twangster Posted April 15, 2019 Report Share Posted April 15, 2019 16 hours ago, FManke said: How is it that on some cruises I've looked at, it's actually cheaper to pick your cabin than allow them to do it? There is a revenue management system that adjusts prices based on a series of predetermined factors. How far away is the sail date, what percentage of cabins in a certain class are available, how many bookings for that class were made in in the last 24 hours, etc. This can cause a GTY to be more than or pretty close to the direct assignment. Sometimes a balcony is cheaper than ocean view. Sometimes ocean view is cheaper than interior. Same effect. If there are only one or two interior cabins left the system determines those to be in demand and therefore a "desirable factor" makes them more than an ocean view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzzywuzzy Posted April 19, 2019 Report Share Posted April 19, 2019 Booked a guaranteed 6D Ocean View with balcony in Dec., today I got my stateroom assignment in a 2B Spacious Ocean View with balcony. SpeedNoodles, WAAAYTOOO and twangster 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KST Posted May 8, 2019 Report Share Posted May 8, 2019 I booked 2 guaranteed oceanview balcony rooms (different categories because we have 3 in one of the rooms and the only options provided were in different categories), and within minutes of final payment for the August cruise on Harmony, they assigned the 3 person room, but not the 2 person room. I was really hoping to get the rooms close together, but I feel like that’s less likely now that they’ve assigned one but not the other. Is the assignment final, or could they still change it? If they end up assigning the other room far away, would it be possible to call in and see if that can be changed? And would I have to call my travel agency, or could I call RC? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted May 8, 2019 Report Share Posted May 8, 2019 1 hour ago, KST said: would it be possible to call in and see if that can be changed? As long as you stay within the same cabin category, even after final payment you can still change your room....so once they assign it if you are not happy with it, they will move you if they have a room location that you want. It's very unlikely that they would move you once they have assigned you a cabin (without your asking). KST 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KST Posted May 9, 2019 Report Share Posted May 9, 2019 13 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said: As long as you stay within the same cabin category, even after final payment you can still change your room....so once they assign it if you are not happy with it, they will move you if they have a room location that you want. It's very unlikely that they would move you once they have assigned you a cabin (without your asking). Thanks for the response. By category, do you mean oceanview balcony, or more specific like 6D? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted May 9, 2019 Report Share Posted May 9, 2019 Yes. 6 D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffetajoe Posted May 18, 2019 Report Share Posted May 18, 2019 I find it COMPLETELY disgusting to have to pay an extra $200 fee for the privilege of choosing my own cabin????? Imagine going to department store seeing something on sale picking it up taking it to the register then being told it item will now cost more because you chose it instead of calling someone over to choose it for you!!! What a complete money grab. And for the record it does make a HUGE difference too because after taking nine cruises with RCL in which I chose both my cabin and deck, (BTW that is now an extra fee as well) & had a perfect time; I was told this year that I could no longer travel on the deck in which I had always cruised without paying a hefty fee & thus placed on another deck where the noise of music kept us awake constantly,!!! Save the fees, Go Princess! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted May 18, 2019 Report Share Posted May 18, 2019 5 hours ago, buffetajoe said: I find it COMPLETELY disgusting to have to pay an extra $200 fee for the privilege of choosing my own cabin????? The last cruise I booked the choose your own option was actually less expensive than the pick your own cabin. It's not really an extra fee and gives those who don't care about their location to sometimes save a little. You could end up lucking into a much more epensive room at a lower rate. I appreciate having more options and the unbundling of things I don't want to pay for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pima1988 Posted May 18, 2019 Report Share Posted May 18, 2019 Same with me. I picked my cabins and it was more expensive than letting them pick. However, I booked 10 months, out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted May 20, 2019 Report Share Posted May 20, 2019 On 5/18/2019 at 12:16 PM, buffetajoe said: find it COMPLETELY disgusting to have to pay an extra $200 fee for the privilege of choosing my own cabin????? It's actually the opposite. You can save $200 by allowing RC to assign you a room. You get a discount, RC gets flexibility to keep more cabins open for booking until closer to sailing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveinSC Posted September 3, 2019 Report Share Posted September 3, 2019 I ran into the "You choose" being cheaper than the "Royal Caribbean chooses" option. Im on the Apr. 04, Rhapsody sailing. Here is the weird part though, I chose the "you choose" since it was cheaper (seemed like a no brainer), but it never allowed me to choose. It defaulted, multiple times, after attempting to book it that way, to the guaranteed state room option. So, I booked it. I called RC to inquire about it and get some help, and was informed that "its because the other categories are sold out." Well, shouldnt it tell you that WHILE youre trying to book? Oh well. Luckily, I dont care what room we get, really. We are "we only sleep and shower there" people....so its no big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelliejkunz Posted October 3, 2019 Report Share Posted October 3, 2019 On 8/14/2017 at 7:57 AM, MKSglitz said: Just how much of a discount do you really get when you book a guarantee cabin? Is it substantial? Will these guarantee cabins be a thing of the past with RCCL no longer offering last minute