Latitudes points

[Slyfox16]

Any suggestions on how we can earn 5 latitudes points to go from gold to platinum?

[julig22]

I live on the West Coast so booked a 5 day trip to Mexico when I was in a similar situation.

[Anoynmous Phoenix]

The only way is to take another cruise.

[Coastalbreezes]

If you are already Gold, I think you know the answer. The only way to earn Latitude points is to take a cruise.

[laudergayle]

Getaway from winter in January for very little…

 

https://www.ncl.com/cruises/5-day-bermuda-round-trip-new-york-GETAWAY5NYCWRFNYC?embarkationport=4294949364&numberOfGuests=4294949461&sortBy=duration&autoPopulate=f&from=resultpage&itineraryCode=GETAWAY5NYCWRFNYC

 

book an inside or OV.

 

you may not make it into Bermuda in January…but you will be on a cruise!

 

 

Edited December 9, 2023 by laudergayle

[TheDawg79]

Take a 5 day cruise in a non suite or Haven OR take a 3 day cruise in a suite or Haven. How else did you think points are earned?? 🤔 

[schmoopie17]

This is like a football coach saying, "We're down five points. Is there any way we can get more points?"

[complawyer]

book a suite, you get 2 points or more  per night. the past summer we were on a b2b 2 bedroom suite for 19 days.when i got home, my latitude points showed i got 5 points per night, (total 95) and kicked we up from sapphire to diamond. Boy! was i surprised.

[tpgdiver]

I am only 1 point away from platinum.  I booked a three day inside out of Miami early next year.  Since I can drive to the port, it is roughly $1k for a weekend getaway Bahamas cruise.  Not bad.

[OrcaGirl]

In fairness to OP, perhaps they are more familiar with Celebrity Cruise Lines, where you can earn a few loyalty program points without actually taking a cruise. But on Norwegian, nope.

[UKstages]

there was a time when frequent flyers would do what were known as "mileage runs" at the end of the year to maintain status in their preferred program. one december, i booked a cheap flight to london, stayed one night and came home. the immigration officer asked how long i was staying and i told him and he said, "doing a mileage run, are we? we've seen a bunch of you today." some on the same flight apparently didn't even stay the night, but took the same plane home.  this doesn't happen (or at least not quite in the same fashion) nearly as much since the airlines changed the way they award miles, with a focus on revenue versus distance flown.

 

anyway, this reminds me very much of that.

 

if you're just a few points away from a higher status (particularly platinum, with a couple of meaningful benefits), it often does make sense to squeeze in an extra short qualifying cruise so you get the higher status and can enjoy the benefits on a longer or more significant subsequent cruise. the same thing may be true of casinos at sea status. i am just a few points away from "elite" status and the benefits are substantial, including free unlimited wifi and a larger amount of OBC, so i am considering taking a short Q1 2024 cruise to cement my status.

 

as for latitudes... the only other way to "manufacture" points is to check your latitudes account and make sure you were credited properly, including bonus points, for all cruises taken. if not, ask for the credit within a year.

[destar]

If you can take a last minute cruise. Look on NCL pick of the month cruises, they'll give you double the points and are very affordable.

Edited December 9, 2023 by destar

[TheDawg79]

1 hour ago, OrcaGirl said:

In fairness to OP, perhaps they are more familiar with Celebrity Cruise Lines, where you can earn a few loyalty program points without actually taking a cruise. But on Norwegian, nope.

They said they were 5 nights away from platinum. That sounds like they are more than familiar with NCL loyalty program 70 nights of familiarity to be exact. I also tried to think of a way to see where they were coming from, but i cannot for the life of me come up with an excuse to not know how points work after accumulating 70 nights 

[Ellis1138]

On the NCL page, check under the Past Guest Offer and see if any are doing doubles. Some of those are very cheap. I actually wound up getting a 7 day triple point cruise that took me from 7 to 28 points.

[ChiefMateJRK]

Am I the only one who thinks it is silly to book a cruise just to move up one Latitudes level?  I like the free laundry as much as the next guy, but dirty clothes don't really establish a robust business case.

 

disclaimer: yes, I did accept the Sapphire pins last week so DW could add one to her collection.  I promptly lost mine but eventually found it in the pocket of my shorts that I was prepping for FREE LAUNDRY!  Come to think of it, I may have left it on the ship when we disembarked this morning. 🤣

Edited December 10, 2023 by ChiefMateJRK

[julig22]

4 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Am I the only one who thinks it is silly to book a cruise just to move up one Latitudes level?  I like the free laundry as much as the next guy, but dirty clothes don't really establish a robust business case.

I booked a 5 day cruise to Mexico to move to Sapphire - the extra 5% discount on excursions was nice to have on some upcoming cruises with fairly spendy excursions.  I also had a soon-to-expire airline voucher. So it didn't take much to twist my arm... And there were a couple of excursions that weren't available on the other Mexico cruise that I had already booked, later in the season.  Got to ride a camel and observe a momma humpback getting her baby ready for it's migration journey - so money well spent IMHO.

 

[cruiser2015]

4 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Am I the only one who thinks it is silly to book a cruise just to move up one Latitudes level?  I like the free laundry as much as the next guy, but dirty clothes don't really establish a robust business case.

 

disclaimer: yes, I did accept the Sapphire pins last week so DW could add one to her collection.  I promptly lost mine but eventually found it in the pocket of my shorts that I was prepping for FREE LAUNDRY!  Come to think of it, I may have left it on the ship when we disembarked this morning. 🤣

Beware!

Someone just might call the pin police.

Shame on you.

