Your onboard lounge benefits just got better

[Charles4515]

I just recieved this about new Crown and Anchor benefits for a cruise on Oasis next year. Sounds good to me! What do you all think?

 

YOUR ONBOARD LOUNGE BENEFITS JUST GOT BETTER

 

We are excited to introduce an expanded Crown & Anchor Society benefit for you during your upcoming cruise! In addition to the nightly receptions at the Diamond Lounge and the Concierge Lounge (for our Diamond Plus and Pinnacle guests), you now have the flexibility to enjoy happy hour at a wide variety of bars onboard.

 

Your SeaPass Card will be pre-loaded with three complimentary drink vouchers for each night of the sailing, which can be used during nightly lounge hours. Toast your way around the ship, on us!

 

This expanded benefit will be slowly rolled out across the entire fleet by Fall. Kindly note, drinks vouchers are not valid in the main dining room, the Windjammer Café or in any of our specialty restaurants, and expire daily.*

[Clarea]

Just got that for an upcoming cruise on Navigator.

[judatt]

I just recieved this about new Crown and Anchor benefits for a cruise on Oasis next year. Sounds good to me! What do you all think?

 

YOUR ONBOARD LOUNGE BENEFITS JUST GOT BETTER

 

We are excited to introduce an expanded Crown & Anchor Society benefit for you during your upcoming cruise! In addition to the nightly receptions at the Diamond Lounge and the Concierge Lounge (for our Diamond Plus and Pinnacle guests), you now have the flexibility to enjoy happy hour at a wide variety of bars onboard.

 

Your SeaPass Card will be pre-loaded with three complimentary drink vouchers for each night of the sailing, which can be used during nightly lounge hours. Toast your way around the ship, on us!

 

This expanded benefit will be slowly rolled out across the entire fleet by Fall. Kindly note, drinks vouchers are not valid in the main dining room, the Windjammer Café or in any of our specialty restaurants, and expire daily.*

We just received the same email for our August cruise on Freedom. This is our first RCCL cruise (we are elite with Celebrity and RCCL gave us reciprocal Diamond status). This sounds good to us - we are traveling with several others (11 total) in our party none of which are diamond so could not go to the lounge anyway. This just seems to give a lot more flexibility.

[leaveitallbehind]

I just recieved this about new Crown and Anchor benefits for a cruise on Oasis next year. Sounds good to me! What do you all think?

 

YOUR ONBOARD LOUNGE BENEFITS JUST GOT BETTER

 

We are excited to introduce an expanded Crown & Anchor Society benefit for you during your upcoming cruise! In addition to the nightly receptions at the Diamond Lounge and the Concierge Lounge (for our Diamond Plus and Pinnacle guests), you now have the flexibility to enjoy happy hour at a wide variety of bars onboard.

 

Your SeaPass Card will be pre-loaded with three complimentary drink vouchers for each night of the sailing, which can be used during nightly lounge hours. Toast your way around the ship, on us!

 

This expanded benefit will be slowly rolled out across the entire fleet by Fall. Kindly note, drinks vouchers are not valid in the main dining room, the Windjammer Café or in any of our specialty restaurants, and expire daily.*

 

I have not yet received any similar email but this has been available on some ships in recent months and is expected to be available on all ships (as indicated) by sometime this fall.

 

As long as RCI / C & A does not eventually limit certain tier access to the Diamond Club and this remains as an option - and not the alternative - in addition to the free cocktail hour service in the Diamond Club, then I am all for it.

 

I have no knowledge of any longer term plans with this, just commenting on a potential concern.

Edited June 21, 2014 by leaveitallbehind

[Realtor at Sea]

Does anyone know what kinds of drinks you are allowed to order outside of the D Plus lounge? Is there a dollar limit?

[marci22]

As long as RCI / C & A does not eventually limit certain tier access to the Diamond Club and this remains as an option - and not the alternative - in addition to the free cocktail hour service in the Diamond Club, then I am all for it.

 

I have no knowledge of any longer term plans with this, just commenting on a potential concern.

 

I agree. It really is a nice option, provided the back up options remain (ie lounges).

[lovetocruise/diamond]

Just received the same email for August 16th Oasis cruise. Love the flexibility. THANK YOU RCI

[Charles4515]

I have not yet received any similar email but this has been available on some ships in recent months and is expected to be available on all ships (as indicated) by sometime this fall.

 

As long as RCI / C & A does not eventually limit certain tier access to the Diamond Club and this remains as an option - and not the alternative - in addition to the free cocktail hour service in the Diamond Club, then I am all for it.

 

I have no knowledge of any longer term plans with this, just commenting on a potential concern.

 

I am guessing that this will eliminate having the cocktail hour service in Blaze nightclub on Oasis class ships like they do now. I don't mind that as I can have the cocktails in any lounge and also will be able to have cocktails with non Diamond friends.

[masonpips]

Just received it for our Oasis Thanksgiving cruise this year!

[molly361]

Does anyone know what kinds of drinks you are allowed to order outside of the D Plus lounge? Is there a dollar limit?

 

You will be able to order the same drinks that you can get in the DL or CL and the same beers. The drink menu has been posted on here if you do a search you can probably find it.

 

We just got the email for our FOS cruise as well

[uncle John]

Received the Email this morning for Freedom in October. Now it is Official and not just a maybe !1 THANK YOU!! RCCL for listening to the membership. That's why we are Loyal to Royal. It will make traveling with non members easier but I still love the Diamond Lounge and the people.

[britty1]

The email states Diamond Plus and Pinnacle - yet some of you are talking Diamond - so is it across the board - Diamond and above ???? :D

[Chuggiebug]

just got our notice too.

