Pacific Buffet, SeaWest Lounge, Spas

[Ian]

Does anyone have pics of the pacific buffet on the spirits. Also, why did BCF chose to put in sitka coffee lounges vs pacific buffets in the coastal class.

[DENelson83]

The Coastal Celebration will have a Pacific Buffet. The Buffets are only offered on Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen, because route 1 is more heavily-used.

[ruddernut]

Why don't they drop the complementary coffee, pastry and newspaper, make them extra and drop admission a few dollars? Not everybody who wants to relax in a quiet and comfortable section wants to sip coffee, eat pastries and read a paper.

And how about they lend pillows and blankets for those who request them, like they do on airplanes?

[Retrovision]

I know I wouldn't pay just to access a lounge with inferior reclined seats and a pillow+blanket. I have, however, often noticed many 'suits' (buisness folk) utilizing the lounge, and am not surprised, as this is *the* ferry link for people working with the provincial government who don't wish to pay the exorbitant cost of the helijet helicopter service or the seaplanes. I personally use the SeaWest Lounge on occasion, and feel that I can narrowly get my full money's worth, when I want a relaxing start to a trip to the Island by having a secure place to leave my bag, access to as much Starbucks Coffee as I am in the mood for (if it's not hot, demand a fresh pot, as Starbucks has pulled their coffee from theatres, etc., for much less), a kick-start of carbs, numerous BC and national papers, and, most of all, no noisy kids, teenagers, or crowds. I wouldn't use the service if I wasn't given access to all of these features.
...Then again, like many of you, I also so happen to be an addict of good coffee; not that I consider the effects of the caffeine and antioxidants in coffee to be anything but beneficial, in moderation of course (it is widely accepted that most North Americans get the majority of their daily intake of antioxidants from coffee).

[Low Light Mike]

Is there a rule about cell-phone use in the Seawest Lounge? Cell-phone-zombies (ie. dead to in-person conversation / alive to electronic conversations) are a big ferry pet-peeve of mine in the general lounges (and in the rest of life too). I would hope that there would be some enforced rules about cell-phone use in the SeaWeed Lounge.

www.boloji.com/workshop/012/ww12s.jpg

Coastal Skier: Mr. Horn!!! you know better than to hotlink! shame on you!

[Mac Write]

I would use the SeaWest Lounge™ if they provided pop since I am not a coffee drinker (never touched and never will).Now add chairs that can go back to like 45º+ and it would make a nice place to catch up on some ZZZzzz's. Along with it being quiet and mellow in there.

[Political Incorrectness]

With the SeaWest lounge, I think that you should not be restricted to the area for the whole sailing to make your dollar worth it, but allow going in and out. Second, get better chairs, something that would be as comfortable as a buisness class on an airline or first class (something like on british airways comfortable) that recline back to create somewhat of a bed. How to get people up? Make sure someone has a megaphone ready when arriving.

[ruddernut]

ferrymaniac101 said:

With the SeaWest lounge, I think that you should not be restricted to the area for the whole sailing to make your dollar worth it, but allow going in and out.

Like with a wristband, or just a hand held pass?

If hand held pass, should more than one person be allowed to use the lounge with same pass, just as long as they're not in it at the same time? If so, then more reason to make the reading materials and refreshments extra, so multiple people don't just use the same pass to hoard them.

[Political Incorrectness]

Wrstband is impersonal to me IMHO. A pass I would consider is your receipt with your full name on it (first and last that is) and it should be non-transferable.

[kylefossett]

ferrymaniac101 said:

Wrstband is impersonal to me IMHO. A pass I would consider is your receipt with your full name on it (first and last that is) and it should be non-transferable.

when i have used the lounge i have been told to hold on to my receipt for reentry if i had to go to the bathroom or something

[Retrovision]

Oh no, they don't let you goto the washroom once you've paid the fee, nor do they remember the faces of the few people who use the lounge or even let you back in once you've paid, they would never do such things that make it worth the money...

tsawwassenterminal said:

...when I want a relaxing start to a trip to the Island by having a secure place to leave my bag...

