No more free WOW bands on Anthem

[Dave85]

Just an FYI, we boarded Anthem today for her first Caribbean cruise from Bayonne and did not receive WOW bands in our cabin upon embarkation. After our cabin steward informed that he was not given any to hand out this week we inquired at Guest Services and were told that the free WOW bands were discontinued and they are now only for sale for $4.something. Just an FYI! One person so far from the CC roll call still got one in her cabin, but others did not. Odd.

 

Stunning ship, ready for a great cruise! Haven't decided yet whether to buy a WOW band.

Edited November 11, 2015 by Dave85

[phillygirl2400]

WOW!

 

 

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[cruisenfever]

Dave, is Dynamic Dining still available?

[Turtles06]

WOW is right.

 

We were just on the Anthem TA. Here are my thoughts about the WOW bands.

 

They are most useful if you are spending time in the water [pools, hot tub] and/or the gym. They are waterproof, so you can wear them during those activities and not worry about losing a sea pass card.

 

I also found it easier to get into our cabin with the WOW band when I was carrying something (food, drink); much easier to put your wrist up to the reader than fish in your pocket for your card.

 

When you want to order a drink, however, you need to take the band off and give it to the bartender or server.

 

Would I pay for one? Well, do you have to wait in line at Guest Services to do it? That would be a real disincentive. The lines at Guest Services the first few days of our TA were crazy; they improved later in the sailing. I hope if RCI really is making you pay for these now, you can just order it on your TV or your Royal iQ app and then have it delivered to your cabin. (Or order it pre-cruise if that's how it's going to be.)

 

Have a great cruise!

[conandrob240]

I didn't realize you had to take it off for purchases. That's dumb. They need to learn a lesson from Disney. If done right, they should result in greater spend.

[stevea326]

Thank you for the heads up - probably won't be paying for the extra charge.

[Blondynka]

Wow! Glad we kept our wow bands from Quantum, which were complimentary last feb, as a souvenir. We didn't find them to be too useful so definitely won't be purchasing them on our upcoming Anthem cruise. I used them a few times in the pool but DH never used his. Two bands is $8 which is the cost of a wang-wang!

[karmacats]

J the free WOW bands were discontinued and they are now only for sale for $4.something.

 

How odd.

 

Please do NOT go out of your way to find this out, but if it happens to come up, i'm wondering if we have old bands from a previous cruise if they would work (i'd suspect not, but disney's do, so who knows), and if suite guests will still get them complimentary. I quite liked them on quantum and was looking forward to having them again - so much easier than dealing with a card in certain circumstances (as a previous poster said, when hands are full, or when going for a swim).

 

enjoy your cruise! :D

[conandrob240]

This could also be as simple as not get getting a shipment of them on time for this first actual departure. I'd see what happens on future cruises before I'd consider this to be gospel.

Edited November 11, 2015 by conandrob240

[Sanz]

WOW!

 

 

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"Wow" indeed. I hope that conandrob24's thought about a missing shipment is accurate. It could be that some people are not using them and Royal decided not to give them to everybody. My techie husband will probably want a band.

 

I have read that you have to ask for shampoo etc. in cabins below a suite. I guess some people bring their own.

 

Some people probably bring their own brand of toilet paper. One day in the future we may be asking about the price of a roll.

Edited November 11, 2015 by Sanz

[Turtles06]

How odd.

 

Please do NOT go out of your way to find this out, but if it happens to come up, i'm wondering if we have old bands from a previous cruise if they would work (i'd suspect not, but disney's do, so who knows), and if suite guests will still get them complimentary. I quite liked them on quantum and was looking forward to having them again - so much easier than dealing with a card in certain circumstances (as a previous poster said, when hands are full, or when going for a swim).

 

enjoy your cruise! :D

 

We've never sailed on Disney, but how could a band work from a prior cruise? As with a key card, it's embedded with specific info for your current cruise, including the info necessary to open your current cabin door, the info about any beverage package you might have, etc. Do you mean "work" in the sense that the chip embedded in it could be re-programmed for the current cruise?

