Please tell us about the Concierge Lounge

[pepsicruiser]

I haven't seen any pictures or talk about the Concierge Lounge and the Diamond Lounge. Anyone spend time in these? Can they help with reservations to shows and dining venues?

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

I haven't seen any pictures or talk about the Concierge Lounge and the Diamond Lounge. Anyone spend time in these? Can they help with reservations to shows and dining venues?

 

OK, here goes. The Diamond/Diamd.Plus lounge is above Boleros and has a balcony that overlooks the Prominade. It is an excellent viewing area for parades and Prominade parties. The interior area has comfortable seating, a coffee/espresso/cappuccino/latte machine available 24/7. There is an ice machine that does not work.

 

The continental breakfast customarily served on Freedom Class ships is not served here. Instead there is an area in the MDR just for D/D Plus guests for a limited time in the morning.

 

Cocktails are not served in this lounge. They are served in three lounges for a few hours each night with lots of yummy canapes. Two of those lounges I visited include the comfortable Blaze lounge, Deck Four. This is very busy, standing room only. Access is strictly guarded.

 

The other was the 17th Deck Pinnacle Lounge, a totally different vibe. This is very elegant and large. The waiter who is from Turkey is super cool. His name is Surat. Hardly anybody goes here. It is the BEST KEPT secret (until now :o.)

 

Back to the main lounge above Boleros. It is on the sixth deck. You access the lounge via a gate. Too many people leave the gate open, so anyone can walk in. The concierge is there only for brief spurts of time. I couldn't figure out what he did for anyone, but I wasn't there all the time, so maybe I do the man, Ricardo Mock, a disservice.

 

This lounge has great possibiliies, but is underutilized. There is room for a small continental breakfast and I really feel that should be offered. The ice machine needs to be fixed.

 

The concierge lounge for suites is very nice but very crowded, at least the couple of times I checked in the morning. There was a long line in front of the concierge desk.

 

We could not get help in the D/D + lounge for show and dining reservations. However, you can do this yourself on the interactive TV in your cabin and at the Prominade Box Office which has about five stations and staff to do this for you if your TV is not functioning as ours did not the first day. Caveat: The Box Office is not always open.

[pepsicruiser]

Thank you for the info. I thought I understood that Diamond Plus was allowed into Concierge Lounge. I know I read it here months ago but maybe RC changed their mind. Can you confirm that they are not allowed in CL? ty

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

I am sorry. I don't know for certain about the Diamond Plus being allowed in the Concierge lounge. It was my understanding that they ARE allowed in the Concierge Lounge and the other Diamond lounges as well.

[bajathree]

The concierge lounge is located on deck 11 and 12(access is deck 11 ONLY)...it is stunning....one of the best views on the ship.....it is open to D+ and suite passengers.....it seemed very busy on this past sailing because of the 400+ D+ passengers sailing, NOT because of suite guests.....I expect that this area will be at normal capacity after this next sailing when it isn't inundated with all the D+ passengers. For suite passengers you can order breakfast and lunch in the lounge....this is NOT available for D+ however if you hear conflicting it will be most likely because it was so busy that I am sure some D+ sneaked in a lunch or two.....but intentions are "A la Carte" breakfast and lunch is for suite passengers ONLY....will post pix shortly.

[mariefisher]

We just got home from Oasis and yes Diamond Plus can use the concierge lounge. There was a mix up and our sea pass said Diamond and we got a card to the Diamond lounge. We just went to the concierge lounge and they gave us a card. Yes, there was a line the 1st day for reservations but we had done them ourselves so it wasn't a problem for us. The lounge is fantastic! They have an actual breakfast and lunch menu to order from. There is great wait staff and a very good bartender. The lounge has 2 decks and looks over the Aqua Theater. It is a very special place that everyone should enjoy! Royal may have changed some of their perks but this lounge is over the top!

[bajathree]

We just got home from Oasis and yes Diamond Plus can use the concierge lounge. There was a mix up and our sea pass said Diamond and we got a card to the Diamond lounge. We just went to the concierge lounge and they gave us a card. Yes, there was a line the 1st day for reservations but we had done them ourselves so it wasn't a problem for us. The lounge is fantastic! They have an actual breakfast and lunch menu to order from. There is great wait staff and a very good bartender. The lounge has 2 decks and looks over the Aqua Theater. It is a very special place that everyone should enjoy! Royal may have changed some of their perks but this lounge is over the top!

