On Beyond TA……Issues

[JeanieC,Aston]

40 minutes ago, IZZYDAD said:

Yes you can go to bar and get your drink. Except that there 15 people at the bar getting there own drinks and one bartender.

I was on a P&O cruise last week,hardly anyone stood at the bar,if you did order the barman gave your card to a waiter to serve you.

There were at least 7/8 waiters in a bar the size the Sky Lounge.

They just took your order on a tablet,scanned your card,,the order went to the bar,,,by the time the waiter got to the bar the drink was on the bar waiting,,,,once you were registered on the tablet they didn’t even scan your card.

 

Even P&O can modernise.

[mfs2k]

Has the retreat lounge bar been as busy as the other bars? Is it well stocked?

For those in the retreat does it make sense to get your drinks there and carry them to where you are going? or is it too far out of the way?

 

from what I’ve been reading, I feel like next week on Beyond I will be getting most of my drinks at quiet bars and carrying them to where we want to be. 

 

 

[Oceangoer2]

deleted

Edited October 21, 2022 by Oceangoer2

[Oceangoer2]

9 hours ago, drakes2 said:

Not really.  I was on the Eclipse to Hawaii this past April that started in Vancouver and it was short staffed.  One night we waited almost 2 hours for our entree to be served.

Whew!  That's a long cocktail hour(s)....! 😉.  Hope the main course was worth waiting for.  My DH would have had a visit to the OV for a snack...LOL.

[jelayne]

54 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

Has the retreat lounge bar been as busy as the other bars? Is it well stocked?

For those in the retreat does it make sense to get your drinks there and carry them to where you are going? or is it too far out of the way?

 

from what I’ve been reading, I feel like next week on Beyond I will be getting most of my drinks at quiet bars and carrying them to where we want to be. 

 

 

The Retreat Lounge is generally busy between 5-7-7 30.

it is not not a bar that you can sit at.  You can walk up and order a drink and carry it to where you are sitting or the servers will take your order and bring your drink.  I can’t really say how well stocked it is, but they have had the things we like.  The Retreat Lounge is on Deck 15 forward, Luminae is on 16 forward so you could carry a drink there. We haven’t felt it necessary as the wine/drink service in Luminae has been fine

As to carrying a drink elsewhere from the Retreat  ,it would be a long way as most other restaurants and bars are on 3,4, and 5 mid ship or aft.

[crusinthrough]

5 hours ago, IZZYDAD said:

Yes you can go to bar and get your drink. Except that there 15 people at the bar getting there own drinks and one bartender.

I understand.  I just don't think sitting waiting for someone to come find me is a valuable way to spend my time.  

[Germancruiser]

I just a week off the Infinity. Really liked the cruise. Also E+- so some experience with X. I really can only say cudos for the service and the crew.

The OP is experienced - so he knows very well when a ship is understaffed- or more- he can '" feel" it! Beyond sounds very very understaffed for the Transatlantic.

What I recognized though is that they cut corners whereever they can. Meet- lot´s and lot´s of chicken, turkey- at least at the buffet. I remember very well the wide varity of joghurts - now only own Bowl of Blueberry Joghurt. Nothing that would ruin my cruise- but it was quite obvious.

Infinity is in great great shape for a ship of 20+ years. Very very well maintained. But that is a story for another topic.

[morpheusofthesea]

23 minutes ago, Germancruiser said:

The OP is experienced - so he knows very well when a ship is understaffed- or more- he can '" feel" it! Beyond sounds very very understaffed for the Transatlantic.

I agree with your observation. Travel 'gurus' warn about repositioning cruises all the time. MSC Meraviglia reports, has the same problems with their repositioning. We booked the Beyond for the end of next month with the hopes that it will be staffed up to par by then for our cruise in the Retreat. We know that the best of the best from the Edge Retreat were transferred to the Beyond and look forward to some fine service and exceptional Caribbean weather.

[JeanieC,Aston]

Am I being a bit cynical here?

Maybe the problem is the Drink Package,,,it seems ships/lines that don’t push the AI have plenty of floor servers to make sure people spend in the bars.

 

And lines who push the AI packages need to reduce the waiting staff in bars to maintain the profit by introducing AI.

Especially when more drink is consumed on Transatlantic cruises.

[hcat]

6 minutes ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

Am I being a bit cynical here?

Maybe the problem is the Drink Package,,,it seems ships/lines that don’t push the AI have plenty of floor servers to make sure people spend in the bars.

 

And lines who push the AI packages need to reduce the waiting staff in bars to maintain the profit by introducing AI.

Especially when more drink is consumed on Transatlantic cruises.

Agree .drink packages def changed things on X...not necessarily for the better .( service,  passenger demographics)

[drakes2]

2 hours ago, hcat said:

Agree .drink packages def changed things on X...not necessarily for the better .( service,  passenger demographics)

Why are there so many staffing issues on repositioning cruises? I just booked a 15 night TA on the Apex for April 2023. Did not bother with drinks package as already Elite so that's sufficient for me. 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

2 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

Why are there so many staffing issues on repositioning cruises? I just booked a 15 night TA on the Apex for April 2023. Did not bother with drinks package as already Elite so that's sufficient for me. 