Of course you can wander the ship and goto the washroom, etc. Although the seats do have a limited width, and only a few of them (the ones facing the stern) recline, they want to make this service as attractive to potential users as possible (if, and it's rare, they don't remember your face because of a change of staff, just use your reciept for re-entry), and will do much to help convince you to return to the lounge... Just remember to demand fresh coffee, as I have had to in the past.

[Retrovision]

The Spirit of Vancouver Island's SeaWest Lounge:

[Doug]

Looks nice in there.

[poeticlives]

Important considerations:

The coffee, paper and passtry are tactical. To keep it quiet in there, they'll make you drink and eat. And I haven't met any people yet in my lifetime who are content to talk while reading unless they're reading to the semi-deaf, blind passenger next to them.

What would we do if we do if we could enter the Seawest Lounge for free or close, and didn't have the noise-eliminating measures affecting us?

We'd make noise. We're either kids or kids at heart here anyway.

[Mac Write]

Pop would shut mr up. But sadly they don't offer any pop.

[Koastal Karl]

You can get pop anywhere else on the ship. Most people dont drink pop in the mornings. There are plenty of other stuff to choose from.

[ruddernut]

If they're going to charge you for a drink anyways, pop should be available as an alternative.

Not everybody drinks coffee.

[Low Light Mike]

ruddernut said:

If they're going to charge you for a drink anyways, pop should be available as an alternative.

Not everybody drinks coffee.

Fancy bottled water, at least. I'd expect a variety of drink choices, not just coffee.....although I'd be drinking the coffee.

[Mac Write]

I don't drink Coffee/tea. Why should I have to by pop by the glass+pay for the SeaWest Lounge? The Buffet includes pop in the cost I can't see why the SeaWest Lounge doesn't.

[Koastal Karl]

I agree pop is unhealthy and you can get it in the vending machines/snack bar, Cafeteria and Buffet, so having no pop in the Seawest Lounge isent the end of world.

[Mac Write]

Well it stops me from using the SeaWest Lounge, and many others.

[Retrovision]

macwrite said:

Well it stops me from using the SeaWest Lounge, and many others.

I think that's an attitude of the average passenger that they're actually trying for. If they can run the lounge at a profit by targeting a specific market, then I doubt they'll change what works. In this case, if they added features that would make the lounge appeal to a wider market, they could easily alienate the the audience who they can actaully make the largest profit from by eliminating the key-appeals to the buisness-traveller such as quieter and fewer customers in the lounge.

[Low Light Mike]

I was googling for some travel-experience comments on the SeaWest Lounge, and I found this:

from: blacktrion.wordpress.com/2007/08/07/isolated-in-the-seawest-lounge-with-no-help-in-sight/
- from August 2007
============

Isolated in the Seawest Lounge with no help in sight.
Today was supposed to be a good day, considering the first two trips were easy going with really pleasant passengers. However, the situation for the third trip took a decline into peril and a near-fatal lesson in passenger control. Many crew members who will hear of this event, may brush it aside as ’something that just happens’. I’m sure that most crew members have gone through orderals from an irate passenger, but in the Seawest Lounge, you’re pretty much up there alone against the onslaught of rule-breaking passengers. And on the rare occasion, you deal with a very hostile passenger, good luck if you can make it out of the place alive with your sanity intact. There’s no other crew member present, not even a supervisor around if that person decided to use physical force to get his point across. What am I really talking about here? Let me tell you what happened on that fateful day on August 6, 2007.

I was assigned to work as a cashier up in the Seawest Lounge on that morning. For most cashiers, it’s a quiet and dull place. Their only form of ’liveliness’ is insuring that the people, who enter the lounge, actually pay the $10.00 fee. That never seemed to bother me, as I would walk up to them and politely point out the entry fee. Most of them would apologize and leave, but a few were willing enough to pay and enjoy the trip in the lounge.

