Sigma Cruiser

I am not sure if this may be a result of the emails and cabin shifts, but for those who have received emails; have you received a Royal Up email? Or if you have already, what is the status of your Royal Up bid? 

Could it be that RCCL is pausing on some early November cruises with Royal Up opportunities as they await communication of COVID protocols just before they are set to expire on by November 1. 

4 hours ago, joanniet said:

I get the same thing... but I think I angered them by changing my bids.. constantly.😌 

10 hours ago, NSnewcruiser said:

I'm within 30 days and I still get the message "Please ensure your sailing is within the next 30 days.Please ensure there are no errors in the information you entered" Does that mean I'm not eligible?

I got the same response for a cruise that is less than 30 days from sailing. I am wondering which ship and sail date you are getting the response from. I am getting it for my November 8, 2021 Anthem cruise which was changed from a 7 day down to a 6 day. Like you there is a rather large inventory of rooms matching and exceeding my room category. 

Any thoughts as to possibly having a President's Cruise in 2022 (with reduced capacity)? And if so, which ship?

It appears that Tropical Storm Henri (presently 70 m/h winds and high surge) will arrive in Connecticut area during the period the Oasis starts its boarding protocols. Keep in mind the Oasis departure (still at 6:00 p.m.) on Sunday. Will they still sail on time? If not, then when? And what about all the people who are flying in or for that matter, driving in? Then there is the discussion of low tide versus high tide and clearing the bridge on departure. What are your thoughts and/or concerns?

While I am on that same Oasis sailing on September 19th, I have not received any cancellations for any of my bids. I did notice that the categories I placed a bid on were all cabin categories higher than those you listed. I also did not bid the minimum bids for any of them as well. Yet, I placed my bids on Tuesday (7/13) and received confirmation of my bid requests on Wednesday (7/14). And then received another email to "Act Now" and submit bids again on Sunday (7/18). But I checked my bids and they are all still pending and no cancellation emails. So I am just going to wait and see.

On 7/19/2021 at 1:34 PM, ticketsunlimited said:

Has anybody else in the past got an e-mail that all of their Royal-up bids for a particular cruise were cancelled?

The e-mail was titled  "Changes to your Royalup request"

RESERVATION MODIFICATION

 

DANIEL, This email is to let you know that we’ve cancelled your requested RoyalUp upgrade due to a change in your reservation. Booking Reference: **********

Date Ship Origin Offer Amount Upgrade To Offer Status 19 Sep 2021 Oasis of the Seas® BYE $*** USD per guest (2) Crown Loft Suite Cancelled 19 Sep 2021 Oasis of the Seas® BYE $*** USD per guest (2) Owner's Suite Cancelled 19 Sep 2021 Oasis of the Seas® BYE $*** USD per guest (2) Grand Suite - 2 Bedroom Cancelled 19 Sep 2021 Oasis of the Seas® BYE $*** USD per guest (2) Grand Suite - 1 Bedroom Cancelled   Called Customer service and they said the sailing is still a go. Anybody else get this email?  Dan

With Royal setting up these negotiations to sail with 1/2 capacity, did anyone consider that they could start with Odyssey of the Seas out of Bayonne in August? At present, there are no bookings and no dates "revealed" for the US when it arrives. I also think that they can easily cancel existing sailings of Oasis through August/September due to the negotiation requirement if they are truly booked beyond 50% presently. I would not put it past them to simply cancel, offer lift and shift and FCCs to start sailing with Odyssey or Vision or some other vessel. Just my opinion.

Knock me out. (Where is spell check when you need it).

Just now, ACEMommy2008 said:

Any tie breakers?  I have one for TA being correct and one for TA being incorrect. 

Can we just consider my original reply to be a foul ball. It doesn't hurt, but it doesn't know me out.

1 minute ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Your TA is wrong.  It is the same itinerary Type.  Eastern to western and vice versa is fine.  Ports or ship do not have to match

I guess there has been some modifications to the option from when I did my Lift and Shift back 2 days after they offered it.

The ever changing world of RCCL. Sorry for any confusion with today's rules.

Your TA is correct. Must be the exact same ship, itinerary and length in days. I did it successfully for my August 28th cruise out of Cape Liberty on Oasis for a year out from the original date. Everything the same, including using my very low rate versus the higher rate today.

12 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

JS Perks on Rhapsody:

 

Bathtub
Priority check-in and boarding
Tea kettle and coffee maker
Bathroom amenities
Robes
Extra C&A point per night
Silver Seapass card (no significance other than distinctive color)

 

If this move to the JS from a balcony is due to the Royal Up bid offer,  I believe the rule is you get everything listed above except for the Extra C&A point per night.

1 hour ago, blackshirt said:

I did not know a GS guarantee even existed, I've never seen it, only the suite guarantee category which I did book on Liberty a couple years back. If that price for the JS is per person, not good, but if that is total for 2, that is a good price. You know, for the price difference you could easily afford the drink package for both of you and still be paying less. You won't miss the nightly cocktail hour at all if you have the drink package. Maybe tell them you'll except the offer if they'll throw in the drink package.

