Are Pinnacle Club members allowed into the Suite Lounge on Oasis?

[TheMastodon]

2 hours ago, Blizzard54 said:

I recall being on a few cruises where the Pins were hanging out in the D lounge and the Suite Lounge was mostly empty.  It depends on a number of factors. The nature of the SL or CL, the concierge, and the passengers.  We often have cruising friends on a sailing and we will spend time in both lounges.

Never seen an empty suite lounge in my life.

[mac_tlc]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

So should we save time and just copy all the posts from the other threads on this or do we all want to pad out post counts and post the same comments again? 😇

I’d say the latter. What else do you have to do until cruising starts again????

[Milwaukee Eight]

45 minutes ago, TheMastodon said:

Suite guests + P’s only.  Move on!

I hope not. Things were changing before COVID19. Only reason we booked again. 
 

M8

[Milwaukee Eight]

Look. I believe Pinnacle’s deserve to have their own lounge and exclusive dinning area. It just shouldn’t be in the SL & CK. 
 

M8

[TheMastodon]

12 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

I hope not. Things were changing before COVID19. Only reason we booked again. 
 

M8

I would prob stop cruising if the suite lounge policy changed.  I expect a little extra with the $$$ we pay for those cabins (full disclosure d+) We LOVE that space.

 

Vegas treats us like Roman emperors when we go - RCL should be the same.

[Milwaukee Eight]

1 minute ago, TheMastodon said:

I would prob stop cruising if the suite lounge policy changed.  I expect a little extra with the $$$ we pay for those cabins (full disclosure d+) We LOVE that space.

 

Vegas treats us like Roman emperors when we go - RCL should be the same.

I guess I don’t understand. Currently, before CV19, both Suite Guests and Pinnacles had access to SL/CK. Many time it’s too crowded for both. Are you suggesting leave it as is?

 

M8

[sandebeach]

Pinnacles deserve a lounge, but it should not be the Suite Lounge. Have you seen the prices for suites 2022-2023???

[ONECRUISER]

6 hours ago, Cigar King said:

I don't mind sharing the lounge, when there is space.  However, if there are a lot of Pinnacles on the ship the lounge can get very crowded, especially around dinner time.  The suite guests deserve, and paid for, a lounge that can accommodate them.

Cruise only longer Cruises and Repo's on Brilliance/Serenade and at least once a yr half ship is upper Tier's. They start moving groups around like Diamonds get 2 Lounges during Happy Hour, etc

Edited March 7, 2021 by ONECRUISER

[AllureOfVacation]

I see that there are many topics and heavy arguments on CC about Suite Lounges, or generally about lounges.

 

What is the rush about that?

Maybe here in Europe a lounge has another significance. I mean if I would not have access to that particular SL, I would go to another lounge.
 

I understand that Pinnacle members should be rewarded somehow, but if there is hypothetically no access to a particular lounge because it might be reserved for other guests, why is there so many arguments about that?

 

Did they reduce the rewards for Pinnacles over the years?

Edited March 7, 2021 by AllureOfVacation

[Blizzard54]

7 hours ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

Does it matter?  I say give the Pinnacles their own exclusive lounge and dinning area. 
 

M8

On many cruises it would be a waste of resources.

[Bobal]

2 hours ago, Blizzard54 said:

On many cruises it would be a waste of resources.

Yes, this 

 

On many European cruises we've been on there are only a handful of Ps. What a waste of a space to have a lounge just for them.

[firefly333]

5 hours ago, AllureOfVacation said:

I see that there are many topics and heavy arguments on CC about Suite Lounges, or generally about lounges.

 

What is the rush about that?

Maybe here in Europe a lounge has another significance. I mean if I would not have access to that particular SL, I would go to another lounge.
 

There is the suite lounge and diamond lounge serving free drinks. The diamond lounge gets crowded but pinnacles are allowed in the suite lounge which is also getting crowded. There arent other lounges to get free drinks in the past ...though out of Singapore instead of DL, they gave extra drink coupons. 

 

I'm sure out of israel this will be watched with interest.

[twangster]

It varies greatly by region but also ship facilities.  

 

A ship like Ovation from Sydney doesn't need to restrict D+ from the CL, let alone P.  The numbers don't necessitate it.  

 

A sister ship from Bayonne needs to restrict D+ from the CL on most voyages due to the numbers of D+ involved. So far restricting P from the CL hasn't been a requirement.

 

Radiance class has a smaller CL but fewer suites too.  That class in one region versus South Florida yields a very different result for the CL experience.

 

Coming up with one policy for all regions and all ships is very challenging.  

 

During these troubling times Royal has on numerous occasions made it clear that loyal returning guests are the primary bookings that are helping to save them.  I've yet to hear them say "thankfully suite bookings are helping us through this".  Seems like now isn't a great time to shun the source of most bookings at the moment.  

[mac_tlc]

Okay, I’ll hop in with my opinion. When I change it in 6 months, someone will find the this post and delicately bring it to my attention. 
 

D’s should have the free drinks loaded to their Seapass card, whatever amount Royal seems appropriate. Should be good all day. 
 

