Lovetocruise2002

Perhaps not everyone is like you. Perhaps “one might” not want to indulge in “weekly calls to Royal to service their reservations”. My point is that just because you have not found a good TA yet, please don’t insult them by minimizing what they do, and don’t loop them all into the same category as the lemons that you have dealt with.

As you have already stated endlessly, you were burned on a singular occasion by a bad TA. Please do not minimize all the hard work the actual good agents do (and there are many of them out there, just because you got burned once, does not make them all bad) by inferring that they are only good for booking dining times and collecting deposits. The benefits of a TA are endless, but clearly there is no point convincing you. However, it is very insulting to all the fantastic TAs out there to downplay their jobs. The good ones work beyond hard. And the best part of doing both is that you get benefits from both. Self service your own reservation and you only benefit from Next Cruise.

You can do both! Book at Next Cruise and get the extra OBC then transfer to a TA within 60 days to reap whatever extra benefits they provide. Best of both worlds. Personally, it would depend what I am booking. If I notice something for a cabin category where there is not a lot of selection for, I will not wait for Next Cruise. I will grab it right away with my TA. If it is a cabin category where there is a lot selection (or if I am not in a rush to book), then I will book with Next Cruise and transfer it to my TA. I have even had an existing booking, then get on board and book the same sailing in the the same category to get the extra OBC, and cancel my old booking (without the the NC OBC) and move back to the same room number I originally had with the new Next Cruise reservation lol.

You can walk over and get drinks. Most of the time, if you are dining in CK, the waitstaff will actually go and get you the drink from the suite lounge bar. One of my favourite things to do when dining in CK is to swing by the bar and grab a lemon drop martini or cosmo and carry it over to dinner. Often, the bartender will even bring the drink over for me. ? Now I really miss CK and the suite lounge after typing this.

We’ve had to delete/lock more threads here lately than we like. Please see @Matt’s “Do not do these things.” thread if you are not yet aware:

I've said it before, and I will say it again, the benefits of a suite all depend on what type of cruiser you are. There are many different types. Just because one person cruises and doesn't spend much time in their cabins, doesn't mean that all people cruise that way. For myself, I've done everything from inside to Star. I'm a suite snob, not ever ashamed to admit it. The benefits are way greater on Oasis/Quantum class as @AshleyDillo described but I book suites on non-Oasis/Quantum class to purely because I like the space.

For me, as a parent, it is truly the only time that I can get away and 100% relax and not do anything! That is what cruising represents to me. It is not just a vacation. It is more than that. In addition, I truly believe that cruising offers the best value for a vacation compared to other options.

Expedia is considered a travel agent. Royal will not match travel agent deals and promos. You can only get a price adjustment if your actual cruise fare through Royal has dropped. It is easy to find out. Just give them a call and ask them to check pricing for you to see if there is a drop. If there is, and you have not made final payment, and you live in North America, they can adjust quickly for you.

MDR? What’s that? #teamCK ?

Intercontinental Miami...always. Bay view room.

It is already being discussed on this thread. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/20908-norwegian-cancels-sailings-through-the-end-of-october/ Please try to stay on topic with each thread. This is one is about FCC application.

I have one kid older than 12. YMMV. They are more flexible with them the last few months.

Do not apply the FCC until final payment! Once applied, it changes the bottom line and it will make it hard for price adjustments if the price drops on your cruise.

Same info as @twangster, when we lost our March sailing, our FCCs came back divided equally by 4. I was a bit alarmed because up to this point, it has always been only able to be used in the person's name only and passenger 1&2 always pay more. Anyway, my awesome TA told me not to worry at all. Since cancellations rolled out, they have bent the rules a bit and as long as it's the same 4 people (or whatever amount was on the original reservation) redeeming it on the another booking, then they will just roll it all together. Fast forward to May when I made final payment for my now cancelled August sailing, my TA was able to apply the March FCC without issue even though the amounts on the FCC for my two kids were way more than they were actually paying on the booking. Now fast forward again to today, I just received my FCCs for my cancelled August sailing and the FCCs have been divided equally by 4 again. This time I am not going to stress too much. We're applying this set to our cruise next summer with the kids so it's the same 4 again.

Yes, it's a fun little system that @Matt came out with a few years ago.

It gets updated as you post more. ?

That is quite the upgrade! Awesome!

This was my point a few days ago. So many “rumours” going around these days. The real answer is that nobody truly will know until actual sailings resume. Royal said reduced capacities but there aren’t specifics as to what that might look like. Any posts where someone “heard it from Royal” should all be taken with a grain of salt. We’ll know if it’s actual fact if @Matt posts it in the blog. He works hard to maintain it so that it’s current and accurate. Glad to hear that your sailing has a full range of cabin options.

Most ships that are not Oasis or Quantum class are like this.

No CK or lofts ? lol kidding. I would take a cruise on just about any ship at the moment. Any cruise is a good cruise, as long as you go in with the right expectations. Don't sail Majesty and expect Oasis class and it will be perfectly fine!

It's definitely possible to L&S and go from non-OA class to OA class and get the additional suite benefits. I've heard of quite a few like this already. The best one was still the one where someone went from the RL on Indy to the RLS on Oasis. Extra benefits and a way better room! I think at first they were really strict with what they were Lift and Shifting but it seems that the more time that goes by, the more lenient they have become. Good luck with yours.

I blame @WAAAYTOOO ? And definitely go from Sky to Star, you will be greatly disappointed the other way around. Star will spoil you for life. It truly is the point of no return lol.

Forgot to answer this question: Crown Lofts are not star class. Out of the lofts on Oasis, the following are Star: Royal Loft x 1 , Owners Panoramic x 1, Grand Panoramic x 1, Star Loft x 2.

Depends on your preferences. Some people like to people watch and in that case, back view is best. Some people prefer the privacy and ocean views. In that case, side is best. Port is not better than starboard or vice versa. We have done both sides and find them the same. No noise from the WJ that I have ever experience, but I have heard some complain of noise from CK if you choose the loft next to it. Last thing to keep in mind is your own privacy. With the ones facing the back, those on Deck 16 below can see you clearly when you are out on the balcony, just like you can see them. With the side lofts, I usually go towards to middle because the ones (first 3 or so) closest to the end, people can also see you from Deck 16 also. But really, you cannot to wrong with the lofts, if there was only one left, I wouldn’t care where it was, I would take it over any other deck. ? #teamDeck17

Ah...the line that unites us all! ?