Starry Eyes

I think kids would find the BW balconies more interesting than CP balconies. The kids might watch the Aqua show from your balcony, though they likely would much, much rather be down in seats in the Aqua Theater. They may watch people down on BW; more likely they will want to join in the fun. The kids may not spend that much time on the BW balcony as they may want to be out doing stuff. So, while I think the BW balconies would suit well, I also would consider the other ways you might spend that $2000. If that extra money would allow you to add a memorable experience to your vacation (a special excursion or an extra day pre or post cruise or whatever), changing to the more sedate CP balcony might be worth it.

Perfect! Let the bidder take the initiative. That way the bidder is in control and decide when to call it quits. If you don’t want you move after you unpack, cancel your pending bids by the time you unpack. If you don’t want to move after check in, cancel your pending bids in the terminal. If you want one (or two or three) days notice, then cancel your pending bids one (or two or three) days before the cruise. If you’d still jump up to do a happy dance in the unlikely event guest services called your cabin to say you won your bid (after you unpacked and settled in the first night), then leave your bids in hopes of the small chance of a late win. All those feelings are valid; each bidder should act accordingly. If all those who do not wish to win late in the process cancel their bids, then RoyalUp will only have bids from those still willing to win/move.

You can email your request to rcldining@rccl.com about 2-3 weeks before the cruise. No reason to do it much earlier than that, as they are working on seating for prior cruises.

That sounds like an IT problem. Perhaps try on a different device or switch to a different browser or at least clear your cache.

Have you tried contacting the executive office for assistance? I’m not sure they will help, but as you are still very frustrated it may be worth an email. There have been multiple reports of errors in the billing system. Mr. Bayley’s office needs to understand how these errors are impacting guests and their satisfaction with the company. Do, even if you do not personally gain any compensation, at least you will be helping to deliver a message that may help the next guest. I am sorry you lost your cabana and the deal on the drink package. I do hope you are able to enjoy your cruise. mbayley@rccl.com

So, evidently your own State’s website confused you. That is not a cruiseline’s fault. Maybe you should urge your State to clarify their website; we all expect government to be excellent at responding quickly to such concerns 🤣

Oh, try to be nice, Fred. There is nothing wrong with a politely calling and asking to swap cabins. If a desirable cabin is available, then one should do make the call quickly as availability can change. The desirability of a cabin is in the eye of a cruiser. What appeals to one might not appeal to another. For example, one person’s top priority might be a specific deck, another person wants a different deck, a third person does not want a connecting cabin, and so forth. Perhaps after some swaps more people will like their cabins.

If vegetarians might need to think of ideas without a menu, perhaps they should start a thread…vegetarian options that have worked well (or might work well) in ship dining rooms. With a list of inspirations on your phone it might be much easier to come up coming up with an idea when the head waiter is standing there.

While reading your anecdote everyone should remember the virus mutated during that year and a half. It had become more transmissible when you caught it. The risk of transmission/infection changed over time due to the nature of the virus even human behavior was unchanged.

When is your cruise? I don’t think they provide a phone number for PlusGrade. An email address can be found, though people have complained here they did not get responses. Still, you could dig up that addy, send an email and keep your expectations of a reply low. The only other suggestion is tincture of time (hopefully you have some time before your cruise). Just as it took a couple days for plusgrade to detect to erroneous upgrade, in 2-4 working days perhaps they will detect your corrected cabin category. Maybe. Hopefully. Then you can re-enter your old bids. If not, a free Boardwalk balcony on Symphony sounds like a grand time. I hope it works out, but have fun either way.

If you win one, the other bids expire. If you win one bid, do not expect a second shot at bidding (we have not had recent reports of that happening). For me, there is a bit of strategy when bidding. If I am in an inside cabin and would be happy just to have natural light, I’d bid on the OV as well as the balcony. If on the other hand, I really want the balcony and do really not care much about certain OV upgrades, I might bid strong on that balcony and not bid at all on the OV (because they may take my OV bid and move the OV person into the balcony).

I did that successfully on a recent cruise. I am booked under US rules; booking rules do vary by county, so YMMV if you booked under other rules. Also, obviously there must be an available desirable cabin in the exact same category to swap; as occupancy levels rise, fewer cabins are likely available to swap, especially if one gets their RoyalUp assignment at the last minute. Still, it is worth a look.

