Starry Eyes

I’d suggest you post the cabin number(s) of the cabin(s) of interest on Indy.  That way people can look at a deck plan and give you their opinions.  If you are lucky might even get feedback from someone who has stayed in the cabin.

5 minutes ago, Bluewake said:

We are in cabin 6295 on the Adventure of the Seas. It is directly above the "Gift Jewelry" shop which is located just past the the excursions desk on deck 5.  The shop has a speaker positioned on a tall tripod at the rear of the store (directly below the floor of our cabin) which they use as a PA system and through which they play music to attract/entertain customers.  It's not a huge speaker but it's powerful and, for some reason, tends to resonate in our room, particularly the base.  We also are not too far from where the parties seem to be centered in the Promenade and those parties are quite loud.  We have been in a Promenade cabin once before but it was on deck 9 so the level really seems to matter.  We've always chosen our cabin but this was an "upgrade" bid offer and we were placed by the cruise line.  I guess that is the risk.

Thanks for sharing that info.  It may help someone picking a promenade cabin, as one does not automatically expect a gift shop to be noisy. 
 

I agree that RoyalUp bids come with a risk that you will not like your new cabin location.  I’m sorry this happened to you, but I hope you are doing your best to enjoy your cruise.

Many of us would not expect loud music from a gift shop below.  Please share the ship and cabin number so others can avoid that cabin.

We have enjoyed promenade cabins, though we watched the parades from our window or we were out of the cabin.

6 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

That would be great if they did. Did they fix the website as well so you know what you are getting?  

No, the consumer website is as opaque as ever for balcony gty.  

18 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

There are 2 different types of guaranteed balcony rooms.

 

There are guaranteed oceanview and guaranteed neighbourhood.

 

On the consumer site Royal does not distinguish between the 2 and they do not even show you on your invoice as they both just say guaranteed balcony when in fact there are 2 codes XN and XB.  

 

 

They may have recently improved that invoice issue.😀  My invoice from a gty booking this week specifies my category.  It clearly says:

XB GTY

OCEAN VIEW BALCONY GUARANTEE

3 hours ago, tsnyc1 said:

I called RC and spoke to the Resolutions Dept and they would not honor a price drop on Star of the Seas for a 2026 sailing. Balcony room and the category is not sold out. I see online prices and when I call into RC they act like that don't see the same discount/price. Very frustrating and poor customer service. 

Are you using the Royal Caribbean website to do the mock booking price check or some other site?  If you are using some other online travel website, you might be seeing a rate (such as a group rate) that Royal CSR’s cannot see or get for you.

 If you are using the Royal website, you cannot just trust the highlighted price on the first page; sometimes the cabins at that rate are gone.  Click through so you have picked the actual cabin category, then look at the pricing detail.  Make sure you are comparing your old cabin fare category to the new cabin fare in the exact same category (not total to total).  If the difference is in the taxes/port fees/etc, you don’t get a price adjustment.  If the better price is in a different category and you would be happier in that new category for that price, ask them price quote for that new category rather than a price adjustment.  
 

I think there can be another issue with mock bookings when inventory is low in that category.  When a customer clicks on a cabin the system often seems to it out of inventory for about 15 minutes so that customer can complete the transaction.  So, for example, if Royal is only offering one more cabin at $XXX and you click on it to do a mock booking price check, the only cabin at that rate $XXX is tied up (by you, but nobody knows that) if you call in immediately to get that rate.  Of course, if you wait the rate might reappear or someone else might tie it up by clicking on it, or someone else might book it.  

27 minutes ago, The Scurvy Pirate said:

Anecdotally,   I will say everytime that I have "won" and been upgraded to a GS or higher, it has been one that was previously shown as available.

To add balance: anecdotally, I will say each time I have won and been upgraded to a GS or higher, it has not been one that was previously shown as available.  Mine seem to have been cancellations and/or vacancies generated during “waterfall” upgrades. YMMV.

2 hours ago, ILCTCRUISER said:

A bit dated study of demographics from CLIA.  Published in 2020 and based on numbers gathered in 2018.  My guess is that little has changed over 6 years.

 

 

Source: CLIA (2020). 2018 Global Passenger Report. Washington DC: CLIA.

Cruise lines are expanding their target population, attracting younger age groups such as families and youngsters. While it used to be a “65+ type of market”, in 2018, the average age of cruisers was 46.7 years. Just 13% were over 70 years old, and the 65+ years old group stood at 32% of all persons cruising within the year.

 

From accompanying graph (not shown here) pax 50+  represent 50% of cruise pax population.  Nothing to sneeze at there.

