They Pick vs. You Pick

[MaskedTurtle]

8 minutes ago, racerxspeedy said:

I have booked a number of GTY rooms.   I have been happy with the rooms offered, and I have moved to other rooms in the same class that were open that I wanted to try.   Most recently a nice deck 10 balcony on Mariner.   

 

REALLY STRANGE -  Yesterday RC offered a lower price to pick your own room on one of my Navigator GTY Sept 23 booking - after final payment.       I called RC and they let me pick the room of my choice - deck 9,  zero cost.   It pays to keep an eye on prices for your cruise.   

I always keep an eye on prices.  I currently have a spreadsheet for the cruise I'm looking at (seriously).  I just have to figure out when the prices are the lowest I think they are going.

[ocav]

https://www.royalcaribbean.co.uk/discover-cruise-holidays/guarantee-rooms/

 

Just to double check with this... when you say upgrades are available, the Royal website says they

 

 

“Although you can’t get upgraded to another room category, there’s a chance you’ll be upgraded to a better room in your category.”

 

 

Edited August 2, 2019 by ocav
Formatiing

[time4u2go]

1 hour ago, cb at sea said:

You are not paying MORE to select an exact cabin, you are being given a discount for allowing them to assign your cabin.  There is no rhyme or reason to how they choose.  If you book a "balcony" guarantee, you will get a balcony at the very least.  It may have some obstruction, or not be on your desired deck....but you will get AT LEAST a balcony.  If there are no balcony cabins showing as available, they are likely to "upgrade" someone else to give you a balcony.....rare for them to upgrade YOU!

Lol this reminds me of when gas stations tried to charge people more for using credit cards over cash.  They were told they can't do that, so they changed it say you were getting a discount if you used cash.  Same difference.

Edited August 2, 2019 by time4u2go

[hova]

It seems to me, that you are over-thinking this. 

It comes down to this:  If you would be happy with any room that you got with a guarantee, then book one. But, if you have any concerns at all over the location of your room, then forget about the guarantee and spend the few bucks for a room of your choice.   No point about fretting over a terrible room location, when you could have spend a few dollars and gotten a great room.

 

hova

[MaskedTurtle]

1 minute ago, hova said:

It seems to me, that you are over-thinking this. 

It comes down to this:  If you would be happy with any room that you got with a guarantee, then book one. But, if you have any concerns at all over the location of your room, then forget about the guarantee and spend the few bucks for a room of your choice.   No point about fretting over a terrible room location, when you could have spend a few dollars and gotten a great room.

 

hova

I do tend to over-analyze.  I also like hearing opinions of other people, especially those who have cruised more recently.

[Biker19]

47 minutes ago, MaskedTurtle said:

So, while we're still on this subject, the rooms still available in the category of my choice right now (Ocean view with balcony on NOS) are mostly on deck 6, many of those on the hump.  There are also some for a few extra dollars on deck 8, also some of which are on the hump.  For even a few dollars more, there are 3 new ones on deck 11.  There are pros and cons to each.  Any thoughts?

Depending on your definition of "a few extra dollars", the deck 8 on the hump would be good, assuming you don't mind using stairs sometimes. Going up/down 3 flights of stairs gets you to all the places you'll likely to visit.

[travelplus]

GTY Cabins can go one of two ways. You saved the $$$ and got a better cabin or you saved the $$$ and got a bad cabin.  I have done Guarantees and have ended up with excellent cabins. For my upcoming cruise I went with a GTY for the first cruise and a Oceanview for the 2nd portion located on Deck 4 close enough to the Centrum and elevators.  

The first cruise is port intensive so it really make no difference the other cruise as it has mix of sea days and port days on a Trans Atlantic. 

[mafig]

I would take the hump cabin with the largest balcony regardless of deck.  Before booking I'd do a SEARCH by cabin number.

Edited August 2, 2019 by mafig

[karen_g]

21 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Don’t think of it as paying more to pick a room.  Think of it as those that are willing to take the worst cabin on the ship are getting a discount. 

 

Very good point.

[George C]

Depends we normally book grand suites on voyager or freedom class and there really all the same , no aft grand suites on those. have done six . Now on brilliance there was just one aft which we loved. 

[Clarea]

30 minutes ago, George C said:

Depends we normally book grand suites on voyager or freedom class and there really all the same , no aft grand suites on those. have done six . Now on brilliance there was just one aft which we loved. 

 

Some Voyager and/or Freedom class ships now have 2-bedroom Grand Suites facing aft.  Used to be the Presidential Suite, but they split it up into two suites.

[IzznOll17]

On 8/1/2019 at 10:59 PM, MaskedTurtle said:

I have a few questions on this, since it wasn't really a thing the last time I cruised or looked things up online.  According to the RCCL website, you pay a little more to pick the exact room you want.  Is this really worth it?  If I wait until the less-desirable rooms within a category are booked or almost booked, that would increase my chances of a better room, but is the risk of good rooms being booked worth it?  Also, if I call RC directly or go through my travel agent, is there still a price difference?  And, if I express general preferences (ie- close to elevator, higher deck, etc.) as opposed to picking a specific room, is there still a price difference?

