Atlantix2000

Because GTY and Royal Up are different independent programs, there's also the really, really, rare chance that you could "win" a bid that turns out to be a downgrade from what you got assigned from the GTY since the GTY is for a certain category or higher.  There was a thread sometime ago where it happened to someone.  In that case, I don't believe there's a way to decline the win so you would pay for it even though you got something better for free.  It's a (mostly theoretical) risk of doing both on the same reservation.

@TexasNative Nope can't buy liquor by the bottle for consumption on board.  Gotta buy your drinks one at a time!  And while looking at the drink package price, remember that's before they add 18% gratuity.  So $79 * 1.18 = $93.22 per person per day.  That will cover your gratuities for all drinks you get with the package.  Buying individual drinks also gets 18% added.  So if you only drink cocktails, you're looking at $79/$14 or $15 = about 5-6 drinks per day to break even.  If you only drink beer, more like 8 drinks per day.  If you also take advantage of the bottled water, specialty coffee, soda, etc, then you have to do more math but it does lower how many alcoholic drinks you need per day.  Keep in mind, the more port days you have, the less time on the ship you may have to drink those drinks.  And alcohol fatigue is a thing on a long cruise - if you aren't used to drinking day after day, it gets harder to break even.

That's because the price you see already includes that "discount"!  Wait a few days and they will call it a different sale with different terms but it will still magically calculate out to the same thing.  Ignore all the text and just focus on the number shown.  Track that number up and down and buy when it looks good.  You can always cancel and repurchase if it goes down further.

If you upgraded but it's still a guaranteed category, then the original rule still applies.  They can assign you a cabin anytime between when you booked and when you sail.  You usually know at least a couple weeks before the cruise, but knowing is NOT part of the guarantee.
If you upgraded to a non-guaranteed category, then you would have picked your cabin number.

That's because the price you see already includes that "discount"!  Wait a few days and they will call it a different sale with different terms but it will still magically calculate out to the same thing.  Ignore all the text and just focus on the number shown.  Track that number up and down and buy when it looks good.  You can always cancel and repurchase if it goes down further.

I'm having a hard time understanding this question since, well, it's Bingo!  I could sum up the rules in a couple sentences but that hardly seems necessary.  If you won, I can't imagine leaving the room without asking what to do next.  As with all complaints, if you didn't deal with it on the ship, it's many times harder to deal with it post-cruise.  Most shore staff have no clue about anything that happens on board.

I'm having a hard time understanding this question since, well, it's Bingo!  I could sum up the rules in a couple sentences but that hardly seems necessary.  If you won, I can't imagine leaving the room without asking what to do next.  As with all complaints, if you didn't deal with it on the ship, it's many times harder to deal with it post-cruise.  Most shore staff have no clue about anything that happens on board.

The website doesn't always show all available inventory for various reasons (illusion of scarcity, trying to fill certain areas/muster stations more evenly, etc).  However, I've read multiple times that when calling Royal they can see all available inventory even if it isn't shown on the website.  I would assume Next Cruise would see the same.  Of course, if a category is showing as sold out online, that may unfortunately be the truth.

The website doesn't always show all available inventory for various reasons (illusion of scarcity, trying to fill certain areas/muster stations more evenly, etc).  However, I've read multiple times that when calling Royal they can see all available inventory even if it isn't shown on the website.  I would assume Next Cruise would see the same.  Of course, if a category is showing as sold out online, that may unfortunately be the truth.

Yeah, unfortunately, Royal's system isn't reliable at sending the PDF receipts with full booking information (or it ends up in spam either due to your internet provider or your email software).  There's an automated phone system (call and answer a few prompts) that can email you a copy.  That doesn't help you now but it is good to know for the future.  Since it's impossible to know exactly what happened in your situation, I would recommend not dwelling on it and enjoy the trip.  Once your cabin is officially assigned, you can call and move to another cabin in the EXACT same category if there is availability.  Have a good trip!

I think at this point Royal's only motivation is getting deposits in the door to pay down the debt they took on during the pandemic.  The deposit for non-suites is a fixed amount, but for suites is 10% of the trip.  So if they jack up the prices now, they can get extra money now.  They don't have to care (yet) whether anyone actually intends to sail because they get an interest free loan of your money even if you end up canceling 2 years from now.
A year or more from now, they can drop the prices to what they actually intend to charge.  Some people won't notice (so they score extra $ on those sailings).  Some will reprice at the lower rate which just means their deposit pre-paid a higher percentage of the trip.  And some will end up canceling which is always true.  But once they've got your deposit, there's a better chance you ultimately sail with Royal.  (Remember, more than half the ship is first time cruisers so this is important.)

