Elite Benefits in Lounge Happy Hour

[capriccio]

1 minute ago, OCruisers said:

Normally from 5pm - 7pm.  

 

On the Crown over Christmas it was 4:30 to 6:30 (traditional dining was 5:15 and 7:15).

[paul929207]

On the Royal South America cruise it was in the Vista Lounge

[capriccio]

Just now, paul929207 said:

On the Royal South America cruise it was in the Vista Lounge

I forgot that there was no Club Fusion on the Royal (even though I was on it for 25 days in the fall of 2017) class ships!  We didn't attend but I know that our B2B had over 1,000+ elites alone on at least one leg so holding it in Club 6 was out of the question.

[OCruisers]

1 minute ago, capriccio said:

 

On the Crown over Christmas it was 4:30 to 6:30 (traditional dining was 5:15 and 7:15).

 

That is certainly good news for those who want to eat dinner early!  

Also for us who have dinner later but enjoy having drinks with friends to have early dining times.  

Thanks for posting.  

[gwhitti]

6 hours ago, elliair said:

I agree.  We stopped going to those venues long ago - I think when we turned Platinum we went to one and that was enough.  We weren't impressed.  Too many Platinums and Elites for Princess to keep giving out "perks" because they already have you.  It's the same I'm hearing on other cruiselines as well.  I'm noticing with a couple of the CC I have that some of the perks have stopped, and nothing was given out to replace those perks.  Maybe it's due to so many people being in CC debt that they're losing money.  Princess figures they already have you onboard, so if you allow them, they will reach further into your pockets.  Also, once you've reached Platinum/Elite status with the cruiseline, they know you're already a savvy cruiser with them and you're more than likely not to open up your wallet so freely.  At least we don't.  BTW, the one venue that I thought was worth attending was the Happy Hour.  Well that's gone too. Sigh....

Loss of the BOGO +$1 Happy Hour is the big loss that effected the most people. Come on Princess bring it back. 

[elliair]

@gwhitti:  Yes I agree.  We would have to get there at least 15 minutes ahead of time to get a seat.  It was a great way to meet other passengers and socialize.  We wouldn't ordinarily do that without a happy hour.  I would like to know Princess' reasoning behind doing away with the BOGO Happy Hour.  I saw the drinks flowing there more than at any other bar on the ship.

[miagirl]

We enjoy going to the PES lounge most evening.  We're not early diners so it's nice to have a bit of a nibble at cocktail hour.  We think it's a nice spread of cheese, veggies, olives, etc in addition to the food of the day.  I particularly love the Steak Tartar and the Stilton Cheese with warm sauce nights (neither would we have at home).  We're on a short 3 day on the Golden next month and I have my fingers crossed for one of our favorites to show up.  

 

Sometimes there's a medium size crowd, sometime only a few others when we visit, but there's always a chance for a nice conversation with fellow travelers.

 

[Knickearth]

5 hours ago, RMMariner said:

Our last cruise on the Grand, the spread was okay, but the drink specials - meh. Less than 10 passengers the couple of times we dropped in.      

our last cruise on the Grand we went one time and did not order drinks.  We took friends there who wanted the sushi on sushi night.  We use to enjoy the happy hour with the margaritas and don't mind either skywalkers or club fusion. Only once were we on a ship where on chips and salsa night they freshly made the salsa and guacamole the way the individual liked it (spicy, mild, etc.)  that was fantastic.  But only once.

[RMMariner]

I agree with you. The salsa was the best thing laid out. The sushi was actually blah. Certainly not worth attending for. Still went up and had a drink and a nibble a couple times. Would have been nice if the old drink specials were still there.

[pris993]

We don't go any more... you have a nice snack at the buffet and order whatever you want... the mixed drinks they offer we don't drink, views in the buffet are great, LOL.    We have gotten to the point we skip the MDR, either do buffet or Crown Grill.

[caribill]

9 hours ago, elliair said:

 I would like to know Princess' reasoning behind doing away with the BOGO Happy Hour.  I saw the drinks flowing there more than at any other bar on the ship.

 

Just speculating:

a) Happy Hour (originally B1G1 free, later changed to B1G1 for $1 more) was introduced several years ago to increase bar sales at times sales were slow. Also, in the case of the hour in Skywalkers, to increase attendance which was usually very low in the late evening.

b) The late afternoon Happy Hour turned out to be a big success. Venue was often very crowded.

c) I bet someone at HQ said "Look how good alcohol sales are in the late afternoon. Let's eliminate B1G1 for $1 more and sales will double as passengers continue two purchase two drinks, but both at regular prices."

[elliair]

6 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Just speculating:

 

c) I bet someone at HQ said "Look how good alcohol sales are in the late afternoon. Let's eliminate B1G1 for $1 more and sales will double as passengers continue two purchase two drinks, but both at regular prices."

 

I guess c) didn't work for us because we do not show up at bars and drink.  We usually buy the wine package.  It was better to go to the BOGO because it's a totally different atmosphere than going to a bar.  Oh well.......good for us as we spend less.

