Diamond traveling with a newbie friend, access to diamond lounge?

[dleahy4444]

I’m diamond but my friend has never cruised before. Will she be able to access the diamond lounge with me if we go together? I assume she won’t be getting the diamond vouchers but if she gains entrance and feels like a cocktail could she purchase one there? Thanks!

[Missusdubbya]

No

[island lady]

What she said  ^   

[Grandma Dazzles]

No - that’s why you receive four free drinks daily - you can use them with your friend at any bar/location. Friends/family are not allowed in lounge unless they are Diamond. Concierge does check Seapass cards. 

[livingonthebeach]

Only if she is your partner or significant other and has the same address as you. If that's the case, you can link her to your account and she is automatically granted the same C&A status as yours.

[little britain]

14 minutes ago, dleahy4444 said:

I’m diamond but my friend has never cruised before. Will she be able to access the diamond lounge with me if we go together? I assume she won’t be getting the diamond vouchers but if she gains entrance and feels like a cocktail could she purchase one there? Thanks!

No need to go into the DL as you now get 4 drinks vouchers a day ( value $13 each) so you can treat her to a drink at most bars, any time! 

[dleahy4444]

36 minutes ago, little britain said:

No need to go into the DL as you now get 4 drinks vouchers a day ( value $13 each) so you can treat her to a drink at most bars, any time! 

Thank you all for your responses. I knew about the diamond vouchers, but I still like to go into the DL every once in a while to relax. I usually travel with the hubby who is diamond also, so I wasn’t sure how it works otherwise. 

[firefly333]

6 minutes ago, dleahy4444 said:

Thank you all for your responses. I knew about the diamond vouchers, but I still like to go into the DL every once in a while to relax. I usually travel with the hubby who is diamond also, so I wasn’t sure how it works otherwise. 

I was one cruise from diamond and my cabin mate was diamond and I couldn't get in pre covid. And that was before vouchers. They check your cards before happy hour when they put out the snacks now. Diamond ambassador and the waiters get to know who is diamond and quit checking but if a stranger showed up she would be checked. 

[dleahy4444]

5 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I was one cruise from diamond and my cabin mate was diamond and I couldn't get in pre covid. And that was before vouchers. They check your cards before happy hour when they put out the snacks now. Diamond ambassador and the waiters get to know who is diamond and quit checking but if a stranger showed up she would be checked. 

Now that they have instituted the diamond voucher program there isn’t any reason to go to the DL other than to relax and socialize. I’m certainly not going to the DL by myself and leave her behind. It is not that important to try to crash lol!  I’m sure we will be able to enjoy many other venues where we can sit together. Thanks everyone for your input 

[Chiliburn]

Pre Covid,My sister who is diamond tried multiple times to link her long time boyfriend to her account but couldn’t.

Onboard she asked the loyalty ambassador and diamond concierge about it .
They both said that RC doesn’t link people anymore but as your companion he is welcome as your guest.
So just say she is your companion.

[dleahy4444]

2 minutes ago, Chiliburn said:

Pre Covid,My sister who is diamond tried multiple times to link her long time boyfriend to her account but couldn’t.

Onboard she asked the loyalty ambassador and diamond concierge about it .
They both said that RC doesn’t link people anymore but as your companion he is welcome as your guest.
So just say she is your companion.

Oh that’s interesting, but I think we would have to have the same address. But no harm in asking. Thanks 

[firefly333]

35 minutes ago, dleahy4444 said:

Now that they have instituted the diamond voucher program there isn’t any reason to go to the DL other than to relax and socialize. I’m certainly not going to the DL by myself and leave her behind. It is not that important to try to crash lol!  I’m sure we will be able to enjoy many other venues where we can sit together. Thanks everyone for your input 

I enjoyed the specialty coffee every morning and some fruit. ..more so than the 5 pm snacks they set out. But I got coffee every morning there last time. The time before the coffee machine was broke.

[Chiliburn]

25 minutes ago, dleahy4444 said:

Oh that’s interesting, but I think we would have to have the same address. But no harm in asking. Thanks 

About the only thing going for the diamond lounge now is the coffee machine. The concierge is only there a short time and they aren’t going to cross check your address.

Anyway , I often think and laugh about getting kicked out because I wasn’t diamond.

[Computer Nerd]

2 hours ago, dleahy4444 said:

I’m diamond but my friend has never cruised before. Will she be able to access the diamond lounge with me if we go together? I assume she won’t be getting the diamond vouchers but if she gains entrance and feels like a cocktail could she purchase one there? Thanks!

Nope.

[dleahy4444]

16 minutes ago, Chiliburn said:

About the only thing going for the diamond lounge now is the coffee machine. The concierge is only there a short time and they aren’t going to cross check your address.

