Need Info! stuck with cabin#3000 Serenade of the Seas...

[liza03]

My sister booked our vacation through a Travel Agency and they only guaranteed category H / Deck 3 on the Serenade of the Seas. I just found out that they assigned me the VERY FIRST CABIN on Deck 3 (#3000) at the very front of the ship, left side and I am PANICKING!!! Please let me now your opinions and/or experiences at similar cabins because I don't think that I can make any changes... Thanks:confused:

[jcdchgo]

Ask to be put back into the Guarantee pool.

[liza03]

But I already have my Boarding Pass ("ticket")...Can I still do it?

[PrincesScuba]

When is your cruise?

[robtulipe]

But I already have my Boarding Pass ("ticket")...Can I still do it?

Yes, we changed cabins the day before our last cruise as we also had booked a guarantee fairly close to embarkation since that's all that was available in the category we wanted. We had been assigned a cabin in a location that we didn't like. When two better cabins in same category showed up, since I had booked direct with RC, I called our CVP(RC agent). We were able to change to one in a better location. You will have to request this though your TA.

We used the same Set Sail Pass as we simply crossed out the old cabin number and wrote in the new one since we had already started our travel to the cruise. Our CVP emailed us a new invoice showing the new cabin which I saved on our laptop as he suggested that I have it with us to confirm the new cabin location at check-in but it wasn't needed. I also modified our luggage tags by simply placing a white label over the previous cabin number and writing in the new location with a black marker.

For those who want to flame me for booking a gty and requesting a different cabin in the same category, don't bother as I've seen that criticism before on CC. RC allows you to do this and this was the only way I could book this category we wanted. We actually paid quite a bit more for that gty than we could have booked an assigned cabin in the same category the week before.

Yes I waited too long to book.

Edited February 28, 2010 by robtulipe

[ntengwall]

I'll be in the same boat (LOL) as you. I have a family stateroom on the Explorer- room 8500-which is the most forward cabin on that floor! But it was the only family stateroom left available and I need it since I am traveling with my 3 boys. Oh well...we'll just make the best of it! Better than being in my bedroom here at home with the snow falling :D

[cruisegirl1]

I’m guessing you received a reduced price rather than select a particular cabin. No reason to complain - Basically - you got what you were guaranteed. But - see if you can go back in to pool .

 

 

We tried a guarantee just a few times and got terrible assignments. If location is of any importance – my best advice is NOT to select a guarantee.

 

M

[Sunkissed Mommy]

My sister booked our vacation through a Travel Agency and they only guaranteed category H / Deck 3 on the Serenade of the Seas. I just found out that they assigned me the VERY FIRST CABIN on Deck 3 (#3000) at the very front of the ship, left side and I am PANICKING!!! Please let me now your opinions and/or experiences at similar cabins because I don't think that I can make any changes... Thanks:confused:

 

 

My husband and I were granted this same room on the Jewel in November as an upgrade (I think they were playing a cruel joke on us!) We spent 20 minutes in the room and kindly refused the "upgrade." It was loud- you could hear every wave boom against the ship's hull. It also felt much smaller than the inside room that we came from. From what I have been told, if you are tendering anywhere you will also hear the anchor drop.

 

Try your best to get another room.

[Desert Cruizers]

I would deffinately try for a differant location. Ask if there is something more mid ship

[terisu10]

My sister booked our vacation through a Travel Agency and they only guaranteed category H / Deck 3 on the Serenade of the Seas. I just found out that they assigned me the VERY FIRST CABIN on Deck 3 (#3000) at the very front of the ship, left side and I am PANICKING!!! Please let me now your opinions and/or experiences at similar cabins because I don't think that I can make any changes... Thanks:confused:

 

We had a similar location (2nd room with a porthole) on a Carnival ship last year. Honestly, it was never an issue. We never heard a sound.

[fridaythe13th]

My sister booked our vacation through a Travel Agency and they only guaranteed category H / Deck 3 on the Serenade of the Seas. I just found out that they assigned me the VERY FIRST CABIN on Deck 3 (#3000) at the very front of the ship, left side and I am PANICKING!!! Please let me now your opinions and/or experiences at similar cabins because I don't think that I can make any changes... Thanks:confused:

 

Do a mock booking and see what other cabins come up in the category you were assigned. Check for 3 people in a cabin too as other cabins may show up. If a better cabin comes up call your TA and see if they will move you to cabin #----. That's exactly what I did (although I booked direct with RC) and it was no problem. Good luck!

Edited February 28, 2010 by fridaythe13th

[IWORK2CRUISE]

I'll be in the same boat (LOL) as you. I have a family stateroom on the Explorer- room 8500-which is the most forward cabin on that floor! But it was the only family stateroom left available and I need it since I am traveling with my 3 boys. Oh well...we'll just make the best of it! Better than being in my bedroom here at home with the snow falling :D

We had # 8000 on Jewel of the Seas and really loved it. That is roughly in the same spot at # 850 on Explorer.

Unless you are very sensitive to movement you should have no problem. You will enjoy the extra space for sure.

We loved our big windows.

You know the bow cam that they show on tv? Well, we had that view of our own.

[negc]

Whenever you contemplate booking a guarantee, you should look to see what is the worst room you might get. If that room would be totally unacceptable, don't book the guarantee. Had the OP done so, he might have foreseen the possibility of getting room #3000 and made a different decision. There is no harm in asking if you can get another room. The worst thing that they can do is say no, and you will be "stuck" in the room originally assigned. We had a similar experience on one of our cruises and while I wouldn't have chosen that particular stateroom, we somehow managed to survive and actually had an excellent cruise despite the location of our room.:)

Edited February 28, 2010 by negc

[liza03]

Thanks for your replies...I'll try to change the stateroom tomorrow...wish me luck!

