Jump to content

Card being swiped for every round of drinks in Diamond lounge


Recommended Posts

55 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

Great idea. Have SL for Suite Guests only. We would come back to Royal if that were the case. 

Some ships have a nearly empty concierge  or suite lounge.  Depends on the ship and sail date. 

 

We sailed the Mariner in February from Miami and  one evening we were the only guests in the suite lounge. July on Grandeur, not a problem the few times we stopped in the concierge lounge.   We boarded the Grandeur August 31, the cruise that was cancelled, and went to the concierge lounge the first night about 6:30 (before it was cancelled ) and there were 4 other people there. 

 

I know some ships or times of the year may have more Pinnacle guests, but not every one. 

 

M

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/31/2019 at 8:14 AM, Oxo said:

They normally check cards and only allow authorized guests in DL.

Why would inventory be based on number of drinks instead of bottles? 

Math.

You know how many ounces are in each drink.

You know how many ounces are in a bottle.

 

A good bar manager will want to know exactly how many of each drink he or she is selling each week so he or she can order the right number of bottles.

 

Data drives good decisions. If you have no data, you have to guess. If you guess, you end up with too many bottles of stuff that nobody's drinking and too few bottles of the stuff that everybody wants.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/31/2019 at 8:03 AM, cruisegirl1 said:

   We meet so many cruisers that don’t have a clue about the crown and anchor program the benefits or even that there is a lounge (or two) on the ship.  

 

 

 

On our first cruise my wife and I were wondering what the lounge was on the Explorer.   I don't think I understood how the Crown and Anchor program worked until after our 2nd cruise when I discovered Cruise Critic.   I wish I had discovered this forum prior to our 1st cruise.  That first cruise was very overwhelming.  Exciting and fun but definitely overwhelming the first few days.

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, cruisegirl1 said:

Some ships have a nearly empty concierge  or suite lounge.  Depends on the ship and sail date. 

 

We sailed the Mariner in February from Miami and  one evening we were the only guests in the suite lounge. July on Grandeur, not a problem the few times we stopped in the concierge lounge.   We boarded the Grandeur August 31, the cruise that was cancelled, and went to the concierge lounge the first night about 6:30 (before it was cancelled ) and there were 4 other people there. 

 

I know some ships or times of the year may have more Pinnacle guests, but not every one. 

 

M

 

On some ships I prefer the DL to the CL or SL...Mariner is one of them.  Just seems cozier and to have better seating layout for conversations and social interaction IMHO...but I did like the way some of the seats in the SL on Mariner look out over the water if you want to just go in there for a quiet cup of coffee and a view in the morning.  🙂   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/30/2019 at 9:31 AM, Joseph2017China said:

Many people get into the lounges with other guests that do not belong there.  The employees need to keep track of this, and on some ships, it's just too much.  Like everything that is good, when abused, the ships will adapt.  If this means that our perk remains than I have no issue with the swipes.

and guests will also adapt lol

my gold friends love to travel with me

 

why visit the lounges when I have 3 drinks loaded in my card

Edited by mcatmcat
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, island lady said:

 

Hi Frank!  How is the weather over there?  A bit blustery on the east coast right now.  😉 

 

I really don't think Vision and Radiance class have enough total number of full suites to justify putting in a dedicated SL replacing the CL.   I would think kicking D+ out of that alternate lounge would find the newly installed SL pretty empty on those classes of ships... IMHO?  

Currently on many cruises that may be the case.  However, we were on the Vision last Jan/Feb and of the 6 weeks we were on the fewest number of Pinnacles was 43.  The year before we were on the Vision with 65 P's.  I agree that on those classes it is not always that way but it happens more and more each year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, MrSnarkyPants said:

Math.

You know how many ounces are in each drink.

You know how many ounces are in a bottle.

 

A good bar manager will want to know exactly how many of each drink he or she is selling each week so he or she can order the right number of bottles.

 

Data drives good decisions. If you have no data, you have to guess. If you guess, you end up with too many bottles of stuff that nobody's drinking and too few bottles of the stuff that everybody wants.

As great a method of control as that is,  I have found that often in the Lounges some of the bartenders pour heavy to make people happy and in some cases to have to refill them less often.  

