leaveitallbehind

I am certain you will get many great suggestions and ideas from experienced cruisers here. But my honest response would be to talk with a cruise specialist travel agent who IMO would be in the best position to recommend the right options for you that will fit your budget, itinerary preferences, and cruise style expectations. They also would be able to search out the available itineraries and stateroom options with access to the best fares for your timeframe and do all that legwork for you. JMO.

I get it. But there are some "ifs" involved. I'll add one more - "If" the GTY's inventory is shown with the standard category's availability then what you suggest may occur. But (and I fully admit I certainly could be wrong) as I understand it, GTY's are allotted out of the general inventory so they may not be shown as available with that. I also realize that inventory is fluid and unsold inventory can, based on demand, be moved in and out of GTY offerings which can affect availability. Then there is MoveUp..... That all being said, I've given up trying to determine how cruise line's inventory algorithms and analytics work! I just look for the best fare - LOL.

Not sure I follow. The OP is referring to MoveUp availability, not GTY assignments.

That would be the in the day - lol.

Not likely a computer error. Typically suites sell out first on most ships, and those that are available for MoveUp are sometimes held inventory early on, returned to inventory from group booking deadlines, or could be from cancelations. MoveUp is also a third party booking platform and their availability may not be real time or may have been returned to Celebrity inventory since those staterooms showed as available. Keep in mind that you itinerary has likely been open for bookings for about 18 months, and this close to your sailing date (38 days) it would not surprise me to see any remaining in inventory be sold by now.

Depending on original itinerary most ships have been redirected to Grand Turk, The Dominican Republic, or Grand Cayman as indicted. (and perhaps others) Some may have resulted in a day at sea if not other port of call was available or convenient. Not sure if that is answering your question.

Group prices are not shown through RCCL directly or through their website but are visible to the TA's - just one advantage of using them. Fares are often lower as a result. In the context of the restart, it would be more likely that the different discounts would be more available to assist with bookings. Beyond that, however, I don't think it is as likely to be applied to support bookings as demand is very high. Enjoy your cruising.

Thanks for the update. To be fair, while I lumped them altogether in my response, I was referring primarily to the resident and 55+ as they are the two we are eligible for. If what you indicate is now the direction, in particular with the military discount, that is indeed unfortunate. Especially since the refundable fare option carries a measurable premium to begin with. Thank you for your service.

This is not accurate. While 55+, military, resident, etc., discounts are not applied on every sailing, when they are they are applied to both refundable and NRD fares in our experience. They also are initiated when bookings are released and applied at anytime during the booking cycle and not just added to boost bookings.

You are correct that the forward staterooms on deck 11 are under the spa and fitness center. I neglected to consider those. Fortunately the greatest risk for any noise in that area would be primarily in the day. But the option to move to an aft A2 if assigned there if available would still exist.

It's really just a matter of your preference, if any, for the Aqua class benefits, as they are a distinct category from the standard Veranda category, and the price differential between the Veranda and the Aqua GTY. If you choose the Aqua GTY and are not happy with the assignment, just contact whomever you booked through and request a location change. As long as there are available staterooms in the assigned sub-category they will move you to a new location if you want. That should help mitigate any location risk with the GTY. On Reflection deck 12 would be the only deck where noise could be a potential concern with the pool deck above it. But there are only a handful of Aqua class staterooms on that deck. Anywhere on deck 11 would be fine.

I believe you are correct. I was only mentioning the insurance option for informational purposes. There is certainly a process that needs to be followed and any payout is not automatic.

It may or may not be as the 2nd passenger fare is kept. Typically the solo fare is about the same, and possibly higher, than the double occupancy rate.

To add to @taglovestocruise comments, there will be no additional refund for the cruise fare paid for the second passenger. That is forfeited by them. Having trip insurance may help mitigate that loss.

Did you call Celebrity CC to have the transfer applied? Usually it is immediate with the call.

Very much apples to oranges regarding a comparison between the two cruise lines. Princess is a mass market line appealing to adults and families on larger ships, whereas Viking is a premium line with an adult only demographic on much smaller ship - basically opposite ends of the spectrum. Along with that criteria, itinerary would be a key point as well and a close comparison of the two options would be necessary to see what best appeals to you. Perhaps you should be discussing this with a travel agent who could best assist in guiding your choice based on your budget, cruising style preferences, and Alaska first time travel expectations.

It is basically a Sky Suite with Aqua class benefits. "Worth it" would be up to you if you like the benefits associated with Aqua class staterooms. From the Celebrity website: Introducing our Aqua Sky Suites, which combine our well-being inspired AquaClass experience with exclusive spaces, services, and amenities of The Retreat® to leave you more renewed than ever.

Good possibility. Bayley has intimated as recently as the last directors call that they were working on some final feasibility details for project Discovery but that things were progressing in favor of this new class of ships. Indicated smaller but with all the updated technology and desired venues, etc. Fun to speculate.

Points are awarded to those who are registered in a given stateroom at that stateroom's level.

To recommend one only? Murano - Murano Lobster.

To suggest "many" is a bit misleading as there are only 7 RCCL ships that I am aware of featuring Broadway shows at present. That represents only 25% of their current active fleet. And not arguing, but while they also have production shows that are usually very good on nights when the Broadway shows are off, I'm not sure I would put them at Broadway caliber. But that is just my subjective opinion, which I fully recognize as such.

No, there are no RCCL ships that currently have more than one Broadway show. It would not likely be feasible due to cast and set design requirements. It would be the same as a single NY Broadway theater featuring more than one show per week. Here is a link to the RCCL website that will identify some of the shows and ships: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/experience/cruise-shows-and-entertainment/broadway-shows I also believe the Entertainment Guide provided by @twangster is accurate as to the current ship schedule with the shows. Note that the Broadway shows are currently based on Oasis and Freedom class ships as well as We Will Rock you musical on Anthem.

Oceanview and Infinite Balconies can carry their own GTY's, and OV's are categories D & C, and Infinite Balconies are category I, which are typically priced higher. So, yes, if your GTY was originally an XB and they assigned an Infinite Balcony, then you received an upgrade.

I'm not aware that GTY assignments with Icon would be any different than with other ships, and I don't think other's experience will necessarily dictate what you should expect as assignment times on any ship and sailing vary. But if you are not able to determine your stateroom by the method suggested by @soremekun, then I would think you just may have to wait a couple more days to see. In our experience I would think you would have been notified by now, but as you indicate, it can by up to the day of sailing.

I'm guessing you would be looking to apply your FCC to result in a credit back to your credit card in that amount? Unfortunately, as I understand it, FCC's need to be applied by the time of final payment. They also have no conversion value to my knowledge as an OBC. I think your only option is, as previously mentioned, with another cruise booking. The only other suggestion would be to talk with your TA or Celebrity directly to see if there is anything that can be done, but I don't believe there are any other options.