DunkelBierJay

It's a deal based on the price the day you see the promo and your willingness to take advantage of it. Past pricing is irrelevant.

On Anthem an out of control kid ran into the Staff Captain, literally.  This brat had been punching random guests waiting near elevators while the parents did nothing.  Small kid like 5 or 6 so not a death punch but still, you don't do that.  He's running around and slams into the Staff Captain who walks into the area by coincidence.  
Staff Captain grabs kid and tells him to slow down, calm down, etc.  Father doesn't like a crew member admonishing his kid so he starts getting into it verbally with Staff Captain.  Along the way the father escalates it into "I know where you live and I'm coming for your family".  Boom - cabin arrest.  Next morning the whole family was put off in San Juan.  Around eight of them including grand parents who all got to fly home at their own expense.  
Big tough Jersey attitude didn't fly with the Staff Captain.  Threatening his family was the last straw.  I'm sure this guy went home and told his friends "I didn't do nothing, we were just kicked off" and maybe by New York or New Jersey standards that's just friendly banter but it didn't work on the ship.  That was our first stop on a 11 night cruise after one sea day coming down from Bayonne.  Nice way to lose what must have cost several thousand for the cruise plus then having to buy plane tickets same day to fly home. 

I like 'em if for any other reason than it is easier to find my SeaPass card if I let the cabin get cluttered.

Since fmanke found the new drink package/MDR attire/gratutity topic in terms of popularity, I must add to the equation with the lanyard from the recent group cruise onto which I pinned a flag of every port I visited since I began sailing RC...I'm debating adding pins from some short European sailings years ago...but my wife insists that I don't because she doesn't want full certification of my geekdom.
Mexico will be added in 49 days...

Thanks. I would have advised them of that if they hadn't already gone to Guest Services. I sort of wish they tried to have a conversation with the attendant first, but they are learning, and overall I am proud of how they're handling things. I think it's the first time, they didn't see an attendant not long after entering their rooms. They entered a few minutes after 1 pm on Sunday and didn't see her all that day. I can't think of a time I hadn't seen my attendant relatively soon after getting in a room.

To me, this sounds like the most plausible explanation, and the person in the RC call center may not have picked up that perspective. It's unfortunate that this really seems to be a misunderstanding...that a travel advisor would have been able to avoid.
It also goes to how confusing some of the category designations can be for experienced cruisers and first-timers alike.

Might be time to lock this thread up.

Don't listen to them. Not all of us here at royalcaribbeanblog are like that.
Is sad to see how some people on this board has become more and more hostile like the usual members of the "other site".
Please don't be discouraged by some people who only appears to be trolling.
I completely agree with all that you said. 

Yea, I get it, but I've been in this situation before, I was on the phone with Royal after an online booking, and I was just trying to move the room closer to the elevator bank and the agent kept going on about 2's, 3's and 4's and what I wanted was a 6 and there would be a $100pp difference, WTF, all I want to do is move closer to the elevator, so we went through it again, finely I stopped them and said, what are you talking about with the numbers and letters?
They explained the designations to me, explained that some are valued more than others due to proximity to things, etc., at that point I said give me the room and I'm ok with the $100pp.
I'm not bashing anyone, but I'm hoping some future cruiser reads these blogs and figures all of this out before they get upset and start bashing Royal.
We all have to be vigilant with how we spend our money and make good educated choices, otherwise we'll be giving our bank account information to a Saudi Prince... 

Yeah the Royal Caribbean website stinks. We all know this. Unfortunately the OP did not. I can understand why she might think it’s bait and switch, I don’t think it is. But I know from experience that calling Royal Customer Service is like getting a root canal. That’s again why I use a TA. 
Message to the OP if you are still here. Get a travel agent and try a different cruise company if you are mad at Royal Caribbean. Cruising is a great vacation. We are all very nice here and did not mean to be rude and were just trying to help I swear!
 

I'm still saying it might have been a browser issue and maybe not a web site issue, I've just done 10 mock bookings on different dates and different ships (Since I'm guessing which one it is) and on each mock booking I've picked the higher priced option, pick your own room, and I have been prompted to select my room on all 10 mock bookings. One date, it tried to put me in the aft section and I selected midship and the page stated a +18 dollar price differential.
As stated before, using chrome Incognito so the Royal web page should not know who I am, no cookies being tracked. 