The Grand Suite Guarantee option does exist. I know as I have taken advantage of it for a cruise on the Anthem of the Seas for an 11 day sailing. Unlike the OP, I was awarded a Sky Loft Suite when then assigned suites (and this cruise is sold out). Trust me when I say that I have been looking and will continue to look for another opportunity like this on this ship and others going forward. With respect to the OP situation, I would not accept anything lower than a GS or the perks associated with the GS (and a couple of other things thrown in...just for upsetting me) as they did BUY the guarantee and now they are showing me a classic case of "Bait and Switch". I do think there was a law against this sort of thing at some time. Not that you can successfully sue them, but you can share the story with various media outlets (local news, Today Show, the View, the Talk, CNN, Fox, AARP, Ellen, Oprah and even a youtube video or maybe all the above). One of these media outlets will be passed along to the top people at RCCL.

I see that no one saw the price of the drink package for the Odyssey for November 2020 is north of $80 per person per day.

I would never give Izumi a chance. I did not like sushi and not a fan of raw fish. After speaking with a staff member from Izumi on the deck, I took a chance. He walked me through a lot of items on the menu. Now I go to Izumi (non-hibachi) all the time when it is on a ship that I am traveling on.  I enjoy so many of the other options on the menu (from the salads, soups, stir fry with your choice of protein, dumplings and many, many more options). If you have the UD package then go for lunch (around noon). Review the menu in detail with the staff. If not impressed, then you can leave and still have time to go to lunch at another restaurant as they all close for lunch at 1:30. By the way, I do go to hibachi and going during lunch is just as much fun and not as busy (more attention from staff and hibachi chefs). Hope this helps. 

Well I thought I would simply ask what a number of people are thinking. Is there any verifiable rumors as to when, where and what ship will be the next President's cruise. I know that they may very well announce this info officially (next week) at the Q&A session on Symphony. However, sometimes info is leaked and if so, feel free to post. I was there last year on Harmony when it was announced and trust me the line at Next Cruise was extremely long. I will not be on Symphony for the 50th Birthday Bash and would much rather call the customer service number than stand in a long line. 

Thoughts...Facts.

4 hours ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

I got an email from Royal about the Birthday Cruise. There are 8 available GS, a couple of OS, Aqua, and 10 CLS. It looks like the Suites from last year and future ones got the info about Suite Perks on this type of cruises. The Suite Guests I personally know from last years cruise are avoiding this one like the plague. 

Are you saying the Suite perks have changed from what is was for Oasis class ships? If so, then what are the suite perks for this sailing and future cruises? I was one of the suite guests from last year and previous years. I (as well as other suite guests I know) did not book this cruise due to the rather high prices. In fact, I booked the Allure the next day for a suite with a Genie for far less than the recent price of the Crown Loft on the Birthday cruise. Just saying.

Symphony for the Birthday/President cruise on 11/2/2019 out of Miami. The one with all the RCCL VIPs on it.

I see that the L2 Crown Loft Suites are now (today) at the lowest price I have seen at $8,731 (for double occupancy). Wasn't this category just below $12,000 at final payment...or somewhere near that price? Compared to those who bought before, this is a great score. A bit out of my price range...even for the 50th birthday celebration...but a good score in comparison. Any chance of refunds due to the price drop?

3 hours ago, Rahi said:

I can book a JS for less money than the WS -"Suite Stateroom Guarantee" ..so does this mean I will be guaranteed a Grand Suite? Thanks for any help!! 

If I may ask...what date and ship is this sailing for?

I appreciate the official update on this. Again, it was second hand news to me, but you were right in the thick of it. I am most happy to hear that no one got ejected from the ship. Maybe all the parties met later at Vintages for some better glasses of wine.

So did you sell your pictures and videos to the Cruise Critic paparazzi?

I am not sure about that point with reserved seats. I personally witnessed a Genie reserve seats for a set of Star Class suite guests. In fact, the guests placed their jackets/sweaters on the seats and turned to chat (while standing) with a set of other people. A couple (who I am told (second hand) just happened to be Pinnacles) proceeded to take the seats (with the jackets on them). Somehow a sports jacket ended on the floor, wine was tossed (in the direction of the Genie/guests), words were exchanged (not by the Genie). I thought I was at a Bruce Springsteen concert. In the end, the suite guest kept their seats and I believe (don't quote me as it was second hand info) the couple who tried to take the seats were escorted off the ship the next day. But long story short is that the Genies will try to reserve seats for Star Class. ( The writer of this reply does not imply that fighting is the answer to getting seats you want. No one should ever waste wine/alcohol. First come, first serve still has value these days. And lastly, stand up for every perk you get whether Star Class, Pinnacle, Diamond Plus or etc.)

42 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Laura has already qualified for 2020 Prime, so I imagine she'll slow down. 😉

 

So, back on topic. Summer cruises are typically expensive,  but those who have the ability to be patient or lucky can find some deals. 

 

We sail Harmony on Aug 18 for $2,600 total in a GS.

So John, is this rate based upon applying your (Laura's) Prime offer? Both me and the wife work to qualify for our Prime status and are starting to understand more of the benefits...each year after speaking to the right Casino Royale customer service rep.

I am however curious about one point (and this may help the OP make a decision as well). There are two scenarios that can happen with the final payment date on Monday (8/5/19). Either Royal will reduce rates (I think substantially) to incent people to purchase rooms. If they do, then all the people who purchase previously and did not call to change/update their cost by final payment date will be very upset and let it known at the big question and answer session. So bad PR option. Or they can keep the prices where they, and then everyone is available to take advantage of the Royal Up offer as they do need to fill these higher category rooms and make some money off them and some money on the lower category rooms that open up as a result. So a loss of potential revenue, but they get something. Thoughts on what they will do in 96 hours to help the OP make a decision.