How do the crew remember you?

[DaniDanielle]

I had a server in the Diamond Lounge ask me if I wanted my cosmo.  It was a year later!

[squick64]

Saw her on another cruise 9 years later, went to say hello and she says

’hello, mr christian, are you ready for a southern comfort manhatten?’

 

I'd just find this unsettling.

 

I mean, I'm not surprised that the bar staff remember my order night after night, but 9 years later?

[FlowBroTy]

I Had Some One From The Sports Staff Remember Me Two Years Later.

[GUT2407]

Mrs Gut went to the bar, waiter on other side calls to the one serving her “and a large Diet Coke, no straw lots of ice for her husband” 

[Iamcruzin]

15 hours ago, johnjen said:

I cannot confirm this, but with all the photo taking going on during a cruise from start to end, I have to wonder if RCL uses facial recognition software for security reasons. This might raise an ire of concern for privacy reasons, but with this technology in existence, I would not be surprised.

Princess has something called the medallion. It's a chip that you wear on your wrist like a watch or on a chain around your neck. It monitors where you are on the ship and tracks your preferences so it can be done.  

[Host Jacquelyn]

15 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

The thought that RCI's IT department could pull something like that off is really funny.

😂😂

[bobmacliberty]

Guest relations 101...personalize someone's experience and it makes them feel special. I think it's more than just having a good memory. People in the hospitality business are trained to do this.  I'm certain that there is some form of tracking system in the background, even if it's a manual list maintained by an individual.  Me?...I will forget your name 5 minutes after you introduce yourself.  No way could I ever do what they do, no matter how much you try to train me.

[Miryam1234]

We've had this experience too, that some of the crew remember us from years ago. They have a good memory and then you may have something to be remembered from - some peculiar thing which occurs several times during a cruise. Or, like us origins - there have been cruises when we have been the only 2 (or 3 if our daugher was with us) Finns onboard and many ships have been made in our city of Turku, Finland. And I am sure to tell everybody that it was us who made the ship by ourselves and by hand, of course.

 

One waiter had been promoted to head waiter and he came running towards us and jumped to hug me and got us by surprise totally, like we had met our long lost son or something. We had not even seen him yet, nor did we know that he would be still working. Then he hurried us quickly us to our table and went to explain to our table waiter team with an excited and loud voice that "these are the most easiest family ever, if you just make sure they have their sparkling water and chardonnay before their buts hits the chair, then they will order one appetizer each, share maybe one between them, one entree without any modifications and a dessert each, with coffee and cognac. They will give you no trouble at all and will tip you well". That was funny! Maybe tipping also helps memory?

 

Also we've have 2-3 waiters whose first question has been: "Where is your daughter?" when we've met them on another cruise and were traveling without her.  

Edited August 1, 2019 by Miryam1234
typo

[banzaii]

On 7/31/2019 at 1:28 PM, travelplus said:

Have you had someone come up to you on a cruise and remember you?  

Yes - just the same as I rember them.  We take the time to get to know each other.

[HBE4]

15 hours ago, squick64 said:

 

 

 

I'd just find this unsettling.

 

I mean, I'm not surprised that the bar staff remember my order night after night, but 9 years later?

 

If a bar staff remembers me after 9 years, my first thought would be "did I make an a** out of myself that night?" 🤣

[John&LaLa]

9 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

Princess has something called the medallion. It's a chip that you wear on your wrist like a watch or on a chain around your neck. It monitors where you are on the ship and tracks your preferences so it can be done.  

 

Is it much different than a wow band?

[Biker19]

11 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

Is it much different than a wow band?

It is more than just an RFID chip, it has BT and NFC and the read distance is much greater. Also, they are free on CCL, for now.

Edited August 1, 2019 by Biker19

[John&LaLa]

3 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

It is more than just an RFID chip, it has BT and NFC and the read distance is much greater.

 

Did Symphony get WOW bands?

[Biker19]

Just now, John&LaLa said:

 

Did Symphony get WOW bands?

All new ships since Quantum have them.

[John&LaLa]

Just now, Biker19 said:

All new ships since Quantum have them.

 

Thanks, I figured that, but when I googled it, I just found discussion that Royal was abandoning the program

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, John&LaLa said:

Thanks, I figured that, but when I googled it, I just found discussion that Royal was abandoning the program

We'll know in just over a year when Odyssey comes out.

[HBE4]

8 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

We'll know in just over a year when Odyssey comes out.

 

I guess the WOW band technology won't be part of the Oasis/Allure Amplifications? In order to bring them in line with Harmony/Symphony.

[Clarea]

2 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

I guess the WOW band technology won't be part of the Oasis/Allure Amplifications? In order to bring them in line with Harmony/Symphony.

 

Not likely, they would have to change over 3000 stateroom door locks, and so far they have not retrofitted any ship with WOW band locks.

[HBE4]

6 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Not likely, they would have to change over 3000 stateroom door locks, and so far they have not retrofitted any ship with WOW band locks.

 

Ahh, good point. I wasn't thinking of the large number of cabin locks that would need to be swapped out.

 

Still, at $5 a WOW band, it's not like Royal to pass up an opportunity to make more money.

[CruiseBride926]

I don’t think it’s that far fetched to believe someone who sees you daily for a week would at the least recognize that they know you from somewhere. I used to work in retail and have spent far less time with people and even now years later I recognize people when I run into them. Granted I haven’t seen as many people as they have but it’s still easily in the thousands.

[alfaeric]

I'm can't be the only one who thinks is really funny how people find it unsettling that someone else remembers you.

 

How suspicious of a society have we become that having good manners for service industry now is a bad thing?  Heck, even if it was via a computer, that ALSO means that the person had to remember you from the previous even, among the thousands on board at the time.  

 

Given that I'm horrible with names, I really like it when someone remembers us.  And I really don't care if it's computer aided memory, as they also have to use their own memory, since they are unlikely to be taking that many notes in the computer.

 

If it really bothers you that there's face recognition on a ship, perhaps you should find another vacation.  It's there, for sure.  

[Ocean Boy]

2 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

Ahh, good point. I wasn't thinking of the large number of cabin locks that would need to be swapped out.

 

Still, at $5 a WOW band, it's not like Royal to pass up an opportunity to make more money.

Maybe enough people don't buy them to make it financially worth while for RCI to retrofit a ship?

[ONECRUISER]

On 7/31/2019 at 2:49 AM, grapau27 said:

I think they have good memories.

A waiter we had on Explorer out of New York in January 2008 recognised us on Brilliance the following year.

Agree. Was wondering if was me standing out, but they do remember me even when I don't them...

[AlanF65]

2 hours ago, CruiseBride926 said:

I don’t think it’s that far fetched to believe someone who sees you daily for a week would at the least recognize that they know you from somewhere. I used to work in retail and have spent far less time with people and even now years later I recognize people when I run into them. Granted I haven’t seen as many people as they have but it’s still easily in the thousands.

 

There is some kind of photos made available to room stewards, first time on a ship, walking down a hallway the room steward I have never met introduced himself to be with a hello mr x(my name).

 

I think there is some sort of recognition and notes kept to help "tickle" memories and improve service.

I don't have an issue with it, it makes for a more enjoyable voyage.

 

My first cruise was on Carnival and the first time to a dining room they knew me by name so they are using some sort of photo /rfid identification.

 

[holiday-shrek]

On 7/31/2019 at 5:28 AM, travelplus said:

Another server in the Windjammer came by my table and said I remember your Father and you from a previous cruise!     The same happened at Guest Services.

I think they just pretend to remember you!