[Micahs Grandad]

8 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Just speculating:

a) Happy Hour (originally B1G1 free, later changed to B1G1 for $1 more) was introduced several years ago to increase bar sales at times sales were slow. Also, in the case of the hour in Skywalkers, to increase attendance which was usually very low in the late evening.

b) The late afternoon Happy Hour turned out to be a big success. Venue was often very crowded.

c) I bet someone at HQ said "Look how good alcohol sales are in the late afternoon. Let's eliminate B1G1 for $1 more and sales will double as passengers continue two purchase two drinks, but both at regular prices."

These two passengers would offer do one of the versions of B1G1 but when that was eliminated we reduced our bar purchases quite a bit

[Cruisin Kay D]

Ellair said:   "...I would like to know Princess' reasoning behind doing away with the BOGO Happy Hour.  I saw the drinks flowing there more than at any other bar on the ship..."

We agree -- Back when it was stopped, I talked to someone at Prin HQ complaining about the elimination of BOGO+$1 Happy Hour.  The woman said they were exploring "other amenities/benefits".... Like What?  When?   I pointed out they could have kept HH & simply raised the 2nd one to +$2 or +$3, and nearly everyone would still be happy (maybe a few would complain).   

Every HH we were at ( & we never missed a day!) it was always packed....a couple cruises it was held in Wheelhouse & it was totally packed.   Other ships it was in Crooners or even in Fusion....Someone from our group had to go early to save seats!    

Now the drink prices for Platinum-Elite-Suite gathering are getting higher & higher and their "special" drink concoctions are just terrible!   All we want is either a basic Vodka-tonic or a basic Manhattan....

Princess: PLEASE give us back the 1 hour Happy Hour BOGO+2 or +$3!!!!!

 

Edited April 13, 2019 by Cruisin Kay D

[harrynterry]

On 4/11/2019 at 12:59 PM, Micah's Grandad said:

Skywalkers is a nice place to spend time in and watch the ocean go by. 

I agree, my favorite place to go read a good book in peace

[voljeep]

16 hours ago, Cruisin Kay D said:

Someone from our group had to go early to save seats!    

happy hour chair hogs - jeez .. added to pool chairs and theatre chair hogs ...

[OCruisers]

The BOGO+1 was very crowded at Wheelhouse ... and, unfortunately, lots of saving seats.

The Plantinum/Elite function is seldom full ... much less overcrowded.  

Edited April 13, 2019 by OCruisers

[Thrak]

I simply don't believe in saving seats. I don't think it's right.

[voljeep]

the only saving of "seat", not 'seats' should be for a spouse , partner, fwb ... otherwise get your 'group' together , then

go to the venue ... just like getting a tender ticket .. hmmmmm

[satxdiver]

We still go to the PES lounge in the afternoon which usually is held in Skywalkers on the older ships but sometimes due to a high number of elite/platinum aboard it is moved to Club Fusion.  I have been on the Royal and Regal but do not remember where the PES lounge was held.  It generally is not crowded these days so it is nice to sit there and enjoy the day.  The drink specials are next to horrible so we either just drink water or order a drink at regular prices.  I imagine we will continue to visit the PES lounge now that we have second TD.  

 

As for the BOGO$1 and its demise, I would expect it has a lot to do with the bottom line.  They were selling alcoholic drinks at half price which left not as much revenue overall.  My only interest is if the loss of BOGO$1 revenue has caused the sales at bars to increase and of course the issue of customer satisfaction.  In our case we now spend less on alcoholic drinks which undoubtedly makes our family physician very happy.  

[gwhitti]

29 minutes ago, satxdiver said:

  In our case we now spend less on alcoholic drinks which undoubtedly makes our family physician very happy.  

 

Yes! Loss of BOGO +$1 caused us to drink less too. It was a great mixer opportunity. 

[Micahs Grandad]

3 hours ago, voljeep said:

happy hour chair hogs - jeez .. added to pool chairs and theatre chair hogs ...

Several times we have gone to BOGO, no seats so took our drinks and went to platinum elite lounge to enjoy them.

[4cats4me]

Sometimes we’ve attended and it’s been at a venue that is very enjoyable, and we enjoy meeting people from other countries and conversing with them.  Skywalker’s is an awesome venue.   

We loved it on the Crown, and the Deep Sea martinis were good.  

 

We never attended on the Royal this last week, especially since they’ve changed the hours from 4:30-6:30. We would have gone had it been between 5-7 though.  

[geoherb]

We enjoy the evening cocktail hour on ships with Skywalkers more than when we've sailed on ships where it's been a different location: Island, Regal, and Royal. It especially nice when we are able to meet friends there.

[caribill]

9 hours ago, satxdiver said:

 

 

As for the BOGO$1 and its demise, I would expect it has a lot to do with the bottom line.  They were selling alcoholic drinks at half price which left not as much revenue overall.  My only interest is if the loss of BOGO$1 revenue has caused the sales at bars to increase and of course the issue of customer satisfaction.  In our case we now spend less on alcoholic drinks which undoubtedly makes our family physician very happy.  

Remember that Princess purchases the alcohol beverages without any federal or state tax included in their price. So even selling two $10 drinks for a total of $11 gives lots of profit, especially when compared to not selling drinks when they eliminated the B1G1 $1 promotion.

 

One possible explanation for eliminating the BoGO $1 is to encourage beverage package sales. Let's face it, the beverage package is not priced to save the average person money. It is priced to add profit for the cruise line.