birdie16

20 minutes ago, molly361 said:

I read this thread but don't see where it is RCL's  mistake  when it was you who choose a less expensive guarantee stateroom and didn't do your homework.    Did I miss something?  You wanted to save money and took the gamble.

 

It;s like those that choose a non refundable rate and then get mad when they get charged to change the ship and/or date

Actually, at the time I booked only a guarantee was available.  When I started this thread I even said it was my mistake, lesson learned.  My point was, I wrongly assumed a guarantee balcony would guarantee a balcony, not an obstructed balcony.  I was only trying to warn other people before they made the same mistake I did.  

Edited to add...The part about RCCL getting the blame is another subject.  Our itinerary was changed too late for a refund, many of us feel it was poor planning on RCCL.  It was also the way they handled that situation, totally unrelated to this cabin issue.

Just now, parrotfeathers said:

I'd say your glass is now 3/4 full.  Enjoy your 11 days no matter where you are going.

Yes, thank you.

2 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

Celebrity’s Solstice Class ships, Solstice, Equinox, Eclipse, Silhouette and Reflection all have semi and totally obstructed balconies.  If you try Celebrity.

Thanks for the heads up.  I will not be booking guarantee again.

13 minutes ago, Judyrem said:

One thousand dollars is better than looking at a lifeboat for 11 days,  just 100$ a day more, worth every penny to me.

Sometimes, we just have to learn from our mistakes and I have made so MANY, it is ridiculous! 😖

So true.

1 minute ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

Glad you were able to get a better cabin!  $1k isn't too bad at all to go from a guarantee balcony on an 11 day cruise.  Try to put it all behind you and enjoy your cruise.  I know many are disappointed with the itinerary change, at least you were able to correct this problem and can enjoy a great view from your balcony. 🙂 

We thought we purchased a balcony in the first place.  So, in my opinion we paid $1K to go from a balcony to a balcony.  We have no choice but to put it all behind us, looking at a lifeboat for 11 days I would not have been able to do that.  Thank you again for your help.

21 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

I can't post the link, against board rules or I would.  I think the Royal Caribbean UK site shows cabins too but where I am looking will get me a time out if I say where, sorry.

Thank you for all your help!  My TA was able to grab cabin 12160 for me.  It cost me almost $1,000 but at least I will not be looking at a lifeboat for 11 days.  The very sad truth is my husband and I have decided this will be our last cruise with Royal Caribbean.  I am so disgusted and we haven't even gone on the cruise yet.  

4 minutes ago, AnnaNicole said:

It's possible your cabin may have already been changed.  You're on the May 9 sailing, right?

 

Call your TA.  Cabin 6222 is showing as an available cabin on the RCI UK site.   6708 is also available.   

 

 

No, Ovation of the Seas May 2nd.

5 minutes ago, cruisegirl1 said:

Do you have an insurance policy that will let you cancel for ANY reason?   Or - are you at a date  where you still get come of your money back?

Good luck

 

M

No, RCCL notified us of the big itinerary change after the 75% penalty.  That is why I am unhappy with the cruise in the first place.  No insurance.  

7 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

There is one expensive JS too.

Seriously, I would rather book a different cruise that actually goes somewhere than pay to upgrade this one to the Junior Suite, that would cost more than a balcony cabin on a Panama Canal cruise.

1 minute ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

There is one expensive JS too.

I knew about the JS, the 12160 was the one we were trying to book when it went poof the first time.  I just called her and left a message.  How are you finding the available cabins?  Is there a website I should be watching?  Thanks!

Just now, reallyitsmema said:

 

I see 12160 available, nothing else.  I would call now before it poofs.  Was over $2k pp.

She said that one went...I will call her back

1 minute ago, taglovestocruise said:

 just saw there are a couple of 1D's left on deck 12. I would definitely get a higher priced cabin. 11 days looking at a lifeboat, and 30 days thinking about it, is a little over my comfort level.  We are on the 18 night Ovation TP next April and a GTY was a little scary.

How did you see that?  My TA said she would check everyday, I can't expect her to check all day/everyday.  To upgrade to a suite would be more than we paid for our cruise all together, I would rather just walk away since this cruise is going nowhere anyway.

1 minute ago, cruisegirl1 said:

I hope you can buy a better cabin.  Loyalty desk can't help you as guarantee assignments have NOTHING to do with C&A loyalty. 

 

Is it possible to go back to the guarantee pool to see if you might get a better cabin.   If the guarantee savings meant  the difference in booking a balcony  guarantee and selecting an OV, I still think you came out  ahead.

 

I hope it works our for you and hope you have an enjoyable cruise

m.

I didn't even look at the OV when I booked.  I personally would rather have an OV with no obstruction and save the money.

