Just Curious!!!!!!!!!!

[cimarrongirl]

I'm wondering with the Royal and Regal having no Ocean View staterooms, how are people who normally get an Ocean View handling it. Are you upgrading to a balcony or going with an inside cabin? Just wondering how people are dealing with no window if they go with the inside. I have to be able to see outside, or at least I think I do. Just wondering!

[Pam in CA]

When I first booked my upcoming Royal cruise, the difference between an inside and the cheapest balcony was over $2,200 (for a single) and I just couldn't justify spending that much more. So, I booked a "sideways" inside cabin and bought a battery-operated clock with large numbers. My biggest problem with insides is not knowing what time it is. People have also recommended leaving the TV on to the webcam.

 

At final payment, there was a sale and I was able to upgrade myself to a balcony for about $500. Prices have now jumped way back up so I think I was lucky.

[lrockwitt]

We booked an inside and have no problem without a window. Not in the cabin that much. Took a 49 day cruise inside cabin and was fine with it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ethel5]

After years of booking delicious aft facing balconies, I was forced to book insides. It's not so bad. I usually keep the TV on for "white noise" and it provides light too. Insides are great for afternoon naps-nice and dark. :)

[Shadow205]

We booked an inside gty for our cruise Jan 2015. 20 nights in an inside, I'm wishing for a visit from the Upgrade Fairy. It's been a long time since we had an inside. Our last cruise on the Grand was in a beautiful aft owners suite. Like Pam said, there was to much of a difference in price for a balcony. I would have booked an ocean view if there had been one.

[lrockwitt]

We too are hoping for the upgrade fairy on three of our cruises that we have booked inside gty. We have had one upgrade from aft to mid ship inside on the 20 day cruise in January 2015 on the Royal.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Shadow205]

We too are hoping for the upgrade fairy on three of our cruises that we have booked inside gty. We have had one upgrade from aft to mid ship inside on the 20 day cruise in January 2015 on the Royal.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I'm confused. If you have booked a GTY, how do you know that you have had an upgrade?

[Cruisin' Chick]

A couple of cruises ago we had an OOV that wasn't too obstructed (if you look past a rope or two, there was a nice view especially when entering a port). We tried to get the same cabin on our next cruise (which was on the same ship), but it was already booked so we got our umpteenth inside. Not a dealbreaker for us, especially as my hubby prefers a dark room for sleeping (I will have the TV on turned to the bridgecam channel...until he gets up in the middle of the night and turns it off:o). But I do like being able to tell if it's close to dawn or night. You don't need the window to determine that on a Princess ship.

[Pia1913]

I'm confused. If you have booked a GTY, how do you know that you have had an upgrade?

 

Because a guarantee booking is usually for the lowest catagory at the lowest price. Any higher catagory is considered an upgrade.

[lrockwitt]

If all the lowest cabin price cabins have been sold and you have a gty booking for that category, how do I know if Princess will upgrade that category?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Cruize]

Paying for an inside equates to more cruises, for us anyway. Spend little time in the cabin and generally the difference from inside to balcony pays the bar bill:D

 

Paul

[dorisis]

We took gty OVs for a while and usually got an upgrade. To me no OVs on Royal and Regal is another design flaw.

[Pam in CA]

If all the lowest cabin price cabins have been sold and you have a gty booking for that category, how do I know if Princess will upgrade that category?

You don't until you get an assigned cabin. Most GTYs are assigned a cabin type exactly what they booked although some are assigned that cabin type in a higher category, i.e., a different location. And, categories are based on what Princess thinks is a better location. You might not think so. If you booked an inside, you will likely get an inside; book an oceanview and you'll likely get an oceanview.

[lrockwitt]

I booked a Gty inside on a Princess Cruise last year and it was sold out. We got upgraded to an ocean view. It does happen.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dr Alan]

We are in an inside this year and have an iPad app called "Wake-up Light" which slowly brings up the iPad screen to full brightness over 30 minutes thereby simulating a sunrise. You set the time that you want this to happen. The only downside is that it drains the battery so the iPad needs to be plugged in to do this. It also plays bird sounds.

 

We will see if it works or not...

 

The app is free but if anyone has any other suggestions or experience with thus then please post.

