Just curious, does anyone have pictures of the pool area where they are doing this? I know about the areas in Bash.
They are, for what they offer Everywhere else differs in some,or many ways They don't, unless you want them to.
"taking a nap." whose managed that.....own up !!.... Now that would be wasting your money and dad's inheritance !!
We will see what Temptations in the Dominican offers, if it ever gets finished in 2022(Different Market and maybe different experience); short flight for me either way. Different experiences for different people; Right now I'm all in at TRR because it hasn't adversely affected me because I'm good at saying NO Thank You. Last year I didn't get to go because of COVID and I had COVID last July. Upselling alcohol is not the issue for me but upselling available seating is, especially at the sexy pool. We enjoy the pool more than anything and in the pool from the time it opens until they run us off. Restaurants are not even important to us because Rain (Buffet) is good for us. The point is the total experience is different for everyone and the biggest reason I am on the forum is for information good or bad so I can make an informative decision on spending my time on vacation.
From video blogs posted on YouTube it appears there are more Moet Pods and Cabanas at and near the sexy pool. Just didn't see as many last time I was there in July 2019. Seen cabanas on the side of the pool where the entrance to the swim up bar is. Just different than before but do not know if it takes away from experience or not. Experience is different for everyone.
What bugs me is these do take up prime “front row” poolside space and sit EMPTY most of the week (one area by the Mexican restaurant used to be our favorite) and now the pods are there (or were there). I think we saw one used one weekend day.....haven’t seen the cabanas....
I don't mind that they offer extras that you can buy. And I even don't mind that they have some special seating that goes along with that concept in special areas. I just think they should keep that space smaller; maybe only 8-12% of the total space, and leaving other premium areas not roped off (maybe a free for all if you get them first). This allows for this: If it is someone's birthday, or we are looking to have a great spot for a particular day that's reserved and waiting on us (regardless of the time we show), then you pay for it. That's basically how things work in my experience in many areas of life. Paying for things above the norm, will get you things above the normal. We can talk about it with regard to bottles of Moet, and say that's some new age "millennial" thing, but think about something more common that dates back all the way to "the old Temptation". Say I'm going back to my room after the sexy pool with friends, it was pretty commonplace to find an employee you know and ask if they mind grabbing 20 beers and two buckets of ice, throwing them $20, then 20 minutes later a bunch of clutch beers show up. Is that up-selling? No it's just paying for a premium service, with specialty seating (just happens to be in my room). On the other hand: One way I don't like an up-selling was NYE. It was so confusing to try to book dinner for NYE and almost every restaurant had some package. Many of the severs I know hated the idea. It basically was more effort to figure out something nice than it was worth, imo. So many vets were just like "Yeah it's room service or buffet tonight". Which is kind of a bummer to say about your dinner on NYE, at a resort you paid more than normal to be at for NYE. Being half loaded and trying to figure out a $200+ dinner, which seemed like an aggressive sales pitch, was off-putting. I am sure some people liked their dinners, and I am glad they had an option, but I felt like I didn't have a nice opt-out option. IMO they should not have done the special dinners at almost all restaurants, aside from the buffet. That's talking the "all-inclusive" and cutting options to 80% of the "all-inclusive" I thought I was getting. And what I thought I was getting included a sit-down dinner with menu selections, that I didn't have to stand in line and then choose. OK that's enough serious stuff for me. Here is a funny sorry to go along with this topic: Back before they were pushing the Moet the way they do now, making it not something you really thought about much, one night at Bash the Moet cart was rolling past Elyse and Co. The guy was like "Would you like champagne?" And Elyse was like "Hell yea!!!" Her friends were trying to give her the hints and saying "No no we are good.", but she wasn't really listing and was excited and having fun. Then she says "Next thing I know we are all enjoying the champagne and dancing and I notice the guy is all up on trying to get the number on my bracelet. Then it started to dawn on me, and next thing I know I'm forced to sign a receipt." Moments later the girls all return from the dance area, and she started to apologize for making the mistake, I said I obviously don't care, not a biggie that's why we are on vacation, BUT what in the hell were you thinking? That they just want to pour and then hand you a $200 bottle??!!" Her logical, at the time, reasoning was "Well I just thought that we all just looked so hot and good dancing, that they just wanted to give it to us." I was like: "Yeah that's maybe what a guy might do, but not a guy in a uniform pushing a cart around the resort with a menu of the various choices." We tell this story often, and always find the stupidity and cuteness of it so funny. So to me it was so worth it, and I tell her to do the same thing every trip.
Years ago we were at an all inclusive in Cuba , Cayo Ensenachos . It was a beautiful resort quite high end and very new . You had to walk down a long boardwalk to get to the beach . When you came off the beach there was always a “cooler girl or guy” on a golf cart asking was there “anything I can get you” . They had wine beer soft drinks on the cart . So this one day I thought let’s try this and I proudly asked “ can I have a large bottle of champagne “ the cooler guy replied give me five mins what’s your room number ......less than five mins he was knocking at the door with everything, glasses , ice bucket and of course the large bottle of champagne......now it wasn’t Moët n Chandon but all it cost me was the tip I gave him . Now that’s all inclusive service .....
The cabanas can be reserved daily by Premier Members. We usually get one each day if available so everyone we know has a place to put their pool stuff or sit a bit.
Change is inevitable. I am sorry to hear Saby was let go for that reason because it would not matter what she said or how, we’d say no every time. We are there last week for the old TTR experience of party in the pool, watching games, singing, dancing, wearing as little as possible, finding a hot tub, changing for dinner, and going out to dance. Plus meeting amazing people from all over the world. This is exactly what we did this time and it was needed more than ever due to the fakedemic. We have looked around for a similar experience for February without luck. We go to Vegas in the spring and fall, stay at the Cosmopolitan or Encore and the pool parties are fun, but not the same. We love Key West and again, have not found a similar day party, but found some fun night life at Rick’s. We boat at the Lake of the Ozarks, which can definitely be a similar party, Midwest style. Nothing compares to TTR, though, but it is definitely evolving into a different experience.
