Diamond Club Theory when we return

[compman9]

With all the talk about social bubbles, segregating age groups, big gaps between pool beds, and smaller gatherings . . .

 

I would not be surprised to see the nightly drinks replaced by stocked cabin fridges 

 

There is no way they will want hundreds of people in all of the bars with vouchers for the same three hours, and I can see no way they will have hundreds stuffed in what are now, almost exclusively, packed Diamond Lounges

 

 

[EmmasNana]

2 minutes ago, compman9 said:

With all the talk about social bubbles, segregating age groups, big gaps between pool beds, and smaller gatherings . . .

 

I would not be surprised to see the nightly drinks replaced by stocked cabin fridges 

 

There is no way they will want hundreds of people in all of the bars with vouchers for the same three hours, and I can see no way they will have hundreds stuffed in what are now, almost exclusively, packed Diamond Lounges

 

 

That sounds good to me. We prefer to take a drink to our balcony anyway.

[Oxo]

Why not just allow 5 drinks per day on your card that can be used anytime during the day for those selected drinks. 

No need for a DL, DL+ or Suite lounge. There are plenty of locations on a ship to find a quiet place to sit and relax. Food is plentiful on the ship, too.

Comments.

[mets123]

They have to do something.

[John&LaLa]

8 minutes ago, compman9 said:

With all the talk about social bubbles, segregating age groups, big gaps between pool beds, and smaller gatherings . . .

 

I would not be surprised to see the nightly drinks replaced by stocked cabin fridges 

 

There is no way they will want hundreds of people in all of the bars with vouchers for the same three hours, and I can see no way they will have hundreds stuffed in what are now, almost exclusively, packed Diamond Lounges

 

 

 

Can I link this here😉

 

 

[little britain]

5 minutes ago, Oxo said:

Why not just allow 5 drinks per day on your card that can be used anytime during the day for those selected drinks. 

No need for a DL, DL+ or Suite lounge. There are plenty of locations on a ship to find a quiet place to sit and relax. Food is plentiful on the ship, too.

Comments.

Agree.

Or have unlimited drinks during that window at any bar which is what X does.

The reason so many are in the lounge is because it is free flow in there.

 

 

[Milwaukee Eight]

6 minutes ago, little britain said:

Agree.

Or have unlimited drinks during that window at any bar which is what X does.

The reason so many are in the lounge is because it is free flow in there.

 

 

3 drinks, 5 drinks, unlimited drinks??  What is ever enough?

 

Royal has a LOT of profit in alcohol. If they don’t get it from alcohol, they’ll find another way to get it. 

Just how many drinks and one pound down during the HH??  Would you go to the Diamond Club if they didn’t serve alcohol?
 

M8

[bouhunter]

27 minutes ago, compman9 said:

With all the talk about social bubbles, segregating age groups, big gaps between pool beds, and smaller gatherings . . .

 

I would not be surprised to see the nightly drinks replaced by stocked cabin fridges 

 

There is no way they will want hundreds of people in all of the bars with vouchers for the same three hours, and I can see no way they will have hundreds stuffed in what are now, almost exclusively, packed Diamond Lounges

 

 

With all the changes they have to deal with, no way they're going to try to "stock cabin fridges" for Diamond and above guests.   Sounds great, not happening.

[Oxo]

20 minutes ago, little britain said:

Agree.

Or have unlimited drinks during that window at any bar which is what X does.

The reason so many are in the lounge is because it is free flow in there.

 

 

Another viable suggestion. However, some might say that it would create too many people at the bars during that time period. 

We were on X Edge in Feb. Went to the Atrium bar and the beautiful lounge, Eden bar, in the back. They were very slow and many people commented on service. 

Edited July 10, 2020 by Oxo

[bouhunter]

And there will be new "rules and restrictions" to control service at the bars......

 

I don't envy the crew members assigned to monitor and enforce whatever they come up with.

Edited July 10, 2020 by bouhunter

[Milwaukee Eight]

Cruisers have been complaining about lounge over crowding, getting kicked out of the CL, and 3 drinks is not enough since I can remember here on CC. 
 

