No Result
View All Result
Eye of the Flyer
  • BANK & Travel Cards ★
    • Credit Cards
    • CardMatch™
    • Eye of the Flyer Recommended Cards
    • Best Welcome Offers
    • Travel Rewards Cards
    • Airline Credit Cards
    • Hotel Credit Cards
    • Cash Back Credit Cards
    • No Annual Fee Credit Cards
    • Small Business Credit Cards
    • Gas Rewards Cards
    • Balance Transfer Cards
    • Student Credit Cards
    • Visa Credit Cards
    • Mastercards
    • Bad or Poor Credit
    • No Credit or Limited Credit
    • Secured Cards
  • CardMatch™
  • Cruises
  • Rookie
  • Elite Mileage Runs
  • Merchandise
  • αbout US ✉
  • BANK & Travel Cards ★
    • Credit Cards
    • CardMatch™
    • Eye of the Flyer Recommended Cards
    • Best Welcome Offers
    • Travel Rewards Cards
    • Airline Credit Cards
    • Hotel Credit Cards
    • Cash Back Credit Cards
    • No Annual Fee Credit Cards
    • Small Business Credit Cards
    • Gas Rewards Cards
    • Balance Transfer Cards
    • Student Credit Cards
    • Visa Credit Cards
    • Mastercards
    • Bad or Poor Credit
    • No Credit or Limited Credit
    • Secured Cards
  • CardMatch™
  • Cruises
  • Rookie
  • Elite Mileage Runs
  • Merchandise
  • αbout US ✉
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result

My Experience Booking a Norwegian Cruise NCL with Chase Ultimate Rewards® Points (via Connexions Loyalty)

René by René
January 21, 2019
in Credit Cards, Cruises
15
a person holding a glass of wine on a deck of a cruise ship

Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.

This post has been updated to reflect changes to some credit card products. All information about the Chase Freedom Flex®, Chase Freedom Unlimited®, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, and Ink Business Preferred was collected independently by Eye of the Flyer. It was neither provided nor reviewed by the card issuer.)

a man and woman smiling for a picture
Yeah – we LOVE the Haven by NCL

One of the most flexible (and valuable) travel points we can amass are Chase Ultimate Rewards® points. Due to 5/24 it is hard to hold all the cards you would like to do all that I do to collect hundreds of thousands a year, but it could be a reason to wait for a few years to get cards just to hold cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® as well as Chase Freedom Unlimited® as well as the Ink Business Preferred. Being able to pool points earned from all of these to my Chase Sapphire Reserve® to then spend them at 1.5 cents each on cruises is what make me a happy frequent floater! 🙂

a blue and white advertisement
Is this a deal? Is it really “free”?

I have booked another cruise (will share after the sailing but you can see other reviews here) and unlike the way I normally cruise for about 10-15% of retail this time I chose to burn a large chunk of my Ultimate Rewards points earned from the cards mentioned above. I thought I would share how it went and some things to think about if you are new to cruising or booking with NCL. As you can see from the above, NCL almost always offers a package of “free” stuff but there are “gotchas” you have to know about.

a screenshot of a web page
Alaska NCL Bliss Summer 2019

Let’s say, for example, you would like to cruise Alaska this summer on the NCL Bliss (I cannot wait to sail this ship one day, btw). There are lots of choices of cabins that do include the free-ish offers. But wait…

a screenshot of a hotel room
No “free” For YOU!

I would imagine if you wanted to cruise Alaska you would at least want a balcony room. But if you choose the cheapest displayed option, that is one where NCL chooses your room, you do not qualify for the free-ish perks.

a screenshot of a computer
More for room and free stuff

So if you want a balcony room with the free-ish perks you have to pay a few hundred more to have a guaranteed balcony room (and even more if you want to pick a specific room yourself). Plus, once you do have a qualifying room then there are added gratuities for these “free” add-ons (so free is not really free at all).

a screenshot of a website
More fees for tips

Also do not forget that, in addition to all of the above, you will be billed another gratuities charge per day per person so a balcony on the Bliss above would add another $101.50 per person. At the end of the sailing, if you are not pleased with the service onboard, you can ask for this back (I am always thrilled and never have asked for it back, ever).

a blue and yellow logo
They still help with UR points cruise bookings!

