MoneyMan702 Posted March 8, 2023 Report Share Posted March 8, 2023 My wife, son, and I are on Oasis right now and I have a few random bits of information. Matt posted an article a few days ago about Wow Bands possibly being back. They are definitely back on Oasis, at least for now. My wife and I got them from Guest Services on Monday. Still $9.99 The Bionic Bar is out of service and scheduled for maintenance. I think it has been down for the entire cruise, but the signage didn’t appear saying that it was out of service until Monday or Tuesday. I haven’t seen a single drink made there or any crowds there the entire cruise. Greetings from San Juan! SweetPea, JazzBassMan, Matt and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzBassMan Posted March 8, 2023 Report Share Posted March 8, 2023 This might be an unpopular opinion. I think it is probably about time to retire the Bionic Bar. Super neat novelty the first time you see it, but I think it gets my drinks right about 50% of the time when it is working, and it's a waste of space most of the time. They usually have at least 1-2 crew members there to make sure the thing doesn't mess up when it is open as well. Might as well just turn it back into the Champagne Bar or something. MarcBerger, Xaa, WAAAYTOOO and 13 others 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoneyMan702 Posted March 8, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2023 17 minutes ago, JazzBassMan said: This might be an unpopular opinion. I think it is probably about time to retire the Bionic Bar. Super neat novelty the first time you see it, but I think it gets my drinks right about 50% of the time when it is working, and it's a waste of space most of the time. They usually have at least 1-2 crew members there to make sure the thing doesn't mess up when it is open as well. Might as well just turn it back into the Champagne Bar or something. This is my first ship with a Bionic Bar, and I haven’t even seen it work. I think the Champagne Bar is a better venue all the way around. Sometimes bigger and cooler isn’t better. I tend to agree with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Cruisers Posted March 8, 2023 Report Share Posted March 8, 2023 I don't disagree. Super neat the first time we took Anthem almost 8 years ago, but the novelty wears off fast. It is no replacement for some of RC's more-excellent barkeeps, that's for sure. EasyTarget83 and FloatyBoaty 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZBrady Posted March 8, 2023 Report Share Posted March 8, 2023 I love the Bionic Bar never gives me trouble when I ask for a double or a triple. But yea, I wasn't surprised that it has been revealed as being included on Icon. May just be a nice treat for going back to those class of ships. When its actually in service, I guess. billdauterive 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDaley Posted March 8, 2023 Report Share Posted March 8, 2023 19 minutes ago, ZBrady said: I love the Bionic Bar never gives me trouble when I ask for a double or a triple. This was the reason I liked it too! A bartender will alllllways give me a drink and a shot at the same time but haughtily puts their foot down when I ask for the extra shot to be inside the drink. The bionic bar makes no judgement!! MTNeedsAVacay, ZBrady, PPPJJ-GCVAB and 1 other 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPS Posted March 8, 2023 Report Share Posted March 8, 2023 Having been on two ships with the Bionic Bar last year, I kinda agree with retiring the concept. We used it once on Odyssey since we had never seen it in action before. The quality of the drink was underwhelming and we never used it again. (I'm pretty sure the robots don't put much effort into the drinks since they're not gonna see a tip! ) At about 3 days into the cruise, it was practically abandoned by guests for the remainder of the cruise. On Quantum a few months later, I didn't ever see it being used. FloatyBoaty 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMW Hoosier Posted March 8, 2023 Report Share Posted March 8, 2023 32 minutes ago, Happy Cruisers said: Super neat the first time we took Anthem almost 8 years ago, but the novelty wears off fast. Isn't that a good reason to keep it since there is a significant number of first-time cruisers on every ship? JazzBassMan and DDaley 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlantix2000 Posted March 8, 2023 Report Share Posted March 8, 2023 48 minutes ago, ZBrady said: I love the Bionic Bar never gives me trouble when I ask for a double or a triple. 41 minutes ago, DDaley said: This was the reason I liked it too! A bartender will alllllways give me a drink and a shot at the same time but haughtily puts their foot down when I ask for the extra shot to be inside the drink. The bionic bar makes no judgement!! I assume the bionic bar charges extra for a double or triple. Or is there a flat price? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted March 8, 2023 Report Share Posted March 8, 2023 Thanks for sharing this info! MarcBerger 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZBrady Posted March 8, 2023 Report Share Posted March 8, 2023 Always cruise with the DBP, so I can't speak to it first hand, but I believe all drinks are a standard price no matter what combination of spirits/mixers you use. Besides the difference between alcoholic/non-alcoholic, I assume. My recollection on Harmony last summer was that it was decently busy before/after dinner each night. Never had to wait long for a drink or anything like that, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzBassMan Posted March 8, 2023 Report Share Posted March 8, 2023 40 minutes ago, BMW Hoosier said: Isn't that a good reason to keep it since there is a significant number of first-time cruisers on every ship? Definitely a good point. I know when I first saw it on Oasis I found it fascinating. Maybe they could incorporate the