I also doubt that Royal sends very important data to the ships that they would need in order to have the proper inventory onboard.  I assume they order their bar supplies at least 2 or 3 weeks in advance.  There are 2 important numbers they would need to order properly. How many drink packages have been presold and how many Diamond and above C&A members are expected.  A couple years back we were on B3B Vision sailings with very high numbers (one was over 1200 D &up)  On the 2nd leg they ran our of Bailey's, Jamison and Amsterdam.   One the 3rd leg they ran out again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Blizzard54 said:

As great a method of control as that is,  I have found that often in the Lounges some of the bartenders pour heavy to make people happy and in some cases to have to refill them less often.  

I also doubt that Royal sends very important data to the ships that they would need in order to have the proper inventory onboard.  I assume they order their bar supplies at least 2 or 3 weeks in advance.  There are 2 important numbers they would need to order properly. How many drink packages have been presold and how many Diamond and above C&A members are expected.  A couple years back we were on B3B Vision sailings with very high numbers (one was over 1200 D &up)  On the 2nd leg they ran our of Bailey's, Jamison and Amsterdam.   One the 3rd leg they ran out again.

 

Mariner ran out of Beringer 😱

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think they have all the info they need from the standard inventory minus the sales for the week whatever is missing is chalked up to C&A beverages. 

 

I think the card swiping has two main functions.

1. slow the flow of drinks...it may not seem like much but this will take that few minutes longer to get your drink and at the same time make people think about how many drinks they have ordered or will order....kind of a psychological effect on people to not over do it.... 

2. get people asking why they are doing this....which will soften the blow when they make changes...it will make more sense to people when the time comes....

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, island lady said:

 

Hi Frank!  How is the weather over there?  A bit blustery on the east coast right now.  😉 

 

I really don't think Vision and Radiance class have enough total number of full suites to justify putting in a dedicated SL replacing the CL.   I would think kicking D+ out of that alternate lounge would find the newly installed SL pretty empty on those classes of ships... IMHO?  

Hi there fellow DS! The weather here has been surprisingly HOT and HUMID the past 2 weeks. Lack of trade winds adds to the heat index. We are at low to mid 90's but with the heat index it is up to 97&98 degrees.  How is the cruising on the land yacht?

 

The Ovation CL was pretty empty this past July.  Never a problem for seats and there was another D+ couple in there most nights.  On the Radiance there were 6 P and we were all in the CL for happy hour.  But it was never crowded and pretty much just the bartender and concierge by the time first seating for dinner started.  On radiance and ovation it would have been even more of a ghost town without the d+ being in there.  

 

In another month, I was will see how busy over the course of 2 weeks the SL gets.  Will also take that loooong walk over to the starboard side of the VCL and visit the DL also.  Whatever fine folks we meet and have conversations with will determine where we go for happy hour.  Wonder if liberty has a high contingent of d and above during October?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Mariner ran out of Beringer 😱

 

OMG...what did you do!!!!!??????????

 

I am thinking that will affect me in actually zero ways.. O wait Laura will now order lemon drops that take time to shake and make...  OK.. I can live with that. 🤣

jc

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, frank808 said:

Hi there fellow DS! The weather here has been surprisingly HOT and HUMID the past 2 weeks. Lack of trade winds adds to the heat index. We are at low to mid 90's but with the heat index it is up to 97&98 degrees.  How is the cruising on the land yacht?

 

The Ovation CL was pretty empty this past July.  Never a problem for seats and there was another D+ couple in there most nights.  On the Radiance there were 6 P and we were all in the CL for happy hour.  But it was never crowded and pretty much just the bartender and concierge by the time first seating for dinner started.  On radiance and ovation it would have been even more of a ghost town without the d+ being in there.  

 

In another month, I was will see how busy over the course of 2 weeks the SL gets.  Will also take that loooong walk over to the starboard side of the VCL and visit the DL also.  Whatever fine folks we meet and have conversations with will determine where we go for happy hour.  Wonder if liberty has a high contingent of d and above during October?

Most Alaska sailings are pretty light on P's.  We did B2B on Explorer a couple years ago and there were 4 the first week and 2 the second.  On our Radiance B2B there were a few more but not many.  The exception was the first Ovation sailing. It was 11 nights and as I recall it was about 60 P's and the Music Hall was full of D and D+.

