It’s Time to Get Rewarded!

 In the travel industry, companies have decided to reward loyalty to their brand by offering status earning programs. For Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), this is the Latitude Rewards program. Once you have travelled at least one cruise with NCL, you can sign up.

 You start out at the Bronze Level which lets you start collecting pins when you’re on your cruise. Each level has a different pin and it’s a fun collection to add to. They will also add your Latitude Rewards program level to your cruise key card. They say they’ll give you free artwork at an art auction, but I think they do this for everyone. You’ll get a discount on purchasing an open bar package straight out, but this doesn’t affect the price of a “More at Sea” Drinks package you can choose when you purchase your cruise. Realistically, the “More at Sea” package will always be less expensive than purchasing it outright, even with a discount, so I’m not sure why this is a thing. If you like to shop at the duty free shop, the 10% discount is nice though!

 Once you’re a member of the Latitude Rewards program, you’ll be able to book the Insider Offers which get you an additional point per cruise night, helping you to move up in status even faster. This was a big part of me getting as far as I did in as few cruises as I did. I’ve heard of several people that did many more cruises than me to get this far.

 The rest of the dots on the list are unimpressive and not anything I’ve used.

 Each progressive level in the Latitude Rewards program receives the benefits of the previous levels in addition to new ones. At the Silver level, the discounts from the previous level increase to 40% for drink packages and 15% for duty free. They also add on 10% off Shore Excursions and 20% off cruise photos. The Shore Excursions discount is in addition to the $50 per port discount you get when you book. You’ll also get invited to an exclusive cocktail party. By exclusive they mean that only Latitude Rewards members with a status of Silver or higher are invited. This is a significant percentage of each cruise, so exclusive is a little misleading. You’ll get a free cocktail at these parties and a chance to meet people and mingle. Not really my thing, but you might enjoy it!

 At the Gold level, Latitude Rewards program members’ photo discount increases to 25%. They will also receive 50% off a bag of laundry. On most cruises 7 days or longer you’ll get a sale on bags of laundry that I believe works with this. You also get Priority Tender Tickets and Priority Disembarkation. Occasionally, NCL will send information on this to your cabin, but if they don’t, the day before you’ll need it check in with the Cruise Next desk and they can tell you how to proceed. Oh, and don’t forget, at Gold level you also get 1 bottle of water! Yeah, you’re laughing now, but wait till you see how much they are to buy on board!

 The Platinum level is where the Latitude Rewards program really starts to pay off! Your discounts on the open bar package increases to 45% and the photo discount goes up to 30%. They also add in a 25% discount on Spa Signature Treatments on port days(notice the very specific fine print here). Your one bag of laundry is now FREE once per cruise. This is a huge benefit as laundry services are very, very expensive. It makes packing for a two-week cruise so much more practical when you know you can wash things halfway through. It does take 1-2 days turnaround time, but, again, worth it! You also receive a 15% discount on Unlimited Wi-Fi packages, which includes an upgrade package from the included Wi-Fi minutes given with booking. They list Priority Embarkation on the benefits list, but even with asking I’ve never experienced this. One of my favorite Platinum bonuses is the chocolate-covered strawberries they deliver to your room on the first day of the cruise! Last time, that was my lunch 😊. One of the most money-saving benefits that comes with Platinum is two free dinners for two at specialty restaurants. This is over a $200 value that you get with EVERY CRUISE of at least 5 days. One of them comes with a bottle of wine from a selected list. I recommend the East & West white wine personally. It’s great because you can drink one glass from it and then have them store it for you for later. Since there’s 5 glasses of wine in a bottle, this lasts me for 5 meals when I travel by myself. They give you a small claim ticket and you can ask your waiter at any restaurant (but not bar) on the ship to bring up your bottle. They also include two special experiences that you can only do as a Platinum level Latitudes Rewards member: a Wines Around the World Tasting and the Behind-the-Scenes Ship Tour. The ship tour fills up REALLY FAST and so if you’re interested you should head to the Cruise Next desk and sign up as the first thing you do after reporting to your tender station. On my last cruise I checked in at 2pm on embarkation day and it was already full. The wine tasting experience is less popular and easier to sign up for though. Either one can only be attended by Platinum members. If your travelling partner is a lower status level, they cannot join you. Again, they list “Concierge Service” on the amenities list, but this is something that just isn’t real. I’ve looked around on all the forums and they concur. If you ask, you’ll be pointed to the Cruise Next Desk staff who are very kind, but not concierges. They can only do so much. There is a phone number you can call for “Pre-Cruise Service Desk.” They can’t do much, but if you need help booking dining or entertainment they might be able to assist. Also, if you make a mistake on your bookings they can help sort it out. The number isn’t readily available, but I’ll list it here for you just in case! 866-625-6086. You will receive early access online to book these things before the general public, which can be really helpful in securing those popular dining reservations. All told, Platinum is the biggest status bump in the program. You only need 75 points to achieve it which can be completed in as little as 25 cruise nights if done in a Suite on an Insider offer sailing. That’s expensive and unusual though! I did it in about 8 cruises, a couple in suites and a couple on Insider offers. I love the benefits I receive and I can now sail in a Balcony cabin with many of the perks of a Suite!

 Once you get to Platinum, the reward levels are much further apart and have few additional perks. 75 points later you’ll reach Sapphire which gets you a Dinner with the Officers, an increase to 15% off Shore Excursions, 20% off Unlimited Wi-Fi and 2 bottles of water. Next comes Diamond 200 points later. At this level you’ll get 50% off beverage packages, 25% off Wi-Fi packages, an Exclusive Sail & Sustain Mixology Experience and a One-Time Free Cabin Upgrade. Finally, if you earn 350 MORE points, for a total of 700, you’ll reach Ambassador status. This comes with an increase to 20% off Shore Excursions, a Complimentary 7-Day Cruise and a One-Time Special Ambassador Gift. I don’t think I’ve ever met an Ambassador. I’m sure they’re out there, but it’s got to be rare. The highest level person I’ve spoken with about their status is a Sapphire and I believe it took them 39 cruises to reach their level.

Here's the Thing: As with any loyalty program, you have to work your way through the levels before you start to see significant benefits. I really believe it’s work sticking with Norwegian and making it to Platinum. Between the laundry, the specialty dinners, and of course the chocolate-covered strawberries, it truly makes for a special cruise!