"Secret" cat. 2F cabins on Spectrum of the Seas?

[Brandis]

We are cruising on Spectrum of the Seas with some friends in October. One of them is travelling solo, and he wanted to book a Single Balcony Studio (Cat. 2F). Unfortunately, they were all gone by the time he booked, so he had to do with an Single Inside Studio with virtual porthole.

 

A few days I noticed that the booking site showed Cat. 2F Single Balcony Studios again and this time he managed to get one by upgrading. It's cabin 8720 in the aft of the ship.

 

When I looked at the deck plans, I noticed that this is marked as a cat. 6D, Ocean View Balcony for 4 persons. I think, officially, there are only 6 cat. 2F cabins midships on decks 6 and 7.

 

 

Did they somehow switch cabin cat. around putting in more Single Balcony Studios and the deck plans have not been updated? Or are they just selling other cabins for a cheaper price to single travellers? But I don't think that would change the cabin category. And his booking confirmation clearly says "2F, Oceanview w/ Balcony"

 

BTW, other cabins currently being shown as available cat. 2F Single Balcony Studios are:

 

- 6644

- 10242

- 11644

- 12244

- 12642

- 13244

 

I'm confused! Any ideas?

Edited June 19, 2019 by Brandis
Put in clearer title

[AsianBohemian]

@Brandis 

I hope this link can help somewhat https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/deckplans/Spectrum-of-the-Seas.

Edited July 10, 2019 by AsianBohemian

[Brandis]

Cruisedeckplans is where I checked first. But there all those cabins that are listed as cat. 2F on the booking site are shown as various cat. D cabins (2D, 4D, 8D etc.) which are regular sized balcony cabins for 2. 

 

But when I contacted RCL, they told me that they are indeed 2F balcony cabins for single use and that the deck plans have not been updated yet. 

[AsianBohemian]

True. The pocket map given to me when I checked in was similar to what's written in the link. SB was not made available when I enquired for my trip in May. They were busy hardselling cabins with balconies to families. I believe they will reconfigure to accomodate more cat 2F cabins for a different clientele.

Edited July 10, 2019 by AsianBohemian

[AsianBohemian]

I forgot. Two ways to check. Either log in via the RC website with your reservation number to check cabin details OR download the RC app and log in with your reservation number and family name of the person staying in that cabin. You should have a better picture.One of them carries more details (including bed-type).

[Brandis]

Indeed, in the app it says "Stateroom 8720 - Studio Ocean View Balcony". 

 

Didn't find much informations in the booking on the website. When I open the details of the booking on the website, it only says "Balcony #8720".

 

However, our cruise is still 109 days out, so once we get below 90 days and the e-docs open, I might find more informations there

 

[Biker19]

2 hours ago, Brandis said:

However, our cruise is still 109 days out, so once we get below 90 days and the e-docs open, I might find more informations there

Check in is at 90 days, edocs are at 49, usually.

[Brandis]

Yeah, sorry, was thinking Check-In, wrote E Docs 🙂

[jegoodman]

I am interested in the resolution of this topic.

 

I am booked in cabin 13728 aft balcony on Spectrum on 28 March 2020.  I booked it as a studio balcony.  ALL websites with deck plans show this as a category 1C... yet, I was able to book this as a studio.  I wonder if this is going to be a small cabin and as others have said, the websites (including Royal Caribbean's) hasn't been updated, or if it will be a bonus normal sized cabin.

 

Interestingly enough, when I booked it through the travel agent website it showed as king bedded where all the other studio balconies showed as double.

Edited September 14, 2019 by jegoodman

[cityguy300]

I'm in a similar cabin, 11326, in December, and have been wondering about this as well.  Was hoping there would be a solo cruiser review by now in one of these "regular sized" 2Fs.

 

Initially, I was choosing between a few connecting and non-connecting mid-ship balconies on decks 6 & 7.  I was about to choose a non-connecting one when I noticed, just looking at the deck plan image, that it was noticeably "shorter" than the connecting ones nearby.  The latter do appear to be slightly shorter than the non-2Fs adjacent to them -- maybe that tiny reduction in square footage is why they're classified as singles?  Because a couple would be slightly shortchanged, or some furniture was lost?

 

But I can't account for why our aft-facing balconies -- that wouldn't be shorter than their neighbours, and can't be narrower (hopefully!) -- would also be 2F.  I hope it's a random or somehow economically motivated choice by RC, and not because the deck plan is radically different from what's shown everywhere.