On the Westbound TAs, the problem is with staff not able to get  US visas 

not sure of the reason why they cannot get one 

[drakes2]

10 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

On the Westbound TAs, the problem is with staff not able to get  US visas 

not sure of the reason why they cannot get one 

Hopefully the issue will be resolved by next April. I remember on my recent Eclipse sail to Hawaii this spring it was horrendous.  All new crew were hired granted it was the ships first sailing since March 2020. We had an extra sea day due to barnacles on the hull and ship was at a lower speed. Crew were not fully trained and they ran out of some Premiun wines.  It should have been better organized. 

[adolfo2]

13 hours ago, crusinthrough said:

I understand.  I just don't think sitting waiting for someone to come find me is a valuable way to spend my time.  

Bringing two bottled beers back to your table is OK but I won't be carrying back a Martini(s)

[adolfo2]

2 hours ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

Am I being a bit cynical here?

Maybe the problem is the Drink Package,,,it seems ships/lines that don’t push the AI have plenty of floor servers to make sure people spend in the bars.

 

And lines who push the AI packages need to reduce the waiting staff in bars to maintain the profit by introducing AI.

Especially when more drink is consumed on Transatlantic cruises.

BINGO... I've been saying this for a long time & crickets!

Every "Free" drink served is a "Hit" to the bottom line... No Free drinks served = PROFIT!

[canderson]

1 hour ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

On the Westbound TAs, the problem is with staff not able to get  US visas 

not sure of the reason why they cannot get one 

Have seen this posted here in CC a few times, but where has RCG mentioned this as an issue?  Link to it in conference call, 10-Q, press release?

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

On the Westbound TAs, the problem is with staff not able to get  US visas 

not sure of the reason why they cannot get one 

It can be on east bound as well. Here is a recent post about the MSC Meraviglia : "

"On 10/20/2022 at 8:53 PM, GA Dave said:

Just an FYI:  I was on the 10/13 cruise as well, in a regular interior cabin.  As a frequent MSC solo cruiser, I always speak to many of the crew and officers, and I found out some things that were not generally known.  The shortage of personnel was not all the fault of MSC.  They said there was a large number of new crew that were supposed to be starting work on the ship after the TA (as I would normally expect).  Unfortunately, there was a significant number that had not been processed properly by CBP through the immigration process and they never made the ship.  This is most likely why we all noticed a lack of personnel on board vs the number of passengers. "

[julia]

3 hours ago, adolfo2 said:

BINGO... I've been saying this for a long time & crickets!

Every "Free" drink served is a "Hit" to the bottom line... No Free drinks served = PROFIT!

Not sure why you think any drink is "FREE!"  The drink packages are NOT free, and the profit margin on beer/wine/alcohol is very high.

[Smmessineo]

6 hours ago, hcat said:

Agree .drink packages def changed things on X...not necessarily for the better .( service,  passenger demographics.

Please explain what   "passenger demographics"  you see as being bad for Celebrity. 

 

Edited October 22, 2022 by Smmessineo

[Jim_Iain]

21 hours ago, mfs2k said:

The retreat lounge bar been as busy as the other bars? Is it well stocked?

For those in the retreat does it make sense to get your drinks there and carry them to where you are going? or is it too far out of the way?

 

from what I’ve been reading, I feel like next week on Beyond I will be getting most of my drinks at quiet bars and carrying them to where we want to be. 

 

 

 

The Retreat has two bars - one outside on the sun deck which is a standard bar but the one in the lounge is more like an airport lounge where the bar is in the backroom and the bar servers take your orders and return with your drink. 

 

I guess you could grab your drink there but it is Deck 17 while most of the lounges are on 4 and 5.  

Edited October 22, 2022 by Jim_Iain

[adolfo2]

13 minutes ago, julia said:

Not sure why you think any drink is "FREE!"  The drink packages are NOT free, and the profit margin on beer/wine/alcohol is very high.

They're kinda "FREE" for those who pre-purchased/received the Classic or Premium beverage package when they booked. Even though Celebrities all inclusive pricing is now a thing of the past I believe that the vast majority of those on board have either the Classic or Premium alcoholic beverage package.

 

The crux of the conversation was that it's NOT in Celebrities best financial interest to push the pre-paid/free drinks as they will make more money that way. More roadblocks to the "FREE" drinks is more money in Celebrities pocket 😉

[jelayne]

9 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

The Retreat has two bars - one outside on the sun deck which is a standard bar but the one in the lounge is more like an airport lounge where the bar is in the backroom and the bar servers take your orders and return with your drink. 

 

I guess you could grab your drink there but it is Deck 17 while most of the lounges are on 4 and 5.  

The Apex and Beyond have a bar in the Retreat Lounge itself, just no seating at the bar. 

[carolina_yankee]

If I wear a T-Shirt that says “I don’t buy drinks packages” will I be a server magnet?

[adolfo2]

26 minutes ago, carolina_yankee said:

If I wear a T-Shirt that says “I don’t buy drinks packages” will I be a server magnet?

The antithesis of yours.

[drakes2]

5 hours ago, adolfo2 said:

BINGO... I've been saying this for a long time & crickets!

Every "Free" drink served is a "Hit" to the bottom line... No Free drinks served = PROFIT!

There's no such thing as a free drink. Even the ones served to Elite and above guests during HH are not free. They are a part of the loyalty program and have been paid for in some way.