agent999 said:

there should be no confusion over who is a guest and who is an employee.

 

Never underestimate the stupidity of a Cruise Karen.  Why anyone would want to wear a nametag, and possibly be confused with a member of the crew, is beyond my comprehension.

 

 

Edited July 17, 2023 by RB9643

[ggTexasGal]

1 minute ago, RB9643 said:

Never underestimate the stupidity of a Cruise Karen.  Why anyone would want where a nametag, and possibly be confused with a member of the crew, is beyond my comprehension.

I don't think it is "stupidity," but is definitely a "need to have their status acknowledged by others"!

[Agent999]

40 minutes ago, ggTexasGal said:

I don't think it is "stupidity," but is definitely a "need to have their status acknowledged by others"!

 

Except that their status acknowledgment is achieved by the presentation of the tag, not by its wear. The status comes from the cruise line, not from the other guests. Read this thread - a number of "knowledgeable cruisers" aren't even aware of the how or why of these name tags, so how could they possibly grant any sort of "acknowledgement".

 

OTOH, the crew is very aware of what they are and what they mean.

 

The way you try to dismiss this reminds me of the fox announcing that the grapes he couldn't reach were soured.

[graphicguy]

11 minutes ago, Agent999 said:

 

Except that their status acknowledgment is achieved by the presentation of the tag, not by its wear. The status comes from the cruise line, not from the other guests. Read this thread - a number of "knowledgeable cruisers" aren't even aware of the how or why of these name tags, so how could they possibly grant any sort of "acknowledgement".

 

OTOH, the crew is very aware of what they are and what they mean.

 

The way you try to dismiss this reminds me of the fox announcing that the grapes he couldn't reach were soured.

Got to be frank with you, I've read this post 3 times and still don't understand it.

 

Regarding those who insist on being acknowledged by anyone, be they crew or other guests, for the number of times they've cruised any particular line, tells me more about their insecurity in general and narcissism overall, than whatever badge they wear.