technology on a smaller scale somewhere else on the ship like having one of the arms making the drink of the day in the MDR or something. That way it also wouldn't need the full bar in the ceiling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billdauterive Posted March 8, 2023 Report Share Posted March 8, 2023 I'm definitely in the minority but I love the Bionic bar. The fact that it's not crowded means I can get drinks quicker, I can order multiple at a time, and they are very consistently made. Also sometimes I just want a break from small talk (or any talk) so it helps to not have human bartenders and an uncrowded venue. Plus I still get a kick out of watching it being made even though I've seen it dozens of times already. SheSellsSeashells, DDaley, CrimsonCruiser and 1 other 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrimsonCruiser Posted March 8, 2023 Report Share Posted March 8, 2023 I'm with @billdauterive. I have only had the experience to use the bionic bar once but I really liked it. Aside from the fact that I'm introverted and very much do NOT want to have a conversation with my bartender, I also don't know cocktails well. In fact the only cocktail I know I like and remember the name of is $3x on the beach and as much as I'm not a prude I HATE the name of that! So when I go up to the bar wanting to try a drink, I either hope something on the menu sounds good, scroll cocktail recipes on my phone and hope I'm not going to ask for something they don't have the booze to make OR try to confidentially order the one I know. The bionic bar's extensive menu means my googling is right there in the Ipad, and they even show HOW much of each thing is in it so I don't get tricked by something that mentions 5 juices but is 80% vodka or something. It is also really fun to watch and I'm cheering them every time I see them in action. DDaley, billdauterive and Linda R 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZBrady Posted March 8, 2023 Report Share Posted March 8, 2023 Hear me out - driverless mobile drink transporters. And they can install ramps on the stairs so they can access staterooms on every level. What could go wrong? Happy Cruisers, DDaley, JazzBassMan and 2 others 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColdRingo Posted March 8, 2023 Report Share Posted March 8, 2023 I'm in the "get rid of the bionic bar" train myself. We used it once, it was novel, but we had to pay extra for the drink even with the Deluxe Beverage Package. It's certainly not cool enough for that. Besides, I like to get know the bartenders when I can. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzBassMan Posted March 8, 2023 Report Share Posted March 8, 2023 21 minutes ago, ZBrady said: driverless mobile drink transporters Just give the drones from the stage shows super soakers filled with whiskey! ZBrady 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZBrady Posted March 8, 2023 Report Share Posted March 8, 2023 31 minutes ago, ColdRingo said: We used it once, it was novel, but we had to pay extra for the drink even with the Deluxe Beverage Package. Hmm, that shouldn't have been the case. Those drinks are included. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColdRingo Posted March 8, 2023 Report Share Posted March 8, 2023 19 minutes ago, ZBrady said: Hmm, that shouldn't have been the case. Those drinks are included. That's what we thought too, but they showed up on my bill at the end. PPPJJ-GCVAB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Va4fam Posted March 8, 2023 Report Share Posted March 8, 2023 The Bionic Bar looks great on the TV commercials.....might be why they keep it. My son has food delivery robots at college and they work reasonably well. I'm sure putting that technology in the hands of Royal IT, it would be even better!!! Quote Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billdauterive Posted March 8, 2023 Report Share Posted March 8, 2023 2 hours ago, Va4fam said: I'm sure putting that technology in the hands of Royal IT, it would be even better!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyHav Posted March 8, 2023 Report Share Posted March 8, 2023 Can these wow bands fit a thick wristed individual? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoneyMan702 Posted March 12, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2023 On 3/8/2023 at 1:41 PM, Matt said: Thanks for sharing this info! Matt, also of note: We went to Chops on this sailing and were actually going to be charged a corkage fee. That was certainly a first for us. The waiter I had told me that this came “from the top” and that he had never really enforced it in all of his years with the company. It also sounded like the enforcement of it was relatively recent. The timing of this seems rather suspect considering the recent changes to the carry-on wine policy. As always, I am a sample size of one, but I’m curious if people will start reporting more instances of this in the coming weeks. I don’t see enforcement of this going over particularly well. I’ll just pop my own corks in my stateroom from now on, I guess. SweetPea 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loki007 Posted March 12, 2023 Report Share Posted March 12, 2023 On 3/8/2023 at 12:56 PM, JazzBassMan said: This might be an unpopular opinion. I think it is probably about time to retire the Bionic Bar. Super neat novelty the first time you see it, but I think it gets my drinks right about 50% of the time when it is working, and it's a waste of space most of the time. They usually have at least 1-2 crew members there to make sure the thing doesn't mess up when it is open as well. Might as well just turn it back into the Champagne Bar or something. I miss the Champagne Bar... i would love to see it come back. It was our go to spot for a pre-dinner cocktail WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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