Paper Diamond voucher receipts MUST be about tips

[ggo85]

Today received a paper receipt from a drink for which a D+ voucher was used. It’s obvious on the receipt that a voucher was used.  However, there was no indication on the receipt as to how many voucher drinks had been used that day or how many remained.  Still have to count.  So the new policy must be about tips.  I’m ok with that, but RCCL should just be honest.  
 

I can post a copy of the receipt but prefer not to ID ship or server. 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

The point of signing was to show you how drinks you had 

from the email they sent 

1. “The receipt has a count of your vouchers to help you better track how many you have left. So if you’re a Diamond member, and you have 4 a day – it may tell you 2 of 4 have been redeemed.”

 

[dada2199cc]

No chance.

 

it’s about lowering customer service costs and lines.

 

I had one excess charge that should have been a diamond voucher.  Went to the line and there were 12 people ahead of me, all angry about charged diamond drinks.

 

I let Royal have the $18.

[not-enough-cruising]

Nothing to do with tips and everything to do with accountability, and the ability to prove that one received “X” number of free drinks if they should happen to challenge it. 

[GTO-Girl]

It’s really funny that your account status is immediately available on the app as soon as a purchase is made and yet people cannot bother to check that to see how many drinks they have left….

[LinRon3]

10 minutes ago, GTO-Girl said:

It’s really funny that your account status is immediately available on the app as soon as a purchase is made and yet people cannot bother to check that to see how many drinks they have left….

Should be that simple, but hasn't been for us.  Wife and I are always linked to the stateroom account [one credit card]...and for some reason only shows one of us for 'total' purchases including voucher drinks [which show zero cost].  This was both on Mariner and Symphony recently.  One of never knew exactly how many vouchers were left [me on the Symphony] unless one kept a personal ledger or something. We could count up the total between us [say 6 of 8]...but weren't sure who had those last 2 [just an example]. 

Just a word here [to the thread]...WE ARE QUITE HAPPY with this voucher program [thank you RCL].  We hope there's not too much complaint or confusion, cuz' I'm thinking to myself, IF I'm management, I'm probably questioning already if this program is really worth the headaches?  It's a big beneift for us...a big reason we always consider RCL first and foremost and usually go with RCL [as budget cruisers].  A BIG consideration for us for sure.  Just a comment again to the thread in general, while I was commenting on tracking from the stateroom tv [or app].   

 

HA...we can finally post to cruise critic again.  YAHOO!!!  Talk about headaches, ha [deleting all them cookies or whatever]?  Proably deleted my bank account too [we're not techies; don't even know what a cookie is from apple pie].  Thanks for the migraine Cruise Critic.  LOL 

 

[GTO-Girl]

6 minutes ago, LinRon3 said:

Should be that simple, but hasn't been for us.  Wife and I are always linked to the stateroom account [one credit card]...and for some reason only shows one of us for 'total' purchases including voucher drinks [which show zero cost].  This was both on Mariner and Symphony recently.  One of never knew exactly how many vouchers were left [me on the Symphony] unless one kept a personal ledger or something. We could count up the total between us [say 6 of 8]...but weren't sure who had those last 2 [just an example]. 

Just a word here [to the thread]...WE ARE QUITE HAPPY with this voucher program [thank you RCL].  We hope there's not too much complaint or confusion, cuz' I'm thinking to myself, IF I'm management, I'm probably questioning already if this program is really worth the headaches?  It's a big beneift for us...a big reason we always consider RCL first and foremost and usually go with RCL [as budget cruisers].  A BIG consideration for us for sure.  Just a comment again to the thread in general, while I was commenting on tracking from the stateroom tv [or app].   

 

HA...we can finally post to cruise critic again.  YAHOO!!!  Talk about headaches, ha [deleting all them cookies or whatever]?  Proably deleted my bank account too [we're not techies; don't even know what a cookie is from apple pie].  Thanks for the migraine Cruise Critic.  LOL 

 

Absolutely not questioning you, but that’s really weird.  Our accounts are also linked with one credit card and when we check the account on our app it shows each drink purchase and which person’s sea pass it was charged to.  So we can easily count up and see how many each one of us has left…..because it lists them all….

Edited November 15, 2022 by GTO-Girl

[HicksRA]

I too think it was mainly to encourage people to pencil in a tip. I always tip a dollar per drink and sometimes more depending on the server/service, but it seems like the majority of people I see just grab their drink and don’t tip. 
As with every “enhancement” on Royal, it’s based on an additional benefit on their part - not ours. 

[ggo85]

I thought the purpose of signing paper was for people to see how many vouchers they had left because it was printed on the paper.  Not to accumulate pieces of paper and count them.  
 

I can count to 5. I don’t need pieces of paper to count.  Bottom line: I don’t  see how the new system makes anything better or easier.  It does encourage tipping.  As noted, if that’s the goal, ok.  But say that. Not the garbage of being able quickly to determine how many vouchers you’ve used or have left. 
 

If we have to go the app, ok with that.  But then no need to print paper.  I like the voucher system a lot. But  I don’t like having to sign simply for tips while being told it’s to count drinks.  

[Starry Eyes]

The tips may be part if the reasoning,  but the receipt shows both parties understanding at that moment of whether a voucher was to be used or not.  That saves time and frustration at guest services later.  

[ONECRUISER]

1 hour ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

The point of signing was to show you how drinks you had 

from the email they sent 

1. “The receipt has a count of your vouchers to help you better track how many you have left. So if you’re a Diamond member, and you have 4 a day – it may tell you 2 of 4 have been redeemed.”

 

Agree, this is why. Works for me!

