WAAAYTOOO

Ugh. I know exactly what you are going through. I had the same thing happen to me a number of years ago. Fortunately for me, the Agent that had the booking very generously transferred the booking from her control to Royal Caribbean's control and that ended the blockade.

 

You used to have to have letters and forms that went back and forth and it was all very tedious. Nowadays you can do the booking transfer online but if you have a TA that is unwilling to release the booking I'm not sure what you can do !

 

We do have a very knowledgeable and helpful TA on this site and I certainly hope she has some advice/suggestions on how to get the booking released.

 

Of course, by now the drop dead date for making any changes to your July 2015 booking has probably already passed anyway...so I'm not sure that releasing the booking at this point would even help you but CERTAINLY from now on you should make SURE that when you do any kind of booking - on board or otherwise, that you make sure that it is NOT designated to the control of anyone but yourselves !

Head's up, everyone who is interested in booking one of the 6 newly added Grand Suites in the Aqua Theater area of the Oasis and Allure. These are the 6 new Grand Suites that were added to both of these ships during their most recent drydocks (this is where the "hidden balconies" were before renovation). The stateroom numbers are 11330, 11730, 12330, 12730, 14330 and 14730.

 

These very LARGE Grand Suites are going to be redesignated as Aqua Theater Suites. The Allure will change these rooms from GS to AS June 5, 2016. The Oasis will make the change May 7, 2016. The 4 biggest ones (11330, 11730, 12330 and 12730) are going to be category A3 which require a minimum of 4 persons to book. The smaller ones (14330 and 41730) will be a new designation A4 and will be available to general inventory, which means that you can book with just 2 people.

 

I found this out ONLY because I was planning on booking one of these Grand Suites for my Christmas 2016 cruise only to find that they will be designated as Aqua Suites by then. The Club Royale agent and I backtracked and determined that the change-over from GS to A3/A4 will occur in May and June of next year.

 

So....if you want to take advantage of booking any of these 6 rooms while they are still Grand Suites, I suggest you do so very soon. Word WILL get out that their availability as GS is limited and they will all be gone - poof !

 

Needless to say, the price on these rooms skyrockets once they go from being GS to A3/A4. The room that will cost just over $5K on Feb. 21 will be upwards of $15K once it is redesignated. Of course, they are doing NOTHING to enhance these rooms at all...they are just taking advantage of the fact that they are bigger than all of the other GS on the boat and know that they can charge 3 times what they are currently getting for them. Typical, right ?

 

Of course, they aren't telling ANYone about this...even the RC sales agents didn't know about it. We all found out together. So slimy.

Yeah, be safe. Things are pretty dicey down there.

 

I have some friends named Hince in Texas. I know it's a big state... :) Retired Army...previously lived in Woodbridge, Virginia ????

 

I love the Navigator. We sailed on her last year and had one of the inside rooms with virtual balcony. It was awesome !

I'm jealous. Wish I was going next week. What ship ?

Traditionally the formal nights are nights 2 and 6 but sometimes they will adjust to coincide with a sea day. The southern Carrib cruises are port-intense and don't usually have many sea days so they will likely stick with nights 2 and 6. Ya never know though.

You are SOOO welcome. I love doing this kind of thing.

Wish I could answer your question but I am only D+. Have a LONG way to go to get to Pinnacle. If you are there, or nearly there - congratulations !

Sorry...forgot to answer your question about the craps tables. If my memory serves me well, there are 2 craps tables - 1 in the smoking section which is open most of the time whenever the tables open (usually noon on sea days) and then there is another one located in the nonsmoking section which usually only opens in the evenings around 8PM.

 

Not all of the ships have 2 craps tables....there are 2 generally just on the bigger ships. Don't know about Q class since I haven't been on one.

The table minimums for most games is $5. These minimums do not go up which is lovely. There are certain tables that have higher minimums (there is a $10 min blackjack table, a $50 min. blackjack table a $6 min. blackjack table) for the high rollers...which are few and far between. On the ships with a live dealer, the ships always try and make the no limit poker a $2/$5 minimum but they will take it down to $1/$3 if nobody wants to play for $2/$5 (that is just a trick to try and get a higher rake for the house). Most people are now aware that if you just refuse to play $2/$5 they will reduce the blinds down to $1/$3. Unfortunately, the Allure and Oasis still have their electronic poker machines and they have set blinds ($2/$5) so if you want to play poker on the Oasis or the Allure you're going to be playing for $2/$5.

