Drink Package/SeaPass Card

[ABFrenchie]

I'm boarding Harmony on Saturday and needless to say, I'm not getting much done this week other than thinking about cruising. I pre-paid for the deluxe drink package. I've read that 1)  the drink package is loaded on to Sea Pass card, and 2) Sea Pass cards are placed outside the stateroom when the room is ready.   If I want a frosty cold one before the Sea Pass card is available, how will the bar know I have a drink package?  First world problem, I know.  

[Lovetocruise2002]

7 minutes ago, ABFrenchie said:

I'm boarding Harmony on Saturday and needless to say, I'm not getting much done this week other than thinking about cruising. I pre-paid for the deluxe drink package. I've read that 1)  the drink package is loaded on to Sea Pass card, and 2) Sea Pass cards are placed outside the stateroom when the room is ready.   If I want a frosty cold one before the Sea Pass card is available, how will the bar know I have a drink package?  First world problem, I know.  

Use your Set Sail pass.  It does not indicate on it that you have the drink package but there is a bar code on it so they can scan it.

[ABFrenchie]

16 minutes ago, Sabrinaklai said:

Use your Set Sail pass.  It does not indicate on it that you have the drink package but there is a bar code on it so they can scan it.

Thank you!!

[monctonguy]

That's a weird way to do things...Seapass cards outside the rooms when they are ready? In the meantime they have 5000 ppl using paper set sail pass to use at the bars and resturants etc?

 

I have never been on Harmony, but on 10 previous Royal cruises this has never been the case.....makes no sense to me.

 

Someone else that can confirm this would be the most weird way of checking people in and NOT giving them their sea pass cards? Don't you need to show and scan it to get on the ship and through security etc?

[Lovetocruise2002]

3 minutes ago, monctonguy said:

That's a weird way to do things...Seapass cards outside the rooms when they are ready? In the meantime they have 5000 ppl using paper set sail pass to use at the bars and resturants etc?

 

I have never been on Harmony, but on 10 previous Royal cruises this has never been the case.....makes no sense to me.

 

Someone else that can confirm this would be the most weird way of checking people in and NOT giving them their sea pass cards? Don't you need to show and scan it to get on the ship and through security etc?

They have been using this system on Harmony and Anthem (and I'm guessing Quantum and Ovation too but I cannot say for certain).  Supposedly it speeds things up at check in so they can get people on board faster.  Saves the counter agent time from not having to go and get a sea pass card for each person checking in.  Minute or two saved for each person equals to a whole lot of minutes saved overall.  I hear that is the general thinking with that.  One Seapass card is left outside your door and the rest are inside the room.  You show your Set Sail pass to board and then by 1pm you should have your card.  

I thought it was a bit strange too at first.  But everything went ok when we went in the summer.  And for those who are paranoid (like myself) about someone stealing your Seapass card, it is very easy to log onto your account through your RCTV or Royal IQ app and check your charges to make sure all is good.

[monctonguy]

Weird ....I can see those paper things getting wet, torn, barcodes smudged etc....and I know often rooms are NOT ready at 1pm to say the least on cruises I have been on..often its 3 or so to be honest in my experiences.....

Maybe on the bigger ships it adds up time wise to being quicker..but to be honest, I have never found it to be really the check in that takes the time....usually its the line after the check in til they open the ship up that takes the time...

 

Good to know though.....maybe another reason they want to hurry up and implement the self check in?!

[Matt]

2 minutes ago, monctonguy said:

Weird ....I can see those paper things getting wet, torn, barcodes smudged etc....and I know often rooms are NOT ready at 1pm to say the least on cruises I have been on..often its 3 or so to be honest in my experiences.....

If your paper is ruined, they can take down your name and room number and look you up that way.

Also, I cannot recall any cruise I've taken in last 3+ years where rooms were not ready by 1pm.

[arebee]

How do the pics get on the cards?  Do you have to upload it or get it taken on board?