Years ago before RoyalUp, last minute guarantees seemed likely to be assigned those available upgraded cabins. With RoyalUp, that is no longer so likely. The OP’s cruise is a long way off. Odds are high that somebody in a JS will cancel or swap to a different ship/sail date, freeing up a JS. And even if that did not happen, the full suites are apt to fill via RoyalUp, freeing up a JS.

It is a longstanding issue. Guarantee cabins are often offered to doubles but not to solos. Larger parties (3-4) sometimes find gty cabins but it seems substantially less often than doubles. Solos can book for two and anticipate a refund of tax and port fees when second is a no show (or bring somebody if the right person happens along)

Oasis class ships were designed to optimally dock starboard. That said, Oasis class ships can and do sometimes dock port. Sometimes perhaps the situation dictates docking port. Other times because starboard lifeboats need exercise. Of course, many times when my stateroom overlooks the pier another ship pulls up along the other side of the pier. My view for the day is another ship just yards away. I do pick my cabin based upon a hoped for view when docked

Which class?

Theoretically it can happen anytime. It has been known to happen before final payment, though that does not seem particularly common. They can make you wait until you arrive at the pier, though that is very uncommon. Most recently though we have gotten our first hint our our assignment from our barcode on our set sail passes 45 days out.

Can you upgrade if by chance the price of a full suite drops?

First happy thought: b2b cruises Second happy thought: £500 saved Third happy thought: As you have already accepted that you will change cabins between legs, it is even easier to watch for upgrade opportunities on either leg (price drops or RoyalUp) as you no longer have to think about the move (you have decided a move is acceptable…and having done several, it really it is not bad at all)

I agree with the others; your b2b will not be considered in cabin assignments. There is little chance you would be assigned the same cabin for both legs. You need to decide if the picking your cabin location and not changing cabins is worth £500.

Here’s my guess…they were considering that one bid, but ran out of rooms in that category before your bid made made it to the top of winning list…thus that upgrade was unavailable. The rest of your bids are pending again…should a cabin come available (a cancellation, for example) your bid could be considered along with all those other bids from other passengers. Sorry that upgrade did not come through.

I understand your issue, though we have had the same problem with only traditional diners. We show up on time (or close) so while another table or two might saunter in much later (sometimes a portion of the family show up to hold the table but the rest come later). A large selfish table coming late (thus needing to order and be caught up) can monopolize your waiter and assistant waiter when the rest of the section is perhaps ready for entrees. Worse, one tends to have to put up with the selfish tardy people the whole cruise as they do the same thing night after night. I’d rather have MTD tables added in here and there, as those are usually small parties.

Well, I suppose it is a coupon offer (albeit a long standing one), not a promised part of the loyalty program, so there is not much one can say. Hope you had a great time.

Expectations are indeed at the core. The reason people post these threads is, perhaps, to help others set their expectations. Years ago, MTD was quite flexible; it opened 30 minutes before early traditional dining. If one avoided the busiest times, lines were not an issue even without reservations. I believe many people who sign up for MTD now still have this expectation. If they do not carefully check the app or read a board like this, they may not learn that MTD now starts much later on their ship. Their expectation does not match the ship’s plan. On sailings with low passenger counts, there is also far less issue with MTD lines…fewer people vying for the same number of seats means short lines. Many of us have enjoyed that all over the ships but it is coming to an end. The closer ships come to 100-110% capacity, the longer lines one is apt to encounter. Also, if service for early diners is slow for any reason, those diners exit later, delaying the entry of MTD diners, so lines are longer if the kitchen is slow or staffing is suboptimal. To set expectations, it would help people were told the MTD times as they selected their dining option for their sailing. I do not think that info is given at the time reservation is made. If a MTD passenger expected to dine at 5-5:30-6-6:30 some or all nights, clearly the passenger’s expectations will not be met if MDT did not open until 7:00. On the other hand, if the passenger expected to dine at 7:30-8-8:30, the passenger’s expectations may be perfectly met. The change has not been communicated well to passengers, so expectations are not appropriately set; that’s on Royal Caribbean.

Try this link to see if there are offers despite the non delivery of an invitation. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/booked/cruise-room-upgrade I also use that like to check the status of my bids. You can bookmark or find it via google if you need it.