[galavant3]

The email states Diamond Plus and Pinnacle - yet some of you are talking Diamond - so is it across the board - Diamond and above ???? :D

 

I think they are just specifying Diamond Plus and Pinnacle as it relates to the Concierge Lounge. Diamond members also received the email.

[Charles4515]

The email states Diamond Plus and Pinnacle - yet some of you are talking Diamond - so is it across the board - Diamond and above ???? :D

 

Yes, I am Diamond. It is for Diamond and above.

[jmrothermel]

A lot of questions and the drink menu were posted in this thread about the topic:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2055248

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[LMaxwell]

I received the notice today for our upcoming Freedom cruise. I wrote to RCI when it was a test program in support of rolling it out. I am glad they have added this benefit. We can now socialize in more venues and enjoy our benefits with our non-diamond travel companions. Great move RCI, thank you.

[leaveitallbehind]

I am guessing that this will eliminate having the cocktail hour service in Blaze nightclub on Oasis class ships like they do now. I don't mind that as I can have the cocktails in any lounge and also will be able to have cocktails with non Diamond friends.

 

As it is rolling out to all ships it likely is to address the current overcrowding in many Diamond Clubs that has overflow areas - not just Blaze - (such as Seven Hearts and Cloud Nine in the Viking Crown Lounge on some ships) being utilized to handle the number of D, D+, and Pinnacle on board each ship.

 

Offering the three drink nightly vouchers does provide the option for these tier level C & A members to enjoy complimentary cocktails in other venues on the ship, which in addition to reducing the crowding, has many benefits.

 

However, the concern IMO would be that based on the success and acceptance of this program, as a means to permanently eliminate the need for the overflow areas, RCI may then restrict the Diamond Clubs (at least for the cocktail hour) to D+ and Pinnacle and D's will only be able to have the three complementary drinks elsewhere on the ship.

 

Again I have no knowledge of this and I am only speculating with this as a possibility.

Edited June 21, 2014 by leaveitallbehind

[Charles4515]

A lot of questions and the drink menu were posted in this thread about the topic:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2055248

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Thanks for the link. I was on a cruise when that thread was posted. I just got off a Celebrity cruise and the drink menu is very similiar to the drink menu for Elites and above on Ceebrity. I can live with that drink menu!

[Charles4515]

As it is rolling out to all ships it likely is to address the current overcrowding in many Diamond Clubs that has overflow areas - not just Blaze - (such as Seven Hearts and Cloud Nine in the Viking Crown Lounge on some ships) being utilized to handle the number of D, D+, and Pinnacle on board each ship.

 

Offering the three drink nightly vouchers does provide the option for these tier level C & A members to enjoy complimentary cocktails in other venues on the ship, which in addition to reducing the crowding, has many benefits.

 

However, the concern IMO would be that based on the success and acceptance of this program, as a means to permanently eliminate the need for the overflow areas, RCI may then restrict the Diamond Clubs (at least for the cocktail hour) to D+ and Pinnacle and D's will only be able to have the three complementary drinks elsewhere on the ship.

 

Again I have no knowledge of this and I am only speculating with this as a possibility.

 

As you say that is ony speculation. I think this new program would eliviate any need to restrict lounge access to higher tiers as use of the Diamond lounge is going to go down. The new program means they can keep Diamond lounge access as it is now as Diamond membership grows.

[leaveitallbehind]

As you say that is ony speculation. I think this new program would eliviate any need to restrict lounge access to higher tiers as use of the Diamond lounge is going to go down. The new program means they can keep Diamond lounge access as it is now as Diamond membership grows.

 

I am with you on this hope you are correct - but as it is only an option at this point to use the coupons in other lounges, there is no guarantee that enough will use them to eliminate the crowding in the lounge if those who want to still go there.

 

Again, it is only speculation on one possibility but since overcrowding IMO is a key reason with this you have to wonder at those possibilities. :)

[FLACRUISER99]

No email for me either and I have 6 cruises booked, maybe they're going in alphabetical order as my name is near the end.:eek:

[reney313]

As it is rolling out to all ships it likely is to address the current overcrowding in many Diamond Clubs that has overflow areas - not just Blaze - (such as Seven Hearts and Cloud Nine in the Viking Crown Lounge on some ships) being utilized to handle the number of D, D+, and Pinnacle on board each ship.

 

Offering the three drink nightly vouchers does provide the option for these tier level C & A members to enjoy complimentary cocktails in other venues on the ship, which in addition to reducing the crowding, has many benefits.

 

However, the concern IMO would be that based on the success and acceptance of this program, as a means to permanently eliminate the need for the overflow areas, RCI may then restrict the Diamond Clubs (at least for the cocktail hour) to D+ and Pinnacle and D's will only be able to have the three complementary drinks elsewhere on the ship.

 

Again I have no knowledge of this and I am only speculating with this as a possibility.

 

I hope that is not the case. I personally believe they are doing it to see if it does relieve the overcrowding problem both for the overflow and in the lounge itself. If that happens, I see no reason why they would limit the lounge to D+ and above.

[marci22]

I hope that is not the case. I personally believe they are doing it to see if it does relieve the overcrowding problem both for the overflow and in the lounge itself. If that happens, I see no reason why they would limit the lounge to D+ and above.

 

I don't think they will have overflow lounges once the 3 drink voucher program is in place. Someone else posted that Miami wanted to end that extra staffing expense. They will say "no need to have an overflow lounge, use your vouchers".

 

I think lounge limits would happen if people wanted to continue using the lounge rather than the vouchers, or in addition to the vouchers.

 

So to answer your question, it would save them money. No extra staffing in overflow lounges and a 3 drink max.

Edited June 21, 2014 by marci22

[Bobal]

Just received the same email for August 16th Oasis cruise. Love the flexibility. THANK YOU RCI

 

Oh, thanks for that, we get on the Oasis as you get off and were hoping they would be available by then :)