 

I haven't been on the Allure in a while so I don't know who the casino hostess or the casino managers are on that ship these days. As a rule, the big ships have very good hostesses and managers and their programs are usually well managed. I'm looking forward to the casino on the Allure in Feb !

Wow...this is getting to be quite a list !

 

Thanks, Matt

It's fairly common for balconies but less common for suites. I don't think they offer the suite guarantee very often...probably just when the suite sales are lagging...which isn't usually the case.

 

I was very surprised to learn (when I first started cruising) that the very FIRST rooms to sell out on a cruise ship are the expensive ones (suites) followed by the least expensive (inside). Those in the middle (balcony and outside) usually last the longest.

 

I just did a search to see if I could find any suite guarantees and I found one on the very first try. Grandeur, w/o 21 - 29 November. HOWEVER, the price was NOT comparable to a D1 (confirmed balcony). The JS was $2999 and the D1 was $2484.

 

So the Suite guarantee is out there...it's just not nearly as common as a balcony guarantee...and if you can find one that is equivalent in price to a confirmed balcony - snatch it up !

There's winter and then there's WINTER so the month is pretty important. We cruise every Christmas and even in San Juan it can be coolish. Was it warm enough to go into the pool in San Juan Christmas week ? Yes. Was I comfortable staying there for a long period of time ? No. I'm pretty wimpy so unless it is REALLY warm I am probably not going to get wet. Sitting by the pool, walking on the beach...you bet. Swimming ? Nah.

 

We were on the Freedom May 3 - 10 and both my husband and I thought it was too cool at Coco Cay to get into the water. There were a few brave souls who were out there swimming but not many. The Bahamas is definitely NOT far enough south to provide "beach weather" during the winter, IMO.

 

The islands in the southern Caribbean are pretty much warm, year round so you're definitely going to get the best results there if you are cruising in the winter if you are looking for swimming weather. Then, there is the inverse of that. It is BLISTERING hot in the southern Caribbean during the summer months so when is the best time ? A matter of personal preference. From May - late September you have to worry about storms. Jan - March it can be very cold. That leaves what...April, October, November and December ? LOL. Truly, there is NO bad time to cruise. I have cruised every month of the year except maybe October. Each month has its own upsides and downsides....mostly upsides. Since I'm not much of a sun worshipper I usually couldn't care less about the weather.

 

If you're looking just to get away from the doldrums of winter to a warm place, anywhere from Florida down will do and even the WORST day on a cruise ship beats your best day at work so how can you go wrong ??

Yeah ! Forgot about the double points. Good addition

The "guarantee" rooms are, as you suggest, rooms that they keep in reserve for some period of time and, if they are not sold, they will assign them to those who have "guarantee" bookings. They are generally not the most preferred locations - often at the very front or the very rear (but not the fantail) of the ship b/c these are the rooms that are often left unsold until the very end. It's just the Cruise line's way of discounting the unsold rooms without really discounting them.

 

Whether or not you make the switch from confirmed balcony to suite guarantee is entirely a matter of how important your room location is to you.

 

Personally, I would always prefer even a bad suite (location) to an average balcony any time, but that's just me. If your confirmed balcony is exactly where you want to be then I would stick with it. If your balcony is just an average balcony somewhere on the outside and you don't really care where you end up, I would say the suite guarantee makes sense.

 

Of course, all suites are not located one floor below the pool. Depending upon which ship you are on, the suites are generally scattered in various places and on numerous decks, throughout the ship. As a general rule, rooms on the higher decks are considered more desirable (although I often wonder why) and so, many suites are on the higher decks, just below the pool deck or just below the Windjammer. I can tell you from experience that staterooms of ANY type, located just below the pool deck or just below the Windjammer can be VERY noisy with people dragging chairs to and fro.

