Diamond Club Theory when we return

[Milwaukee Eight]

4 minutes ago, tserface said:

 

Not trying to be negative.  Just discussing truthfully.  I don't expect they will increase the benefits. They are already plagued with too many entitled C&A members.  It's very expensive for them on a number of levels.  If they were going to make a move, this would be a logical time to do it.

FWIW, I doubt my comments make much difference to them. They will do what they will do.

 

Tom

This and highlight the “entitled”. Ships will not sail at full capacity when they go back to cruising and C&A members will be begging for a cabin not the other way around. 😇

 

M8

[tserface]

4 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

That’s exactly what the 3 drinks loaded on the SeaPass was for. But obviously, people feel it should be more. 

 

We never noticed the 3 drink (or unlimited on Celebrity) made much difference in the crowding of the lounges.  In fact, a lot of people go to the Diamond Club, then use their 3 "free" drinks afterwards or while at dinner once they started letting us use them for wine at dinner.

Tom

[grapau27]

50 minutes ago, bonsai3s said:

 

We sailed on the Vision back in November of 2016...Venice-Suez Canal-Dubai.

The DL was so packed during HH that we could never find a seat.  If I remember correctly, they did open the lounge next door for overflow during the canal leg.  We did stop by the DL during the day and said hello to Vojtec (Concierge)...one of the best...hope to see him as a Captain someday.

 

During HH, we either sat in the Schooner bar and listened to Anselmo Bolez (singer-pianist-sometime comedian) or up in the Concierge Lounge.  The CL was perfect for us...there was a table for 2 that was close to the food serving trays....no one wanted to sit there...we didn't mind it.  Noella was the Concierge, then MJ.

 

Marcos, CL bartender from Peru, was outstanding.  Note: grapau27 - whispering...we were able to get our premium "special" drinks...😉😉 wink, wink...no extra charge.😇

As one of the few tip per drink D+ members on Europe cruises I know what you mean I have got Sauvignon Blanc at certain bars and PinaColadas too.

Graham.👍🤫😇

Edited July 19, 2020 by grapau27

[tserface]

1 minute ago, grapau27 said:

As one of the few tip per drink D+ members on Europe cruises I know what you mean I have got Sauvignon Blanc at certain bars and Pubs Colada.👍🤫😇

 

That is something worth considering. I think between the tips for drinks, saving tables, and other things the wait staff do in the Diamond Clubs and other C&A venues the employees may lose out on significant revenue if the parties are spread out among the bars.  My experience, is we tend to tip less when we have to walk up to the bar to order a drink than when we have the great service in the DCs.  Over the course of a cruise, we've often gotten to know the waiters and many times have way over tipped because the experience has been so great and we great to like them personally as well.

 

We'd miss that dynamic and I'm sure they'd miss the really great tips they likely get.  I'd guess some of them are make $50+ per hour just off the like $1/drink tips many of us give, and that doesn't even count the extra $10's and $20's they get on the last days or what people are willing to pay them to save their special tables every night so they can show up late and still get immediate seating.  For a free party, a lot of money passes hands in the Diamond Club 🙂

 

Tom

[grapau27]

50 minutes ago, yogimax said:

COVID is precisely the reason why no cuts are needed.  Do you really believe every D, D+ and P will return once cruising begins again?  Of course not.  In addition, no one has been earning points.  The numbers can only grow smaller, not larger.  No need to make changes, especially when you will need to entice people back on the ship.  Reopening the CL to D+ would be the only change I would make!

+1

[reallyitsmema]

16 minutes ago, tserface said:

 

That is something worth considering. I think between the tips for drinks, saving tables, and other things the wait staff do in the Diamond Clubs and other C&A venues the employees may lose out on significant revenue if the parties are spread out among the bars.  My experience, is we tend to tip less when we have to walk up to the bar to order a drink than when we have the great service in the DCs.  Over the course of a cruise, we've often gotten to know the waiters and many times have way over tipped because the experience has been so great and we great to like them personally as well.

 

We'd miss that dynamic and I'm sure they'd miss the really great tips they likely get.  I'd guess some of them are make $50+ per hour just off the like $1/drink tips many of us give, and that doesn't even count the extra $10's and $20's they get on the last days or what people are willing to pay them to save their special tables every night so they can show up late and still get immediate seating.  For a free party, a lot of money passes hands in the Diamond Club 🙂

 

Tom

 

We do not go to the DL very often because of the overcrowding and we get excellent service in the Schooner Bar when we use our vouchers.  Most nights we have the same waiter approach us as soon as we sit down and they remember what we order each night.  You can easily tip in the Schooner Bar, just as you do in the DL.

[Ocean Boy]

39 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

This and highlight the “entitled”. Ships will not sail at full capacity when they go back to cruising and C&A members will be begging for a cabin not the other way around. 😇

 

M8

I don't think that I have ever begged anyone to let me spend my money.

[Milwaukee Eight]

5 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I don't think that I have ever begged anyone to let me spend my money.

New normal?😇

[DaniDanielle]

We always tip in the Schooner Bar when we get our Diamond drinks.  It is amazing how great the service is when they know you tip!