Now that you have the basics and overview of booking with NCL directly – how did my Chase Ultimate Rewards® points booking go?

First off, as just about everyone blogged about, Chase chose Expedia as their booking provider last year over Connexions Loyalty. However, Chase retained them for cruise bookings. Just about every Connexions Loyalty booking I have done over the past few years have been either painful or really painful to get done. This one was a bit better.

a poster on a wall
CruiseNext – Yes please!

I called the number on the back of my Chase Sapphire Reserve® card and after verification was sent over to Connexions Loyalty to handle the rest. Since I had researched just the cruise, cabin and perks I wanted to feed the rep all the info. I also had “cruise next” credits to apply and with my NCL Latitudes number the rep was able to have NCL pull the certs and apply them before using any Ultimate rewards points (#ProTip – I used Amex “Offers for You” to buy $500 onboard refundable credits for just $400 net to pay for these). So far so good.

a screenshot of a credit card notification
Oppsseee! Card declined!

There are other perks I have learned booking with Ultimate Rewards points. I am able to pay for everything, including prepaying the daily gratuities charges, with my points. This even further reduces my costs and the value of spending points. But there was one hiccup. The credit card that Connexions Loyalty used (not my card, their card) was declined by NCL and I was given notice of this. It also revealed, as a side point, that Connexions Loyalty is getting a commission on the booking process for Chase. I called back to the Connexions Loyalty cruise folks and after talking to about 5 people got someone in their accounting department to use another card and pay in full what was due to NCL.

a glass of wine on a deck
This is HAVEN life – Yes please!

Overall I am really pleased with the value from my points booking and that I could get exactly what I wanted including all the offers NCL provided booking direct. I just wish one time I could have a smooth booking experience with Connexions Loyalty! – René

 

 

Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.

Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

Previous Post

Stuck 5 hours on Aeromexico Flight (police are called), A Bird Flies Business Class on A380, Chicken Truck Fire at ATL & more travel news!

Next Post

Is KLM Even Trying Anymore With Their Domestic Business Class? Food – Bad. Seat – Bad. Wifi – No. Business Class / Skyteam Elite bags – Not loaded.

René

René

René de Lambert is a contributing writer for EyeoftheFlyer.com - He is an avid Delta and SkyTeam flyer who has held Delta’s top Diamond Medallion status for many years and flown millions of miles.

Next Post

Is KLM Even Trying Anymore With Their Domestic Business Class? Food - Bad. Seat - Bad. Wifi - No. Business Class / Skyteam Elite bags - Not loaded.

Comments 15

  1. Byron says:
    6 years ago

    How are you amassing all these points to create enough for these cruises. If I do these on my Arrival Plus, I spend a ton of time at WM flushing gift cards. There must be a better way.

    Reply
    • rene says:
      6 years ago

      @Byron – Creative Spending of all kinds.

      Reply
  2. Corey says:
    6 years ago

    About a month ago I went through Chase for a Azamara cruise for carnival in Rio. So far it has been a smooth process (no declined card).
    Sailing NCL next year for the Med but I cannot wait to sail the Bliss.

    Reply
  3. Freqflyer says:
    6 years ago

    Assuming you mean 10-15% Off retail vs 10-15% Of retail?

    Reply
    • rene says:
      6 years ago

      @Freqflyer – No! I only PAY net out of pocket 10-15% of retail by using points, cash back, discounts and more. That is the cost, via creative spending and new card bonus points and such, nets me only 10-15 cents per dollar cost (plus my time). Oh and if I do not buy cruise next with my pre-paid deposits (up to 1k per sailing) I get a check back about 2 weeks after the sailing! #Winning!