[Lovetocruise2002]

14 minutes ago, arebee said:

How do the pics get on the cards?  Do you have to upload it or get it taken on board?

You can either upload them when you do your online check in from home or they will do it at the pier.

[monctonguy]

So they still take the time to take your picture at the doc to put on the card...but they don't have the time to give you the card?

[rjac]

16 minutes ago, monctonguy said:

but they don't have the time to give you the card?

Good point. I understand RC trying to get the guests on the ship as quickly as possible, but, IMHO I think this will only confuse folks. New cruisers and experienced alike. In my past cruises, I do not remember ever being delayed more than 10 minutes, at the most, for the photo and sea pass card production. I don't think it's broke, so why fix it? Or is this just another cost saving venture? 

[Lovetocruise2002]

1 hour ago, monctonguy said:

So they still take the time to take your picture at the doc to put on the card...but they don't have the time to give you the card?

 

1 hour ago, rjac said:

Good point. I understand RC trying to get the guests on the ship as quickly as possible, but, IMHO I think this will only confuse folks. New cruisers and experienced alike. In my past cruises, I do not remember ever being delayed more than 10 minutes, at the most, for the photo and sea pass card production. I don't think it's broke, so why fix it? Or is this just another cost saving venture? 

It is confusing. I sometimes participate on discussions on Shipmate too and there are always many question about this with first time cruisers. I find though that many people upload their picture from home now, at least those I have spoken to and chatted with on the boards, so it probably still saves them some time. Even if you could get say 40% of your passengers to upload from home that is still many minutes there saved. And really it probably comes down to money right? The more you do online, the less people they have to employ?

[rjac]

1 hour ago, Sabrinaklai said:

Shipmate

Sabrina,

IS that an app or on line website?

[tiny260]

@rjac shipmate is tied in with Cruiseline.com some how. I signed up for cruiseline and started getting emails from Ship mate.

[monorailmedic]

4 hours ago, rjac said:

Good point. I understand RC trying to get the guests on the ship as quickly as possible, but, IMHO I think this will only confuse folks. New cruisers and experienced alike. In my past cruises, I do not remember ever being delayed more than 10 minutes, at the most, for the photo and sea pass card production. I don't think it's broke, so why fix it? Or is this just another cost saving venture? 

While I don't claim to understand how it saves time, I don't see them changing this up "just because."  What I can tell you is that other lines have started doing this over the last year or two, so get used to it.  

[Lovetocruise2002]

13 minutes ago, monorailmedic said:

While I don't claim to understand how it saves time, I don't see them changing this up "just because."  What I can tell you is that other lines have started doing this over the last year or two, so get used to it.  

Yup.  My parents just got off Carnival and they love this new system.

[Lovetocruise2002]

2 hours ago, rjac said:

Sabrina,

IS that an app or on line website?

The site is cruiseline.com like @tiny260 said but the app is Shipmate.  I have no idea how to get onto the message boards and chats through the site.  I only use the app.  It's good for ship reviews and there's an area for chats related to your ship.  There's a countdown for all our sailings etc.  Warning...people are a little snippy there.  It is a way more open and friendly atmosphere here.

[monctonguy]

I have used that app in the past....had some neat features on it for sure. Never used the site that I can remember.

 

Will be interesting to  compare the checking in procedure with Celebrity in January and then Royal in April to see what if anything is different or has changed.

[tiny260]

I did this in 2016 on Harmony in the Mediterranean, you upload your picture (If you chose) while you are doing all of your other pre-cruise documentation on the web site in your reservation, the same place you are entering your passport, credit card number etc., and then printing your set sail pass.

When we got to the terminal in Barcelona, instead of going to a counter, there was a worker that had an iPad with a credit card scanner on it, she looked at our passports and Set Sail document, scanned our credit card on the iPad and then we boarded the ship, took all of 5 minutes.

I can go either way, an additional 5 minutes is not going to harm me, but when you add up 5 minutes times 6000 passengers you can see how it will be a benefit in the future.