[Ocean Boy]

2 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

New normal?😇

🙄🙄🙄

[Bobal]

50 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

As one of the few tip per drink D+ members on Europe cruises

 

Seriously??? How do you know this? Perhaps some D+ European cruisers (myself included) don't make a big deal of it onboard or need to spell it out on here 🙄

[Milwaukee Eight]

1 minute ago, Bobal said:

 

Seriously??? How do you know this? Perhaps some D+ European cruisers (myself included) don't make a big deal of it onboard or need to spell it out on here 🙄

I sense a tipping thread is due soon. 

[sgmn]

13 minutes ago, Bobal said:

 

Seriously??? How do you know this? Perhaps some D+ European cruisers (myself included) don't make a big deal of it onboard or need to spell it out on here 🙄

Not only D+, but D's too. 

 Not all UK cruisers are cheap and don't tip and I think its wrong to assume that we don't (sorry, don't want to turn this into a tipping thread 😬) 

[grapau27]

16 minutes ago, Bobal said:

 

Seriously??? How do you know this? Perhaps some D+ European cruisers (myself included) don't make a big deal of it onboard or need to spell it out on here 🙄

Hopefully people leave the waiters a good tip at the end but I believe in tipping every drink so every waiter who brings us our drinks gets our tip immediately as on occasions previously a good waiter was not there on the last night and lost out.

When we go in a DL we sit in different locations each visit and are very observant of people and is it a coincidence that no one near us moves to put a note in the waiters hand or on his tray when ordering or receiving a drink?.

Everyone is free to do what they want of course.

On European cruises especially from Southampton there are often large queues of people at GS stopping their autogratuities.

We pre-pay our gratuities.

[grapau27]

11 minutes ago, sgmn said:

Not only D+, but D's too. 

 Not all UK cruisers are cheap and don't tip and I think its wrong to assume that we don't (sorry, don't want to turn this into a tipping thread 😬) 

I don't want to get embroiled in a tipping thread either and of course there are a lot of generous UK cruisers but many posters on here have also quoted long queues at GS with people stopping gratuities.

To get back on topic 'who knows' what will happen when cruising restarts but the Diamond Loyalty Lounge is very popular with a lot of people and there is little I would change.

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

I don't think that I have ever begged anyone to let me spend my money.

Me neither.

[Milwaukee Eight]

Ok then. Obviously, the 3 drinks on SeaPass is not good enough. Unlimited drinks in DL and no overflow. No longer offer the 3 free drinks from Diamond list of SeaPass. You’ll need to get up early to reserve you spot in the DL for HH. Maybe Royal should start offering camp out seats in the DL and shower in the SPA at no extra charge. 😇

[Ocean Boy]

51 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

 You’ll need to get up early to reserve you spot in the DL for HH. Maybe Royal should start offering camp out seats in the DL and shower in the SPA at no extra charge. 😇

I am up by 5AM. I'll just stop by the DL and throw a towel on a chair while on my way to the solarium to reserve my chair there. I think I'm gonna need more towels.😉

[davekathy]

4 hours ago, tserface said:

 

We never noticed the 3 drink (or unlimited on Celebrity) made much difference in the crowding of the lounges.  In fact, a lot of people go to the Diamond Club, then use their 3 "free" drinks afterwards or while at dinner once they started letting us use them for wine at dinner.

Tom

We always go to the DL to enjoy a couple of pre diner drinks and a snack. The ships we've been on (biggest is the Freedom class, smallest is the Radiance class) the DL has never been crowed. We are there when the C&A HH starts and gone by 5:45 as we always eat at 6:PM.  Then we use our C&A HH drinks in the MDR (MTD). We paid for the drinks (perk/benefit) and we are going to take full advantage of it and enjoy the drinks.  

[yogimax]

1 hour ago, davekathy said:

We always go to the DL to enjoy a couple of pre diner drinks and a snack. The ships we've been on (biggest is the Freedom class, smallest is the Radiance class) the DL has never been crowed. We are there when the C&A HH starts and gone by 5:45 as we always eat at 6:PM.  Then we use our C&A HH drinks in the MDR (MTD). We paid for the drinks (perk/benefit) and we are going to take full advantage of it and enjoy the drinks.  

Actually, because of early dining, the lounges empty out at 6PM

[Ocean Boy]

3 minutes ago, yogimax said:

Actually, because of early dining, the lounges empty out at 6PM

So all of this discussion is about 1.5 hrs. of the day.🤔

[Milwaukee Eight]

8 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

So all of this discussion is about 1.5 hrs. of the day.🤔

Did you count the time getting there to save seats before HH starts?

[Ocean Boy]

7 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

Did you count the time getting there to save seats before HH starts?

Between my solarium chair, pool deck chair, sundeck chair, theater seat, and Windjammer seat, the trip to reserve my DL seat is minimal. Now do you understand why I need extra towels?

[SherriZ366]

47 minutes ago, yogimax said:

Actually, because of early dining, the lounges empty out at 6PM

This benefits us as we always choose late dining.  Pretty uncrowded although first seating folks come in before closing for a nightcap.  

[SherriZ366]

We always tip DL waiters and if I get a free drink from another bar from the 3 loaded onto my seapass card, I always tip an extra dollar.  Sometimes it's just bottles of water.