[Yurita]

Hi

You don't need to keep the same cabin. Once Royal assignes you to a cabin, you can switch cabins within the same category only ONCE.

YOU ARE ENTILED TO 1 CABIN SWITCH WITHIN SAME CATEGORY OR YOU CAN BE PLACED BACK ON 'POOL'.

Like fridaythe13th said, do a mock booking, with the same member of passengers per cabin, and see what's available in the same category. Choose a cabin you like, call your TA and let her/him know you want to switch within the same category. If your TA says it's not possible, (it happened to me), call Royal.

In my personal case, when I called my TA, she told me 'there's nothing I can do at this point, you've been assigned'. Not being good enough for me, I called Royal caribbean, and they told me I was entitled to 1 cabin switch, just 1. That's good enough!

 

Knowing the cabins available under the same category, I told them the cabin # I wanted. They put a note on my booking and told me to call my TA, so they could finalize the switching.

I called my TA, and in less than 5 min, I got the cabin of my choice.

Good luck, let us know what happened!

Edited March 2, 2010 by Yurita

[BGCruiser85]

Thanks for your replies...I'll try to change the stateroom tomorrow...wish me luck!

 

Too bad I'm not on your sailing. I would kill for that cabin! I LOVE the first cabin. When I've gotten it in the past, there has never been a noise issue in least. In fact, it has been the quietest cabin we've been in. I think you're making a mistake by changing, but to each their own I guess.:) Enjoy!

[VtnynvvT]

I did a OV gtee once and got a similar cabin on deck 3. I actually quite liked it. Because it was so far forward there was no noise from people passing you cabin. What movement there was was not bad - it actually rocked me to sleep :)

[Pat.bz]

Booked an inside gty on Rhapsody last Fall and was assigned most forward cabin on deck 2!! Called TA and she called RCI and we got a nice cabin midship on deck 3 without going back into pool. That room was perfect (good thing as we went from Vancouver to Sydney in it).

[noche_caliente]

We had 3000 on Speldour four our honeymoon cruise in the Med and loved it. the only complaint was that one morning we tendered and heard the anchor - but the room was bigger than the other OV cabins, so it was well worth it! If I were you, I'd keep it - especially if you don't have any tendered ports - I don't know which itinerary you'll be doing.

[mjldvlks]

We've played the guarantee game and have been well pleased with the results. We have also been pretty far forward on at least one cruise and had no problem. So I wouldn't panic if you can't change but just keep in mind "it never hurts to ask" and don't believe your TA if she says you cannot change. You can always change if there are cabins available in the pool in that class.

 

As noche caliente said, if you stay in that cabin and your cruise has any tender ports, you will hear the anchor on those days. But relax, it only takes a few seconds for the anchor to drop. And when you hear the anchor at 5 a.m., use it as a reminder that you are on vacation and you can turn over and go back to sleep until . . . you are good and ready to get up. [actually, at my age I used it as a reminder to get up and go to the john and THEN go back to sleep].

 

It's all good.

Edited March 3, 2010 by mjldvlks

[youngcruiserFL]

My sister booked our vacation through a Travel Agency and they only guaranteed category H / Deck 3 on the Serenade of the Seas. I just found out that they assigned me the VERY FIRST CABIN on Deck 3 (#3000) at the very front of the ship, left side and I am PANICKING!!! Please let me now your opinions and/or experiences at similar cabins because I don't think that I can make any changes... Thanks:confused:

 

Do you see other cabins within the H category being available? Once the revenue management department assigns you a category, you are allowed to change cabins within that same category.

[weliketocruise86]

We booked an inside N GTY for the Navigator of the Seas in May.

We have been 'upgraded' to H Oceanview four rooms from the back on deck 2.

The only H grade rooms available to book are GTY. If we wanted to change our room and go back into the pool would we go back to category N or stay in H. Hope this makes sense, thanks.

[youngcruiserFL]

We booked an inside N GTY for the Navigator of the Seas in May.

We have been 'upgraded' to H Oceanview four rooms from the back on deck 2.

The only H grade rooms available to book are GTY. If we wanted to change our room and go back into the pool would we go back to category N or stay in H. Hope this makes sense, thanks.

 

Keep in mind that May is still two months away so availability can very likely change. If you ask to go back into the inside GTY pool and someone with an inside room cancels, you may get assigned that room. On the Navigator, there are some nice H category cabins at the front of the ship, especially the triangular-shaped ones which are quite spacious and have two full windows. If I were you, I would stay in the H category for now and constantly check if any cabins within that H category open up. You can then ask to be changed.

[weliketocruise86]

Keep in mind that May is still two months away so availability can very likely change. If you ask to go back into the inside GTY pool and someone with an inside room cancels, you may get assigned that room. On the Navigator, there are some nice H category cabins at the front of the ship, especially the triangular-shaped ones which are quite spacious and have two full windows. If I were you, I would stay in the H category for now and constantly check if any cabins within that H category open up. You can then ask to be changed.

 

Thanks. The rooms you are talking about are a G category now on our sailing. Could we request an upgrade from H to G GTY for the difference in price between the H GTY to G GTY or is this asking too much ?

[youngcruiserFL]

Thanks. The rooms you are talking about are a G category now on our sailing. Could we request an upgrade from H to G GTY for the difference in price between the H GTY to G GTY or is this asking too much ?

 

To be honest, I'm not sure they will let you do this because they will feel that you have already received a complimentary upgrade from inside GTY. My guess is that they will tell you that you will have to pay the full difference between inside GTY and the new category that you want. You can definitely call and see, but I don't want to get your hopes up.

 

Overall, is your sailing very full? Day of departure upgrades (subject to availability of course) are pretty cheap.