Bionic Bar - Anthem and Quantum - Cash Cow

[AdvGirl]

Ok been thinking about the Bionic Bar and it just struck me RCL is genius. What a great way to make money. First as far as I can tell all the drinks are $12. Second you have two tireless bartenders that do not require any pay. Third you have a bartender that never over pours and always makes his drinks by the book. So lets do the math - two bartenders that can make a drink every 2 minutes so that averages out to one drink a minute average. if it was only open 12 hours a day that is 60 drinks an hour x 12 hours x $12 a drink for a grand total of $8640 a day x 365 days for over $3million a year.

 

Yes RCL is genius. :cool:;)

[FLACRUISER99]

Ok been thinking about the Bionic Bar and it just struck me RCL is genius. What a great way to make money. First as far as I can tell all the drinks are $12. Second you have two tireless bartenders that do not require any pay. Third you have a bartender that never over pours and always makes his drinks by the book. So lets do the math - two bartenders that can make a drink every 2 minutes so that averages out to one drink a minute average. if it was only open 12 hours a day that is 60 drinks an hour x 12 hours x $12 a drink for a grand total of $8640 a day x 365 days for over $3million a year.

 

Yes RCL is genius. :cool:;)

And you have to tip the machine 18%.:eek:

[knittinggirl]

Do they charge gratuity automatically?

 

They shouldn't because they don't bring us the drinks.

[k8ster72]

You would need to subtract the support contract for that technology. I imagine it is pricy to keep it running.

[CanadaRob]

Ok been thinking about the Bionic Bar and it just struck me RCL is genius. What a great way to make money. First as far as I can tell all the drinks are $12. Second you have two tireless bartenders that do not require any pay. Third you have a bartender that never over pours and always makes his drinks by the book. So lets do the math - two bartenders that can make a drink every 2 minutes so that averages out to one drink a minute average. if it was only open 12 hours a day that is 60 drinks an hour x 12 hours x $12 a drink for a grand total of $8640 a day x 365 days for over $3million a year.

 

Yes RCL is genius. :cool:;)

 

Good math in general and yes RCL is genius, but the bar seems to be 'down' at least 1 or 2 days every cruise(when reading reviews) so the math would have to adjusted by a realworld 50% for the slow times at 10 am and the 'down times' so a 1.5million ish return(+gratuity) makes this a great little spot for RCL. Wonder how much tech reinvest or software updates are required. The initial cost of R&D and build would be included with the shop and would be amortized.

[Dave85]

You can get less expensive drinks there. I don't drink any of the fancy drinks it makes and just had it make me a rum and coke on Anthem because I wanted to try It, and not only was the drink strong but it rang up a full dollar less than the human bartenders were charging me... And yes, that included the 18% gratuity that they still make you pay. I was highly amused.

[A&L_Ont]

You can get less expensive drinks there. I don't drink any of the fancy drinks it makes and just had it make me a rum and coke on Anthem because I wanted to try It, and not only was the drink strong but it rang up a full dollar less than the human bartenders were charging me... And yes, that included the 18% gratuity that they still make you pay. I was highly amused.

 

I guess you now know where to find me on Harmony.:D

[KJsNana]

Can you use the "drink package" in there?

[Dave85]

I guess you now know where to find me on Harmony.:D

 

 

LOL. Not gonna lie, I went back for seconds when I realized it was a dollar cheaper :p

[AdvGirl]

LOL. Not gonna lie, I went back for seconds when I realized it was a dollar cheaper :p

 

 

Too funny!

[papcx]

Can you use the "drink package" in there?

 

 

We could on the Anthem.

 

Couldn't do a B52 though. Something about the Bailey's bottle not fitting in the holder.

[besberry]

Can you use the "drink package" in there?

 

Yep

[AdvGirl]

We could on the Anthem.

 

Couldn't do a B52 though. Something about the Bailey's bottle not fitting in the holder.

 

 

Have no idea what a B52 is other then a bomber. Must be good drink if it has baieleys.

[papcx]

Have no idea what a B52 is other then a bomber. Must be good drink if it has baieleys.

 

 

Kahlua, baileys and Gran Marnia. Layer in a shot glass.

 

The experts (DW & me) take it heavy on the Kahlua, light on the Gran Marnia.

[Biker19]

Can you use the "drink package" in there?