[ggo85]

The point I’m making is that the paper receipt does NOT provide a count.  It does prove you used a voucher but does not tell how many you have used or how many are left.  It does encourage you to tip.  
 

If that’s the goal, then just say that.  Don’t tell people that their receipts will give them totals when they do not. 

[Starry Eyes]

9 minutes ago, ggo85 said:

The point I’m making is that the paper receipt does NOT provide a count.  It does prove you used a voucher but does not tell how many you have used or how many are left.  It does encourage you to tip.  
 

If that’s the goal, then just say that.  Don’t tell people that their receipts will give them totals when they do not. 

Hmm, perhaps they want to put the numbers on the receipts, but, well, Royal IT….

 

[Merion_Mom]

I haven't been GIVEN a receipt.  I sign a receipt and the server takes it.

 

I still tip in cash.  

 

I think that it's a major pain in the a$$ for staff, and I have talked to to many of them.  I don't think that THEY think it is a ploy for them to get tips, or else they'd be jumping up and down about it.

[little britain]

Given that on Brilliance currently I can get 6 drinks at different bars and not sign a single chit for any of them; I’m thinking this new system won’t last long. 

[sailor05]

I always tip in cash, $1 drink outside the casino and $2 inside because that keeps the servers coming back to me and it's rare for my hand to be empty (except the hand holding the gambling money!). My last cruise I had to go to guest services twice to have drinks removed because at dinner I was being charged for others at my table. So, I'm all for making them document who's being charged and saving me that wait at GS.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

7 hours ago, ggo85 said:

The point I’m making is that the paper receipt does NOT provide a count.  It does prove you used a voucher but does not tell how many you have used or how many are left.  It does encourage you to tip.  
 

If that’s the goal, then just say that.  Don’t tell people that their receipts will give them totals when they do not. 

Maybe they haven’t  finished the program to show you the number of drinks 

in my original post RCL stated in their email it with show the number of drinks 

Royal’s IT department is a fun group , give them a break 😁

[ramja96]

Is it really that difficult to count to 4 (or 6, or 8)??? The drinks aren't THAT strong.

[lovesthebeach2]

9 hours ago, GTO-Girl said:

It’s really funny that your account status is immediately available on the app as soon as a purchase is made and yet people cannot bother to check that to see how many drinks they have left….

That isn’t always true. Many times drinks we ordered in the MDR were not added to the app until much later, so we had to keep track. 

[poocher]

9 hours ago, GTO-Girl said:

Absolutely not questioning you, but that’s really weird.  Our accounts are also linked with one credit card and when we check the account on our app it shows each drink purchase and which person’s sea pass it was charged to.  So we can easily count up and see how many each one of us has left…..because it lists them all….

I thought it was odd on Explorer earlier this month that drink purchases often didn’t show on our account until the next day!  I kept track in my head but it certainly didn’t show in the app for a long time.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

21 minutes ago, poocher said:

I thought it was odd on Explorer earlier this month that drink purchases often didn’t show on our account until the next day!  I kept track in my head but it certainly didn’t show in the app for a long time.

I also had a soda package and a lot of times the would charge a soda as one of Diamond drink 

Also a friend was charge for a drink in the MDR , which she did not order anything 

 

[karl_nj]

I did have a few issues with vouchers on Wonder this past summer.  As several people mentioned, all of my issues were around incorrect charges/use of vouchers in the MDR.  We never received any receipts for drinks (pay or voucher) in the MDR on that cruise.  I once asked the asst waiter, and he just disappeared, never to return, so I sort of gave up after that.

 

I was able to get all of my issues resolved by visiting the concierge in the diamond lounge or the C&A desk.

 

Not being able to use the app to see my charges only complicated things (I boarded in Rome and not Barcelona, so no app for me.)  On the TV it was not possible to see what voucher drink was associated with what person (we are a family of 4.)

 

Last week on Anthem getting receipts to sign from the bar tenders was pretty hit and miss, but I was fine with that.  However, this new policy really worked out well for the MDR.  There I was finally getting receipts to sign for all drink charges, pay and voucher.  I was able to confirm that vouchers were being associated with the correct person (e.g. my kids mocktail used their voucher and not mine), and that pay orders were charged correctly.  For example, I was able to catch a mistake when I was charged for the wrong bottle of wine.

 

In the past, the assistant waiter would bring the bill for drinks at the end of the meal.  Under this new policy, at least on Anthem last week, someone else would stop by in the middle of the meal with the receipt.

 

In the lounges when everyone just hands over their seapass card, and charged drinks always come with a receipt, I do agree that this new policy is overkill.  But I've found it is working quite well in the MDR, where there is more room for error and getting any receipt at all when paying for a drink has been hit and miss recently.

 

[smokeybandit]

The paper receipts for vouchers is square pegging a solution into a round hole problem.

 

 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

4 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

The paper receipts for vouchers is square pegging a solution into a round hole problem.

 

 

True , RCL IT department needs to improve their app so it shows charges  instantly

if I can get almost instant notification that I use by CC halfway across the world , we should get notification of a drink charge on a ship 

[karl_nj]

8 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

I think that it's a major pain in the a$$ for staff, and I have talked to to many of them.  I don't think that THEY think it is a ploy for them to get tips, or else they'd be jumping up and down about it.

 

Yes... at the moment the system still doesn't automatically print a receipt.  They have to go in and press more buttons in order to have it print the $0 receipt.

 

We were frequently sitting at the bar in the pub on Anthem last week, near one of the POS terminals.  It's pretty crazy how many buttons they need to push to ring up a drink.  Even more buttons to use a coupon (like the C&A voucher.)  And now they have to hit more buttons to get the receipt to print.