      Reply
  4. Freqflyer says:
    6 years ago

    Ok. Then I would be sure to include the “opportunity cost” of the miles. Just because you use miles for a ticket that doesn’t mean that the original miles were free (eg had you used a 2% cash back card for all the credit card miles you got how much would you have earned in hard cash vs applying the miles to a “free” ticket or a “free” cruise?). I had a friend last week that shared how she got a “”free” $1,000 hotel stay using her hotel credit card. She would have done better using a 2% cash back card and then buying the hotel nights than using the hotel card (or just deposited the rebate in the bank). It so wasn’t free in any which way. I do like in the original article how you used a cash back site, credit card offers, etc to lower the overall cost of the cruise.

    Reply
    • rene says:
      6 years ago

      @Freqflyer – I never run down that rat hole because it always ends up way off topic. BTW I do max out cash back cards as well but at my volume and level of creative spending I have to use ALL kinds of card. Also I know of very few cash card(s) I can earn 5x points on and then send to another card to net out 7.5% return for travel. Agree?

      Reply
  5. James says:
    6 years ago

    I’ve only been on one cruise and I don’t get it. Small rooms, tiny bathroom, mediocre food, large crowds and very limited time at the ports of call. There are so much better ways to go on holiday. The only reason I can assume people go on cruises because it’s cheap.

    Reply
    • rene says:
      6 years ago

      @James – You are doing it wrong. I have a nice size room(s) with large bathrooms (often with an amazing view) amazing food and a butler. As to ports of call, sometimes I never get off the ship it is so nice! 😉 As to cheap, the retail price of ALL my sailings combined this year will be north of $15,000!

      Reply
  6. jerry says:
    6 years ago

    Just returned from a cruise on the Bliss. here are a few tips and comments –
    1.The ship is new and fabulous
    2. its huge holds 4100 guests and 1700 crew
    3. Ship is probably understaffed by 25%
    4. Crew and staff are very nice
    5. When ship is fully booked unbelievably hard to find a deck chair to be by the pool
    6. Vibe is a private beach Club area where they rent about 30 deck chairs but you need to be first in line in the a.m. to book ($129) pp
    If you’re on deck 15 sometime the music /thumping/booming from the pool area can be heard (felt) until 12:30-1 A.M.
    7. Food is excellent
    8. Observation area very nice to sit indoors and relax when you want a sun break.
    9. Only 2 sets of elevators so it you can chose your room try to choose midship so you have easy access to both
    10. Disembarkation process was amazingly smooth considering the number of people the move on and off the ship
    11. Renes comments are “right on”
    12. To make dinner reservations its easier to do so on the many screens in each elevator bank than at the concierge desk.

    Reply
  7. relidtm says:
    6 years ago

    does this work with Disney cruises also?

    Reply
    • rene says:
      6 years ago

      @relittm – Yes. Not sure if Disney has a cruise next type program or allows refundable onboard credits.

      Reply
  8. Kevin says:
    6 years ago

    I’d rather have a variety of cards that pay 2%-5% cash back than travel reward cards. I used to churn travel cards for the bonuses, but the hassle factor has grown too large for me.

    Reply
  9. JBC says:
    6 years ago

    I’m going on the Bliss end of July…:) fam. of 4. I don’t know how you could amass so many points but I certainly couldn’t. I did get the friends and fam. discount though for what it’s worth.

    Reply
    • rene says:
      6 years ago

      @JBC – If you are willing to get the right card mix, study up on creative spending (as well as the time to do it), you can harvest about 1 million points a year. I do.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

➤ Search Eye of the Flyer

No Result
View All Result

Subscribe

Subscribe To Our NewsletterJoin our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

GREAT Travel and Cash Back Card Offers for Spring 2025!