4 minutes ago, DaniDanielle said:

We had an obstructed cabin on the Anthem. 75% obstructed and it really wasn’t that bad.  It was worth the money we saved. We wouldn’t book them unless there is a significant savings.  I think you will be good.

Thanks for that, I have such a bad taste in my mouth with this cruise already anyway because of the itinerary change. I am really wishing we had just booked a land vacation, too late for that now.

19 minutes ago, gatour said:

 

If would not say fully obstructed, but definitely mostly obstructed.  To me partially obstructed would be the lifeboat is a lot lower.

 

Definitely would be disappointed with this cabin assignment.

 

Our backyard also abuts a conservation area.  Before purchasing the lot/house, I made sure that the conservation area was truly a conservation area, and not just a piece of land that the master developer can later develop at their whim, or even owned by a different entity.

Yes, it is nice knowing our preserve will always be a preserve.  As for the cabin, my travel agent tried to get us another balcony for more money but it disappeared before our eyes.  It seems all the "Royal Ups" are moving fast today.  She is going to keep watching, maybe I will get the crumbs left.

18 minutes ago, jenniferop said:

 

That seems a little like cutting off your nose to spite your face? Any day at sea is better than staying home even if I have to look at a life boat outside my cabin...Hopefully the fun time had will out weigh the view.

We love sitting on our balcony looking down at the ocean, that is one of our favorite reasons to cruise.  I have a great life at home and live on a "preserve", sitting on my patio looking at nature is much more appealing to me than looking at a lifeboat.  I will do my best to work with my travel agent to fix it, aside from that there is not much I can do about it but learn from my mistake.

1 minute ago, Ourusualbeach said:

It would be nice on Quantum class if they separated the guarantees much like they do on Oasis having the neighbourhood or Oceanview guaranteee.  They could do an Oceanview or obstructed view guarantee obviously charging more for the unobstructed view. 

I totally agree~! 

4 minutes ago, cruisinfanatic said:

so upgrade to a 2D for some more $ and call it a lesson learned

I have a call into my travel agent to see if that is an option still available.  I think with the new RCCL "Royal Up" program guarantees are not going to be a very good deal anymore.

Edited to add:  I called the Loyalty Desk, they could not help me because I went through a travel agent.

12 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

I'd qualify your statement a bit and say not to book a guarantee balcony on certain ships, like Ovation.  There are very few (if any) bad balcony locations on Voyager/Freedom class.

That is why I didn't hesitate to book a guarantee balcony.  I had never heard of a ship with an obstructed view balcony cabin.  That is why I said I should have looked closer at the ship map.

Yeah, not my idea of a great balcony.  I would rather have an ocean view with no obstruction.

My husband and I booked a balcony cabin guarantee.  I made the big mistake of not looking at the ship maps first.  On the Ovation of the Seas there are so many bad balcony cabins! I figured we would be perfectly safe booking a balcony, right?  They are usually up above all the obstruction crap.  Not so on this ship.  So, not only have they taken away a port (Kona) and a cruise along the Napoli Coast, I am going to be spending several days at sea in a ship with a view of the side of a lifeboat.  Lesson learned, never book a guarantee cabin.  At this point we would almost rather walk away from the cruise and take our loss.  I find myself feeling like I would rather stay home.  For those of you that want to know, our cabin assignment is 6222, fully obstructed.  I have a call in to my travel agent to see if it can be changed, however, at this time the person at the Loyalty Desk said there is nothing else available in that category.  

20 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

How's Motorola doing these days.🤔

Haha!  Great question...after over 30 years of devotion to Motorola my husband was royally scr*wed by them.  I am reading this thread because I am trying to figure out what exactly the OP was trying to say.  I am amazed that some people can write a whole book and not say anything.  What I gather from this thread is the OP is angry that $10 was added to his bill and he wrote a letter to management that was so confusing RCCL offered him a free meal at Chops in the hopes that would satisfy him?

I think the OP needs to get a hobby,

1 hour ago, Trickie Dickie said:

  If my memory serves me I believe his exact words were... the dog got a hit in your room, what and where is it?  My response was what does the dog hit on? because I have nothing but my prescriptions.  And I pointed out the bag they were in.   I remember thinking that if the dog actually  sniffed something out they would know what and where.  I think they were using some sort of tactics.   I have nothing to hide so I was cool as a cucumber.  

If I was going to guess, I would say a previous cruiser in your cabin was probably smoking pot.  I can’t tell you how many times I have cruised and smelled things that brought back memories of college days.  

1 hour ago, Budget Queen said:

This is also simple to drive to plus add more. 😀

Great idea!  Also, if you have a National Park Pass, be sure to bring it with you for Mendenhall.

We have walked off the ship and booked a tour that did a little city tour on the way out of town, took us to Mendenhall and on to The Shrine of St. Therese.  We enjoyed it so much that when we went back with our friends on another cruise we did it again.  It was a very affordable day.