Has anyone experienced "Priority" elevator?

[KCMiller]

I thought that the special fast lines at Disney required additional payment? If not, why wouldn't everyone use it?

 

'snip'

 

 

KC

Edited December 22, 2014 by KCMiller
several responses got there before me!

[grand isle joe]

....priority elevators?.......BEING DIAMOND AND ABOVE THEY ARE ALL CARRIED BY THE CREW MEMBERS UP AND DOWN ALL THE DECKS THEY WISH TO VISIT...after all there are perks that come with "Royalty"...

[Host Jacquelyn]

If you want to schedule Disney FastPass+ in advance you must stay in a Disney resort. Everyone else schedules theirs inside the park the day they arrive, and getting preferred times for in demand rides is tough if the crowd levels are high.

 

Disney resort guests can schedule FP+ 60 days in advance. Everyone else can schedule 30 days in advance.

[critterchick]

Recently on the Freedom of the Seas, we noticed several elevators passing us by, and there was a notation on the elevator floor reading above the doors that said something like "Priority" as it quickly passed us by - we have never noticed this before and is very disturbing to the waiting riders.

 

Has anyone experienced this before? Is this really happening or is it a fluke? I read on the Facebook Royal Group that this was possibly being used by high level suite and Pinnacle guests - and that Royal implemented this but are now backpedaling on it - any truth to this?

 

Hope this is not reality - this could turn into another Disney World with their "Fast Pass" fiasco for rich people willing to pay more that the normal cost of the park to gain faster admission to the attractions....

 

It's not a fluke, but it's also not used for normal elevator traffic. We've only been able to access it when we've been escorted by the Concierge or guest services manager, either to a tender or at final disembarkation. Otherwise I suspect that there is either an emergency or one of the ship's senior officers is in a hurry to get somewhere (I've seen that).

[ewenix]

Hope this is not reality - this could turn into another Disney World with their "Fast Pass" fiasco for rich people willing to pay more that the normal cost of the park to gain faster admission to the attractions....

 

I think the elevator question has been answered sufficiently, however

I'd point out that a better analogy would have been Carnival's Faster to the Fun program.

[MichaelCMTX]

It's not a fluke, but it's also not used for normal elevator traffic. We've only been able to access it when we've been escorted by the Concierge or guest services manager, either to a tender or at final disembarkation. Otherwise I suspect that there is either an emergency or one of the ship's senior officers is in a hurry to get somewhere (I've seen that).

 

Same experience here. The Concierge had the "secret key."

[steveru621]

It actually was never access for Gold Card members, nor pinnacle, nor D+, nor D...

 

What's been widely rumored across the board as a plot by the Royal Caribbean Illuminati was actually an error with the RFID room keys and WOW bands in Quantum. The frequencies used were too close to those used by the emergency response teams to "commander" the elevators (think of the firemen service key slots common in elevators, but now electronic).

 

This has been discussed at recent captains corners aboard Quantum and I believe it's been corrected. I had not heard of it and other ships, but it may be a similar issue or, as others have said, either a mass movement of people from a special event or an emergency response in progress.

 

RFID has an individual ID number. It does not transmit under it's own power the tag has no power, it is read by a specific frequency and service employees/passengers may be read by two different frequencies.

 

Last week on Quantum they gave everyone's RIFD number priority access to the elevators when they 'tapped' their card or band. By Day 3-4 the kids were using it constantly. Fortunately it was fixed.

 

I didn't buy the excuse the frequencies were too close. RFID tags are read.

[HaraldOslo]

I have a friend that in the old ships if he is the 1st one in the elevator and no one is pushing any other floor lever he can skip all floors.

 

Does it work 100% no. But a whopping 90% even when they are people in every floor requesting an elevator.

It won't work in allure or oasis, how does he do it ? I don't know 😇, and of course what he is doing is not fair ( I know the mentally of some in here )

 

Ah, that would be the hold-the-door-close-button-and-pressing-the-desired-floor-button trick.

[ocav]

As I explained elsewhere, the RFID frequency used in all cards onboard, and also in RFID enabled cards elsewhere (bank cards, other hotels etc) is exactly the same, it's the data stored in the chip that allows features to activate / open the door etc.

 

Priority access elevators were not a "mistake"

[mconthehighseas]

Suite guests can get escorted off the ship by the concierge. It is a perk of a grand Suite or above. Guests in these suites can go to the Concierge lounge and then they are escorted down on the elevator non-stop as Priority. Part of the benefits of opting up for a grand suite. We took advantage of this several times in October on the FR.

 

THIS. The concierge does this on days when there are tenders and also on disembarkation day, so that suite passengers don't have to wait in long lines to get off the ship.

 

I would think the Diamond Concierge would do this as well, but I am not sure.

[ehfl]

Recently on the Freedom of the Seas, we noticed several elevators passing us by

 

I recently had this exact same experience but on the stairways. Some people were walking up and down faster than me, while others were going slower. RCL MUST do something about this! People in suites should not be able to walk faster than the rest of us!

[steveru621]

As I explained elsewhere, the RFID frequency used in all cards onboard, and also in RFID enabled cards elsewhere (bank cards, other hotels etc) is exactly the same, it's the data stored in the chip that allows features to activate / open the door etc.

 

Priority access elevators were not a "mistake"

 

It was a mistake on the 12/12 cruise to give it to everyone, even the teenagers.

 

By the way...