 

 

That’s all persons who have cruised within a year.  I suspect the result would differ if weighted by number of cruises per year, as most of the passengers taking lots of cruises per year are older.

13 hours ago, Jetdriver787 said:

Sorry, but I fail to see how? If 2 identical category cabins (A & B) bid on a higher category cabin (C).  A originally paid $1000 and B paid $0 (comp’) the maximisation will come from the simple higher bid. If B bids higher than A, then that is what maximises the revenue. 
 

You have to remember this isn’t the company selling its own product. It is a specialist company putting together revenue chains from unsold/returned stock to create ancillary revenue. In these days of “sold out” sailings, a lot of that stock is going to be late cancellations, which the company already has the money for, so this is just icing on the cake! Most “Royal up” bids are awarded around 2-3 days before departure, which is beyond the normal sales window in any event. Prior to that, the company would sell any available stock through its normal channels. 
 

The programme can also be used to help rebalance sales expectations where there is a clear underperformance. This would usually be in the “volume” lower half of the pyramid. The company can then rebalance its sales quota by releasing a block of specific rooms to be “Royaled up.” 

Let’s try a different situation.  You want to buy a used car.  Two essentially identical ones are available.  As they equally nice, they are worth the same amount, right?  While chatting you learn one seller received that car A as a graduation gift while the other seller purchased his car B himself upon graduation.   Are they still worth the same amount, or do you think previous cost impacts the next transaction?

16 hours ago, Bruin Steve said:

Well...the main reason I am unhappy is not so much the location (which, yes, doesn't thrill me)...It's with what Royal Caribbean categorizes as an "Ocean View" cabin.  Now, as a disclaimer, I have NOT yet seen these cabins.  In over 70 cruises, I've never cruised on Deck Two.  Our last three cruises have been on Celebrity--in Concierge class twice, then in Aqua class.  When I booked this--OVER 14 months prior to the sailing--OV Guarantees were all that was available.  You see, this was marketed first as part of the "World Cruise", then as larger segments...and then, 14 months ago, they released what was left in smaller segments--and we booked two,

 

And here's the rub:  I sort of assumed an "Ocean View" cabin would have a reasonable window.  We could live without the balcony for 15 nights ...or 24 with both legs...BUT a window--something with a nice view outside, something to let in some decent amount of natural light...that's what I expected.  This ship has something over 220 non-handicap OV cabins on OTHER decks...ALL with decent-sized windows...and 12 on Deck Two with tiny portholes.  The rest of Deck Two is all CREW cabins.

 

And THAT description is only from what I gather from research here and elsewhere...but it's a bit sketchy.  The tiny portholes are mentioned by some--on Radiance Class ships.  And ALL RCCL ships are NOT the same.  Some may have ordinary windows on Deck Two.  BUT, assuming my research is correct...and we paid for an OV and get a small porthole the size of a dinner plate that you'd have to stand on the bed to even see out and that allows in minimal light...well...that sucks!

If a person is at all picky about cabins and is contemplating booking a gty, that person should do their due diligence.  They need to carefully investigate the cabins in that category on that ship, picture the worst one for them (people have different personal preferences), and decide if they can be happy in that worst cabin at that price.  If not, they should not book the gty.  Only the guest can do this due diligence as only the guest knows what they like/dislike in a cabin.  Evidently you booked an OV gty on this cruise without doing your due diligence.  That’s on you; learn from it.  You had limited booking options and may have made the same choice even if the had researched the cabins if you really wanted to be on this leg if the WC.  
 

Do you have any RoyalUp offers?  If so, perhaps this barcode info will encourage you to up your bids.

44 minutes ago, orville99 said:

If the status match doesn't have the desired effect of moving the cost-ineffective D+ and Pin folks over to Celebrity, then I could see that as a logical next step taken to keep from losing us all together to other lines. If, however, the status match meets their goals, the step you referenced may never be needed.

True, depending on the corporation’s goals, they might assess the impact of the enhanced status match, then decide whether or to proceed with further integration of the loyalty programs.  Pins got a nice boost as Zenith gets some nice benefits.  There are more D+ than Pins, and speaking as a D+, the boost from E benefits to E+ benefits isn’t so inspiring.  I’ll appreciate the little extras if we take a Celebrity cruise,but those extra benefits won’t inspire me to book with Celebrity.  Heck, the D+’s with aspirations of making P might be more inclined to stay only with Royal to reach P/Z, then branch out.

