Charging more to pick your cabin???

[CRUISEFAN0001]

14 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

I'd love a balcony on deck 2.  You could go fishing.

 

🎣

Kinda like a free excursion included... 🤣

[nelblu]

I'm not sure if my memory fails me, but when I booked my balcony guaranteed , I though she told me that there were a limited numbers somewhere in the 3s.  I assume she meant category 5D cabins.  Can  anyone confirm that there a limited number of cabins in the selected category.

[Joebucks]

On 3/15/2019 at 8:45 AM, Scoobydobe7 said:

So Royal is charging you more to pick your cabin???   WOW!!!  I guess it is "anything for a buck"   IMO -- CHEAP TACTIC....

 

So my question is...if you have Royal pick your room, after it is assigned....can you switch you room to a "same category" room without a penalty???

 

Thanks

 

The entitlement never surprises me. "I demand to have the product and service I want at the price I believe it should be at." Any deviation is greed. Apparently, you do not have any experience with supply and demand in business. I suppose all cabins should be the same price too, balconies included. "Well that's different because I have determined it to be."

 

On 3/15/2019 at 9:17 AM, Homosassa said:

 

LOL - another misconception about the lower floors. There are many experienced cruisers  that understand the mantra of "low and midship" as actually being the more desirable locations.

 

There are also many experienced cruisers that do not like the lower floors. It is a fact that higher floors are generally more money because they are more in demand. Same with hotels. Penthouses aren't at the bottom because a few people have a few expert reasons why they like to be lower.

 

A personal preference of lower floors because of fear of rocking, noise, etc, isn't some insider secret exclusive to the wise frequent cruiser. Some people want a better view, to be closer to the fun, and/or to not have to travel far. There is of course nothing wrong with anyone's preference.

[deliver42]

This is nothing new on any cruise line. They always charge more to choose your own, because you will pick what you want, which would probably be a convenient cabin at a preferable deck. If you let them pick, you might get one in an undesirable place, depending on what's available in a class.

[CruisinCrow]

The lower deck cabins are nice when you come back from port.  You don't have to climb 8 flights of stairs or wait for an elevator with 200 other people.  I like being in the middle the best.  Too high and you end up under the pool deck, which is NOT a good place to be (speaking from one very bad experience).

[Casino Comp Chick]

On 3/15/2019 at 9:17 AM, Homosassa said:

 

LOL - another misconception about the lower floors. There are many experienced cruisers  that understand the mantra of "low and midship" as actually being the more desirable locations.

 

Tell that to the passengers of the Titanic, the sub basement people were the ones that died.

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, Casino Comp Chick said:

 

Tell that to the passengers of the Titanic, the sub basement people were the ones that died.

 

Tell that to the Astors and Guggenheims 😇

[Thorben-Hendrik]

1 hour ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Tell that to the Astors and Guggenheims 😇

They were the ones that severly caused the disaster....

[John&LaLa]

4 hours ago, Thorben-Hendrik said:

They were the ones that severly caused the disaster....

 

Pretty sure an iceberg caused it. 😉

[A2Mich]

1 hour ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Pretty sure an iceberg caused it. 😉

 

 

Partly.  Sounds more like excessive speed under ice warnings, the brittle steel used in her construction, and the weakened structure from the coal bunker fire all contributed to the disaster

[ONECRUISER]

On 3/15/2019 at 6:54 AM, CruisinCrow said:

 

They've been doing that since we started cruising in 1991.  It's not new.

Agree, been around for years. Even with add on's Cruising is way cheaper then 20-30yrs ago, not even adding inflation into it. Try that at Amusement Part that is 3-5 times higher now

[ReneeFLL]

 

On 3/15/2019 at 10:12 AM, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

This is all very simple. 

 

In once case...when you select your cabin based on your own personal preferences. Experienced cruisers may choose certain cabins based on Deck, location on the ship (port, starboard, features, balcony size, etc.).

 

In the second case (where they assign a cabin)...essentially you will get a cabin among those remaining in the 'leftover pool".

 

Charging for "preferences" is not unique to cruise lines.

 

True and this is one reason we always prefer to pick our own room even if it cost more. I'm willing to pay more to get what we want and not get stuck in an undesirable location. There can be noise from above, below, obstructed views, etc. That's one area we aren't willing to take a chance on. It isn't always more expensive either. 

[Cel_cruise]

This thread really tells you a bit about the power that software and a graphical user interface has on how we perceive things.

The guarantee option has been around since my very first cruises - back in the early 90s that was on Carnival but same concepts applied!

RCI has gone and improved their user interface experience to be more aligned with how airlines have been marketing their approach to ‘guaranteed’ - it makes sense to me that they offer these options with such plain English and simplify the booking decision process.

It cracks me up that people think they are being nickel and dimed...when it’s been that way for 30 years!



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[cruisegirl1]

I look at the two prices and think .... “hey, RCCL will save me money if I take a guarantee cabin. “  

 

On most  ships, the general category is more important than actual location so a guarantee is often fine.   We’ve done guarantees for years and were happy when it was offered. 

 

M

 

  

[Carnival4U]

8 hours ago, A2Mich said:

 

 

Partly.  Sounds more like excessive speed under ice warnings, the brittle steel used in her construction, and the weakened structure from the coal bunker fire all contributed to the disaster

Saw a documentary where they found that all the big shots overloading the 2 young communication officers with their wire messages caused it.

