solo cruiser warning booking Balcony GTY on ships with studios

[trekker954]

Background;   Over 70 cruises across many lines, mostly Royal (D+) and NCL (Plat).  Sail solo quite often since 2016.   The reason I moved to NCL was they have such a great solo program.   Well attended nightly events to meet others, often 75 solos attending led by NCL staff.  Very often single supplement waived.     But I still have loyalty as well to Royal and who can pass up the perks of free drinks and discounted balconies and with 380 nights with them, I often get single supplement 150%.  I wish Royal would take notice there are many solos who like to cruise and do more.

Which brings me to my warning and a blatant bias towards single with what happened when I purchased an ocean balcony GTY that did not come with waived single supplement, so it was paid for on Odyssey coming up.  As a seasoned cruiser I knew I could be assigned in a crappy location or obstructed view, but imagine my shock when I was assigned that crappiest of crap studio balcony on Deck 6 not only obstructed but with that arm thing on it.  But the obstruction wasn't my issue at all.   I took that chance.    What I bid for was a regular ocean balcony 182 sq feet and a balcony 60 sq ft with a KING bed.         What they assigned this single person, okay, we'll just get rid of this horrible cabin to this solo is a studio tiny 116 sq ft with barely a full size bed and 50 ft. cabin.  I equate studios to jail cells, they are horrible and yes I've been in one before.   It was truly the switch in size that I felt was totally unfair since I had paid for a regular balcony with my supplement.     Had I chosen a studio balcony cabin, there are no single supplements plus no double points for being a solo.       

The customer service I initially received and actually throughout the entire morning was terrible.     At one point I was on hold 50 minutes waiting on resolutions being transferred from reservations and when someone did pick up, two beeps and I was disconnected.   I can happily report 10 minutes later resolutions called back and apologized, but not before I nearly had a heart attack.     Most of the four I spoke with said, they consider a studio balcony acceptable for a balcony gty, however, they would not stick two persons there obviously, so if you are a solo, prepare for probably always getting assigned that,    So I guess there are no gtys in our future.     Bottom line after lots of upset, I was moved down a few cabins, to a regular balcony, yet obstructed of course, but it is what it is.     

Somehow, Royal seems to be pushing me future away and that makes me sad, but they are missing the mark with solos.    So many of us are retired, no longer with partner, or just lots of girlfriends who like to travel together yet have our own cabins.

[Mark_A]

that is why I always pick my room.  sorry...

[Traveling Mike]

I am always solo also and I book a lot of GTY cabins.  I would come unglued if they gave me a solo cabin as a GTY.  If I want the Solo cabin I will pay for a solo cabin.  Most of the time I look for the solo cabin and they are all taken, or the price is as high as a full-size cabin.  I am like you if I pay for two people let me have the cabin of two people.

[Farid E]

This just happened to me as well. What is very upsetting is I tried weeks ago to add my brother to the cruise thinking it would be no problem since the room was sized for two and I would pay the difference. My request was denied because there were "no rooms available". I was on the phone for a long time trying to understand what this meant since I already had a room but was never told that they had already assigned me an obstructed view solo room. I just got the runaround.

The 30-day to sail just came and went two days ago and I got an email showing I had an obstructed view cabin. I looked it up and realised I was in a solo obstructed view cabin. I called to cancel and get a refund but of course they refused a refund. They would just return taxes and such. This time I insisted that the telephone agent read to me the reason my brother was refused, and he said something silly about safety and security. Why would I want to be in a room with a safety problem. If they had told me then about the obstructed view solo room cabin, the real reason they couldn't add him, I would have canceled for a $100 fee.

As far as I am concerned this is plain fraud and I am suing for a refund. I am retired and I have the time and money to pursue this. This is not right.

[Pattycruise]

On 7/1/2022 at 12:13 AM, Farid E said:

This just happened to me as well. What is very upsetting is I tried weeks ago to add my brother to the cruise thinking it would be no problem since the room was sized for two and I would pay the difference. My request was denied because there were "no rooms available". I was on the phone for a long time trying to understand what this meant since I already had a room but was never told that they had already assigned me an obstructed view solo room. I just got the runaround.

The 30-day to sail just came and went two days ago and I got an email showing I had an obstructed view cabin. I looked it up and realised I was in a solo obstructed view cabin. I called to cancel and get a refund but of course they refused a refund. They would just return taxes and such. This time I insisted that the telephone agent read to me the reason my brother was refused, and he said something silly about safety and security. Why would I want to be in a room with a safety problem. If they had told me then about the obstructed view solo room cabin, the real reason they couldn't add him, I would have canceled for a $100 fee.

As far as I am concerned this is plain fraud and I am suing for a refund. I am retired and I have the time and money to pursue this. This is not right.

It’s a ship safety “problem”.  There must be enough room in the lifeboats per passengers assigned to muster stations.  Muster station locations are fixed, signage is located on the interior of stateroom doors.  The cruise line knows when they’ve sold “x” number of passengers per lifeboat and cannot add more passengers  to that section or there would be no room in that lifeboat.(hence the safety issue).  

A GTY cabin guarantees a cabin, it doesn’t say if it will be solo, obstructed view,  above a restaurant, forward, aft, etc… had you done a GTY cabin for 2 this could not have happened.(a solo cabin). 

[twangster]

Being over 380 points gets you the reduced single supplement other than the summer and holiday blackout dates.  Once I reached that goal I generally found double occupancy cabins that allowed me to pick my own room were only a small cost above a studio cabin and it never made sense to book a studio cabin.  Yes if you book a solo GTY fare they can and are inclined to place you into a studio cabin if that ship has them.  GTY fares aren't always available for solo but when it is there is a distinct possibility you will get a studio.   

Like you I've sailed over 70 Royal cruises as a solo so I've seen this tendency before and I avoid it primarily to benefit from the double points but also being to define my cabin  location.  I've done GTY a couple of times and have done well with it but the potential pitfalls are well known.  

I'm not clear where you were guaranteed cabin square footage.  The GTY offer I usually see is pretty generic with no offer of cabin specs.