2 hours ago, orville99 said:

DW came up with an interesting theory as to one other possible reason why the status match was created, and it makes the impact of the systemic cutbacks quite interesting. Those of us with long, loyal, and frequent cruise history on RCL not only remember what it was like "in the old days", but we tend to vocally reminisce about how much things have changed and lament how much they have gone downhill post shutdown. Her theory - they want us away from the newbies who don't know any better, so we don't cause them to think about looking elsewhere for their next cruise.👴😇

Here’s a different hypothesis.  Remember in about Sept 2023 there was discussion the Celebrity and Royal Caribbean loyalty programs may be merged in the future.  If those rumors were true and the corporation really is thinking of combining the programs, a more comprehensive status match is a reasonable first step.  

33 minutes ago, orville99 said:

Think about it from a purely business perspective. Pinnacle benefits from the match increased substantially - from Elite to Zenith. Why would a company not want to let its most loyal customers know that? Had I not already been a Celebrity member, who was supposed to tell me that my cruise options just got better other than RCL. It's not a difficult concept.🙄

But the corporation knows who belongs to both loyalty programs and Celebrity notified you of the benefits you would now get as a Zenith. As it is not a difficult concept, how many emails do you need?🤣🤣🤣

30 minutes ago, orville99 said:

I would have expected an email at least announcing the match program, just like the email I received from both X and Silversea announcing the program.

And I expect you’d have gotten one from RCI If your RCI status had changed.  RCI knows you were informed of the new loyalty matching program by two corporate partners.  Plus there info about the program on the Internet, which you well know as evidenced by this thread.  What more could an RCI email add?

50 minutes ago, orville99 said:

DW and I just received our emails welcoming us to the Silversea Venetian Society - still crickets from RCL.😇

You’ve heard from X and Silversea.  What are you expecting from RCL?  Do you need an email from RCL reassuring you that your RCL status has not changed?😂😂😂

47 minutes ago, RFerrington said:

Do the Z's have the same overcrowding problems that the P's do ?  I have no idea.  I had the impression that there were very few Z's compared to the number of P's.

 

I certainly understand that if a brazilian P's coming pouring over to Celebrity that then, they WILL have a problem.  Just wasn't aware of whether it's currently a problem or not.  I truly do not know.

I was initially puzzled when I read this.  Why would Brazilian P’s be more problematic than any other P’s?  Then I realized autocorrect must have changed bazillion to brazilian, LOL.

Quantum is in Elliott Bay in Washington state awaiting help from tug per media report.
 

https://komonews.com/amp/news/local/high-winds-strand-cruise-ships-in-elliott-bay-cruise-royal-caribbean-vessel-united-states-coast-guard-uscg-tugboat-elliott-bay-alaska-quantum-of-the-seas

17 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

...though I just wish they would put an X ship at our local port in PC....or is that in the works?  

X is coming to Port Canaveral in December 

https://www.portcanaveral.com/Celebrity-Cruises-2024

12 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Interesting observation.  We are also E+ and D+ and miles away from P or Z.  One reason is that we have been splitting cruises between the two lines.  Although chasing one of these next levels is not really a priority for us, it now makes sense for loyalty members in this situation to focus on one line for awhile and get to P or Z.  Then get an automatic Loyalty match.  

For those who prioritize chasing loyalty levels, it always would have made sense to concentrate on one line.  Others just pick the cruise that works best for them and let loyalty benefits come as they will.  Some fall somewhere in between.

53 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Stinks for the Zeniths..

A Zenith that wants to sail on Royal Caribbean benefits, just as a Pinnacle who wants to sail on Celebrity benefits.  Both Z’s and P’s (including never plan to cross over to the other line) must accept others at their level.  

We have not sailed Celebrity for a few years, but IIRC back then a cabinmate (even a newbie) received the benefits of their Captain’s Club cabinmate.  What is their current policy for cabinmates?

9 hours ago, Oceansaway17 said:

I think they should just do away with GTY rooms altogether.  Everyone should pick a room and be done with it.

The cruiselines must think otherwise, as they have offered gty for years with no sign of phase out.  Of course if you don’t like gty, then you shouldn’t book gty….but what’s it to you if some other person who is flexible about location books gty?  With bidding programs like RoyalUp, it is even less likely the cruiselines will do away with gty, as gty bookings can fill in vacancies created at the end of RoyalUp wins (or at the end of a cascade of wins).

17 minutes ago, Tlbecker1 said:

There is one, but it only has a small number of continental choices.  Bikini’s, Mimosas and Bloody Mary’s are included.

Autocorrect seems to think you’d rather  have swimwear with breakfast rather than a Bellini😂

10 minutes ago, molly361 said:

Zenith gets WIFI and the Premium Drink package correct?

14 minutes ago, orville99 said:

Which is essentially the same suite lounge restriction on RCL when there are too many Pins on board.

My reading is that the current format is Celebrity based Zeniths will get access while the reciprocal Zeniths should expect not to have access.