D+ use the existing D lounge. Appropriate number of drinks added to Seapass card. Good all day .

 

Their should be a “dynamic” decision made, cruise by cruise, as to whether P’s get access to SL. Royal can figure it out. If there is more than ‘X’ P’s on the cruise, then it’s suite guests only. Use another locale as a “floating” P lounge. I don’t know what “X” is, but given size of SL, Royal can figure it out. Suite guests should have some assurance that the SL will be available most times for their use. Same goes for CK. 
 

This last part is not a lot different than they have been doing on the last few “troublesome” cruises. It should be stated and written down so everyone knows the deal. 
 

I feel better now.

 

mac_tlc

[twangster]

Time to stir the pot...

 

If they are going to spend the energy to address the situation then cheap casino upgrades need to evaluated.  This subset of suites guests aren't paying the same price as regular suites guests so if years of Pinnacle spend isn't good enough then heavily discounted suite fares shouldn't be either.  

 

Is a gambler who is the benefactor of heavily discounted fares really not going to sail if they can't have a cheap suite?  Is a free non-suite cabin not good enough reason to cruise?  These folks already get free drinks in the casino which is where Royal wants them to be, not hanging out in the suite lounge drinking.  Royal doesn't want them hanging around in a suite, motivate them to be in the casino by placing them in cabin that will do so.

 

Same with a cheap upgrade to a full suite from the RoyalUp program.  Why should a guest paying heavily discounted fares reap all the benefits?  No double points, no suite lounge.  For a cheap RoyalUp upgrade you get a much nicer cabin but no suite perks beyond that. 

 

Seems fair.

[TheMastodon]

11 hours ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

I guess I don’t understand. Currently, before CV19, both Suite Guests and Pinnacles had access to SL/CK. Many time it’s too crowded for both. Are you suggesting leave it as is?

 

M8

I am suggesting leaving it as is.  If they take it away from suite guests I would be disappointed 

[Milwaukee Eight]

5 hours ago, Blizzard54 said:

On many cruises it would be a waste of resources.

But what about the cruises that are affected by over crowding?  Suite Guests are a pretty consistent number while Pinnacle numbers are not consistent. I recommend before to limit access to SL/CK to X number of Pinnacles. They could do this by C&A points. Say X is 10 or 20, top ten or 20 by points would have access. I don’t know what the number should be. It had appeared Royal was attempting to make adjustments just prior to the Pandemic. 
 

Pinnacles didn’t seem to like this suggestion so I now say give them their own exclusive lounge and provide them a CK like dinning area. Easy to convert the DL to a Pinnacle lounge.  If the SL/CK is important to Pinnacles, book a Suite. Many do. 
 

M8

[Milwaukee Eight]

1 minute ago, TheMastodon said:

I am suggesting leaving it as is.  If they take it away from suite guests I would be disappointed 

The issue is not the number of Suite Guest but the high numbers of Pinnacles on certain cruises who have a way of taking over the amenities for Suite Guests in SL/CK. 
 

M8

[Milwaukee Eight]

28 minutes ago, twangster said:

Time to stir the pot...

 

If they are going to spend the energy to address the situation then cheap casino upgrades need to evaluated.  This subset of suites guests aren't paying the same price as regular suites guests so if years of Pinnacle spend isn't good enough then heavily discounted suite fares shouldn't be either.  

 

Is a gambler who is the benefactor of heavily discounted fares really not going to sail if they can't have a cheap suite?  Is a free non-suite cabin not good enough reason to cruise?  These folks already get free drinks in the casino which is where Royal wants them to be, not hanging out in the suite lounge drinking.  Royal doesn't want them hanging around in a suite, motivate them to be in the casino by placing them in cabin that will do so.

 

Same with a cheap upgrade to a full suite from the RoyalUp program.  Why should a guest paying heavily discounted fares reap all the benefits?  No double points, no suite lounge.  For a cheap RoyalUp upgrade you get a much nicer cabin but no suite perks beyond that. 

 

Seems fair.

I like this but a little off topic. I have always said benefits, amenities, and status should be rewarded based on $ spent with ALL aspects with Royal. Every $ spent with Royal should be recognized. From Cabin, Excursions, Casino, Speciality Dinning, Gift Shop, Park West, Drinks/Drink Package, VOOM, etc. A dollar is a dollar and some form of points for each $ spent. 
 

M8

Edited March 7, 2021 by Milwaukee Eight

[twangster]

22 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

The issue is not the number of Suite Guest but the high numbers of Pinnacles on certain cruises who have a way of taking over the amenities for Suite Guests in SL/CK. 
 

M8

 

For the most part this seems to be a hot topic for Oasis class given their much higher number of suites given the space dedicated to the lounge.    On Quantum class it really isn't an issue, particularly when you restrict D+ from the CL.  Why?  Fewer full suites on Q class.  

 

On O class the lounge space isn't large enough for the number of suites present.  The problem is suite guests.  

 

Look at CK. 