We booked onto the Allure TA back in June and opted for a Guarantee Sea view balcony!

 

We got allocated less than a week later! The location is doors away from where WE chose on Harmony for our honeymoon for a lot more $$$'s

 

Alternatively, I've other cruises booked that haven't been allocated as of yet!

 

It's a gamble that pays off for some and not for others! Touch wood, it's been ok so far, but the tactic is only as good as your last cruise! 

 

 

[MaskedTurtle]

Ok, I've been keeping an eye on prices, and they have fluctuated very slightly within a general range.  I would like opinions on whether people think the current prices are good enough to book now, or wait for a possible drop.

 

I am looking into the 4 night Perfect Day/Bahamas on the Navigator on January 13, 2020.  My niece and I are looking into a balcony room.  Right now, a balcony guarantee is $614pp.  Rooms left on deck 6 are $645pp.  Rooms on deck 8 are $654pp.  There are some hump cabins left.  I've never been in a hump cabin before, but I've heard people like them.  Are the prices to pick my own room good enough now to where I should just book?  Does anyone think they may go down significantly more and I should wait?  There are plenty of rooms in general, so I am definitely not worried about them selling out.  Just want to get a good deal.

[WeatherFx]

Last inside guarantee I got, I was assigned Deck-2 in the very front of the bow. I then un-guaranteed it and picked my room.

[Iamcruzin]

A few things about this:

1. As the good rooms sell, the crapy rooms go up in price. I booked the lowest cat unobstructed  balcony and when all was said and done the obstructed balconies were $300 more per person after final payment.

2. Make sure you read carefully. I was just looking at a Celebrity sailing and the price for them to pick for me was higher than if I picked it myself. I can see this happening on Royal Caribbean as well. Although I haven't experienced it yet.

3. When I booked my Royal cruise the pice of an ocean view was more than the price of a balcony. That happens a lot on other lines as well

4. Most important if you do not want a non refundable deposit make sure you read through the invoice carefully. After you enter all of your personal information it will give you a box to check off for a refundable deposit if you choose to go that way. The cost is higher for a refundable deposit.

Edited August 5, 2019 by Iamcruzin

[Iamcruzin]

1 hour ago, MaskedTurtle said:

Ok, I've been keeping an eye on prices, and they have fluctuated very slightly within a general range.  I would like opinions on whether people think the current prices are good enough to book now, or wait for a possible drop.

 

I am looking into the 4 night Perfect Day/Bahamas on the Navigator on January 13, 2020.  My niece and I are looking into a balcony room.  Right now, a balcony guarantee is $614pp.  Rooms left on deck 6 are $645pp.  Rooms on deck 8 are $654pp.  There are some hump cabins left.  I've never been in a hump cabin before, but I've heard people like them.  Are the prices to pick my own room good enough now to where I should just book?  Does anyone think they may go down significantly more and I should wait?  There are plenty of rooms in general, so I am definitely not worried about them selling out.  Just want to get a good deal.

Book now and watch for a price drop. When is final payment?

[MaskedTurtle]

Thanks for the tips. I'm not sure when final payment would be due.  I would opt for a non-refundable deposit.  I forgot to re-state that I redeemed reward points for a "free" cruise, so I wouldn't be paying the full price anyway.  Also, not sure how that would affect details like price drop adjustments after booking.  I am mostly hoping that the rate for the minimum ocean view increases (since that is what the free cruise value is based on) while the rate for the ocean view with balcony drops, or remains constant.  I want to get the most bang for my buck.

[hammer52]

On 8/2/2019 at 2:21 PM, MaskedTurtle said:

I always keep an eye on prices.  I currently have a spreadsheet for the cruise I'm looking at (seriously).  I just have to figure out when the prices are the lowest I think they are going.

I went from a guarantee Balcony to a 4d on a 11 night cruise on the Anthem of the 1/5/20 sailing  for $50.00 more yesterday also.

[kidless]

We pick....had few cruises either right over the nightly band or woken up at 5 am to carts pushed around in Windjammer. If my DH gets woken up he is a 🐻 bear! 

[MaskedTurtle]

So, prices went up around $20pp.  I'm gonna go for it before they keep going up.  Just have to decide whether or not I want to do the initial booking with my ta, or book online and transfer to the ta later.  

[davekathy]

Whether  booking with Celebrity or RC, I always pick.  I never book guarantee's either. 

[Baowen]

I think that if I am spending a large amount of money for a cruise vacation, it's worth it to spend a little more to pick the room I want.  I agree with the previous posts that booking a guarantee is only worth it if there's  a large price difference.

[Sobro]

I'm with Baowen. If we sailed insides instead of balcony cabins I wouldn't care which cave they gave me, including the most forward. But paying a premium price for a substandard  (to me) cabin isn't tolerable.

 

My only GTY experience was before Royal Up, and I saved $1000 on a Navigator balcony. They assigned a cabin directly beneath the Windjammer about 120 days from sailing. There were plenty more to choose from and I requested and received a much better location.