As for the Liberty... probably a high number.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, Blizzard54 said:

Currently on many cruises that may be the case.  However, we were on the Vision last Jan/Feb and of the 6 weeks we were on the fewest number of Pinnacles was 43.  The year before we were on the Vision with 65 P's.  I agree that on those classes it is not always that way but it happens more and more each year.

 

Depends on route and time of year.   Naturally TAs will be bursting at the seams with Pinnies, along with mid winter.  

Will be on Vision January-Feb, but not really fond of the layout of the CL on those ships...usually end up in the overflow DL.  Last year out of SJ on Jewel, we had very limited amount upper tier.  

Edited by island lady
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, frank808 said:

Hi there fellow DS! The weather here has been surprisingly HOT and HUMID the past 2 weeks. Lack of trade winds adds to the heat index. We are at low to mid 90's but with the heat index it is up to 97&98 degrees.  How is the cruising on the land yacht?

 

The Ovation CL was pretty empty this past July.  Never a problem for seats and there was another D+ couple in there most nights.  On the Radiance there were 6 P and we were all in the CL for happy hour.  But it was never crowded and pretty much just the bartender and concierge by the time first seating for dinner started.  On radiance and ovation it would have been even more of a ghost town without the d+ being in there.  

 

In another month, I was will see how busy over the course of 2 weeks the SL gets.  Will also take that loooong walk over to the starboard side of the VCL and visit the DL also.  Whatever fine folks we meet and have conversations with will determine where we go for happy hour.  Wonder if liberty has a high contingent of d and above during October?

 

Back at 'cha fellow DS!  🍷🙂 

 

Been really hot and humid down in Florida also, so I am told.  Back to 94 and humid today...along with newly hatched flying vampires (AKA the Florida state bird...mosquito! 😣)  Still up here in the land yacht docked up in Maine yet...temps in the 60s during the day now.  And Dorian is going to take a swipe at us skirting outside of the coast on Saturday.  Drat...can't get away from those dang hurricanes! 😮 

 

Only time we have been swiped for drinks was in the "event" VCL deck on Majesty.  Did not bother me a bit, and though they "hinted" at it being for inventory...we joked with waiter that it was a PC way to weed out interlopers...which he agreed.  😉 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, island lady said:

 

Depends on route and time of year.   Naturally TAs will be bursting at the seams with Pinnies, along with mid winter.  

Will be on Vision January-Feb, but not really fond of the layout of the CL on those ships...usually end up in the overflow DL.  Last year out of SJ on Jewel, we had very limited amount upper tier.  

I agree, the layout of the CL on Vision is not the best.  We ended up in the DL most evenings.  We have the Adventure Snowbird Migration coming up and I expect very high numbers on that one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

33 minutes ago, Blizzard54 said:

I agree, the layout of the CL on Vision is not the best.  We ended up in the DL most evenings.  We have the Adventure Snowbird Migration coming up and I expect very high numbers on that one.

 

Oh yeah...that one will be packed also!  😉 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/31/2019 at 10:02 AM, grapau27 said:

If the waiter swipes your card he will not know if it is your card only the DL concierge has access to the photos of members who are allowed access.

 

Your photo comes up on the screen everytime your card is scanned on Royal's point of sale system, whether it be at a bar, shop, spa, speciality restaurant or elsewhere on board. Even for a $0 transaction. 

Edited by cmich068
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On 9/4/2019 at 6:57 PM, Blizzard54 said:

As great a method of control as that is,  I have found that often in the Lounges some of the bartenders pour heavy to make people happy and in some cases to have to refill them less often.  

I also doubt that Royal sends very important data to the ships that they would need in order to have the proper inventory onboard.  I assume they order their bar supplies at least 2 or 3 weeks in advance.  There are 2 important numbers they would need to order properly. How many drink packages have been presold and how many Diamond and above C&A members are expected.  A couple years back we were on B3B Vision sailings with very high numbers (one was over 1200 D &up)  On the 2nd leg they ran our of Bailey's, Jamison and Amsterdam.   One the 3rd leg they ran out again.

 

You can only hope they run out of New Amsterdam.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...