Navigator Casitas are now ‘reserve’ only and not on FREE first come basis anymore

[wallyj]

Hello, Navigator when it relaunched last November, the Casitas were on a first come basis and no charge.

 

They have now implemented a reservation system with rates of $149 on port day and $199 on Sea days for the full day reservation. I was not told if half day reservations were available.

 

You will receive 1 cocktail, towel and bottle water service and have a small cooler for drinks. There is an on call butler service with a call button at each Casita.

 

Guest Services manager said they were waiting till the call system was setup before implementing the reservation system.

 

I assume the rates are in line with other ships that have Casitas for rent/reservation.

[ARandomTraveler]

I think this is a good idea. I think anyone who wants to reserve a seat for the whole day whether they're in it or not should also be willing to pay for it.

 

On my last land vacation I visited a resort that required paid reservations for their palapas and it created such a different atmosphere on the beach. It was so nice to show up to the beach and not be greeted by a bunch of towels and empty chairs. It felt like there was a lot less "riff raff" at that resort, and I thought the trade off of having to pay $75/day to get rid of that problem was worth it.
 

Of course, $75  is a lot less than Royal is charging for the casitas. I've never really cared if my chairs on a cruise are by the pool so I probably wouldn't pay for the casita, unless there were no chairs anywhere else to be had. 
 

What they should do is charge a per hour fee to anyone who puts their towel on a lounger and doesn't come back within a half hour. That would free up a lot of loungers, but would also give people the option to save their desired space if they're willing to pay for it. 

[brillohead]

I would LOVE to be able to rent a lounger in the shade on the pool deck for the duration of the cruise.  

On Explorer this spring, all the chairs were "taken" by a towel as early as 6am.  I would love to have a designated lounger that I could "pull a Sheldon" and kick people out of my spot!

[dacf]

12 hours ago, brillohead said:

I would LOVE to be able to rent a lounger in the shade on the pool deck for the duration of the cruise.  

On Explorer this spring, all the chairs were "taken" by a towel as early as 6am.  I would love to have a designated lounger that I could "pull a Sheldon" and kick people out of my spot!

🤣

[cruisegirl1]

Figured it would come to this.  Often Casitas  are "taken" with a few towels and not occupied most of the day.   I think 1/2 day rental is a good idea,  wonder why they have decided to do full day only. 

 

 

Don't be surprised if pool chairs are next.  I often see a row of chairs at 8AM  with just  a  towel that stay empty till after lunch. 

 

M

[not-enough-cruising]

44 minutes ago, cruisegirl1 said:

Figured it would come to this.  Often Casitas  are "taken" with a few towels and not occupied most of the day.   I think 1/2 day rental is a good idea,  wonder why they have decided to do full day only. 

 

 

Don't be surprised if pool chairs are next.  I often see a row of chairs at 8AM  with just  a  towel that stay empty till after lunch. 

 

M

I sit in those chairs at around 9:00

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

That must be new.  We were on her in July and there were some reserved for suite guest but twice we got one without paying.  I asked a couple of people nearby if they were reserved and nobody said they were.  I see they are a cost on our upcoming Wonder cruise.  

Edited August 29, 2022 by ATSEAMYLIFE

[kruzerci]

Been like that on Freedom since this time last year. Very annoying

[firefly333]

What is a casita on navigator? A table with a chair? I'm not sure what this is.  

[Ocean Boy]

18 hours ago, ARandomTraveler said:

 

What they should do is charge a per hour fee to anyone who puts their towel on a lounger and doesn't come back within a half hour. That would free up a lot of loungers, but would also give people the option to save their desired space if they're willing to pay for it. 

And whose account would they charge? Are people leaving towels with there name and room number embroidered on them?

[taglovestocruise]

1 hour ago, firefly333 said:

What is a casita on navigator? A table with a chair? I'm not sure what this is.  

 This is Navigator,

this is Odyssey  

[Ocean Boy]

7 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said:

 This is Navigator,

this is Odyssey  

That is what you get for $199.00?

[MightyMike]

If it truly is a casita, I'm amazed being free ever worked. Squatters must have gotten up before 5 am to put their stuff inside. To me, it makes more sense to charge for something in that much demand.

[ARandomTraveler]

3 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

And whose account would they charge? Are people leaving towels with there name and room number embroidered on them?

Good point. There is a way to do it but it would put Royal in a really bad customer service situation I guess. With that in mind, I guess they just need to pick a certain area of chairs around the most popular "chair hog" areas and charge for them by the hour ahead of time.