Anyway , I often think and laugh about getting kicked out because I wasn’t diamond.

Lol, I’ve known the woman I’m traveling with longer than my husband, who is diamond because of me! I personally don’t see the harm in letting in your stateroom companion with you especially if they are paying for their own drinks, but whatever. There must be a reason for this rule, although on my last cruise my husband and I went to the DL and it was empty and very quiet 

[WELDON]

The DL is crowded as it is. If everyone that wanted to come in was let in. there would not be room for the passengers who are entitled to enter.

[joetop2467]

We are just off the Symphony of the Seas. Our party was 4 in two rooms.  Three were Diamond, fourth was not.  We went there every night and she went with us. No one ever asked.  

[topnole]

1 hour ago, Chiliburn said:

Pre Covid,My sister who is diamond tried multiple times to link her long time boyfriend to her account but couldn’t.

Onboard she asked the loyalty ambassador and diamond concierge about it .
They both said that RC doesn’t link people anymore but as your companion he is welcome as your guest.
So just say she is your companion.

Never heard of such a thing.  

[topnole]

Just now, joetop2467 said:

We are just off the Symphony of the Seas. Our party was 4 in two rooms.  Three were Diamond, fourth was not.  We went there every night and she went with us. No one ever asked.  

I believe that is the exception and not the rule.  In my experience most DL concierges check cards and know who is who.  

[yogimax]

53 minutes ago, joetop2467 said:

We are just off the Symphony of the Seas. Our party was 4 in two rooms.  Three were Diamond, fourth was not.  We went there every night and she went with us. No one ever asked.  

Did you use your card to get her drinks?  By the way, RCCL reads these posts.  i would hate to think you got the concierge in trouble for not checking.

[Another_Critic]

Several years ago the DL concierge said my adult daughter could join us if she was on the same reservation (she was).

[dleahy4444]

2 hours ago, WELDON said:

The DL is crowded as it is. If everyone that wanted to come in was let in. there would not be room for the passengers who are entitled to enter.

If I were cruising with my husband he would be allowed in because he has a diamond status through marriage, not because he has cruised as often as me. I think they probably made that rule so that couples that travel together don’t have to split up to visit the DL.  Now my friend is taking my husband’s place on this cruise. What is the difference? Only that we aren’t married so therefore she wasn’t granted diamond status for being my companion on this cruise. She is not “everyone who wants to come in” or taking anyone else’s place other than that of my husband who was originally going to go.  But no worries… she, nor I, will be going to the DL this cruise because we certainly would not want to contribute to overcrowding 

[Sunshine3601]

IMO, only those that are diamond or higher should be allowed in.  Far too many people sneaking non D members into lounge is wrong.   I think this past year a lot concierges were being generous in saying ok but as ships are now increasing capacity they need to stop saying yes to non members.

In 2 weeks we will be on a b2b with our  Son and his Fiance and already told them it is a lounge they cannot go to.  

Edited March 8, 2022 by Sunshine3601

[Sunshine3601]

2 minutes ago, Heymarco said:

It really is just a conference room that offers nothing more than a sense of entitlement. Everything else can be found elsewhere. Do you really think that that someone should have to go alone on a cruise? Hope that day never comes for you. Sheesh.

I'm not saying that, I am saying it is meant for members only.

Has nothing to do with cruising alone.

The only time I really go there is for morning coffees.   May be an occassional happy hour.  

 

There are many places like this such as airport lounges that have certain requirements or fees, hotels that have executive lounges for gold + plus members such as Hilton etc 

[topnole]

35 minutes ago, Heymarco said:

No one really checks cards, sometimes the door is not even closed. People here just like to use scare tactics to protect their entitled conference room status. Just walk in and act like you belong and no one will bat any eye. 

I have to say that is not how it was before they stopped the unlimited drinks at happy hour.  Perhaps they don’t check now, but in my experience they were pretty consistently like hawks on the cruises I’ve been on.  
 

I have witnessed some folks asking to bring in non diamond passengers with success, but I think there was a lot of discretion involved in those decisions (diamond and above totals on the ship that week, who was asking, was the diamond in a suite and was free to get free drinks in the Concierge lounge, etc.).  I’ve also met someone who was non diamond and with his dad who was diamond.  In that case the DL concierge just never realized it because she was definitely a hawk.  He used his dads

card to get in so I think he fooled her.   
 

Overall, I think “sneaking” in is not common and generally frowned on by the concierge.  Does it happen?  Yes, but the Concierges generally try to keep it from happening (at least before they started the 4,5,and 6 vouchers each day).  Why any non diamond would want to go now is beyond me.  Before it was free drinks and it made sen$e.  .