😟

[itsnotjustme]

7 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Am I the only one who thinks it is silly to book a cruise just to move up one Latitudes level?

Nope.

 

The extra cruise taken will be a t the lower loyalty level.  So, either way it is 1 more cruise to make the next status.  The Platinum benefit increase is trivial compared to the cost of another cruise.   

[UKstages]

54 minutes ago, itsnotjustme said:

The extra cruise taken will be a t the lower loyalty level.  So, either way it is 1 more cruise to make the next status.  The Platinum benefit increase is trivial compared to the cost of another cruise.   

 

yes, that's exactly the point. you get the qualifying cruise out of the way quickly, so you can enjoy the next longer cruise with the increased benefits. you take a short cruise, five days or less. maybe for as little as three or four hundred dollars. and, let's say,  you move to platinum.

 

the "trivial" benefits you receive will include two extra meals for two (conservatively valued at cagney's or le bistro at $220 for two people X 2 = about $440). throw in a "free" bag of laundry. (let's call that $29.) you'll get an extra 5% off spa treatments while in port. (let's call that $20.) you get priority embarkation and disembarkation (benefit varies from port to port and itinerary to itinerary, but NCL sells a priority access package - along with other features for $129 - $329. it includes many features you already get as a latitudes member, so let's just value this conservatively at $15 per person.) you'll get a 15% discount on internet upgrades... let's value that at $15 per cabin. you get concierge service, which we'll vale at $0 since it's pretty much an illusion and not a benefit at all. you get "wines around the world" and a "behind the scenes" tour, which jaded platinum members might think have no value, but to a platinum newbie, may be appealing. let's value each of those very conservatively at $20 X 2 = $40. you get to prebook some entertainment and dining before many other guests, which i won't place a dollar value on, but many consider an indispensable benefit.

 

if you choose wisely for your short cruise, you'll send as little as $400 - $600.

 

and you'll be getting benefits conservatively estimated at more than $500 on your next (and subsequent) cruises. so, at the very least, it's a bit of a wash. BUT... now imagine that your next cruise (after you qualify) is a special cruise... a honeymoon, a 50th anniversary, a trip with your mom, a rekindling of an old romance... is it worth it to take a short qualifying cruise to ensure those benefits on that special cruise? or would you rather travel without them? are the benefits trivial and illusory or worthwhile?

 

bear in mind, some benefits are greater as you move up in tier status and that may push the needle further when moving between other tiers. and also remember that those with casinos at sea status may have even more tangible benefits that can be secured by adding another short cruise in before a more significant or longer cruise. those benefits include substantial amounts of OBC and even car service pick up to and from the airport.

 

every person must weigh the options before them and make a decision that is best. the decision i make might be very different than a decision somebody else makes.

[tpgdiver]

Very interesting post, but you forgot the choclate covered strawberries  delivered to the room.

Almost worth the price of admission. 

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

3 hours ago, UKstages said:

the "trivial" benefits you receive will include two extra meals for two (conservatively valued at cagney's or le bistro at $220 for two people X 2 = about $440).

$440 "value"?  🤣  Seriously, I wouldn't pay more than about ten bucks to upgrade from the MDR/buffet/etc. to any of the specialty dining venues.  Off course, I also sail in steerage....

 

3 hours ago, UKstages said:

throw in a "free" bag of laundry. (let's call that $29.) you'll get an extra 5% off spa treatments while in port. (let's call that $20.) you get priority embarkation and disembarkation (benefit varies from port to port and itinerary to itinerary, but NCL sells a priority access package - along with other features for $129 - $329. it includes many features you already get as a latitudes member, so let's just value this conservatively at $15 per person.) you'll get a 15% discount on internet upgrades... let's value that at $15 per cabin. you get concierge service, which we'll vale at $0 since it's pretty much an illusion and not a benefit at all. you get "wines around the world" and a "behind the scenes" tour, which jaded platinum members might think have no value, but to a platinum newbie, may be appealing. let's value each of those very conservatively at $20 X 2 = $40. you get to prebook some entertainment and dining before many other guests, which i won't place a dollar value on, but many consider an indispensable benefit.

I understand that many embrace all of those things, and for them it may be worth it.  I really just want the laundry and an occasional 15% off Shorex.  Getting to Platinum certainly brings some tangible benefits.  Most of the other levels?  Not so much.

 

Also, priority boarding was broken in Miami for the last Pearl sailing.  They never called any Latitudes levels, and they didn't use the PA to announce anything (it was in Terminal C and I don't think they had microphones).  They just opened the doors and held up a Group one card.  The stampede then began.  With the usual Group 2, Group 3, etc. folks congregating and blocking the way for those who should have already been invited to board.  Irritating?  Yes, but I honestly forgot about all of that until this thread's mention of priority boarding.  We got on the ship about ten minutes late, and it was all fun from then on.  So yeah, it's mostly about the Laundry. 😎

[itsnotjustme]

7 hours ago, UKstages said:

every person must weigh the options before them and make a decision that is best. the decision i make might be very different than a decision somebody else makes.

I agree about that.  

 

Our circumstances may be different - I am still working and the only significant cruise port in driving distance is 200 miles away.  For me taking a 5-day cruise would have more expenses than just the cruise fare:

- travel to/from the cruise port (depending on where you live)

- parking at the cruise port or an airport

- time off work

- gratuities for 2 ($20x2x5 = $200) if no free gratuities

- any onboard expenses, excursions, free at sea gratuities, other tips, etc.

- trip insurance (if used)

- international cell phone use (if used)

 

Lastly, you multiplied all the perks by 2, but did not multiply expenses by 2.