 

You will not know where your "guarantee" room is until close to sailing when the Cruise line begins allocating the unsold rooms. Not only are the guarantee rooms a function of whatever rooms remain unsold, but there is also an element of shuffling that results from stateroom upgrades that generally involve the D+ and Pinnacle members of C&A. If, for some strange reason, there is a very desirable location that either remains unsold or is the result of a last-minute cancellation, that room will probably be offered to a D+ or Pinnacle C&A member as a complementary upgrade and (if the upgrade is accepted), the "old" stateroom, vacated by the C&A member, then becomes an unsold orphan. I know this to be the case b/c I have been the beneficiary of such an upgrade.

 

There is one good thing about the suite guarantee and that is, there is really only 1 variety of suite that is in play with the guarantee and that is the Junior Suite (trust me, they will not assign you a Grand Suite or above with a guarantee room !). One Junior Suite is pretty much the same as the next Junior Suite with some very minor exceptions and obviously, the room location. The Balcony Guarantee, on the other hand, has (depending upon the ship class) a large number of variants so a balcony guarantee is a much dicier gamble than a suite guarantee.

 

What's the worst that can happen if you opt for the Suite Guarantee ? You will end up with a Junior Suite somewhere on the ship. I don't think that's much of a gamble at all....especially if it is no more money than a confirmed balcony !

Doc, you are always welcome to join us when we have the extra large balcony and dinner table outside. Even with suites that's a rare amenity. The Royal Family Balcony on the Freedom was the ultimate ! I have never had a suite on an Oasis class so maybe that's more prevalent but so far, the Royal Family Suite on the aft was pretty great. Join us ANY time. We have one of the newly added Grand Suites (Aqua Suite area) on the aft on the Allure in Feb. If you're going on the Blog Group cruise come and see us !

 

I think JTI has it just right. If you are already a fan of eating at the specialty restaurants then this is going to be a value for you. If not, nada.

No, I will not be purchasing the specialty restaurant package. I do not even take advantage (if it IS actually an advantage) of the 30% off or the BOGOF D+ benefit. I see no point in paying for food in a specialty restaurant when there is [GOOD] "free" food in the MDR (of course I realize that the food in the MDR...and everywhere else on the ship...is not "free". We have all paid for it as part of our cruisefare.) and everywhere else around the ship. I know that makes me sound like I'm just cheap, but truly I am NOT ! When we are in a suite (which is most of the time, for us) we just have our MDR food brought to our room in the evenings. I tell you, there is nothing better than enjoying your dinner on the balcony with the port of call disappearing into the evening, behind the ship. I would MUCH rather tip the waiter who brings my dinner $20 than pay more than that for a dinner in a specialty restaurant that is, IMO no better than whatever they are eating in the MDR. With FEW exceptions, I always enjoy my dinner JUST as much in the MDR as I have, in the past, at any of the specialty restaurants. The notable exception is Izumi b/c you simply cannot get that menu anywhere else. ...and to be honest, I don't know how Izumi is going to work with that new restaurant package since Izumi is an ala carte restaurant. I doubt they will have unlimited dining at Izumi as part of the package. ...and when you dine in your room you do not have to make small talk with the people sitting near you or answer the same question 50 times from the waiters about how your day was or what you did that day. I know they are just doing their jobs and being friendly but that truly becomes tedious after a couple of days.

 

My guess is that, if the dining package is popular, they WILL do away with the 30% discount...and I also concur that if the dining package becomes popular the specialty restaurants will fill up more so than they are currently. Truly, I find them nearly empty most of the time. I'm sure this discount package is a way of trying to change that. Of course, they did themselves NO favors when they raised the price at Chops to $35 pp. I can eat at a steakhouse for that out in town ! BAD decision, IMO

 

As RCCL attracts new cruisers or cruisers from other lines they will know no better and accept that they are paying for their food twice. I'm sure that's what RCCL is hoping...but not me.

Ugh...what an unfortunate decision to have to make. Guess they're gonna get ya one way or another.

I know what you mean, Doc. Having everything prepaid is a double-edged sword if you have OBC to use. Of course, I never have a problem with OBC b/c I use it up in the casino but for those who do not go to the casino sometimes you have to think of ways to try and spend it which is pretty counterproductive when you've gone to all of the trouble of prepaying everything !