Because the cruise line gave priority to the paid wire services ( a first on the Titanic)  - the young unexperienced communication -officer wast totally overloaded and forgot to pass on the iceberg warning to the captain – that warning was not passed on for more than 4 hours!

 

So greed of the the cruise line was the root cause for the disaster!

 

 

Edited March 17, 2019 by Carnival4U

[A2Mich]

10 hours ago, Carnival4U said:

Saw a documentary where they found that all the big shots overloading the 2 young communication officers with their wire messages caused it.

Because the cruise line gave priority to the paid wire services ( a first on the Titanic)  - the young unexperienced communication -officer wast totally overloaded and forgot to pass on the iceberg warning to the captain – that warning was not passed on for more than 4 hours!

 

So greed of the the cruise line was the root cause for the disaster!

 

 

 

 

Either way, there were multiple contributors, not to mention arrogance and complacency.  

[FOXTROT]

Let's face it. If they pick your room, you are getting the rooms nobody wants. It's not a deal, unless you don't care if your view is obstructed, room directly above lounge or any other crappy situation. We'll pay more & have a better room.

[Cel_cruise]

Let's face it. If they pick your room, you are getting the rooms nobody wants. It's not a deal, unless you don't care if your view is obstructed, room directly above lounge or any other crappy situation. We'll pay more & have a better room.

Our experience is not that guarantees ‘always’ get an undesirable room. Many times there are travel agent holds, vacant upgraded guest rooms, etc that are filled with Guarantees...often not the noisy undesirable rooms.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tinkr2]

On 3/15/2019 at 9:24 AM, Scoobydobe7 said:

Not new to cruising....and not new to RC....They have changed their website when  booking a cruise in 2020.  And I am not embarrassed by "saving a buck" ... Royal never made you pick an option before booking your cabin (at least since 1998) and now they are.

 

You are right, they changed the website... to make it easier for people who do not know anything about cruising to understand the terms. People did not know what guaranteed meant. This makes it clear . I have been booking these since 1994... so kinda new

 

On 3/15/2019 at 11:30 AM, thistimeplease said:

I don't believe this is true.  We booked a August 2019 cruise and I saved almost $800 by letting them pick the room for me.  I was assigned a room 2 weeks after booking, it's 10316.  Doesn't seem to be a bad location.  I don't believe they gave us a room from the "leftover pool" 170 days out from our cruise.

 

They are the cabin s there were unsold but not all bad cabins as he was implying.And often they are assigned very early, which is certainly not a leftover.

 

On 3/15/2019 at 5:29 PM, Tree_skier said:

That would be really interesting to be that close to the water!

 

 

I just looked at about 10 pics of those. They are very close to the water with a metal framing around them that blocks some of the view. I would try one. (and bring a fishing pole)

 

19 minutes ago, FOXTROT said:

Let's face it. If they pick your room, you are getting the rooms nobody wants. It's not a deal, unless you don't care if your view is obstructed, room directly above lounge or any other crappy situation. We'll pay more & have a better room.

 Lets face it, that has not been the case with me. In about half of my bookings, I have been upgraded to a balcony when I paid for a inside guarantee. Not once have I gotten a terrible cabin. Is it a possibility sure but in the past , it was also a possibility to get an upgrade. It was a fun gamble to me. And whats a bad cabin?Im on a cruise. 

[FOXTROT]

We enjoy our cruises, maybe we are cabin snobs. We have been upgraded from our balcony rooms to Jr. Suites & Grand Suites. We have been upgraded from Jr. Suites to Owner Suites & 2 bedroom Suites. With the new structure of bidding on upgrades, looks like the days of free upgrades is over. We have even refused a free upgrade to an Owners Suite. There are plenty of great rooms on ships. There are also bad rooms on ships. Why risk it?

[CruisinCrow]

12 hours ago, FOXTROT said:

Let's face it. If they pick your room, you are getting the rooms nobody wants. It's not a deal, unless you don't care if your view is obstructed, room directly above lounge or any other crappy situation. We'll pay more & have a better room.

 

We've gotten some really great cabin locations booking guarantees.  We've also gotten some not so great locations but we've never had a crappy room.  It's a gamble.  For a 3-day weekend cruise we're happy to take the gamble and save the money.  For a 7-day cruise, we're not.  It's good to have choices.

[John&LaLa]

On 3/17/2019 at 7:43 AM, Carnival4U said:

Saw a documentary where they found that all the big shots overloading the 2 young communication officers with their wire messages caused it.

Because the cruise line gave priority to the paid wire services ( a first on the Titanic)  - the young unexperienced communication -officer wast totally overloaded and forgot to pass on the iceberg warning to the captain – that warning was not passed on for more than 4 hours!

 

So greed of the the cruise line was the root cause for the disaster!

 

 

 

No iceberg, no crash.  🥶

[MandyMooToo]

On 3/15/2019 at 9:09 AM, katiemylady said:

I find that the guarantee rooms (the "let us pick your room") are on a lower floor (floors 2-4) and when you are allowed to pick your own room, you can usually get a room on a more preferable floor.

 

We opted for a guarantee (inside) cabin this time around.  Never done it before and may never do it again, who knows?  Usually we booked the lower floors due to motion sickness and they just tend to be quieter in our experiences, YMMV.  So I am hopeful that we will get deck 2-6 and from what I am reading it seems that is a good possibility.  Low deck and complete darkness are our only real cruise requirements but either way,  any day on a ship is a good day!