How I Use Platinum Perks in Norwegian Cruise Line’s Latitudes Program

I have gone on many cruises with several different cruise lines, but it wasn't until several sailings on Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) that I finally saw some benefits from my membership in a cruise loyalty gram

I moved up to the Platinum tier in NCL's Latitudes gram

Here’s how NCL’s Latitudes gram works and how I used my benefits

NCL Latitudes earning and tiersCruisers earn 1 point for every cruise night and additional points for booking a suite or The Haven

You can also earn extra points with particular offers

NCL automatically enrolls passengers after their first cruise, so you don’t have to do anything to

I have earned points on each one

Before this cruise began, I had spent 53 nights on board NCL ships and earned bonus points for two of my cruises, so I had 81 points before my sailing on the NCL Getaway

After the cruise, I had 88

That made me a Platinum Latitudes member, which is the mid-level tier and the one where benefits really start to kick in

Latitudes has seven tiers, mostly named after jewels or metals:Bronze: 1-19 points

At the highest Ambassador level, one of the benefits is a free seven-day cruise

The points you earn should show up in your account within 48 hours after you finish your cruise. 🤓Nerdy TipNerdy tip: Even though Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings owns Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, passengers don’t get Latitudes benefits or earn points on those ships

At the Silver level, members get discounts on shore excursions, photos and at the spa for some treatments during port days

The amount of the discounts increases as the Latitudes level increases

It’s nice that you can use this discount when booking shore excursions online before sailing

The discount will show up in the shopping cart. 🤓Nerdy TipMake sure to take advantage of the Latitudes benefits you have before even getting on board

All levels except Bronze also get an invitation to a cocktail party on board

There are also benefits such as discounted or free laundry, priority tender tickets and free water for Gold and higher

Honestly, I never found these benefits to be worth much since I didn’t buy photos and prefer to go to the spa on sea days rather than port days, so I didn't get too excited when finding the card in my cabin explaining the onboard benefits at the Gold tier

One thing I didn’t realize on my four-night cruise on the Norwegian Jewel is the fact Latitudes benefits kick in only on cruises that are five nights or longer, so while I got the onboard discounts, I didn’t get any of the benefits of being a Gold tier member at the time, the water. » Learn more: The best travel credit cards right nowMoving up to Platinum LatitudesI have moved up in the world of Latitudes and am now a Platinum member, so this time I was excited to get the benefits card in my cabin on the Getaway

The upgrade in really means expanded benefits that start to add up to real cost savings and an elevated experience

Starting at Platinum, members get:Chocolate-covered strawberries

Dinner for two with a bottle of wine

A behind-the-scenes ship tour

These benefits have value to me

That's not including the value of the bottle of wine at one dinner

These benefits also enabled me to try the specialty dining restaurants, which are really good on Norwegian, for free

Another benefit of being a Platinum elite on Norwegian is the ability to book entertainment, dining and onboard activities early

This can come in handy since specialty dining reservations are usually only available to book once on board

While benefits increase at higher levels, I don’t think the priority restaurant seating or the dinner with officers are really that much better than the benefits at the Platinum level

Diamond members get a one-time free cabin upgrade, and Ambassadors get a free seven-day cruise

Those can be worth a lot of money, but you’d have to spend a year total on a ship to earn the cabin upgrade and almost two years of cruising to get the free cruise

Using Latitudes benefitsWhile some of the Latitudes benefits are automatic, others required some action on my part once on board

It all started at check-in at the pier when I was able to use the priority area

I admit I was a bit excited for this benefit since the regular lines can be very long

My friend and I were able to bypass the regular check-in line and were on board 10 minutes after going through security

The other line was not too long when we arrived, but we didn’t have to wait at all. (Photo by Tiffani Sherman)The Platinum card that was in my room had some coupons attached to it

To use the laundry benefit, I had to include the coupon with the laundry bag

The coupons also had to go to my dinners in the specialty restaurants with me. (Photo by Tiffani Sherman)I wish there was a way to make these things automatic so I would not have had to keep track of the coupons and not accidentally throw them away

I also had to remember to take them to dinner with me. 🤓Nerdy TipWhen you go to the specialty restaurant and check in for your reservation, make sure to let the hostess know you’re using the Latitudes benefit since the courses are different

With the regular dining package, you can order three appetizers, one entree and three desserts

With the Latitudes dinner, you can order only one appetizer, one entree and one dessert

As for the behind-the-scenes tour and wine tasting, I had to stop by the CruiseNext desk to find out the details these events

I stopped by the desk a few hours after getting on board only to find out the behind-the-scenes tour was already sold out, so I wasn’t going to be able to use that benefit

I was able to for the wine tasting, but found out it was only for one person, not both of us in the cabin

It would have been the same for the tour

While I understand the reasoning for this, it was a bit annoying to go to the wine tasting alone and I didn’t stay long since it was simply walking around to four stations and trying wines, not a tasting at a table with explanations I thought it would be. 🤓Nerdy TipIf two people in the same cabin have different Latitudes levels, the person with the lower level can benefit from the perks that are by cabin ( the dinners for two) since those default to the person with the highest level

For the benefits that are per person ( shore excursion discounts and tours), each passenger has their own benefit

The bottom line on NCL LatitudesWhile the lower levels of the NCL Latitudes gram don’t have many real benefits of value, the Platinum level is where they start to become noticeable

Free dinners and activities can make a cruise both more enjoyable and cost effective

My friend took the free bottle of wine (since we had a drink package on board) and unpacked clean clothes after using the free laundry benefit

We also both enjoyed the two additional dinners at the specialty restaurants

Top photo by Tiffani Sherman

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