twangster Posted May 18, 2021 Report Share Posted May 18, 2021 There have a been few threads about the new GUI so I thought I'd share my experiences and identify a few nuances to the new interface. In general terms I like the new interface and it has some new features. Iit flows much better compared to the old cruise planner such as when checking out and paying which is so much easier in My Royal Cruises. There are some differences that are catching some users off guard who are used to how the old cruise planner works. Over the next few posts I'll post some some tips and warnings of what to look out for. Matt, Cruising With JT, IRMO12HD and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 18, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2021 First of all the current list of ships that have the new interface called My Royal Cruises is: Mariner of the Seas® departing October 2021, Symphony of the Seas® or Odyssey of the Seas® departing January 2022, Oasis of the Seas® departing February 2022 and beyond. Cruising With JT and Matt 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 Some of the notable differences are with dining plans. In the old Cruise Planner dining plans included gratuity. In the new My Royal Cruises it appears that dining plans display a lower price however gratuity is added during the checkout process. In my experience comparing sale versus normal prices for the same ship on cruises before and after My Royal cruises is implemented, the price is effectively the same. However some users who booked something before My Royal Cruises was implemented for their cruise may see a lower price expecting gratuity to be included so they cancel their old purchase. As they check out using My Royal Cruises they suddenly come faced with the gratuity added as a separate line item. If you bought something during a sale in the old Cruise Planner don't get fooled into thinking the new lower price you see in My Royal Cruises is a better deal. Once gratuity is added you may find yourself at a higher price if you bought a dining package while it was on sale in the old Cruise Planner. IRMO12HD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 Another notable difference has to do with shore excursions at Royal's private destinations. It seems they have begun applying local taxes during the checkout process. As far as I can tell this tax rule only applies to Royal activities. Third party excursions are not subject to the tax, at least not yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 Let's look at the new My Royal Cruises in the real world. My Royal Cruises promises to be more friendly to handheld devices like smartphones and tablets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 A new feature shows how many spots are left when looking at activities that have a finite capacity. If you have already purchased something it is marked "Reserved". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 For items like Voom the old Cruise Planner made it more cumbersome to understand multi-device plans. You basically had to select the right plan but be careful not to select more than one guest in a cabin. Going forward with My Royal Cruises you can select multi-devices plans as you first pick Voom. Once you select how many devices you want you are ready to check out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 If you have chosen overlapping excursions that conflict with each other it is now easier to see the conflict and if there is a time available that doesn't conflict. Skigoofy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted May 19, 2021 Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 I thought I read there was no way to cancel purchased items on the planner, nor any way to see the current market price for something once you've bought it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 Here is an example of the taxes I was referring to above. The fine print indicates taxes will be calculated in the cart. Once it is in your cart you can see the taxes. However in the old Cruise Planner the prices were the same but taxes were not added. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 15 minutes ago, smokeybandit said: I thought I read there was no way to cancel purchased items on the planner, nor any way to see the current market price for something once you've bought it. That's not accurate. I have cancelled and repurchased items in the new interface. SPS 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 Like the old Cruise Planner there is an order history for previous purchases. You can cancel items you have already purchased. A cancelled item remains in your order history. In this example I had purchased a Scuba dive without equipment then cancelled it and rebooked it with equipment. My order history displays both the cancelled activity and the newly booked activity. Zurc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 When you come back to look at something later you can see your purchase by using the "See order history" link. It's also marks the activity "Reserved" so you know you already booked it. Note the current price is $64.99 but looking at my order history I paid $45.90 ($40.99 plus tax). It is very easy to see the current price and to find out what you paid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 When you cancel an excursion it indicates the refund is in process but notice in this case it displays a refund of $40.99. Rest assured it does actually refund the full amount including taxes. I can confirm the actual refund I received a few days later was the full $45.90. Zurc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 As far as dining goes... in this case Chops. Gratuity is added in the cart. It is much easier to see the times that are available. IRMO12HD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baked Alaska Posted May 19, 2021 Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 Thanks, @twangster, this is a really great review. I appreciate the screen shots! I look forward to this improved interface!! Snotarni and IRMO12HD 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 Beverage packages work the same as before. Like before gratuity is added in the cart. Still not allowed to share drink packages. All eligible guest in a cabin must purchase it if any one does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 In my case my Mariner cruise doesn't allow booking entertainment because reservations are only used on specific ships, Oasis and Quantum class. Interesting that Navigator is included in their list of ships where you can book entertainment. Things that make you go Hmmm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 Third party excursions do not appear to be subject to taxation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 Royal excursions owned and operated by Royal are subject