Changes to Oasis

[Clarea]

Can Suite guests invite non-suite guests to dine with them in Coastal Kitchen?

I'd be interested in knowing that too.:)

[CVU]

Can Suite guests invite non-suite guests to dine with them in Coastal Kitchen?

 

We heard on board- if they were linked to their reservation.

PCs were on stand-by for availability for seating.

[KansasK]

Every time I have visited the Viking Crown Lounge on Oasis class it has always been empty. I'd sit and have a drink but it was uncomfortable with several bartenders and waiters staring at me. I thought to myself, what a waste of prime space and labor. I am happy to see that they are trying something different. Something needs to be up there that is going to attract people. Lets give it a try.

 

How is it going to attract more people if it is limited to the highest loyalty level and suite guests? It seems like it is a private club now.

[Paulette3028]

How is it going to attract more people if it is limited to the highest loyalty level and suite guests? It seems like it is a private club now.

 

I agree; it isn't going to attract new people or 'additional revenue' -- because it is being set up like another private club. They already had those with the Diamond lounge/Concierge lounge -- which you needed a card for special access to.

[gatour]

Technically, it is now generating no revenue.

 

The Viking Crown lounge was grossly underutilized. I'll miss it but they really did need to find a way for the space to generate some revenue.

[TubbyMrT]

Technically, it is now generating no revenue.

 

As opposed to loosing revenue as it was sitting empty with employees standing round in the past.

 

Also, the high end and loyal guests contribute a significant amount of revenue to the cruise line.

[aloha of the seas]

I agree; it isn't going to attract new people or 'additional revenue' -- because it is being set up like another private club. They already had those with the Diamond lounge/Concierge lounge -- which you needed a card for special access to.

 

Since we all seem to agree that the VCL is underutilized and I feel that they should not make another private lounge or restuarant there. why not take a page out of Celebrity's book. On the Solstice class ships the best location foe a dining room is the Tuscan Grill/ It faces aft and is a wondrful place to dine especially on sailaways. (I don't know why RCI has not brought this to their fleet). So why could't the VCL, with the best view on any RCI ship, become a new specialty restaurant open to anyone so the could enjoy a good meal and beatuiful views.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Since we all seem to agree that the VCL is underutilized and I feel that they should not make another private lounge or restuarant there. why not take a page out of Celebrity's book. On the Solstice class ships the best location foe a dining room is the Tuscan Grill/ It faces aft and is a wondrful place to dine especially on sailaways. (I don't know why RCI has not brought this to their fleet). So why could't the VCL, with the best view on any RCI ship, become a new specialty restaurant open to anyone so the could enjoy a good meal and beatuiful views.

 

I completely agree with you. A restaurant (could have been Wonderland or Izumi, or both!) would have been amazing up there..

Edited November 16, 2014 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[beancounterbeth]

Besides the point of the VCL, I'm irritated by the places on Oasis that ROFL has designated only for the elite status. This will be my fourth ROFL cruise. I love to cruise and only cruise with REAL but it's like going back to high school and I'm not good enough to go into some restaurants and such. Ticks me off.

[Ocean Boy]

Besides the point of the VCL, I'm irritated by the places on Oasis that ROFL has designated only for the elite status. This will be my fourth ROFL cruise. I love to cruise and only cruise with REAL but it's like going back to high school and I'm not good enough to go into some restaurants and such. Ticks me off.

 

OK, I give up. I've seen a lot of abbreviations over the years but I have no idea what ROFL or REAL is supposed to mean.

[Paulette3028]

OK, I give up. I've seen a lot of abbreviations over the years but I have no idea what ROFL or REAL is supposed to mean.

 

I agree.....I have seen "ROFL" to mean 'rolling on floor laughing' -- but is that what the previous poster meant.

 

And what does "REAL" mean.....no idea.

 

If people are going to use an abbreviation, unless it is VERY commonly used, it would make sense for them to insert in parenthesis what the abbreviation means (for the first time they use it). Then if they use it later in their post everyone would understand.

[phoenix1181]

From where I sit, it appears Royal is doing what they need to do to provide their suite passengers with an experience & benefits that will keep them coming back.

 

When I took my first cruise, in what is now called a JS, my new husband & I realized our dinner partners who were in an inside cabin on deck 2, were receiving exactly the same experience for much less $$. Based on that knowledge, we booked an OV for our next cruise & again had a wonderful cruise. Amazing! We had a smaller cabin & no tub but everything else was the same. We enjoyed excellent food, service & entertainment for a lot less & the smaller cabin had no adverse impact on our cruise.

 

Suite passengers pay a lot for their cabins & IMHO should get something more than real estate for that $$. Other cruise lines offer more & if Royal is going to compete, they need to provide more than than a few drinks & a lounge that is overcrowded with frequent cruisers.

[TheMastodon]

I'm looking forward to seeing how they repurposed the VCL on Oasis. One more week!

 

 

It's awesome - you will love it.