[UK Cruiser2]

We were on Anthem 13 night Canaries in Oct. We never even used the WOW bands anyway,still in package when we disembarked.

[mom2tcdx2]

We've never sailed on Disney, but how could a band work from a prior cruise? As with a key card, it's embedded with specific info for your current cruise, including the info necessary to open your current cabin door, the info about any beverage package you might have, etc. Do you mean "work" in the sense that the chip embedded in it could be re-programmed for the current cruise?

 

I would say they mean it is reprogrammed. The Disney band you are to keep once you receive one and they upload the information on it for your current stay. It has your dining plans if you bought them, room key, park entrance etc all built in. Disney also then had the option to purchase additional ones in different colors and they too could be programmed for your current stay. Disney then tells you to deactivate your band after a trip to save on its battery life. You then reactivate it once you do your next trip.

[klass2]

WOW is right.

 

 

 

We were just on the Anthem TA. Here are my thoughts about the WOW bands.

 

 

 

They are most useful if you are spending time in the water [pools, hot tub] and/or the gym. They are waterproof, so you can wear them during those activities and not worry about losing a sea pass card.

 

 

 

I also found it easier to get into our cabin with the WOW band when I was carrying something (food, drink); much easier to put your wrist up to the reader than fish in your pocket for your card.

 

 

 

When you want to order a drink, however, you need to take the band off and give it to the bartender or server.

 

 

 

Would I pay for one? Well, do you have to wait in line at Guest Services to do it? That would be a real disincentive. The lines at Guest Services the first few days of our TA were crazy; they improved later in the sailing. I hope if RCI really is making you pay for these now, you can just order it on your TV or your Royal iQ app and then have it delivered to your cabin. (Or order it pre-cruise if that's how it's going to be.)

 

 

 

Have a great cruise!

 

 

Thanks for the info.

 

I share the same sentiment as you regarding waiting in line at GS to get one.

[cot427]

WOW is right.

 

We were just on the Anthem TA. Here are my thoughts about the WOW bands.

 

They are most useful if you are spending time in the water [pools, hot tub] and/or the gym. They are waterproof, so you can wear them during those activities and not worry about losing a sea pass card.

 

I also found it easier to get into our cabin with the WOW band when I was carrying something (food, drink); much easier to put your wrist up to the reader than fish in your pocket for your card.

 

When you want to order a drink, however, you need to take the band off and give it to the bartender or server.

 

Would I pay for one? Well, do you have to wait in line at Guest Services to do it? That would be a real disincentive. The lines at Guest Services the first few days of our TA were crazy; they improved later in the sailing. I hope if RCI really is making you pay for these now, you can just order it on your TV or your Royal iQ app and then have it delivered to your cabin. (Or order it pre-cruise if that's how it's going to be.)

 

Have a great cruise!

 

I have not used one yet but I would think I would agree with your thoughts on usage. My question is, I would think I could carry both and use the wowband when convenient but when ordering something from a bar just hand the waiter my card instead of taking off the band?

[conandrob240]

Disney re programs the bands. I loved using them on land and think they'd be great at sea. I hate carrying a card around especially by the pool. I hope they do still give them out. Although if you have to take them off for every purchase, they have some work to do on them. If they weren't widely used, that's fine but why charge? Just give them for free if requested then. I hope they'll be back.

[conandrob240]

BTW, Disney doesn't use them on ships yet, just on land. Except in the kids clubs- they do use the programmed bands in the kids clubs but they don't work to open your door or charge anything

[Turtles06]

I have not used one yet but I would think I would agree with your thoughts on usage. My question is, I would think I could carry both and use the wowband when convenient but when ordering something from a bar just hand the waiter my card instead of taking off the band?

 

Yes, that's what I did -- I had my band on my wrist and card in my pocket, and pulled out the card for servers and bartenders. But having to do so pretty much defeats the purpose of having the band in the first place (and also requires that you wear something with pockets or have a lanyard).