Royal listened and created the SL. 😇

 

Adding more “free” drinks during happy hour will likely never happen. If more drinks are wanted and makes a big difference on your cruise, just buy one.   
 

M8

[Sunshine3601]

50 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

3 drinks, 5 drinks, unlimited drinks??  What is ever enough?

 

Royal has a LOT of profit in alcohol. If they don’t get it from alcohol, they’ll find another way to get it. 

Just how many drinks and one pound down during the HH??  Would you go to the Diamond Club if they didn’t serve alcohol?
 

M8

I enjoy the speciality coffees for free.  Morning isnt crowded so hopefully that will still be offered or maybe add 2 free speciality coffees to our seapass if self serve option temporarily unavailable.

[twangster]

1 hour ago, compman9 said:

I would not be surprised to see the nightly drinks replaced by stocked cabin fridges 

 

Don't see that happening, ever.  

 

I think they'll simply follow Majesty and Empress - no nightly Diamond event, 3 drinks on your account.   

 

The DL will be available and as empty as it is all day long when it's happy hour, minus any bar service.  Maybe they'll remove or block 2/3 of the DL seats to encourage social distancing. 

 

Or, maybe they'll simply lock the DL doors and stick with 3 drinks only.

Edited July 10, 2020 by twangster

[Milwaukee Eight]

3 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

I enjoy the speciality coffees for free.  Morning isnt crowded so hopefully that will still be offered or maybe add 2 free speciality coffees to our seapass if self serve option temporarily unavailable.

The Diamond Lounge and CL/SL threads are my favorite.  They have been mostly missing since COVID19.  😁

Edited July 10, 2020 by Milwaukee Eight

[ownedbypets]

Maybe the Diamond lounge can be by reservation only. 30 minute limit. Someone can invent a timer that shocks your seat after 30 minutes and then sanitizes it when you get up. You can only go once during your cruise to ensure other have an opportunity to enjoy. So much speculation!

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, Oxo said:

Why not just allow 5 drinks per day on your card that can be used anytime during the day for those selected drinks. 

No need for a DL, DL+ or Suite lounge. There are plenty of locations on a ship to find a quiet place to sit and relax. Food is plentiful on the ship, too.

Comments.

 

A couple of problems

 

5 is silly, 3 is plenty. RCI is not an all inclusive line

It's supposed to be an evening event, so all day is a huge shift

Selected drinks at the bar will just put pressure on staff to expand the choices to make individuals happy, that may be happening now, who knows

The OP was trying to reduce crowding at the existing bars

[molly361]

1 hour ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

3 drinks, 5 drinks, unlimited drinks??  What is ever enough?

 

Royal has a LOT of profit in alcohol. If they don’t get it from alcohol, they’ll find another way to get it. 

Just how many drinks and one pound down during the HH??  Would you go to the Diamond Club if they didn’t serve alcohol?
 

M8

Dan and I at Happy Hour

Edited July 10, 2020 by molly361

[twangster]

Come to think of it, shutting the DL makes sense otherwise they'll need a server running the coffee machine.  Easier to lock the DL doors and add a coffee to your account like they do on sailings with high counts of top tier. 

 

Saves cleaning the DL space continuously throughout the day.  

[Oxo]

11 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

I enjoy the speciality coffees for free.  Morning isnt crowded so hopefully that will still be offered or maybe add 2 free speciality coffees to our seapass if self serve option temporarily unavailable.

Yes, speciality coffees in the morning. On some of RCI ships they would have an area in the MDR set aside for Diamond and above for breakfast. They would serve the coffee and mimosa drinks. The DL would be almost empty. 

Why not do that on all the ships?

On Celebrity Elite+ get free  speciality coffees.

[compman9]

Some good, likely scenarios listed.

