New Suite Deposits Effective June 1, 2023

[island lady]

3 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I have said this all along. A cabin sold is a cabin sold. Why does it matter if you need to change the date or ship? I would be fine with non-refundable deposits as long as they came with some flexibility.

 

The non-refundable deposit for WC was a tough pill to swallow.  Be darned sure you are going!  😮 

[vjmatty]

4 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

The option will eventually not exist for any reservations. RCI may find that it is cutting its own throat if people just start waiting until close in to book anything.

Or start choosing other lines 🤷🏻‍♀️

[twangster]

18 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

 

Agree...get some nasty looks sometimes from the "sweet people" when we do that.  

And then when we go incognito...we are just sneaky.  😄 

 

 

 

I might start wearing it on my t-shirt by the pool.  That really seems to get people wound up.    🤣😇

[Ret MP]

2 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

I won't be surprised if CFAR insurance prices rise.

Sorry, CFAR?  I'm sure it's easy but I just don't get it right now. 

[molly361]

Just now, Ret MP said:

Sorry, CFAR?  I'm sure it's easy but I just don't get it right now. 

Cancel for any Reason insurance

[island lady]

2 hours ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

I would expect the pinnacles that I spoke to would tell the truth about what type of cabin they were sailing in just as I would expect the same of other cruisers.  No where did I state that I knew what type of cabin every pinnacle in the CK was staying in, I didn't have the opportunity to speak to all passengers that ate in CK.  In fact, the group I spoke to most wished they had higher numbers so they could have breakfast in Chops, instead of the overcrowded CK.

Your post:

There is no bashing going on, people are sharing their experiences.  You weren't on our recent sailing to see what was going on and you are not aware of who was sailing in a suite and who wasn't.  I do know which were in suites and which weren't.  You can continue to jump to conclusions as you do when anyone says anything about pinnacles but that does not change what other cruisers are experiencing.

 

OK.  ^   Sorry, but I would not be one to answer you if you wanted to know what type of cabin I was in.  

 

And do be aware that Pinnacles have the choice to have breakfast in Chops (or sometimes Giovanni's) no matter what the numbers.  There were many times we opted for that venue for breakfast versus CK.  

 

[A&L_Ont]

3 hours ago, twangster said:

Everything on AD was cheap.  My aft balconies over Christmas were under $700 refundable. 

Imagine a Star Loft for NYE. That was a one and done.  So glad we did it prior to this change.  We will keep our current bookings and look for other type of holidays if our deposit is fully lost.  

Edited May 23, 2023 by A&L_Ont

[Ret MP]

1 minute ago, molly361 said:

Cancel for any Reason insurance

I knew I was going to kick myself for not knowing the right away.  Thanks!

[vjmatty]

4 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

The problem is that despite the $100pp change fee there are still a large number of people who continue to hold multiple bookings with no intention of taking them.  Yes it is a big problem.

But multiple sail dates for the same ship? You’d think keeping the same ship with a different date would warrant a less harsh penalty. And on longer sailings the deposit is $900….that’s a lot of money to tie up per booking just to hold multiple spots. Seems like it would make more sense to limit this strict policy to 7-day sailings. 

[molly361]

23 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

That's easy, either Allure or Odyssey. 😄 

 

20 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Some people know me pretty well.😊

That's only if the Allure is going out of PC right?😱😇

[vjmatty]

3 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Unfortunately most people tend to leave the cancellations until last minute and Royal may not be able to command as high a price for that sailing as they may have had they had the cabin for sale at other times.

But again, the multiple bookings problem only explains high restrictions on cancelling. It doesn’t explain the harshness against changing your booking. 

[reallyitsmema]

7 minutes ago, island lady said:

Your post:

There is no bashing going on, people are sharing their experiences.  You weren't on our recent sailing to see what was going on and you are not aware of who was sailing in a suite and who wasn't.  I do know which were in suites and which weren't.  You can continue to jump to conclusions as you do when anyone says anything about pinnacles but that does not change what other cruisers are experiencing.

 

OK.  ^   Sorry, but I would not be one to answer you if you wanted to know what type of cabin I was in.  

 

And do be aware that Pinnacles have the choice to have breakfast in Chops (or sometimes Giovanni's) no matter what the numbers.  There were many times we opted for that venue for breakfast versus CK.  