I think at this point Royal's only motivation is getting deposits in the door to pay down the debt they took on during the pandemic.  The deposit for non-suites is a fixed amount, but for suites is 10% of the trip.  So if they jack up the prices now, they can get extra money now.  They don't have to care (yet) whether anyone actually intends to sail because they get an interest free loan of your money even if you end up canceling 2 years from now.
A year or more from now, they can drop the prices to what they actually intend to charge.  Some people won't notice (so they score extra $ on those sailings).  Some will reprice at the lower rate which just means their deposit pre-paid a higher percentage of the trip.  And some will end up canceling which is always true.  But once they've got your deposit, there's a better chance you ultimately sail with Royal.  (Remember, more than half the ship is first time cruisers so this is important.)

There is more than one type of GTY and you didn't say which ship you are sailing.  For most ships the Balcony with Ocean View description is redundant because ALL balconies have an ocean view.  The exception is the Oasis class ships where there are balconies that face the middle of the ship (with either Boardwalk or Central Park view).  You also say the Ocean Views are now unavailable but did you mean actual ocean view class (rooms with windows, no balcony) or did you mean ocean view balconies?  What type of GTY do you have now, and what was your original booking type?  If you don't have that or don't know, then there's not much we can use to advise you.

The price in Euro likely already includes the 18% gratuity.  Go through the motion of purchasing it through the cruise planner all the way to the final step and see if any gratuity gets added.  This is definitely how they do things for a European sailing (like out of Southampton or Barcelona).  I'm not sure what they do with a US cruise paid for in European currency.
However, I can say for certain that any price you see in US dollars does NOT include the 18% gratuity.  If you attempt to purchase it in cruise planner, you would see 18% added before checkout.
You should take the US price from your email, add 18%, and then convert to Euro and see how that compares to the price you see in Euro.  The last time I suggested this, someone in another European country found the prices were identical within a few cents.

Specifically no, but in general, it's crew areas which could include crew stairs/elevators, cabin steward cleaning cart storage and supplies, spare bedding storage, etc.  From the hall it will look like a wall with some doors.

Specifically no, but in general, it's crew areas which could include crew stairs/elevators, cabin steward cleaning cart storage and supplies, spare bedding storage, etc.  From the hall it will look like a wall with some doors.

I'd say it's rather early to worry.  Based on the current projections, I don't see any need for Royal to alter your cruise.  On the map below, Labadee is outside of the wind speed probability forecast for Tuesday morning.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at3+shtml/150155.shtml?tswind120

There have been quite a few reports of 3 ships "scheduled" to be at Cococay on the same day over the years as reported by various websites.  So far, I've never heard of it actually happening.  I would say those websites either have bad sources, they are showing an outdated schedule for at least one of the ships, or Royal is in the process of changing the schedule for at least one of the ships so the data is temporarily accurate but going to change.  Hard to know which option is correct but based on history you can confidently place and win a large bet that there won't be 3 ships there.

Well, it's not a big deal, but I have seen other threads discussing this.  I specifically remember a case where a child was booked in a room with their grandparents and their parents were in a different room (with more children).  In this case, even though the parents are on the ship, the grandparents are considered the official guardian adults for this child because they are booked in the same room.  (NOTE it doesn't matter where the child ends up sleeping.  What matters is where the child is booked.)  This meant that the grandparents had to fill out and sign forms authorizing the parents to take the kids off the ship at ports and to give them permission to check them out of the kids clubs.  It sounds strange but better to know ahead of time.

You're replying to an almost 2 year old thread.  Of course the promo codes mentioned don't work!

Difference is the max current.  Most standard home US outlets are 15A or 20A but the cruise ship bathroom ones are only 6-8A (if memory serves).  That means most hair dryers will pop the breaker if used in the bathroom because they often need 12A.  It's a safety thing since the bathrooms are so small.  Can't get electrocuted by dropping a corded hair dryer into the tub if it won't turn on.

Welcome.  Others have covered most of your question, but I thought I'd comment on this line.  It is actually Disney that is unusual for including soda as a standard drink.  All other major cruise lines require you to purchase soda (whether by the can, the glass, or as a package).  I wish Royal and others followed Disney's lead on this but soda is incredibly profitable so I doubt they will change.

You're replying to an almost 2 year old thread.  Of course the promo codes mentioned don't work!

You're replying to an almost 2 year old thread.  Of course the promo codes mentioned don't work!

Have you ever <squaaaaaaak> been <squeeek> annoyed at somebody <eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee> talking on a <beeeeeeeee> speaker phone while you're <pop pop pop> trying to enjoy a peaceful <shrieeeeeeeeek> moment?  Add in a <wheeewheeeewheee> stupid sound effects machine and <sizzzzzzzzzle> you've got a walkie talkie.
Seriously, if you want to be the least popular person on your cruise, bring a walkie talkie!