 

Alan

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Pam in CA]

I looked at that app for my iPhone and decided that it wouldn't help me if I woke up in the middle of the night and didn't know whether it was 2am or 5am unless I turned on my iPhone which would definitely wake me up. Here's a link to the battery-operated clock I got. I tested it out and it works very well.

 

Elgin 3350E Alarm Clock with 2" LCD Display & Smartlite Technology https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0096DI9CI/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_NTvZtb032P084CRJ

[geoherb]

It has been six years since we had an inside cabin. DH would hate to go back to one. But if the price is too much for a balcony, I could get him to agree to an inside versus not going on a cruise.

[Thrak]

Our first cruise was a 10 day SF - Alaska rt. We did it in an inside (almost all the way forward, on deck 12) on Sea Princess. Not exactly a "prime" location. The inside cabins on that ship are SMALL!!! I've compared the deck plans to those of the Grand class ships and the inside cabins on Sea Princess really and truly are very small. We had a wonderful cruise. On that trip I figured out on my own to leave the tv on and tuned to the bridge cam so I would know when I woke up if it was still dark outside. I thought I did pretty good to figure that out. Of course later, after that cruise, I discovered CC and realized that about a zillion other people already knew that technique.

 

We may have sailed in a very small cabin in a "non-prime" location (and we did hit really rough weather the first night and all the next day that really pointed out the amount of motion in that location!) BUT it was the trip that made me stop fighting my wife about "taking a stupid cruise where I would hate everything about it" and realize that, as soon as I got off the ship in SF I wanted to get right back on again. It totally got me hooked and I will always remember it as an absolutely wonderful time.

 

Our second cruise was a balcony on Star and my wife loved it. The third cruise (we've only done 3 so far) was an aft-facing balcony on Caribe deck. C751 on Grand Princess and my wife was really, really, really happy with that one. :)

 

We have an OV booked for the Mexican Riviera (10 days) this coming November but I've booked us into an interior next year for a 17 day SF - FLL full transit of the Panama Canal.

 

My feeling is: If I get to cruise I'll take (almost) any room. We tend to spend almost all of out time outside the cabin anyway. If we have a nice balcony then we will use it. We love morning coffee and evening wine on the balcony. It was especially nice with the aft-facing cabin as we had the wake to watch while on the balcony. If we don't have a balcony we will definitely still have a fantastic cruise.

Edited July 21, 2014 by Thrak

[Pia1913]

Last time we had an inside cabin was on the Norway in 1986. DH would rather stay home than be in what he calls a "cell." We don't necessarily need a balcony, but we do need a window. Even an obstructed window.

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

We took gty OVs for a while and usually got an upgrade. To me no OVs on Royal and Regal is another design flaw.

 

Not really a design flaw as much as twisting of arms to sell a higher cat cabin thereby increasing revenue. :p

[caribill]

Not really a design flaw as much as twisting of arms to sell a higher cat cabin thereby increasing revenue. :p

 

As a matter of fact, during the conference call last month for stock analysts, Carnival Corp (which owns Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess, and others) said they are getting increased revenues from new ships with more balconies.

[caribill]

I'm confused. If you have booked a GTY, how do you know that you have had an upgrade?

 

You book a GTY in a category, for example ID (an inside).

 

When you get an assignment, you will know what category it is.

 

For example, if the assigned category is ID, there was no upgrade.

If the assigned category is IC, it is the same type cabin (inside), but in what Princess considers a better location and thus an upgrade.

If the assigned category is OF, it is an unobstructed oceanview cabin and thus an upgrade to a different type of cabin.

[OCruisers]

You don't until you get an assigned cabin. Most GTYs are assigned a cabin type exactly what they booked although some are assigned that cabin type in a higher category, i.e., a different location. And, categories are based on what Princess thinks is a better location. You might not think so. If you booked an inside, you will likely get an inside; book an oceanview and you'll likely get an oceanview.

 

Totally agree with Pam! You've very likely to get the category you book.

LuLu

[lrockwitt]

I do agree you will get inside if you booked inside and so forth. I guess I have been a little luckier in getting upgrades to ocean view and even balcony cabins the night before sailing. Princess has called and given us a complimentary upgrade. Not often but it does happen,

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[azdmelani]

We're doing a 12 day Med cruise next month. We booked an inside and instead will spend the extra money on private tours vs upgrading to a balcony. I dont think we will be in the room much anyway.