Crown lounge access

[wants2cruise2]

Silly question, Iove the crown, formerly diamond, lounge, but how does everyone eligible get inside on embarkation day prior to rooms being open?

Just hang around door waiting for a B2B cruiser to open it because they have their room keys already?

It’s the best place after lunch to relax waiting to drop off hand luggage in the rooms.

[Biker19]

18 minutes ago, wants2cruise2 said:

Just hang around door waiting for a B2B cruiser to open it because they have their room keys already?

That or staff.

[loman]

My muster station is next door to the lounge on Symphony . 

Think i`ll grab an expresso prior to lunch .

[firefly333]

2 hours ago, wants2cruise2 said:

Silly question, Iove the crown, formerly diamond, lounge, but how does everyone eligible get inside on embarkation day prior to rooms being open?

Just hang around door waiting for a B2B cruiser to open it because they have their room keys already?

It’s the best place after lunch to relax waiting to drop off hand luggage in the rooms.

Very few want in before 5 pm happy hours start time. Nothing in there. Mostly the coffee machine not set up and not working, no food, no nothing and many are in windowless rooms now. Not inviting to me to be where I cant see out and nothing there, empty room. 

[oceanblue33]

Dang I was really looking forward going there just made it to Diamond. After reading this probably won’t. 

[firefly333]

3 minutes ago, oceanblue33 said:

Dang I was really looking forward going there just made it to Diamond. After reading this probably won’t. 

Go in the morning when the crew in tere has serviced the coffee machine and there is fruit and pastries and stuff. Just during off hours nothing much. Once the cruise starts often they leave cookies intense, just not on embarkation day. At 5 pm there will be hot and cold snacks. 

[doghog]

3 hours ago, wants2cruise2 said:

Silly question, Iove the crown, formerly diamond, lounge, but how does everyone eligible get inside on embarkation day prior to rooms being open?

Just hang around door waiting for a B2B cruiser to open it because they have their room keys already?

It’s the best place after lunch to relax waiting to drop off hand luggage in the rooms.

We are given our Seapass cards prior to getting on the ship. We always go to the CL when we first board the ship. We wait there until the cabin call announcement is made. 

[shof515]

2 minutes ago, doghog said:

We are given our Seapass cards prior to getting on the ship. We always go to the CL when we first board the ship. We wait there until the cabin call announcement is made. 

which port does this? on all of my cruises, the seapass card is in an envelope in the mailslot by your cabin door

[doghog]

7 minutes ago, shof515 said:

which port does this? on all of my cruises, the seapass card is in an envelope in the mailslot by your cabin door

Any port. Did something change from March 2022 and prior. ? 

Edited August 31 by doghog

[wants2cruise2]

5 minutes ago, doghog said:

Any port. Did something change from March 2022? 

They have streamlined things.  Your seapass card will be waiting for you outside your cabin.  You use your boarding docs to board the ship 

[poocher]

Sailed Harmony in March 2022 and cards were in the slot by the door.  I don’t remember getting cards prior to boarding except our 2002 Nordic Empress cruise.

[doghog]

18 minutes ago, wants2cruise2 said:

They have streamlined things.  Your seapass card will be waiting for you outside your cabin.  You use your boarding docs to board the ship 

Our last RC pre covid cruise was 2019. Our first RC post covid cruise was 2022. We were given our Seapass cards when checked in at the terminal. At that time the DL hadn't gone thru the name change. Sounds like things have changed concerning Seapass cards. Good to know when we do our next RC cruise in 2025.

Edited August 31 by doghog

[njkruzer]

2 hours ago, firefly333 said:

Very few want in before 5 pm happy hours start time. Nothing in there. Mostly the coffee machine not set up and not working, no food, no nothing and many are in windowless rooms now. Not inviting to me to be where I cant see out and nothing there, empty room. 

No happy hours. You need to use your free drinks.

[firefly333]

6 minutes ago, njkruzer said:

No happy hours. You need to use your free drinks.

I think it is still called happy hour. 5 to about 8 pm they are free hot and cold snacks. Finger food. I dont drink so I dont care about if drinks I have to use a voucher, its happy hour with free finger food out about 5 to 8 pm. 

 

Just because you have to use a voucher doesnt make it not happy hour by name. What do you call this period in the lounge. You have a special name? I personally never use up my free drinks so if I use a voucher I dont care. Still has free food. Just use a voucher. 