 

I think stocking mini fridges once at the beginning of the cruise is possible because over the course of the trip they are likely to not use up much alcohol, but still make people think they are getting something new and better than it actually is (the fridges don't hold much)

 

However, I think, as suggested, it is more likely to be just three drinks per card, and make the bars handle it - They may restrict numbers at the bar

 

One thing I think is certain, and I am sure all would agree - Whatever change they make will not be as good as the current offer, and it is highly likely to remain in place long term

[Oxo]

13 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

A couple of problems

 

5 is silly, 3 is plenty. RCI is not an all inclusive line

It's supposed to be an evening event, so all day is a huge shift

Selected drinks at the bar will just put pressure on staff to expand the choices to make individuals happy, that may be happening now, who knows

The OP was trying to reduce crowding at the existing bars

Thanks for your comments/opinion. However, lets analyze your comments:

1. 5 is silly, 3 is plenty. RCI is not an all inclusive line 

     Why is 5 silly? I am saying 5 drinks per day for the entire day, not a specific time period.

     Why is 3 plenty? Maybe you only drink 3 drinks. Others may drink more than 3 or even 5 during an entire day. On Princess if you have the unlimited drink package, they limit you to 15 drinks per day.

     Thanks for letting us know that RCI is not an inclusive line. I don't believe that was ever considered as such.

 

2. It's supposed to be an evening event, so all day is a huge shift

     We are talking about current conditions with the virus and trying to reduce people in a location such as the DL, DL+ or SL.

     Since it is an evening event, changes are made and changes will be made. Remember when the Repeaters party was only at night. Many cruise lines now changed it to a daytime event. I guess you can call that 'a huge shift.'

 

3. Selected drinks at the bar will just put pressure on staff to expand the choices to make individuals happy, that may be happening now, who knows

     The drinks on the menu are not anything fancy. In fact, when they are served in the DL, etc., there is normally one or two people bar tending. How can that make or expand the choices to make individuals happy. Like you said 'who knows.'

 

4. The OP was trying to reduce crowding at the existing bars

     If you are offering drinks all day that will reduce the crowding at the existing bars. People would not have a 3 hour window to order a drink. Think about the DL overflow into the other bars such as the they are doing now. 

 

You have many comments. However, we are looking for suggestions/recommendations, not repeating the so called problems of some suggestions. Opinions are free, even out of the DL. LOL

 

     

[logan25]

When cruises resume, I imagine  it would be a very good time with the lapse in service to complete the retirement of the term “Diamond Club”.  Royal has been moving that direction anyway.  It would simply be Pinnacle Club and Suite Lounge.  That’s my speculation.

[Oxo]

13 minutes ago, compman9 said:

Some good, likely scenarios listed.

 

I think stocking mini fridges once at the beginning of the cruise is possible because over the course of the trip they are likely to not use up much alcohol, but still make people think they are getting something new and better than it actually is (the fridges don't hold much)

Princess does this one time during the beginning of the cruise. It is one bar set up per cabin, regardless of how many Elite you have in your cabin. 

 

[BND]

26 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

A couple of problems

 

5 is silly, 3 is plenty. RCI is not an all inclusive line

It's supposed to be an evening event, so all day is a huge shift

Selected drinks at the bar will just put pressure on staff to expand the choices to make individuals happy, that may be happening now, who knows

The OP was trying to reduce crowding at the existing bars

I agree.  I've seen a few in the lounges on every cruise who slam back as many as possible just because either they want to "get their money's worth" or they're alcoholics.  I usually have two glasses of wine in the lounge or using our coupons which when drank in a normal manner last at least an hour.  The lounge is supposed to be about socializing, not binge drinking lol.   I personally think that what might change is no sitting at bars.  They will take orders from tables/groups spread out in the bar areas.  That would eliminate crowding at the bar itself and protect the crew.

[molly361]

41 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

Don't see that happening, ever.  

 

I think they'll simply follow Majesty and Empress - no nightly Diamond event, 3 drinks on your account.   

 

The DL will be available and as empty as it is all day long when it's happy hour, minus any bar service.  Maybe they'll remove or block 2/3 of the DL seats to encourage social distancing. 

 

Or, maybe they'll simply lock the DL doors and stick with 3 drinks only.

Ditto this!!