Sorcerer Tim

Thank you for taking the time for this entertaining and informative account of your journey. I always enjoy them and appreciate the effort required.

2 hours ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

When are people usually contacted that they’ve won a bid? Is it always the day before?

Last cruise we were notified the day before that we lost, we are 24 days out and have not received any notice, but I will be surprised if my bid is accepted.

I put in the lowest bid they would accept for the RLS on Symphony. Would be fun if they take it, but then I will get the bill 😔 The total for my current 2 BR ATS plus what I bid about what the RLS is currently listed for on the cruise, but I will not have to pay any additional for the other three people so I think that helps. They were taking bids up to I think $9,500 PP which seems odd considering that is more than the actual price PP of the suite, but I guess it is interesting marketing research. I will let you know what happens.

9 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

See post #4

Ah, sorry, we were on the Harmony.

We were on the same Harmony cruise as cruisegirl and they could not have handled it better. We were kept informed through daily, sometimes hourly announcements, information was on the televisions in the room, our cabin attendant and Genie kept us up to date. We had internet, but the ship made it free at certain times so people could check and change flights, contact family, etc. There was no shortage of things to do, they added two port stops and we were never in danger. That has been my only experience getting delayed by a hurricane, but if it happens again I know we will be in good hands.

Frank, wanted to try Symphony and we went on Anthem in March. So far we have stuck with Star, but next year we may try other ones, although Allure post drydock may be worth a look. Hope all is well with you and yours.

If you are thinking about it then while cost is always important, the fact that you have not dismissed it out of hand indicates it is a question of value vs. cost. Star Class is a lot of fun and with four people, unlimited (almost) everything will eat up some of that difference. Will you have to pay $700pp*4 or just for the first 2 in the cabin plus less per for the other two? We were charged regular price for the first two and then about 20% each of the first two people for the remaining three. Genies make it effortless and if you can think of it they will try to do it. We have only sailed in Star on floor 17 on Oasis class so this will be our first experience in a 2BR Aqua Suite, but with 5 of us it was the only option I wanted to pay for. I may shoot an UP Bid for the RLS, but the minimum is $5,200 and all I get different is more room and on floor 17 so I will probably pass, but even if I take a shot it may be claimed. I would do it, but then again I will not have to pay your bill 🙂 If you have any questions I will do my best to help. Best of luck, have a wonderful time. 

It is great! They are all on the same floor.

Great, thank you.

Are the bid prices per person only applicable to the first two people or is it per person for the number of people in the cabin?

We just booked a cruise on Symphony in September and I am hoping to find out who the current Genies are to see if any we have had before are on Symphony so we may request them. Is there any resource for that and if not, would someone mind seeing if they can find out? I am happy to call or email anyone, but my search prior to this post proved fruitless.

Thank you.

I do not know about the 4 bedroom suite, but I just booked a 2BR Aqua Theater Suite on Symphony for September 28th with only 2 occupants and it holds 8. 

When we were on Anthem in March I was told it was only used when they are docked overnight in Bermuda.

We have stayed in a Grand Panoramic Suite on Allure and a Sky (now Star Loft Suite) on Harmony and I do not think you can go wrong with any of the Star Suites on any of the Oasis class ships. We tried a Star class suite on Anthem and while it was nice, we will stick to Oasis class for our Star experience from now on. We prefer the Star suites on 17 because it is quiet up there and near CK and the SL. The Royal Suite is the top of the line, but seems like overkill to me for the price for two people, but it all comes down to perception of value for the money. Personally since all I would get with the Royal Suite is more space vs. additional perks, I will save a fair amount of money and go with another Star suite, but the Royals sure are nice. Genies are great and make the experience effortless. When all of the Oasis class suites had the same perks I would go with a CL since they are on 17, but any full suite would have been fine as I did not find just paying for the extra space to be worth the money. Now that there are so many things included, plus the Genie, Star is worth it to me, but I am good with the least expensive Star suite I can find. Enjoy your trip, splurge on Star and let us know how it goes 🙂 

Our Genie did reserve us two chairs, a small table and two umbrellas. I think they were $25/each, but she waived the charge. It was a nice beach, but just roped off from the general area, nothing like Labadee. I agree the cabana/suite area is great there. The new pool as part of the Perfect Day upgrade is really nice, but we did not spend any time there, just walked through. There is an amazing area you can walk out maybe 200-300 yards in the ocean up with the water around waist level or lower (depending on height) and can see rays and small sharks. It is worth bringing at least a mask or goggles if not a snorkel for. It is an area with the floating bar. Given a choice, I would take Labadee over it even with the new upgrades, but it looks like it will be a fun place when it is finished.

There was a reserved area for suite guests in March. We could not get a cabana either, our Genie told us they are now open for everyone and do not hold back any for Star Class. That may be different when Coco Cay is up and running full speed, but that is what we were told in March.

We just finished a Star Class cruise on Anthem. Agostina was our Genie and she was fantastic. My understanding is Genies are not included in the standard pp/pd amount, so we tipped her for the week. You will really enjoy the Star Class experience on Anthem, we definitely did. The rooms are nice as well, we prefer the Oasis Class Star Suites, but Anthem's are really nice as well.

No luck on our RLS bid for Saturday. I did increase it a bit, but doubt it will go. Was fun waiting though, kind of like the time between buying a lottery ticket and not winning. It is fun to pretend, but not upsetting to find out we did not win anything.

Agostina is our Genie for the March 23rd sailing.

We stayed in an OS on Freedom and really enjoyed it. It was our first cruise where we chose it and paid the bill and it hooked us into taking many more. The perks are not as nice on Oasis class, but the room is great. For $700, I would do it.

Found it. Thank you.

Thank you. I will update the board if I hear anything.

Is there anywhere to check the status of a bid? Also, I think I messed up and put in the wrong expiration date for my credit card, if they accepted the bid, does that mean the info for the CC was correct?

Well, made an offer, guess we’ll see what happens. Probably nothing, but could be a nice surprise for the Mrs. 😀

I received a RoyalUp email today offering a minimum bids of $1,500/pp for the Royal Loft Suite on Anthem. We are already in a Star Class room so I don’t think I am going to do it for $3,000, but have two questions. Has anyone received a follow up email with lower minimums? I would probably do $1,500 total, but I assume there is no way to offer that, correct?