[Another_Critic]

6 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I think it is still called happy hour. 5 to about 8 pm they are free hot and cold snacks. Finger food. I dont drink so I dont care about if drinks I have to use a voucher, its happy hour with free finger food out about 5 to 8 pm. 

 

Just because you have to use a voucher doesnt make it not happy hour by name. What do you call this period in the lounge. You have a special name? I personally never use up my free drinks so if I use a voucher I dont care. Still has free food. Just use a voucher. 

 

C&A agrees with you.

 

 

[alfaeric]

2 hours ago, firefly333 said:

Very few want in before 5 pm happy hours start time. Nothing in there. Mostly the coffee machine not set up and not working, no food, no nothing and many are in windowless rooms now. Not inviting to me to be where I cant see out and nothing there, empty room. 

Not sure which ships you are meaning, but we’ve been to a few lounges pre sail away (with sea pass card). And the machines are more working than not, and HH has happened as well. This all since 2022. 
 

Granted, these are the ships where both the crown and concierge lounge is with some kind of view with windows. But they are open, working, and have HH on boarding day. 
 

Sometimes it’s nice to have an afternoon coffee. 

[firefly333]

23 minutes ago, alfaeric said:

Not sure which ships you are meaning, but we’ve been to a few lounges pre sail away (with sea pass card). And the machines are more working than not, and HH has happened as well. This all since 2022. 
 

Granted, these are the ships where both the crown and concierge lounge is with some kind of view with windows. But they are open, working, and have HH on boarding day. 
 

Sometimes it’s nice to have an afternoon coffee. 

Seems like we are talking apples and oranges. You say HH on boarding day. Yes of course at 5 pm and its manned and the coffee machine is working.

 

When I first get on the ship boarding day and have been in there earlier like coolish and it's all cleaned up, no coffee cups and coffee machine not ready and no cookies the day we board is what I'm talking about.  ...happy hour isnt right after I board, it's at 5 pm. Two different things. 

[HicksRA]

There’s almost always someone in the Crown Lounge on embark day. Just knock on the door or you can usually catch someone walking out. 

[lovesthebeach2]

I know this is opposite of what you asked, but we sometimes like to see the excitement of some of the guests boarding…especially the kids, so we’ll hang around watching for awhile. Then we’ll mosey over to the Solarium until the cabins are ready.

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, doghog said:

Our first RC post covid cruise was 2022. We were given our Seapass cards when checked in at the terminal.

You were the exception at that time - most of the fleet had already changed and by late 2022 all ships provided the cards at the door.

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, firefly333 said:

Very few want in before 5 pm happy hours start time. Nothing in there. Mostly the coffee machine not set up and not working, no food, no nothing and many are in windowless rooms now. Not inviting to me to be where I cant see out and nothing there, empty room. 

For us, the lounge has little to no value.  Crammed in a small space. We are not going to eat a bunch of junkie appetizers if we’re headed to the dining room (morning or night). So, we’ll pass through to say “we were there” and move on. 

[wants2cruise2]

I don’t do alcohol, but love love love the lounge, a big tea drinker, and yes sometimes nothing is set up right for embarkation, but sometimes the coffee machine is.

i use my vouchers all day for things like fresh squeezed oj with breakfast, water bottles during the day, several virgin pina colada's.

maybe a soda with dinner.
 Doesn’t have to be just for alcoholic beverages.

[doghog]

6 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

You were the exception at that time - most of the fleet had already changed and by late 2022 all ships provided the cards at the door.

That cruise was a B2B out of San Juan, March 2022.  

[Biker19]

Just now, doghog said:

That cruise was a B2B out of San Juan, March 2022.  

Right, the older/smaller ships (and non-mainland ports) were the last to convert.

[alfaeric]

37 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Seems like we are talking apples and oranges. You say HH on boarding day. Yes of course at 5 pm and its manned and the coffee machine is working.

 

When I first get on the ship boarding day and have been in there earlier like coolish and it's all cleaned up, no coffee cups and coffee machine not ready and no cookies the day we board is what I'm talking about.  ...happy hour isnt right after I board, it's at 5 pm. Two different things. 

No, you specifically mentioned that nothing is working prior to HH, and we have found that things are working prior to HH, including cookies to have with coffee. As for nobody wanting access, there are always people in the lounge at 3pm or so when we stop by.