[Brandis]

I will let you know once we are back from our cruise on Nov. 3.

 

We have a friend who is travelling solo and we had one of the original singe balcony studios (the ones visible on the deck plan) on hold for him but there was a delay for him to get his vacation dates confirmed and we lost that cabin. As there were no more outside singles available, we had to book him in a inside single, with "virtual porthole", although we then learned, that the virtual porthole in the insides studio is just the TV you can tune into an outside view channel, not a dedicated screen which looks like a regular window as is the case in the regular insides with "virtual balconies".

 

And then all of a sudden, more single balcony studios showed up so I got him to change his booking for one of those. 

 

By the way, which cabin number is your back facing 2F? 

[cityguy300]

55 minutes ago, Brandis said:

And then all of a sudden, more single balcony studios showed up so I got him to change his booking for one of those. 

 

By the way, which cabin number is your back facing 2F? 

 

Which cabin number did your friend move to?  I didn't even notice the inside studios when I booked (if they were available), as the balcony studio was already the cheapest option offered.

 

Looks like there are at least three possibilities for "2F" on this ship: non-connecting, true studio size; connecting, almost-regular size; and aft-facing regular size.  That's if the deck illustrations are accurate / to scale.  jegoodman and I appear to be in the latter, on different floors (*326 and *728).

Edited September 15, 2019 by cityguy300

[atush]

your friend is going to love that aft balcony- they are my favorite.

[Brandis]

He was originally booked in 9630, a 2W and now could upgrade to 2F, cabin 8720.

 

We are in 9726, a back-facing Silver Spa Junior Suite. (J4)

[jegoodman]

I'm definitely interested in how this all turns out.  I'm happy with my aft cabin even if it turns out to be the smaller one (which I actually booked).  I have sailed in the studio balcony on Ovation and after initially feeling it was too small... once everything was unpacked and put away it was just fine and I liked it as well as the huge balcony... it was either 7248 or 7250.. I don't remember.

 

Odyssey of the Seas (which will be Spectrum's sister) just had its deckplans released.  The cabin I have will not exist on Odyssey as that area (for now) is showing as a Concierge Lounge.  Odyssey will be home ported in Florida.  When I looked at a few of the Caribbean sailings, the studio balconies available all appeared to actually be Studio balconies.

[Brandis]

I think Spectrum is pretty unique as far as the deck layouts go, because of the special adaptations for the chinese market.

[jegoodman]

I would say so Marc.  I can't wait to try her but I've noticed so far that the shore excursions for 28 March are extremely lacking.  There are some showing as available but I doubt there will be any more to choose from since I realize there will be very few English only speakers on the ship.

Edited September 15, 2019 by jegoodman

[Brandis]

We do not plan on booking any shore excursions, as Osaka, Kobe and Tokyo are very easy to get around on our own. Besides, I already know what I would like to show my friends who haven't been to Japan before. Since the stay isn't very long, a Best of for each port has to do 🙂

 

My biggest disappointment is that there haven't any discounts shown up for the drinks packages yet.

[Brandis]

Oh and by the way, for some reason, the E-Boarding Passes don't seem to work for me. I can print them out on the website, but in the app, they still haven't shown up.

[jegoodman]

I would like to go to Kyoto.  There are no shore excursions showing up for there.  Hoping it's not too difficult to get from the Osaka Port to Kyoto.

[Brandis]

The cruise ship berth at Osaka Port is called Tempozan, it is basically right next to and on the island south of Universal Studios Osaka.

 

From there, it is about a 5 min. foot walk to Osakako subway station. There you take a Chuo line train to Hommachi station, where you change to the Midosuji line to Shin-Osaka train station.

 

From there, you can catch a Special Rapid train (about 25 min.) or a Shinkansen (about 15 min.) to Kyoto several times per hour.

 

Alternatively, you could catch a Special Rapid train from Osaka station, those take about 30 min. to get to Kyoto.

 

Have a look at Google maps, it will help in planning. If you enter Osakako - Kyoto, it will only show connections via Oaska station. If you would like to take the Shinkansen at least one way (more expensive, but also a distinctly japanese experience, in my opinion), you'd have to split your search into the Osakako - Shin-Osaka route and then Shin-Osaka - Kyoto.

[cityguy300]

4 hours ago, Brandis said:

He was originally booked in 9630, a 2W and now could upgrade to 2F, cabin 8720.