to taxation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 On board activities provided by Royal are not subject to taxation. IRMO12HD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 Booking the spa is easier now too. While not subject to taxation, just like before gratuity does get added in the cart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 The calendar view is also improved. IRMO12HD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 The other way to find your order history is to click on the icon in the upper right (my initials removed from this screenshot). IRMO12HD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 For the Ultimate Dining Package here is a comparison of the old Cruise Planner pricing versus the new My Royal Cruises pricing. In the old Cruise Planner the price displayed included gratuity. In this case it was $87. The pricing did not change in your cart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 With My Royal Cruises the initial price displayed is lower. In this case $73.99. Once it is added to your cart gratuity is added. The final price is $87.30 or 30 cents more compared to the old Cruise Planner pricing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 Navigating within My Royal Cruises and switching to a different sailing is much easier. IRMO12HD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 The layout of shore excursions makes it easier to do a quick comparison or to scan for price drops if you keep track of your previous purchases like I do. IRMO12HD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 After experiencing the new My Royal Cruises I really like it. Check out is a breeze and greatly simplified without re-entering your details multiple times. Going back to the the old Cruise Planner starts to feel clunky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 The two big gotchas are: Anyone who booked certain items in the old Cruise Planner and now may think they see a lower price in My Royal Cruises but gratuity is added separately. Taxes at Private Destinations. To that end if your cruise still uses the old Cruise Planner and you are thinking about a Cabana or any Royal excursion you may want to buy it now before your cruise is migrated to the new interface where taxes may apply. SebagoSue, Matt, IRMO12HD and 5 others 2 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonOasis Posted May 19, 2021 Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 Thank you @twangster I appreciate all the information, very thorough and the screenshots are a nice visual for people to see exactly what you’re talking about so there is no confusion at all. twangster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eirc Posted May 19, 2021 Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 Is there a plan for when everyone will be migrated to the new cruise planner? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 35 minutes ago, Eirc said: Is there a plan for when everyone will be migrated to the new cruise planner? Probably but as we know with Royal they don't publish these sorts of things. Eirc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedNoodles Posted May 19, 2021 Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 My favorite feature is the "switch cruises" feature. It's a pain to do so on the old format (how many pages did I already look at so how many times do I need to press the "back" icon??). twangster, Shari3, KristiZ and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emfagan Posted May 20, 2021 Report Share Posted May 20, 2021 Thanks @twangsterthis is a great comparison. I'm on Symphony for April 2022 and like the look/feel of the new cruise planner. It was also very easy to add other reservations to link our party together! twangster and KristiZ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deep1 Posted May 21, 2021 Report Share Posted May 21, 2021 Ok... I've been at sea fishing too much recently and my brain has grown spongy... Just how and where do we come by this new planner "My royal Cruise" thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted May 21, 2021 Report Share Posted May 21, 2021 11 minutes ago, deep1 said: Ok... I've been at sea fishing too much recently and my brain has grown spongy... Just how and where do we come by this new planner "My royal Cruise" thing? Have a cruise booked on one of the 3 or so ships that are using the new planner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baked Alaska Posted May 21, 2021 Report Share Posted May 21, 2021 I sure wish they would deploy this to all sailings. When RCG combines Haines AND Skagway into one day, though two different port stops, I wish they would make it two different landing pages for each port. Instead, they combine both stops into one landing page, and you have fish through which excursion goes with which port. If you try to uncheck the box for Haines or Skagway, the page refreshes back to both port checkboxes checked. Nevermind all the broken .gif, .png, and .jpg. See below. The form, fit, and finish of the cruise planner are seriously lacking, but we all know that here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisellama Posted May 21, 2021 Report Share Posted May 21, 2021 On 5/18/2021 at 7:04 PM, twangster said: Some of the notable differences are with dining plans. In the old Cruise Planner dining plans included gratuity. In the new My Royal Cruises it appears that dining plans display a lower price however gratuity is added during the checkout process. In my experience comparing sale versus normal prices for the same ship on cruises before and after My Royal cruises is implemented, the price is effectively the same. However some users who booked something before My Royal Cruises was implemented for their cruise may see a lower price expecting gratuity to be included so they cancel their old purchase. As they check out using My Royal Cruises they suddenly come faced with the gratuity added as a separate line item. If you bought something during a sale in the old Cruise Planner don't get fooled into thinking the new lower price you see in My Royal Cruises is a better deal. Once gratuity is added you may find yourself at a higher price if you bought a dining package while it was on sale in the old Cruise Planner. I've experienced a loss of a link to Air2Sea. Only seeing a phone option. I prefer surveying options before I speak with an agent. I was able to access a link from the Azamara site which allowed me to look for on-line air quotes for Royal, X, and Azamara. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted May 21, 2021 Report Share Posted May 21, 2021 RC removed the link to Air2Sea a couple months ago for some reason. However you can still get there directly through choiceair.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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