That's an excellent point...rewards and gift certificates are not the same thing.

 

Here is a link to the Royal Caribbean website information on gift certificates https://www.royalcaribbeancertificates.com/

 

There do seem to be some rather stringent restrictions on how/when you use them. Apparently they must be redeemed before final payment is made on the cruise BUT the good news is they can be used as onboard credit so that might still be a viable option for you. Making sure she redeems them properly/timely could be a source of frustration for you since you wouldn't have control over that.

 

Sorry I confused everything and got 2 topics mixed up !

There was a rather lengthy and insightful discussion about gift card/certificates at http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php/topic/706-royal-caribbean-gift-certificates/

 

It seems that they are probably to be avoided...that's what I got from this discussion

As a general rule, the longer the cruise, the more cost-effective on a per-night basis it's going to be. The really short cruises are ridiculously expensive for what you get, IMO. Depending upon where you live, a 2-nighter could be a fun way to spend a couple of days but if the logistics of getting to the ship outweigh the [very short] fun of the cruise then I would say no.

 

Let's just say, I wouldn't do it !

I love the radiance class ships. It's been a while since I was on one (I think it was the Jewel, Christmas 2012) and I have never sailed on Voyager but like WhiteSoxFan, I have been on a couple of the other Voyager class ships. The truth is, I have never found ANY of the ships to be overwhelmingly crowded. They certainly have worse times than others (disembarking and getting onto tenders are 2 that come to mind...and of course, the pool area on sea days) but mostly I find that everyone seems to spread out and find something different to do and you never really feel crowded.

 

I have friends with whom I cruise frequently that simply refuse to sail on the Oasis class ships b/c they are certain that, with that many people in one place, they are sure to be crowded. I have tried and tried to convince them that you can actually feel quite ALONE sometimes on the Oasis class ships, i.e., in Central Park in the late evenings...but alas, they don't believe me so I don't know if I will ever get them to come with us on an Oasis ship or not. I'm still trying !

 

To me, there is virtually no difference between the Voyager and Freedom class ships...especially now that they are adding some additional dining options to the Voyagers and they are even adding flow riders to them ! Soon there really won't be ANY difference. Of course, there is a BIG difference between the Voyager class and the Radiance class which is what you originally asked about. Since the Voyager ships are SO much bigger than the Radiance class there are, quite naturally, more people, but proportionally, I think it's probably about the same.

 

Some of the old-timers are convinced that the smaller ships are better. Who am I to disagree with them ? You like what you like. Personally, the bigger the better. I LOVE the big ships and to give the smaller ships their due, they are truly more elegant. It really comes down to what you want to do. Bigger ships....more to do. Smaller ships, more intimate (I guess..) and more traditional cruising options.

 

Bottom line...there are no BAD ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet. Many options but none of them, bad.

From all that I have read, only GS and above and Pinnacles can use the CK and Suite Lounges....BUT I had a Customer Service person from RCCL (on the phone) tell me recently that JS could use them so I'm not sure which is true. If they are allowing JS to use the Suite lounges and CK I will be surprised. All of the literature online said GS and above but these things seem to change without notice so I just don't know for sure.

 

I haven't been on an Oasis ship as a suite guest since they added the suites amenities upstairs and I've never been on a Quantum class so I guess I will just have to wait until the Group cruise to find out !

I know what you mean Michelle. I have not been blessed with experiencing the bionic bar yet but from what I've heard it is highly forgettable. I love going to the champagne bar for a drink just before dinner. It is so convenient. I suspect the bionic bars will be a short-lived stunt that RCCI will regret

Doc it has been my experience that it's just more of the same. They don't even do the waiters entertainment anymore (which is fine by me). You will definitely get to try all of the standard MDR menus but there aren't any surprises....or at least none that I have experienced.

 

I have never been on the Brilliance but I have no reason to believe it would vastly different from any of the other ships. Sorry to hear that Rita's is one of your limited choices. Too bad they didn't opt for Sabor which is a MUCH better restaurant than Rita's.