 

This brings up a point about drink limits. What are the chances that the bar has some limit on a package? Unlike a bar tender who might question you ordering a drink every 5 min, what if the bionic bar has no limitation? You could get real popular and buy drinks for everyone there.:cool:

[KJsNana]

This brings up a point about drink limits. What are the chances that the bar has some limit on a package? Unlike a bar tender who might question you ordering a drink every 5 min, what if the bionic bar has no limitation? You could get real popular and buy drinks for everyone there.:cool:

 

Great point and I'm sure someone will try that which is sad. Guess I will be the unpopular, selfish chick in the bar lol :D

[papcx]

This brings up a point about drink limits. What are the chances that the bar has some limit on a package? Unlike a bar tender who might question you ordering a drink every 5 min, what if the bionic bar has no limitation? You could get real popular and buy drinks for everyone there.:cool:

 

 

 

Great point and I'm sure someone will try that which is sad. Guess I will be the unpopular, selfish chick in the bar lol :D

 

 

If my experience on the Anthem is the norm, this won't happen.

 

Even when both B10 & N1C were working there's a good couple of minutes wait once you've ordered. Even if you order 2 or more straight away, your order just joins the list with everyone else's order.

 

Remember, you need your card of WOW band to get your drink from the machines to the bar.

 

There's also a human hanging about, usually to fix the problems.

[Dave85]

 

There's also a human hanging about, usually to fix the problems.

 

 

Yes, and that is an important point that would not necessarily be apparent to someone who hasn't sailed with a Bionic Bar yet. When it's open there's always at least one, and sometimes two, bar servers attending to the BB. They help people who are having trouble place their orders and retrieve their drinks, and troubleshoot any issues that come up. They'll also replace empty bottle when things run out.

Edited December 3, 2015 by Dave85

[AdvGirl]

Yes, and that is an important point that would not necessarily be apparent to someone who hasn't sailed with a Bionic Bar yet. When it's open there's always at least one, and sometimes two, bar servers attending to the BB. They help people who are having trouble place their orders and retrieve their drinks, and troubleshoot any issues that come up. They'll also replace empty bottle when things run out.

 

 

Well reality is almost always different then perception. However the potential is still there for the Bionic Bar to be a cash cow. So they are probably still working out the bugs. I have worked on Robotic systems - not sure why they have so many issues - robotics are used everywhere in manufacturing and are very reliable.

[ksg]

The ambiance of the bionic bar on Quantum - assume it's the same on Anthem - is pretty poor. Right out in the open - nothing cozy about it - noise from Esplanade below. We watched our friend get her drink made just for the novelty, and no one in our group ever ordered another one there. It was almost always empty when we passed by, so the whole idea probably needs a little more thinking out. Plus, the drinks are served in plastic cups, which is one thing on the pool deck, but I prefer a real glass, with a real bar, with a real bartender, and low light.

[AdvGirl]

The ambiance of the bionic bar on Quantum - assume it's the same on Anthem - is pretty poor. Right out in the open - nothing cozy about it - noise from Esplanade below. We watched our friend get her drink made just for the novelty, and no one in our group ever ordered another one there. It was almost always empty when we passed by, so the whole idea probably needs a little more thinking out. Plus, the drinks are served in plastic cups, which is one thing on the pool deck, but I prefer a real glass, with a real bar, with a real bartender, and low light.

 

 

Good points - there is still a lot of potential. Just have to keep working on the system.

[Sascol]

if it was only open 12 hours a day that is 60 drinks an hour x 12 hours x $12 a drink for a grand total of $8640 a day x 365 days for over $3million a year.

 

No way this is generating 60 drinks an hour. We sat there for a while one day. In 30 minutes it may have been used 4-5 times. Passed through on many other occasions on our way elsewhere and it was empty. Also, there is a server there to assist people with questions and help operate the ordering system.

 

It is a cute novelty but as another poster stated there is NO atmosphere in that area. It's mainly a walk through with a novelty that is fun to watch once. I think it needs to be tweaked to make it more inviting.

Edited December 9, 2015 by Sascol

[papcx]

I think it needs to be tweaked to make it more inviting.

 

 

The Bionic bar replaces the Champagne bar on the new Oasis class builds. I wonder will that make it more appealing?

[Sascol]

The Bionic bar replaces the Champagne bar on the new Oasis class builds. I wonder will that make it more appealing?

 

Hard for me to say personally - I have not been on a ship with a champaign bar since we sailed on the Jewel about 10 years ago. I am sure the space is nowhere near the same but on the Jewel we LOVED the champaigne bar. Long time ago though.

[737MAX8]

I loved the bionic bar, I could make exactly the drink I wanted without having to explain or ask a bartender. It was also cool as hell to watch. Agreed it wasn't the best hangout place and closed way too early.

 

Oh yeah, it's $3 per part of alcohol, up to 4 parts. So your own drink could be $3, $6, $9, or $12. I also never got charged for any of my Bionic Bar drinks :D