It seems that many people find their way to this message board via google and not by way of the main website/blog and the excellent information that is found there.  Here are some links to some of the many articles aimed at first time cruisers on this site. They all recommend using a travel agent along with a bunch of other tips and insights. 
Best of luck.  
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2018/01/03/first-time-cruisers-what-know-booking-royal-caribbean-cruise
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2016/06/15/why-first-time-cruisers-should-use-royal-caribbean-travel-agent
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2017/10/30/8-cruise-tips-first-time-royal-caribbean-cruisers
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2014/07/17/first-time-cruisers-ten-mistakes-avoid
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2015/02/28/first-time-cruisers-what-you-need-know-about-taking-royal-caribbean-cruise
 

Could you imagine the emails Richard Fain would get if the Towel Animal was not folded correctly or had some hanging threads??
 

You've got it backwards. You get a discount for allowing RC to choose your room.
As for "needing to pay more", this is no different than if you book an airline flight and select a seat with extra leg room or an emergency exit row seat. Preferred room options come with a higher cost. 
In your original post, you wrote in big, bold letters "assuming this meant", so yes, you did assume.
I understand this isn't your first foray into travel, but cruise vacations are different from land vacations. I'm not sure why you did not stop when you reached the point of not seeing the options you expected and completed the booking.  
I'm sorry your first experience was not to your liking, but I think your experience and/or expectations were out line with pretty much everyone else here. If you think you've discovered some vast conspiracy by Royal Caribbean to dupe their customers, well, I'm sorry to say that simply is not the case.  Reading your experiences speaks to a first time cruiser who made assumptions and ended up with a different result than they expected. 
My advice going forward is to give RC another try, but employ some of the advice and strategies we all happily share.  I think with a bit more footwork, you could easily come away with a great cruise vacation.

They texted me some pics last night and it’s just so unusual compared to our experience on previous cruises. The attendant’s service and mood seems to have improved...I wish none of it happened because we have loved each attendant we had in the past. 

The attendants do have help getting the cabins ready and sometimes this is their first day in that zone after a change (or even returning to ship for the start of a new contract period). But your attendant is still responsible so my tact is usually the floor supervisor since they should look into what went wrong and have the resources to make it right. 
 
 

Sorry to hear about your children's experience.
Personally, I would not have escalated to Guest Services that quickly.  I would have written a note in the room for the attendant to take care of it before I returned.   
I would hide my toothbrush.

As long as they are safe and having a great time!  Hope they enjoy the rest of their cruise.

The first day is always hectic, and you just want a clean room to come back to. If they hadn't been able to find their attendant yet, what can they do? Have to go somewhere...and Guest Services is the logical option. That's where I would have gone in their situation. Not their fault they couldn't find their attendant and just wanted a clean room to go back to.

Thanks. I would have advised them of that if they hadn't already gone to Guest Services. I sort of wish they tried to have a conversation with the attendant first, but they are learning, and overall I am proud of how they're handling things. I think it's the first time, they didn't see an attendant not long after entering their rooms. They entered a few minutes after 1 pm on Sunday and didn't see her all that day. I can't think of a time I hadn't seen my attendant relatively soon after getting in a room.

Two different directions:
1. Give the room a attendant a $50 tip and see if service improves (This is a joke)
2. Ask to speak directly with the Hotel Director/Officer
I don't think MEI can help at this point.

I would have a discussion with the deck supervisor.  Going straight to the Hotel Director is the nuclear option but skips several layers of management.  
 

Sorry to hear the cruise did not meet your expectations.  I understand megaships are not for everyone.  Did you purchase The Key?  That may have help alleviate some of the line/crowd issues that you experienced on your cruise.  What stateroom category did your family stay in?  Could an extra $4k buy you into one of those coveted Loft Suites?  That might enough to change your next experience on OA class ship.

It's no different than any business that changes prices of its products throughout the year. As an example, TV's at Best Buy are not the price on Black Friday versus today (unless you are reading this post on Black Friday).
It has become clear the Cruise Planner has become a major source of revenue. Cruise packages (dining, drink, internet) are currently making the cruise line insane profits. So RC isn't dumb, and they are seeing what the market may bare.
Keep in mind a very important thing when it comes to these packages....you don't have to buy them. Seriously. There are ways around it and if the price is too high, then skip it.  Vote with your wallet.
Also, please do not use profanity on these boards. Thanks ?

I'd like to see Blue Man Group on RC as well. I am pretty sure they are already on Norwegian Epic, although I don't know if that is an exclusive deal.