 

 

I am not going to continue to go around in circles with you.  I did not ask anyone what cabin they were in, it came up in conversation.  

 

Chops is available for breakfast for suites and pinnacles on ships that have no CK.  

[TexasRon]

I don’t lose 10% of my deposit before “final payment” on any other vacation with the exception of the few times that I book non-refundable room for a lower price (very rarely happens). 
 

I enjoy suites and their perks but I will be very judicious about anything with a potential loss of 10% over $500.  This may have an impact on our choices but we are only able to cruise 1-2 times per year as we finish our working years.  No huge deal for Royal to potentially lose a couple of bookings but they might add up over the larger numbers of potential cruisers.

 

I have no issues with Pinnacles.  I was a little frustrated when I had the Royal Suite on Mariner and could not find a seat in the Suite or Concierge Lounge.  Grecia resolved the issue and it was fine.  We actually rarely go to the lounge.  I just don’t get wearing a badge. Maybe I will different when I become…wait…not even a probability at this point…

Edited May 23, 2023 by TexasRon

[orville99]

2 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

I passed on Christmas 2023 even though it was a great deal as we wanted to do the 8 night Southern on Odyssey over Christmas and it's pricing was not bad for a new ship.  2024 NYE I could not pass up.  balconies for under $2k Canadian or right around $1500 USD for the 8 day sailing.  My kids aren't impressed at it being an older ship but until they start paying their own way.....

Funny that you referenced Odyssey. Our December 2023 booked cruises started out as a B2B on Voyager, then moved to a B2B on Wonder, then moved to a B2B on Adventure, and then when the B2B Panama Canal crossings from Miami to LA and back on Serenade popped into view, we switched for the fourth time to do that combination. Quite an Odyssey that finally ended up with a unbelievable bucket list combo.

[Ocean Boy]

1 hour ago, vjmatty said:

Or start choosing other lines 🤷🏻‍♀️

But it seems like most of the lines usually play follow the leader.

[island lady]

1 hour ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

I am not going to continue to go around in circles with you.  I did not ask anyone what cabin they were in, it came up in conversation.  

Chops is available for breakfast for suites and pinnacles on ships that have no CK.  

 

So, it came up in conversation with those you despised for taking too much time in CK for breakfast...hmmm...interesting.  

 

FYI...We have enjoyed many nice breakfasts on Harmony in Chops.   Where are you getting your information?  😏

 

The bottom line here...is anyone could have spent too much time IYHO at breakfast.  Be they suites pax, Diamonds in suites, Gold members in Suites...etc.   I am just asking you to have an open mind. 

Once again, there are good and bad in all walk of life.  Try not to profile.  

 

 

[island lady]

duplicate

Edited May 23, 2023 by island lady

[reallyitsmema]

8 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

So, it came up in conversation with those you despised for taking too much time in CK for breakfast...hmmm...interesting.  

 

FYI...We have enjoyed many nice breakfasts on Harmony in Chops.   Where are you getting your information?  😏

 

The bottom line here...is anyone could have spent too much time IYHO at breakfast.  Be they suites pax, Diamonds in suites, Gold members in Suites...etc.   I am just asking you to have an open mind. 

Once again, there are good and bad in all walk of life.  Try not to profile.  

 

 

 

Where did I say I despised anyone?  Stop trying to manipulate what I have typed.  We speak to many people on the ship and sometimes people bring up cabins, especially since this was an oversold sailing that many still got last minute Royal Ups.

 

You had breakfast in Chops on Harmony because pinnacles had been kicked out of CK for breakfast and could eat in either place if you were in a suite.  Nice try.

 

I have not profiled anyone, you once again are trying to manipulate what I said.  Four tables were held by pinnacles when a large number of people were waiting for tables.  All passengers at those tables were wearing their nametags.  We did not observe anyone else holding tables for any length of time.  These four tables were done eating when we arrived and had to wait 25 minutes.  They were still there when we left after we had breakfast.  That is a long time to hold four tables when so many people are waiting.

 

I have a very open mind, you have an issue when anyone says anything about pinnacles.  Maybe you should remove your blinders and stop trying to manipulate everything to fit your agenda.