 

Again....this is EXACTLY the mix up I talk about....this is where the difference comes between D+ and suite perks in the concierge lounge.....this perk is meant for suite passengers ONLY.....but again due to the confusion D+ were getting away with it on this past sailing.

[ahornb]

The concierge lounge is located on deck 11 and 12(access is deck 11 ONLY)...it is stunning....one of the best views on the ship.....it is open to D+ and suite passengers.....it seemed very busy on this past sailing because of the 400+ D+ passengers sailing, NOT because of suite guests.....I expect that this area will be at normal capacity after this next sailing when it isn't inundated with all the D+ passengers. For suite passengers you can order breakfast and lunch in the lounge....this is NOT available for D+ however if you hear conflicting it will be most likely because it was so busy that I am sure some D+ sneaked in a lunch or two.....but intentions are "A la Carte" breakfast and lunch is for suite passengers ONLY....will post pix shortly.

 

Hey Bajathree, glad you had a safe trip. Was there an open bar/free alcohol happy hour in the concierge lounge like we had on the Liberty OTS?

[bajathree]

Hey Bajathree, glad you had a safe trip. Was there an open bar/free alcohol happy hour in the concierge lounge like we had on the Liberty OTS?

 

 

THANKS:)....yes....happy hour/free drinks were served in the concierge lounge everyday from 5-8pm....as well as hor'dourves.

[ahornb]

thanks:)....yes....happy hour/free drinks were served in the concierge lounge everyday from 5-8pm....as well as hor'dourves.

 

yeeeehaaa!!:d

[mariefisher]

Just to clarify, we did not eat off the menu in the lounge. It was offered to us by the waiters and the menu looked great. I had no idea it was for suite guests only or did they tell us it was. There was no sign or it did not state this on the menu so sneaking of food was not involved. To be honest I did not see many people use this service. The lounge was a very pleasant place and the staff was very friendly, I can't imagine them turning you down if you wanted to eat. We did not need their services but the 2 concierge on duty were really busy but still took the time to offer a smile each time we entered the lounge. I can't see them telling someone "no breakfast for you" but maybe I am wrong. With all the places to eat I can't see it being a problem anyway. This ship is so wonderful and I don't think small matters like this should even be given a second thought.

[bajathree]

Just to clarify, we did not eat off the menu in the lounge. It was offered to us by the waiters and the menu looked great. I had no idea it was for suite guests only or did they tell us it was. There was no sign or it did not state this on the menu so sneaking of food was not involved. To be honest I did not see many people use this service. The lounge was a very pleasant place and the staff was very friendly, I can't imagine them turning you down if you wanted to eat. We did not need their services but the 2 concierge on duty were really busy but still took the time to offer a smile each time we entered the lounge. I can't see them telling someone "no breakfast for you" but maybe I am wrong. With all the places to eat I can't see it being a problem anyway. This ship is so wonderful and I don't think small matters like this should even be given a second thought.

 

Reyno and Francois are great:) but this came straight from them;) ....yes, the waiters were asking to see gold cards for ordering food, but like i mention it got so busy on this first sailing and things are so new that I am sure this was becoming difficult with over 400+ D+ members using the lounge.....in any case just wan't to clarify things to keep the facts correct:)

[Tylara]

OK, here goes. The Diamond/Diamd.Plus lounge is above Boleros and has a balcony that overlooks the Prominade. It is an excellent viewing area for parades and Prominade parties. The interior area has comfortable seating, a coffee/espresso/cappuccino/latte machine available 24/7. There is an ice machine that does not work.

 

The continental breakfast customarily served on Freedom Class ships is not served here. Instead there is an area in the MDR just for D/D Plus guests for a limited time in the morning.

 

Cocktails are not served in this lounge. They are served in three lounges for a few hours each night with lots of yummy canapes. Two of those lounges I visited include the comfortable Blaze lounge, Deck Four. This is very busy, standing room only. Access is strictly guarded.

 

Maybe I'm missing something, but wasn't the "cocktails for a few hours in a lounge" deal supposed to be only on ships that did not have Diamond Lounges, in order to not overload the Concierge Club? Seems strange that they would not use the Diamond Lounge for the very purpose it was developed. Perhaps this was only for the pre-inaugural where they knew they would have a lot of D/D+ passengers on board. Hopefully they will use this space better on future cruises. Glad to hear it's a nice venue.