 

I could see how 8720 (or 8320 on the other side) could end up as a "studio", as it's slightly shorter in the illustration than all the balconies in front of it (and with no sofa bed, to boot).  Obviously it's far bigger than 9630, but maybe they thought shrewder customers would scoff at paying the same for a not-quite-equal size cabin (or maybe it feels much smaller in person, couldn't fit two separated twins, etc).

[jegoodman]

Thank you Marc for instructions on how to get to Kyoto.  It doesn't sound too bad.

[jegoodman]

Brandis, 

I think you are probably back from Spectrum.  Do you have anything to report on the Secret 2F cabins?  How was the cruise overall?

Any info you have would be helpful.

 

Thanks.

[Brandis]

8720 is indeed a single studio balcony cabin. Bed is a bit smaller, less storage room, but other than that, the cabin didn't feel small at all.

 

Our aft Silver Junior Suite was amazing! The layout wasn't anything like what is shown on the RCL website. It was a lot bigger, probably 8 m long over 3m wide. Opening the door, we looked at the back wall of the toilet compartment, then on the left was the shower / bathroom, between that and the door,  there was a unused area we put our shoes in. Then came the bed, the couch with 2 additional chairs and a small work desk next to the balcony.

 

 

We were under the impression that we would have traditional dining, with fixed time and same table every night, but you had to wait in line every night at your assigned dining time and they would seat you wherever there was room. The menus had photos of every dish, which made the dining experience feel a bit cheap. Most of had steak the first night and it was OK, second night, we didn't like anything on the menu, so we went up to Windjammer. Pretty hard to find a table there, though. For the rest of the cruise, we had dinner at the Silver Dining room and enjoyed it a lot. The menu didn't change, but they had different things on the buffet every night, so it was easy to find something. The dining room is pretty small and was always nice and quiet. Very relaxing.

 

 

 

 

We always had breakfast at Silver Dining as well. One thing I didn't like there was that they had no brown sugar for the oatmeal, they had bamboo sugar instead, which looks similiar but has a different taste. So I just grabbed a bunch of brown sugar bags from the coffee area and used those. :-)

 

We were also very happy we had access to the Solarium, which is reserved for Suite guests. That area was also always very quiet and relaxing, a good place to get away from the hustle and bustle on the rest of the ship. Never a problem with saved chairs and towels didn't have to be checked out with the Seapass.

 

 

I bought the Refreshment package, used it a few times per day at the Bionic bar but I probably got most of the value at the tea house. Loved the Osmanthus Red Velvet tea as well as the Cheese Teas. The usual Coke mug was included with the package, but I had no t much use for it. When I couldn't find the Coke Freestyle machine in the Windjammer and asked for it, I was told that they were in the Esplanade. Went down to the Coffee shop, they told me it was located at the Dog House in the Multiplex. There I saw where the machine would be, power and water outlets ready, but no machine.

 

Sorrento's Pizza is next to Windjammer and usually the only place to get late snacks, some days, Windjammer had a limited snack offering as well. Unfortunately, they only had 3 kinds of Pizza, Vegetarian, Margeritha and Peperoni, I think and they didn't offer "Create your own Pizza". :-(

 

Showgirls and Silk Road were good shows, unfortunately, I missed the second show in the Theatre, The Effectors, seems to be an amazing show, too bad they only showed it one night.

 

It bugged me a bit that all the cakes, cookies etc. in the coffe shop and the tea house were charged for, no freebies on this ship...

 

As for the itinerary, I felt the time in port was a bit short and always kind of late. Some of that was of course caused by the immigration formalities, but I wonder if port time could not have been optimized.

 

In Kobe, our first stop, we didn't get out of the port building until about 3PM. from there we went to Kyoto, arriving there shortly before 5PM, which unfortunately is the time many temples close. So we didn't see as much as I wanted, but still got a bit of the flavour of the city.

 

In Osaka, we arrived in the morning, but since the ship left pretty early that day, we had a cramped sightseeing program again.

 

In Yokohama, there was a free shuttle which dropped you off at a metro station, but trip into Tokyo stil took almost an hour, again, the last bus back to the ship left kind of early, so we didn't have as much time as I would have liked.

 

But we still enjoyed the visit and I'm sure it helped that I had been there before, so it was a bit easier finding our way around.

 

At least, we had time for some great meals and I could take out 15 min. of our sightseeing program to buy some unique Kit Kat flavours at Mega Don Quichote in Shibuya. Which by the way was absolutely crazy, because of Halloween. But it was fun nontheless.