 

On Quantum class a JS cabin has really great chances of enjoying the CK dinner perk they pay for regardless how many P are on board.  That isn't the case on Oasis class.  On OA class there are so many suites vying for limited CK slots that a JS doesn't enjoy the same success on Oasis class compared to Quantum class.  Even recently where they have banned P from the CK on extraordinary voyages the lowly JS still have a hard time getting CK reservations.  

 

The problem is in the suites program to begin with.  But it's only a problem if that is how you see it.

 

The SL always has ample space during the day.  The crowding complaints start during happy hour.  Like the DL crowding threads it always comes back to happy hour.  

 

No lounge can be designed to ensure there is never crowding at peak demand.  Like a road system in your hometown it would take a 30 lane highway in each direction to avoid traffic crowding issues at peak demand.  No one engineers for peak because most of the it would be empty. 

 

This is only a problem at happy hour.  From Royal's perspective it's a good problem to have because it means they haven't allocated too much space which would sit nearly empty most of the time.  

 

This applies to all ships.  Even the smaller CL on RD class is only crowded during happy hour which tells Royal they allocated the right amount of space to the application.

[island lady]

16 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

@Milwaukee Eight😇

 

Oh no...please don't get him started on that again.  😮 

[island lady]

16 hours ago, twangster said:

 

Pins book suites too.

 

Thank you!  🤗

[Lady Hudson]

13 hours ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

Yes we were but it shouldn’t matter if we booked a Full Suite. Lots of Suite Guests unable to get a reservation in CK for dinner ALL week. We had a reservation for CK and were NEVER seated for our reservation time. Once as long as 45 minutes late. There was NO SEATS available in SL on boarding day. Seldom was there any seat available in the SL when happy hour started. Lots of seat saving. Just sad for Suite Guests. 
 

Next

M8

Weren’t you contacted to book reservations before boarding?  If I booked a suite on a ship with Coastal Kitchen I would book early through the concierge.  You can always cancel some of the reservations while onboard if dinner plans change.

 

Boarding day lounges are always busy, IMHO.  Seems everyone is anxious to start socializing!  We are Pinnacle and have never wanted for a seat in any of the lounges.  We do not, however, usually go to a lounge as soon as Happy Hour starts.  We also do not save seats.  A good concierge will end that practice if it becomes a problem during a specific voyage.  Katherine

[sandebeach]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

Time to stir the pot...

 

If they are going to spend the energy to address the situation then cheap casino upgrades need to evaluated.  This subset of suites guests aren't paying the same price as regular suites guests so if years of Pinnacle spend isn't good enough then heavily discounted suite fares shouldn't be either.  

 

Is a gambler who is the benefactor of heavily discounted fares really not going to sail if they can't have a cheap suite?  Is a free non-suite cabin not good enough reason to cruise?  These folks already get free drinks in the casino which is where Royal wants them to be, not hanging out in the suite lounge drinking.  Royal doesn't want them hanging around in a suite, motivate them to be in the casino by placing them in cabin that will do so.

 

Same with a cheap upgrade to a full suite from the RoyalUp program.  Why should a guest paying heavily discounted fares reap all the benefits?  No double points, no suite lounge.  For a cheap RoyalUp upgrade you get a much nicer cabin but no suite perks beyond that. 

 

Seems fair.

While casino upgrades are discounted, they are not as heavily discounted as they were before the Club Royale program started up in 2017. Also, Pinnacle points (and all C&A points) can be accumulated over the years. Casino tier points are only accumulated over a 12 month period, so must be renewed every year. As mentioned by others, players who are Prime have played/cycled through  $12,500 in the casino in a 12 month period (has been April 1 through March 31 of the following year). A Signature player has played/cycled through $125,000 in the casino in the past 12 months. A Masters player has cycled through $500,000 in the casino, in the past 12 months. So tier level casino players are spending a lot of money in a Royal casino, on an annual basis, and should get any benefits of the cabin they book, whether the cabin is free (comped) or discounted. Additionally, casino players  pay all taxes and fees when they book, and also have to pay the total amount of the upgrade at the time of booking.   

Edited March 7, 2021 by sandebeach

[island lady]

6 hours ago, Blizzard54 said:

On many cruises it would be a waste of resources.

 

This exactly ^.    Well stated.  

 

Have been on many cruises where there were only a handful of Pinnies at best.  Been on some that had none!  What would the ship do with an empty lounge?  Or if even say there were a dozen Pinnes, probably half wouldn't use that dedicated lounge...lonely and empty.  That's what we noticed on Vision and Rhapsody just before shut down,  since D+ were kicked out of the CLs on those ships.  Pinnies wanted to be with D+ friends and do more socializing.  The CL was dreadfully empty.  Concierge up there sent down his most of normal waiters to the DL to help out and try to make some tips.  He said his own income fizzled up when they did that.  😞 

 

The concierge in that lounge, and the servers?  How do they make a living in an empty lounge??  

 

Sure...Pinnacle only lounge would make sense on Oasis class ships, but what about the smaller ships...not ALL of us cruise on the large ladies.  I like to mix it up.  🙂