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SHOWING YOUR COLORS
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Examples of NCL's new lapel pins. (Photo courtesy of Nancy Miller).
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 Diamond Plus pin at Royal Caribbean.
Norwegian Cruise Line (“NCL”) recently changed its Latitudes loyalty program. One of these changes was to introduce Latitudes' lapel pins. “Now wait a minute,” NCL cruisers may well say, “NCL used to issue lapel pins but that program was phased out several years ago.” However, this is a new program, which most NCL cruisers are discovering as the line restarts from the Covid shutdown. Whereas the old pins had a unique design for each ship in the NCL fleet and were given to all passengers , the new pins are uniform across the line and disclose the wearer's rank in the seven tiers of the Latitudes program.
Many of the major cruise lines have s lapel pins and NCL's decision to reinstate a lapel's pins program is not surprising. Observing the cruise industry for the last 36 years, I have noticed that lapel pins seem to have a definate life cycle. Typically, a cruise line starts issuing lapel pins with great enthusiasum. Sometimes they are even included in the list of the benefits provided to members of the line's loyalty program. Then, there is a middle period when the pins are viewed as just part of life aboard the line's ships. Next, the line starts to think that getting rid of these pins would be a good way of cutting costs and besides, nobody really cares about them anyway. Soon, they stop being automatically distributed and enthusiasts have to ask for them at the guest relations desk. Finally, they disappear. But a few years later someone decided to compare the line's loyalty program to the other lines' loyalty programs. Seeing that some of the other lines have pins, our cruise line decides that it too should have lapel pins and a new program of loyalty lapel pins is begun. To be fair, the new program is often somewhat different than the prior program. For example, Carnival Cruise Line used to issue lapel pins in the shape of the distinctive whale-tail funnels on the Carnival ships. Like the old NCL program, there was a different pin for each ship in the fleet and they were distributed to just about everybody on every voyage. These were replaced by a hybrid system. Members at the Gold level received a generic pin that indicated their level in the loyalty program. Members in the upper tiers received pins were unique to their tier. In addition, the pins were also unique to each ship. Thus, a Platinum member of the VIFP loyalty program who went on a cruise on Carnival Sunshine would receive a Platinum pin for that ship and then he or she would receive another Platinum pin when they cruised on Carnival Horizon. On most cruise lines, the guest only receives a new pin when he or she passes from one tier of the loyalty program to the next. At Princess, for instance, the member becomes entitled to a new pin on the cruise that follows the cruise in which he or she earned the requisite number of points to enter the next tier. The primary purpose of issuing lapel pins is to develop a sense of loyalty and comaradery among the passengers. Ideally, if all of the passengers are walking around wearing the line's pin, it promotes a bond - - “we are all part of the same club.” Perhaps unintentionally, having different pins appeals to the desire for status - - “Since my pin is of a higher tier than yours, I out rank you.” While this may run counter to the egalitarian atmosphere of the day, one not only sees the higher tier passenger enjoying his or her exalted status but also often the member of the lower tier glowing with admiration for the achievement of the higher tier passenger. At Cunard, there have been several iterations of lapel pins. The most recent iteration in the shape of an ensign was not very popular with Cunard regulars when they were first issued. As a result, some passengers, particularly those at the Diamond (top) level continued to wear their old pins, which were in the shape of Cunard's traditional logo. This was a way of saying “you may be a Diamond, but I have been a Diamond for a long time.” Sort of old money versus new money. Those who want to take this to the next level, continue to wear their pre-Carnival Corporation takeover pins. Since it has been quite a few years since the Carnival takeover, many of today's Cunard passengers are unfamiliar with such old pins. Consequently, wearing a pre-Carnival pin can give one the great pleasure of responding to inquiries with “Oh, yes, this is one of the old Cunard 500 day pins” and waiting for the look of awe from your audience. On a more practical level, lapel pins communicate messages to the crew. For example, Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor loyalty program is highly dveloped with members becoming entitled to a growing list of significant benefits as they proceed through the upper levels of the program. A crew member seeing a Diamond, Diamond Plus or Pinnacle badge, knows that that guest is entitled to certain benefits without having to look at their room key card. Furthermore, the crew members have been educated to know that repeat passengers are vital to the line's survival and thus, to their jobs. Consequently, a Pinnacle pin often prompts a “Thank you for being loyal to Royal” from crew members of all ranks. This is in sharp contrast to some other lines where the loyalty program is regarded as something of an annoyance by the crew. From time-to-time, cruise lines issue special one-time lapel pins. These can include pins that mark the entry of a new ship into service, a major anniversary of the cruise line or even a major new marketing campaign. These pins are chiefly of value as collectibles and usually do not have any loyalty benefits associated with them. You also find lapel pins with the ship's name and image in the souvenir shops on many ships. Like the one-off pins issued by the lines, these are collectibles and appear to be more popular on ships doing European itineraries as opposed to American itineraries. |
Above: A collection of some of the pins issued under NCL's prior program.
Below: A sampling of pins issued by Carnival Cruise Lines. 
Above: The pins from Princess Cruises' Captain's Circle.
Below: A collection of pins spanning three programs at Cunard Line. 
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Cruise ship article - - Showing Your Colors - A look at Cruise Line Lapel Pins