 

Coastal Kitchen has the best food on the ship IMO..

 

Hope you're not staying in a loft suite.. We paid big $ for one and had a less than desirable experience.

 

1.) Noise 24/7 from the construction of new suites. Yes, at 2AM a few nights when I came back from casino I heard grinding, and noises coming from the new suites while laying in bed!!!

 

2.) Dust Dust Dust in the rooms. Our suite attendant did a heck of a job cleaning our cabin everyday but there was always dust coming through the HVAC.

 

3.) Toilets often wouldn't flush for 10-15 minutes (not a big deal, just pointing it out)

 

4.) SMOKE filled up one of the hallways at one point during the day. Made us a bit nervous!!!

 

We didn't want to complain during our trip, as we were on vacation and just wanted to have a good time. Plenty of other loft suite guests were doing it for us!!! But, will be contacting RCCL this week to demand some future OBC. If you pay top dollar on that ship one expects a top notch experience, especially in the loft suites.

[Folk Singer]

Technically, it is now generating no revenue.

 

seems that way.

[MADflyer]

While the Coastal Kitchen does not charge a cover charge for GS and above guests and Pinnacle Club members, they do have an extensive and upgraded wine list. This is a source of revenue.

 

On Quantum the Coastal Kitchen wine list was heavily dominated by wines in the $100+ range and I choose a mid-range wine by the glass at $18.

 

While not given a check, I did feel the need to leave a 'substantial' additional gratuity on each visit as the service was truly superior.

 

The Coastal Kitchen and Suite lounge do now provided a substantial added value to the booking of a GS and above and this in turn should result in additional revenue by strengthening the sale of suites and the perceived value when paying for a suite upsell.

[silvermcs]

It's awesome - you will love it.

 

Coastal Kitchen has the best food on the ship IMO..

 

Hope you're not staying in a loft suite.. We paid big $ for one and had a less than desirable experience.

 

1.) Noise 24/7 from the construction of new suites. Yes, at 2AM a few nights when I came back from casino I heard grinding, and noises coming from the new suites while laying in bed!!!

 

2.) Dust Dust Dust in the rooms. Our suite attendant did a heck of a job cleaning our cabin everyday but there was always dust coming through the HVAC.

 

3.) Toilets often wouldn't flush for 10-15 minutes (not a big deal, just pointing it out)

 

4.) SMOKE filled up one of the hallways at one point during the day. Made us a bit nervous!!!

 

We didn't want to complain during our trip, as we were on vacation and just wanted to have a good time. Plenty of other loft suite guests were doing it for us!!! But, will be contacting RCCL this week to demand some future OBC. If you pay top dollar on that ship one expects a top notch experience, especially in the loft suites.

So glad to hear that Coastal Kitchen has great food and wine! We have had two CLs in the past and glad we are way down on deck 8 this trip and away from the 17th floor construction. Will just spend time up there for the Suite Lounge and Restaurant but don't have to sleep there. We did a construction project at home and no matter how you try to wall it off and how much you clean, there is always dust!

[beancounterbeth]

I agree.....I have seen "ROFL" to mean 'rolling on floor laughing' -- but is that what the previous poster meant.

 

And what does "REAL" mean.....no idea.

 

If people are going to use an abbreviation, unless it is VERY commonly used, it would make sense for them to insert in parenthesis what the abbreviation means (for the first time they use it). Then if they use it later in their post everyone would understand.

 

 

Sorry. Was on my phone and the stupid keyboard doesn't understand me. All of those were supposed to be RCCL. It kept auto correcting me apparently. hahahha

 

Just came back to see if anyone commented and saw that it changed it to ROFL and REAL. Those all should have been RCCL for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.

[nednrom]

I take it that you have been on Cunard many times?

 

Cunard has never had anything like the VCL. Yes, they have a couple of small, dedicated lounges for "grill" passengers for their respective restaurants, but nothing like the VCL that is restricted to certain guests.

 

Sorry but this RCI change makes Cunard look good!

 

I don't know about Cunard now because I haven't been on Cunard for a while. They probably don't have a "VCL". But Cunard did have First and Second class of passengers in the early 70's. I know because we were not allowed to eat at certain restaurants or enter a specific lounge with a live band during our transatlantic until the very last night for a party on the QE2 so you can't say NEVER.

 

On a similar vein, there are other cruise lines (Norwegian, MSC, Celebrity come to mind) that have specialty restaurants specific to their suite and high level repeat passengers. I am not sure if this is due to a demand from suite/PN guests on Royal. When I've been on VCL, there have been 4-5 people with a bartender and sometimes 2 bartenders during the day the in VCL. At night, if the band was good, it would be more crowded but again I would say that it would be considered an underutilized venue.

 

I don't ever plan on staying in a suite unless it is significantly discounted -- I can go on 2-3 cruises for the price of a suite. From a business perspective and to satisfy high paying customers, I can understand why Royal may had done this.

 

Gail

Edited November 17, 2014 by nednrom