 

When entering the theatre or Two70 for reserved shows, the staff who checked us in had scanners that would read the bands and the cards. That's what all the bartenders and servers should have too. Yes, pricey, but if you want to go hi tech.... :)

[Turtles06]

Disney re programs the bands. I loved using them on land and think they'd be great at sea. I hate carrying a card around especially by the pool. I hope they do still give them out. Although if you have to take them off for every purchase, they have some work to do on them. If they weren't widely used, that's fine but why charge? Just give them for free if requested then. I hope they'll be back.

 

I think they were pretty widely used on our TA.

 

And I continued to wear mine for a few days back at work, just to keep that nice "cruise" vibe going as long as I could. Maybe my colleagues thought it was a Fit Bit, but I knew better. ;)

[cot427]

Yes, that's what I did -- I had my band on my wrist and card in my pocket, and pulled out the card for servers and bartenders. But having to do so pretty much defeats the purpose of having the band in the first place (and also requires that you wear something with pockets or have a lanyard).

 

When entering the theatre or Two70 for reserved shows, the staff who checked us in had scanners that would read the bands and the cards. That's what all the bartenders and servers should have too. Yes, pricey, but if you want to go hi tech.... :)

 

I actually did a small research project on the use of RFID bands in the travel industry for my grad Information Systems class just last week. I compared Disney and Royal Caribbean (with whatever information was available online.)

 

I agree with you, I think price is the biggest concern regarding the waiters. Then I was thinking, why not give one to each bar. But then this limits access to just one bartender/waiter and the people they are waiting on, which leaves out others. So I guess it should be all or nothing. And I say, ALL. They've already started the investment, why not finish it?

[Turtles06]

I actually did a small research project on the use of RFID bands in the travel industry for my grad Information Systems class just last week. I compared Disney and Royal Caribbean (with whatever information was available online.)

 

I agree with you, I think price is the biggest concern regarding the waiters. Then I was thinking, why not give one to each bar. But then this limits access to just one bartender/waiter and the people they are waiting on, which leaves out others. So I guess it should be all or nothing. And I say, ALL. They've already started the investment, why not finish it?

 

Agreed. The thing that concerned me about giving my band to a server who was going to walk away with it while he/she took orders from others and collected more bands, was not being able to tell when I got mine back if it were mine. With a sea pass card, I can see my name on it. But the band shows only your muster station, which is shared with a zillion other people. Certainly a potential for an unintentional mix-up by a server.

Edited November 11, 2015 by Turtles06

[alexkrn46]

I think that is cheap, I would probably pay for one, but it is the point of it - the ship is about technology.

[JezzaC]

How hard would be it to provide tablets with NFC functionality for all restaurants, bars and shops. Then passengers could just touch the pad and confirm the payment. And since Quantum class is about technology - it should be done.

[karmacats]

We've never sailed on Disney, but how could a band work from a prior cruise? As with a key card, it's embedded with specific info for your current cruise, including the info necessary to open your current cabin door, the info about any beverage package you might have, etc. Do you mean "work" in the sense that the chip embedded in it could be re-programmed for the current cruise?

 

Sounds like others have pretty much answered this, but yes, the disney bands from previous trips work on subsequent trips. This is for land-based disney world trips - they do not use the bands on their cruises yet, though rumor is they will eventually.

 

From what i understand, the bands are not so much reprogrammed as they pull info from your back-end guest account, so they can see if you are currently staying at a disney world hotel, have X many days left on your tickets, have a dining package or not, etc. So, it lets you open your hotel room door, buy meals/beverages on your dining package, charge to the credit card you used at your hotel, etc - basically all the same functions as a cruise key card. You can use the band for 2 years or so (that's the battery life), on however many trips you take. Doing something like this might be more difficult on a cruise, especially given royal's stellar IT :p , but who knows.

[Turtles06]

How hard would be it to provide tablets with NFC functionality for all restaurants, bars and shops. Then passengers could just touch the pad and confirm the payment. And since Quantum class is about technology - it should be done.

 

IIRC, you could use your band in shops, as the reader is right there at the register. The problem is with servers in the restaurants, people walking around taking drink orders in the theatre and other venues, and at the bars. (I agree, they should all have them.)

 

There were also readers at the pool towel stations, where you have to "sign out" for towels and sign them back in or be charged for them. (Don't get me started on that...)