Starry Eyes

She probably should be able to rattle off niece’s details like DOB and spelling of name though it may not be necessary.

Yes. Still here on CruiseCritic we see very few reports of RoyalUp upgrades after luggage is received. So far I have usually chosen to leave my bids in place. We go ahead with our usual day 1 routine (including unpacking) as the probability is we will stay in our current cabin. RoyalUp in not occupying our thoughts; we are enjoying day 1 as usual. If perchance we get that seemingly rare day 1 upgrade we could repack easily enough. I suppose if I knew there was reason to think there would be an increased number of same day cancellations (major travel disruptions or such), I might delay unpacking

I think it looks like a great cabin and it sounds like you got a great price, too. My point was not to criticize your current cabin, but to point out that a factor you cannot control likely impacts your RoyalUp odds. If somebody below you wants your cabin and bids aggressively, your odds of winning the OS go up. If the people below you are interested in balcony suites, your odds of winning the OS go down. Good luck.

Hmm, the OVP is sort of a niche item, as most people seem to want a balcony (and the bigger and more private the better). I think it looks like a nice suite but others in my party might frown at the lack of balcony. For you to win, somebody else in a lesser cabin you needs to place a strong enough bid for your current suite. If others would rather have balcony suites, you’ll be in a weaker position. I hope that person is bidding, too…otherwise you may go 0 for 7

That sounds like the standard email going out to people in all sorts of cabins with bids in the RoyalUp system. The success rate after boarding seems very low from reports on CruiseCritic, so I’ve been unpacking as usual.

Personally I rather like the promenade rooms. If you have not sailed in them before, do try them. I doubt they will offer to combine you into one cabin this time. If you continue to sail as a party of four you will have different pricing decisions in the future. I have found the bits of knowledge one accumulates over time from reading threads like this add up; it may be useful some day. Personal preference, but I try for Promenade cabins on deck six over a retail space. If I cannot get a quiet spot on six, I go for deck seven. I think deck six has slightly better people watching and I like jogging down only one flight of stairs to the Promenade. Have a great cruise.

The logic is relevant if they decide to place a RoyalUp bid. For example, if they book an inside quad on a future cruise and bid for a balcony, they could get be placed near the smoking area. Texan can think about it before bidding. They might decide to look at the locations of specific categories on specific ships (say an ultraspacious) and decided if all are in acceptable locations before bidding. Different people, different priorities.

Hmm, if Royal were really taking the Pinnacle for granted and knew he’d be back regardless, surely that would incorporate that knowledge into the RoyalUp algorithm, too. So, by your diabolical logic😉), the inexpensive RoyalUp upgrade would have gone to a some other guest with a higher future spending potential, leaving the pinnacle in the obstructed cabin. Oh, but the pinnacle got a cheap upgrade, so that’s not true! Back to the old days…there are lots and lots of newbies, way more newbies than pins, so by luck if draw, way more newbies will get gty upgrades than pins. Upgrade fairy was always rare. Number 1. Your C&A status has no bearing in your gty assignment and you should not have expected a better cabin than your friends.

What’s confounding? The cruise was cheap, suggesting demand might have been low. A cheap cruise may have drawn budget conscious people, so some may have bid little or nothing. Somebody else obviously had to cancel at the last minute. Your wife had an active bid, so they accepted it. Perhaps there had been many other cancellations and other higher bids had already been fulfilled. GS did not want welcome gift back once they are in your cabin; that is not surprising. Certain we do not know the details of the algorithm, but presumably they are trying to maximize revenue.

From FAQ: “Guests may also bring non-alcoholic beverages as carry-on items on boarding day. Non-alcoholic beverages may not exceed 12 standard (17 oz.) cans, bottles or cartons per stateroom.” Here is the full FAQ in a link: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/food-drink-onboard-policy If you cans of nonalcoholic sparkling (or no sparkling, for that matter) beverage are no more than17 oz, you may bring up to 12 per stateroom. Somebody might read the label to confirm it is nonalcoholic, I suppose, but it should pass just fine. If the containers are larger, you have an issue.

I’ve enjoyed such windows on other ships and never thought of them as “obstructed.” At night we had to keep our drapes tightly closed to keep light from our cabin from interfering with the bridge officer’s night vision.

LOL, as it is now Jan 12 they better have be off the ship for days as it was a 3 night New Years Eve cruise😉 I think it has been 10 days

Two bottles of wine per stateroom at embarkation in carry on luggage only

Does the ship have a Solarium Bistro? If so, you could add “make reservations at Solarium Bistro” to your list of options. While also a buffet, it has a much different feel than the WJ. You can make the reservations in the cruise planner and cancel if you decide not to go

While Priority waitlist seating request in the main dining room is a C&A benefit, Priority Guarantee Cabin Assignments are not C&A benefit for any level. One should not expect gty preferences based on their C&A level. Nor should you expect to be lucky every time. Just be happy for your fellow cruisers.

Well, UK posters have not shared success stories here on CruiseCritic, so the odds seem low. Were it me, I would not waste my time and energy. If Crumley has a travel agent, I’d more strongly advise against doing it; don’t damage the relationship with repetitive calls when you might need that TA for something important later.

Rather than “blame” I’d rather call this awareness. There are real pitfalls to booking gty cabins. Before booking a gty, one should consider the possible bad cabin assignments. If there are possible cabin assignment that would make you sorry you booked, then you are making a gamble by booking gty….maybe you should not do it. We are flexible people and have booked multiple gty over the years; sometimes we have indeed been assigned those worst possible cabins without option of trade. We still enjoyed our cruise. Crumley may not be able to use his balcony (unless there is a fresh breeze blowing the smoke away🤞) but they will still have the natural light in the cabin.

Plenty of people seem to enjoy it, so go for it. Just have a private chat with your waiter or head waiter a couple days in advance. I’m sure they will make you DH’s 60th memorable.

You can check the app yourself for each sailing when underway to see if they have new menus or old. Just hit “browse our ships,” Navigator, and the appropriate date.

Solarium Bistro dinner was free last time we ate dinner there on Harmony (except select up charge items) during the restart…and sadly that’s what it was worth. I hope it has improved, as we enjoyed it before the shutdown (also when it was free).

Oh, when I suggested a Promenade cabin I was thinking you were on Explorer. I just processed that you used the ambiguous “EOS” so you might have meant Enchantment, which would not have Promenade cabins. I really do not know which ship.

The last time we were in Solarium Bistro on the 2nd formal night they did not include free lobster tails. I also suggest you go to the MTD desk as soon as you board (with a list all cabin numbers) to make arrangements for your large party. And remember, you can go to MTD without reservations; you just stand in a different line. It may take longer (and you might offer to split into two tables to hasten seating) but you will be served.

Have you considered having the bed in your interior cabin separated into two twins? that way you will have a center aisle between the beds for easy entry/exit this time. It is an efficient use of space. If you do not like that idea, the next most cost effective might be a promenade view cabin. It will have the head of the bed set against the side wall. It won’t be as dark as your regular inside cabin, but close the curtains and your eyelids tightly😉

I’m glad you had a good cruise, but this experience is a bit more relevant on the Celebrity forum😉

That’s still a public area. Your own balcony is really the only appropriate place on the ship for your hammock IMHO.