Starry Eyes

No, only on one side in our balcony cabin, as you can see.

Years ago when nearly all deposits were refundable I recall seeing some cabins (including nice choices) reappear near final payment date and sometimes price drops shortly after final payment date. Now that so many people select nonrefundable deposits, both those seem less prevalent to me.

We did not receive a response before our cruise on Jewel yet our request was fulfilled. We again did not receive a response to our email before our b2b on Odyssey, but discovered our request was not fulfilled. Having boarded early, were the very first ones at the MDR request station, we had previously emailed the request, b2b cruisers, and we are D+ with over 500 points (note: only 15 PC and about 150 D+ on that sailing…we did not point out our status but assume it shows on on their MDR screens) yet despite all that, the head waiter manning the station that day tried very hard to blow us off. He claimed they used booking date to decide who received their requests and we thus must not have booked early enough to get our request. We looked at him as though he had two heads, asked if that was a new RCI policy as I’d want to share it on CruiseCritic. He mumbled it was maybe just that ship as he granted our request. No issue on the second half of the b2b (we added that cruise relatively last minute🙄). When the loyalty ambassador heard the story, he had not heard that C&A guests were told newbies who booked sooner were getting preference. Seating preferences are not on the official list of C&A perks, and if RCI does decide to go by booking date I’ll accept it graciously. I’d just like to know.

You did not “overpay.” You booked at a certain price and paid that amount. You are now way past final payment and in penalty phase. The rules were in place when you booked and you should have made sure you understood them before booking…that’s just common sense.

Princess policies are irrelevant to this price drop question, as are past fuel surcharges

If your cruise is only three weeks away, you are way past final payment. None of the rest us here on CruiseCritic are getting refunds for price drops after final payment. You are not that special; you should not expect to get one either.

Yes, and in the OP’s case two of the four people sailed, so there may not have even been a vacant cabin due to the two missing passengers. If there was no vacant cabin, there was Royal could not even recoup a bit of money via RoyalUp.

Opinions about what constitutes “good coverage” will vary. Perhaps career in healthcare leaves one aware of so many sad stories and many very high bills. Thus personally I desire medical coverage much higher than 50K and I hope we never need to use it. Our annual policy has medical limit 250K (though due to advanced age they cut that to 100K for DH; couldn’t find better).

That’s how we choose to look at it as well, though, like you, I recognize that others should assess their situation and insure differently. Still, I hate to see anyone select policies with low medical/ evacuation limits (unless they are confident their regular medical insurance covers them during their travels); even very healthy people can have an accident resulting in huge medical bills.

Ah, then it depends on what is important to you in a travel insurance policy. Some of us are willing to self insure for cancellation accept lower cancellation coverage; others are not. We choose to insure for the big financial risks (medical and evacuation) and look carefully for good coverage in those areas. I’d point out that I see many single trip policies may have decent cancellation coverage but some have low limits on medical. One can run up huge medical bills quite unexpectedly with a single accident or serious illness, far exceeding the low limits of some policies. Different posters of different ages, perspectives and life experiences will look at policy offerings differently (and see different prices based on those ages).

Here’s our experience at Port Everglades. DH and I boarded a B2B on Odyssey last weekend. To see what would happen we went through two different security lines.😀 DH took 2 bottles of wine in a single bag. He reports that his X-ray screener looked carefully at his bag but did not say anything. He came through with his two bottle without clarifying that he is a B2B guest. I also had 2 bottles but separate into two different bags. My screener matched the bags to me, confirming that each bag had a bottle. I explained I was b2b, holding paperwork for both as they called their superior. The superior heard B2B and waived me through; she showed no interest in holding the second bottle until the second cruise. So, different some screeners will indeed match bags to passengers and note overages. They may or may not hold extra bottles of b2b guests as specified on Royal’s website.

Or even worse, when ships would have to skip CoCo Cay because conditions were not suitable for tendering; it was a rather frequent occurrence before the dock was placed. While the less developed island had its charm, so does the developed one. Have a wonderful time.

Here’s our experience for those wondering about enforcement at Port Everglades. DH and I are boarding today for a B2B on Odyssey. To see what would happen we went through two different security lines. DH had 2 bottles of wine in the same bag. He reports that his X-ray screener looked carefully at his bag but did not say anything. He came through with his two bottle without clarifying that he is a B2B guest. I also had 2 bottles but separate into two different bags. My screener matched the bags to me, confirmed that each had a bottle. I explained I was b2b, holding both set sail passes as they called their superior, who heard that and waived me through; she showed no interest in holding the second bottle until the second cruise. Summary, YMMV by screener. Surprise, surprise.

I’m so glad your daughter will be OK. I am also glad the emergency happened on land. I suspect it would have been even scarier if you had been in the air when it occurred. It might also have been terrible if it had occurred on the cruise or in port without travel insurance (your regular health insurance may not have paid; you may have needed to pay for return airfare for the family from a foreign port in addition to foreign hospital bills). Not only are you fortunate that the child will recover, you are are also fortunate that the lesson was much less expensive than it might have been. How old is the child? Depending on her age and writing ability, an email from her to the executive office might be more effective than one from the parent. Still, you (or the kiddo) should be prepared to hear “no.” Insurance is supposed to cover these situations.

Though we had a OV balcony on Wonder, we have stayed in CP balconies on decks 10, 11 and 12 on other Oasis class ships. We will take a cabin on any if those decks, though we favor deck 10. That’s personal preference. We like being closer to the garden. I suspect when on your balcony you will have more noise from above on Wonder than on other ships. That would not stop me from booking.

From OP’s signature: 😄 Upcoming Cruise(s): 04/23 - RCCL Navigator of the Seas - 7 day Cabo, Vallarta, Mazatlan

Of course experiences will vary. The same thing has happened to m, expect my assignment csme even closer to cruise date. Obviously if Royal has not assigned a cabin (not even a hidden one), you will not find that assignment in the barcode. Sometimes one just has to wait longer. However, this OP was in a different situation because this OP could see their muster station; that’s a huge clue that the cabin has been assigned (though the number may still be hidden in the barcode)

Even if the assignment isn’t truly last minute, you still might not be able to switch. My last couple assignments were each made 30 days out. In both cases my assigned category was already sold out; the cruises were nearly sold out.

Also be aware that to avoid glare on the bridge you may be required to keep the drapes closed on those forward windows at night. Not a big deal for most people, but plan to go out on deck for any stargazing.

I’m glad it worked. Do you like your future cabin assignment?

They don’t

I agree; no trick is needed unless you have an unassigned gty. Did you read the post to which I responded? In response to a question about the barcode trick, a poster who said they did not know about gty barcodes talked about the numbers under other barcodes. I told that poster it is not that simple for gty.

It was not a coincidence. If you had employed “the barcode trick” being discussed on this thread (and elsewhere on CruiseCritic), you would have discovered your future cabin number was hiding in the barcode.

Patience works. If you grow curious you can try downloading a barcode reader app on your phone. Point that barcode reader app at the set sail pass on your companion’s phone or on your computer.

No worries that you will be cabinless! If you see a muster station station, RCI has secretly picked a cabin for you (otherwise they would not know which muster station). The barcode trick will work. Use the technique the others describe (apple wallet or a barcode reading app). Or just wait if you are the patient sort; it will be revealed eventually. My last two assignments were hidden in the barcode until from 45-31 days out. At 30 days out they were revealed. YMMV.