discounts to fill empty cabins just before sailing? We are sailing with 3 people and saved $1,200 total for a guarantee Ocean View Balcony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flacruiser99 Posted October 3, 2019 Report Share Posted October 3, 2019 On 8/14/2017 at 8:57 AM, MKSglitz said: Just how much of a discount do you really get when you book a guarantee cabin? Is it substantial? Will these guarantee cabins be a thing of the past with RCCL no longer offering last minute discounts to fill empty cabins just before sailing? As long as it's less I'll book a GTY as I don't care which cabin I get. Also sometimes only GTY's are able to be booked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madelinefan Posted October 5, 2019 Report Share Posted October 5, 2019 On 8/14/2017 at 8:57 AM, MKSglitz said: Just how much of a discount do you really get when you book a guarantee cabin? Is it substantial? Will these guarantee cabins be a thing of the past with RCCL no longer offering last minute discounts to fill empty cabins just before sailing? vacationstogo.com. 90 day ticker. RCCL is all over it. Just booked a guarantee OV cabin on Empress at 84% discount!, 5 day western Caribbean leaving in 28 days at $197/pp. (brochure price $1229 pp.) Yeah it's worth it, especially if you can cruise last minute. https://www.vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=30400 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzzywuzzy Posted October 5, 2019 Report Share Posted October 5, 2019 $197 pp for 5days is $39 pp per day. Right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted October 5, 2019 Report Share Posted October 5, 2019 29 minutes ago, Fuzzywuzzy said: $197 pp for 5days is $39 pp per day. Yeah. Right. Legit..it happens. It's in the 200-250 range straight up on Royal's site right now. Fuzzywuzzy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzzywuzzy Posted October 5, 2019 Report Share Posted October 5, 2019 OK. How is this profitable?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted October 5, 2019 Report Share Posted October 5, 2019 20 minutes ago, Fuzzywuzzy said: OK. How is this profitable?? Most cruises have a two year sales cycle. Plenty of time for people to plan vacations, book cruises, get cheap airfare, etc. When Cuba was trumped it put the cruise lines in a very bad spot. When they had to cancel Cuba overnight with no notice it left them with two empty ships. Expenses for those ships don't stop and they can't just park them somewhere and fire the crew. What's better? An empty ship with no guests but still requiring a crew onboard or minimizing losses by filling the ship with guests who will buy drinks, dinners at Chops, photos, gamble in the casino, contribute to crew compensation VIA daily gratuities, etc. Some folks may spend more than normal on board since they got a good deal on the cruise fare. They might not normally do Chops or Chef's Table but heck, "We paid so little for the cruise, let's splurge!" I'm going back to Empress and I'll be buying a Chops dinner again and drinks, again. I'll buy Voom too. I'll also be paying the daily service charges aka gratuity so crew still make money. Cuba was highly profitable so yeah, some of those profits are being offset in the short term but the alternative is worse. They never planned to do this, they are dealing with the circumstances they find themselves in. Perhaps in the near future a more business friendly administration will take office. Fuzzywuzzy, JLMoran and dr martini 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveinSC Posted October 5, 2019 Report Share Posted October 5, 2019 1 hour ago, Fuzzywuzzy said: OK. How is this profitable?? It's getting the foot in the door to sell you other, higher profit percentage items. Lots of industries do it. Think rental cars. You can find a car online for 10 bucks a day. Not profitable....but gets them in the door to sell them insurance, satellite radio, etc....I'd be surprised if cruise companies rely on bookings to be profitable. I suspect they make their money on the "extras". Fuzzywuzzy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garsny Posted November 5, 2019 Report Share Posted November 5, 2019 I love a GTY cabin.I always do it, if offered.Have never been disappointed.Been upgraded more times than not.I think having a high loyalty membership helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted November 5, 2019 Report Share Posted November 5, 2019 Welcome to the blog, garsny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flacruiser99 Posted November 5, 2019 Report Share Posted November 5, 2019 2 hours ago, garsny said: I love a GTY cabin.I always do it, if offered.Have never been disappointed.Been upgraded more times than not.I think having a high loyalty membership helps. Have you been upgraded in the last year or two? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMul Posted February 27, 2020 Report Share Posted February 27, 2020 I'll have to fill you in on my experience once it is fully known, but I'm currently in a GTY balcony cabin that I booked in October. The ship has been listed as sold out for my category and all above since January and the rest of the ship for the past 2 weeks. So far, I don't have an assignment and it is 20 days to sailing. I'm not sure how this will pan out but I am worrying a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnickerTail Posted February 27, 2020 Report Share Posted February 27, 2020 4 hours ago, MikeMul said: I'll have to fill you in on my experience once it is fully known, but I'm currently in a GTY balcony cabin that I booked in October. The ship has been listed as sold out for my category and all above since January and the rest of the ship for the past 2 weeks. So far, I don't have an assignment and it is 20 days to sailing. I'm not sure how this will pan out but I am worrying a little. Have you tried decoding the barcode in your edocs' setsail pass? We're over a month out and while the families with us haven't "officially" received their assignments, their barcodes revealed their rooms. I think they don't spell it out to reduce the number of people calling to swap rooms around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shari3 Posted March 4, 2020 Report Share Posted March 4, 2020 How do I decode my barcode? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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