 

http://www.centrenational-rfid.com/rfid-frequency-ranges-article-16-gb-ruid-202.html

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio-frequency_identification

[patrickusaf08]

OMG what would people do if the ship started to sink. I bet they would all run the the elevator and demand their express down to the lifeboat and then demand they get off the ship first. Lets see i bet I know of a ship that had those same type of people. O ya it was the Titanic. Really some people should look in a mirror every once and a while. Would the stairs kill you if you walked them every once and a while even going down and god forbid if you did it coming up. If you did that you may burn some calories and get a little heart rate up and may actually feel good. I understand if you are disabled and can not walk the stairs but every time I go on a cruise I see people who are more then capable of hitting the stairs talking the elevator to like deck 5 or 6 when someone with a cane or a wheel chair is trying to get on an elevator.

[Langley Cruisers]

...but every time I go on a cruise I see people who are more then capable of hitting the stairs talking the elevator to like deck 5 or 6 when someone with a cane or a wheel chair is trying to get on an elevator.

 

I stopped judging a long time ago. Really, how do you know they are "more than capable" of taking the stairs? You don't. They could have recently had surgery, or have some physical ailment or impairment that you cannot see.

[patrickusaf08]

I stopped judging a long time ago. Really, how do you know they are "more than capable" of taking the stairs? You don't. They could have recently had surgery, or have some physical ailment or impairment that you cannot see.

 

Ok let me rephrase what I mean by more then capable. Your typical gym rat. The 6'2'' blonde dude that looks like he spends 4 hours a day in the gym. Or the girl you see running the track every morning. If you see people who are younger and in shape just stand in there when someone is trying to get in with a cane or a walker or an older person. Something has changed in this country from what it used to be. I remember when men gave up their seat to women on a bus or subway. When men opened doors for women and then if another woman was coming held the door open. Or held an elevator door for someone that was a little slower walking. People have gotten lazy in this country and thats just the sad truth.

[ocav]

It was a mistake on the 12/12 cruise to give it to everyone, even the teenagers.

 

By the way...

 

http://www.centrenational-rfid.com/rfid-frequency-ranges-article-16-gb-ruid-202.html

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio-frequency_identification

 

 

All the cards on the ship will use the same frequency though, however most contact less RFID will use low frequency so it's likely that your contactless credit card would use the same frequency as the sea passes but because it doesn't contain the data fields the reader needs, it doesn't recognise it

[Charger2008]

Umm no one can pay for Fast Pass access, it is included in the ticket price. when you can book your three selections per day just depends whether you stay on site or off.

 

as for Priority: have seen it many times, usually used by STAFF who need to set something up( such as using the VCL for an Art auction). I also got to use priority access on disembarkation day as a suite guest who was escorted directly to the pier and customs and bypassing the normal crush of people trying to get off.

 

 

Our concierge did that for us when we had a grand suite a few years back. We got to bypass all the folks waiting in line to get off the ship :) Also, when in port, he would do that so we could get off the ship for excursions :) I thought it was a very nice "perk" :D for having a grand suite

[grand isle joe]

I recently had this exact same experience but on the stairways. Some people were walking up and down faster than me, while others were going slower. RCL MUST do something about this! People in suites should not be able to walk faster than the rest of us!

 

......it's those magic slippers that every suite guests find under their ultra luxurious plush top bed......

[cjdixon4]

I like the concept of a Concierge escort. Initially, my mind had a visual of Diamond+ and Pinnacle cruisers pushing, shoving, and squeezing past each other...what a relief. LOL :D

[grand isle joe]

I like the concept of a Concierge escort. Initially, my mind had a visual of Diamond+ and Pinnacle cruisers pushing, shoving, and squeezing past each other...what a relief. LOL :D

 

.....my mind had a visual of the concierge pushing those Diamond+ and Pinnacle cruisers in a fleet of wheel chairs..........:D

[cjdixon4]

.....my mind had a visual of the concierge pushing those Diamond+ and Pinnacle cruisers in a fleet of wheel chairs..........:D

 

Exactly. :rolleyes:

[Onessa]

I am sitting here with my co-lead chaperone supervising the loading of a semi trailer for an upcoming band trip. He is a product manager for OTIS (the elevator people). I am reading some of these replies and he thinks many are hilarious.

 

Yes there are priority access options on nearly every elevator. Some are by buttons, some by key, some by mag-card, some by other card technology. And yes some folks may be getting escorted (for any of a variety of reasons). But there are other reasons - there is logic built into the programming that controls the elevators. Mainly there is logic that queues up requests so if someone called on deck two there is a point when a car will by-pass other calls because deck two really has been waiting "forever" and there has been so much traffic between floors 8 and 14 that they will "force" a car down to two. They have programming to make more calls on more "popular" floors to keep people moving. On some systems, if the load is nearing capacity, it is not going to stop to pick someone else up. Program complexity varies, but there could be a lot of reasons why an elevator has by-passed you.

 

And in just a few days, I will be with a bellhop on an elevator in an Embassy Suites down in Florida ferrying suitcases and uniform boxes up and down in my own "private" elevator (while my kids hit the stairs for 10 to 17 flights - so we tie up only one of the hotel's elevator during check in and check out) :)

[tigger-ttfn]

I thought that the special fast lines at Disney required additional payment? If not, why wouldn't everyone use it?

Alot of people do. I have in the past. it's great.

[jayblue]

I have a feeling this a precursor to the "smart" elevators they use in my office building.

 

Instead of pushing one button and choosing your floor when you enter the car, you pre-select your floor and an elevatoe is reserved for you. The speed of the elevator's arrival is determined by the number of people going to your deck. It works most of the time...except when it doesn't.

 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Forums mobile app

[cjdixon4]

I have a feeling this a precursor to the "smart" elevators they use in my office building.

 

Instead of pushing one button and choosing your floor when you enter the car, you pre-select your floor and an elevatoe is reserved for you. The speed of the elevator's arrival is determined by the number of people going to your deck. It works most of the time...except when it doesn't.

 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Forums mobile app

 

I'm in Chicago also. Sounds like one of the downtown buildings.