The first two trips had been pleasant, but the third trip was the worst of my experiences in the Seawest Lounge. The passengers had entered the lounge, paid the entry fee, and began to partake in the offerings of pasteries, coffee, and the various reading material. The mood had been serene and peaceful, with the occasional rise of voices which I had to politely soften down. But then, the worst thing, that could happen, erupted unexpectedly.

A cell phone rang, and a passenger stood up and talked very loudly on his cell phone. The passenger was situated on the right hand side, past the divider. He began to talk and walk toward the back center. The first few seconds of this intrusion of serenity was unacceptable, and I walked towards the passenger to inform him about the noise policy. As fate would have it, the phone lost the carrier signal and his face contorted into confusion. I began to inform the passenger, “Sir this is a quiet lounge, please keep your voice low. The phone might not work inside, but you would get better reception outside.” He exploded in rage and told me that he was trying to get outside, but that a person got in his way. He continued to swear, and I thought I was going to be pumelled to the ground by this large person. Thankfully, it never happened, but I returned back and informed my supervisor as the man began to grumble. Other passengers complained about him, but what could I do? He didn’t seem very happy about being told to keep the noise level down.

He was a volcano that was goint to erupt, and the only time I was able to talk to him again was when he was about to leave. I attempted to reason with him, but it didn’t calm him down. He walked outside, his anger visible to the passengers outside. It seemed helpless, but one passenger thanked me for remaining calm throught the situation. One patron from the lounge asked if we had security. The angry man returned and continued to grumble, and visibly displayed his anger. There was no end in sight.

As I look back on this incident, I am thankful that the training in Passenger Control helped me to be assertive and take control of the situation. It is very easy to stumble down to the lowest common denominator. I was shaken by what happened, but in a real emergency with hundreds of passengers, such an event could take place. It is regretable that this person would not listen to reason and continued to be angry over a trival matter.

So what has this to do with the Blacktrion novel? Quite a lot actually. In the first book, there are characters who don’t interact with each other peacefully, but they don’t resort to violence. Oftentimes a person will enter the foray and difuse the situation. A positive attitude, calmness and assertiveness will always win over the crowd and remove the hostilty, and that theme is constantly played throught the novel (for the DuriTehk characters actually- who are the good guys in the story).

[Low Light Mike]

And here's something that I found from this website:
www.quiet.org/noiseletter/winter2008/page3.htm

“Quiet” Sign

“Lounge: The Seawest Lounge offers a peaceful environment that is free of excessive noise. Please help us maintain this environment by using headphones for all entertainment devices, reducing loud conversations and the use of cellphones. Thanks for your cooperation.”

Our member J. Martyn discovered that sign and explored the quiet lounge. He e-mailed his happiness with the Lounge to BC Ferries. (Note: The lounge is a $ 10 charge). BC Ferries has rewarded him with a complimentary pass ($10 value) to their Seawest Lounge for providing his comments. The lounge is presently found on two vessels: The Spirit of Vancouver and the Spirit of British Columbia. The new vessels ordered from Germany will have the lounge as well. They are the Coastal Renaissance, the Coastal Inspiration and the Coastal Celebration.

I think that I'll be visiting the SeaWest Lounge, the next time that I'm on a busy winter Friday-night Route-2 sailing on the Rennaissance.

[ferryrider42]

I’m happy the staff member confronted the client. From my point of view, employees from all across Victoria / Vancouver are getting afraid to address situations like this. I partly blame the now common “client first” policies for this.

You can likely see how situations like this develop. An employee addresses a client, and the customer then goes and complains about a lack of courteous service to a manager; it becomes a classic “my word against his word situation”. So kudos to the person who took action.

Now, for what would make me use the Seawest-Lounge more would be complementary internet access. Instead of using the Seawest-Lounge to do computer work, I usually simply go to the Buffet and grab me a personal table; even if I don’t intend to eat anymore then the occasional desert. It’s typically just as quite, and stocked with pop ;D