Eye of the Flyer may receive a commission from the links below. See our Privacy Policy

See some of the biggest and best offers now!
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card CardBIGGEST EVER OFFER! Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 in purchases within three (3) months of being approved for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card! (Learn here how to apply. All information about the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card was gathered independently by Eye of the Flyer. It was neither provided nor reviewed by the card issuer.)
Capital One Venture X Business
Capital One Venture X Business: Earn 150,000 bonus miles once you spend $30,000 on eligible purchases within three (3) months of being approved for card membership. Then, earn an additional 200,000 miles after you spend a total of $200,000 within the first six (6) months. That's a total of 350,000 miles. Learn here how to apply.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: Earn 185,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on the card within six (6) months of being approved for card membership. (Terms Apply. This offer expires on May 14, 2025.). Read more and learn here how to apply.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases within three (3) months of being approved for card membership. Plus, receive a one-time $250 Capital One Travel credit in your first cardholder year. Learn more here.

 

American Express® Business Gold Card

American Express® Business Gold Card: Earn 100,000 bonus Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first three (3) months of being approved for card membership. Plus, enjoy a 0% introductory APR for the first six (6) months from the date of account opening on purchases eligible for Pay Over Time, then a 18.49% to 27.49% variable APR. (See Rates & Fees) Terms apply.. Learn more here.

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 150,000 bonus American Express® Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on the card within the first three (3) months of being approved for card membership. Plus, earn a $500 statement credit after you spend $2,500 on qualifying flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel with your Business Platinum Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. You can earn one or both of these offers. This offer expires on June 30, 2025. Terms apply.. Plus, enjoy select airport lounge access, statement credit opportunities galore, and more! Read here why we love this card.

 

Eye of the Flyer partner offer!CardMatch™CardMatch™
Offers may not be available to all users.

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Eye of the Flyer with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.

Subscribe

Subscribe To Our NewsletterJoin our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Resources

  • ✍ Editors Disclaimer
  • 💰 Advertiser Disclosure
  • 🔒 Privacy Policy
  • BANK & Travel Cards ★
  • CardMatch™
  • Cruises
  • Rookie
  • Elite Mileage Runs
  • Merchandise
  • αbout US ✉

Copyright © 2025 Eye of the Flyer. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • BANK & Travel Cards ★
    • Credit Cards
    • CardMatch™
    • Eye of the Flyer Recommended Cards
    • Best Welcome Offers
    • Travel Rewards Cards
    • Airline Credit Cards
    • Hotel Credit Cards
    • Cash Back Credit Cards
    • No Annual Fee Credit Cards
    • Small Business Credit Cards
    • Gas Rewards Cards
    • Balance Transfer Cards
    • Student Credit Cards
    • Visa Credit Cards
    • Mastercards
    • Bad or Poor Credit
    • No Credit or Limited Credit
    • Secured Cards
  • CardMatch™
  • Cruises
  • Rookie
  • Elite Mileage Runs
  • Merchandise
  • αbout US ✉

Copyright © 2025 Eye of the Flyer. All Rights Reserved.

Cleantalk Pixel
No Result
View All Result
  • BANK & Travel Cards ★
    • Credit Cards
    • CardMatch™
    • Eye of the Flyer Recommended Cards
    • Best Welcome Offers
    • Travel Rewards Cards
    • Airline Credit Cards
    • Hotel Credit Cards
    • Cash Back Credit Cards
    • No Annual Fee Credit Cards
    • Small Business Credit Cards
    • Gas Rewards Cards
    • Balance Transfer Cards
    • Student Credit Cards
    • Visa Credit Cards
    • Mastercards
    • Bad or Poor Credit
    • No Credit or Limited Credit
    • Secured Cards
  • CardMatch™
  • Cruises
  • Rookie
  • Elite Mileage Runs
  • Merchandise
  • αbout US ✉

Copyright © 2025 Eye of the Flyer. All Rights Reserved.