[vjmatty]

48 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

But it seems like most of the lines usually play follow the leader.

Not on this issue….RC and Celebrity have consistently been the only cruise lines I’ve experienced where NRD is the default, and certainly the only lines that require NRD for suites. All Carnival brands (Princess, Carnival, Cunard, HAL, Costa, P&O) as well as MSC and NCL are all much more deposit-friendly. Princess often has $100 or even $1 deposit sales, and nonrefundable deposits are very rare. When you buy future cruise credits onboard they’re good for two years, instead of 60 days, and come with $100 OBC per passenger. 
 

All of that being said, there are  issues I have with Princess that annoy me as well, so I’m not an idol cheerleader for them either lol. Their deposit policy however is not one of those. 

[vjmatty]

18 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

Four tables were held by pinnacles when a large number of people were waiting for tables.  All passengers at those tables were wearing their nametags.  We did not observe anyone else holding tables for any length of time.  These four tables were done eating when we arrived and had to wait 25 minutes.  They were still there when we left after we had breakfast.  That is a long time to hold four tables when so many people are waiting.

 

 

Is that normal, for waitstaff to not suggest they move on when it’s been that long after their meal is finished? I’m not talking about rushing people out as soon as they’re done eating, but surely after the table is bussed and there’s clearly no food or drinks for some time I can’t imagine staff wouldn’t notice. 

[SherriZ366]

2 hours ago, island lady said:

Your post:

There is no bashing going on, people are sharing their experiences.  You weren't on our recent sailing to see what was going on and you are not aware of who was sailing in a suite and who wasn't.  I do know which were in suites and which weren't.  You can continue to jump to conclusions as you do when anyone says anything about pinnacles but that does not change what other cruisers are experiencing.

 

OK.  ^   Sorry, but I would not be one to answer you if you wanted to know what type of cabin I was in.  

 

And do be aware that Pinnacles have the choice to have breakfast in Chops (or sometimes Giovanni's) no matter what the numbers.  There were many times we opted for that venue for breakfast versus CK.  

 

We're close to the Chops for our August Wonder Cruise -- deck 9 -- just down a flight of stairs.  I changed the cabin from deck 11 to deck 9 for that reason.  

[Ret MP]

I don't know what came first, the chicken or the egg.  But, it seems that RCCL and I can't believe I'm saying this, seems to follow a lot.  Who started the once-a-day cabin service?  I don't know but I don't think it was RCCL.  

[RD64]

2 hours ago, vjmatty said:

Or start choosing other lines 🤷🏻‍♀️

Sooner or later the other lines will follow suit.

[reallyitsmema]

11 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

 

Is that normal, for waitstaff to not suggest they move on when it’s been that long after their meal is finished? I’m not talking about rushing people out as soon as they’re done eating, but surely after the table is bussed and there’s clearly no food or drinks for some time I can’t imagine staff wouldn’t notice. 

 

I didn't notice anyone trying to shoo them away but it could have happened.  It was just a crazy morning in there that day.  We heard later that day that they had served 450 for breakfast.  They ended up getting help so they could turn tables quicker.  From that day on, there was always at least two extra bussers from either the WJ or MDR as there shirts didn't match those of the CK staff.

[island lady]

39 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

Where did I say I despised anyone?  Stop trying to manipulate what I have typed.  We speak to many people on the ship and sometimes people bring up cabins, especially since this was an oversold sailing that many still got last minute Royal Ups.

 

You had breakfast in Chops on Harmony because pinnacles had been kicked out of CK for breakfast and could eat in either place if you were in a suite.  Nice try.

 

I have not profiled anyone, you once again are trying to manipulate what I said.  Four tables were held by pinnacles when a large number of people were waiting for tables.  All passengers at those tables were wearing their nametags.  We did not observe anyone else holding tables for any length of time.  These four tables were done eating when we arrived and had to wait 25 minutes.  They were still there when we left after we had breakfast.  That is a long time to hold four tables when so many people are waiting.

 

I have a very open mind, you have an issue when anyone says anything about pinnacles.  Maybe you should remove your blinders and stop trying to manipulate everything to fit your agenda.

 

If you say so...it must be as it is.  

 

I am done with conversations with you.  😑