They Pick vs. You Pick

[MaskedTurtle]

I have a few questions on this, since it wasn't really a thing the last time I cruised or looked things up online.  According to the RCCL website, you pay a little more to pick the exact room you want.  Is this really worth it?  If I wait until the less-desirable rooms within a category are booked or almost booked, that would increase my chances of a better room, but is the risk of good rooms being booked worth it?  Also, if I call RC directly or go through my travel agent, is there still a price difference?  And, if I express general preferences (ie- close to elevator, higher deck, etc.) as opposed to picking a specific room, is there still a price difference?

[blackshirt]

To me it is worth it to pick my room. I have only booked a guarantee twice and only because the savings was significant, not just a few dollars. As for any price differences with a TA, it totally depends on the TA, so no definitive answer.

[Judyrem]

I pick.

[Clarea]

18 minutes ago, MaskedTurtle said:

 ...   If I wait until the less-desirable rooms within a category are booked or almost booked, that would increase my chances of a better room, but is the risk of good rooms being booked worth it?  ...

 

If you wait, you may find that prices have gone up considerably.

[awestover89]

There will be a price difference either way. If you're travel agent has any group rates available, that may be a way to get a "you pick" for even cheaper than the guarantee (what Royal calls it when they pick your room)

 

I personally never do a guarantee. I want to know my exact room and be absolutely sure I like the location.

[MaskedTurtle]

I agree so far.  For the 4 night cruise I am looking at, the difference, right now, is only about $24 pp.  I only had this thought because this will be a "free" cruise and other things are gonna add up, so I was trying to keep costs down as much as possible.  On the other hand, I'm saving a fairly decent amount with the cruise redemption, so I can go for it.

[time4u2go]

48 minutes ago, MaskedTurtle said:

I have a few questions on this, since it wasn't really a thing the last time I cruised or looked things up online.  According to the RCCL website, you pay a little more to pick the exact room you want.  Is this really worth it?  If I wait until the less-desirable rooms within a category are booked or almost booked, that would increase my chances of a better room, but is the risk of good rooms being booked worth it?  Also, if I call RC directly or go through my travel agent, is there still a price difference?  And, if I express general preferences (ie- close to elevator, higher deck, etc.) as opposed to picking a specific room, is there still a price difference?

I'm a little confused by your logic.  Why do you think people  would pick less desirable rooms ahead of better rooms?

[MaskedTurtle]

2 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

I'm a little confused by your logic.  Why do you think people  would pick less desirable rooms ahead of better rooms?

They may be less-desirable to me, but not to others.  Also, they may be cheaper to the point that people book them to save as much as they can.

[Ourusualbeach]

Don’t think of it as paying more to pick a room.  Think of it as those that are willing to take the worst cabin on the ship are getting a discount. 

[MaskedTurtle]

5 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Don’t think of it as paying more to pick a room.  Think of it as those that are willing to take the worst cabin on the ship are getting a discount. 

True.

[lovescats5]

Check the post of the person is unhappy because the room Royal picked for them was over the smoking area.  You too could get a room above the smoking area and so we always pick our room.

[Christinampl]

16 hours ago, MaskedTurtle said:

They may be less-desirable to me, but not to others.  Also, they may be cheaper to the point that people book them to save as much as they can.

 

And that to me, is the biggest point, what people find desirable. I have MOSTLY chosen guarantee rooms because I like the savings more than I care about my room. I had a room on a 4 night this year that I LOVED the location of because it worked for MY needs.  I could definitely see though, why it would be a very undesirable location to many.  

 

Personally, I am perfectly fine with whatever room they give me as long as it is clean and I am taken care of because I use my room for sleeping and showering. Others require suites, balconies, etc. Figure out what is more important to you and choose accordingly 🙂

[MaskedTurtle]

That's part of what I was thinking.  

[Tatka]

17 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Don’t think of it as paying more to pick a room.  Think of it as those that are willing to take the worst cabin on the ship are getting a discount. 

 

Yes, however booking GTY can also get an "upgrade"... if their category is sold out.

 Oh uncertainty. 🙂

 

 GTY can be in various categories. Not only in the lowest.

[Wanderista]

I did this last time and I was fine with the assigned room. I'm currently planning to give it a shot again with an OV GTY. That RoyalUp feature didn't exist when I did this last time. Admittedly, the cruise that I am next going on is one of the canceled Havana cruises that is not likely to sell out. I guess I'm taking a chance that it probably won't. If I really don't like the room then maybe we can bid for another or something.

 

There are definitely cruises where I would pay to choose my own room but as long as the room isn't terrible, I'm going to be happy. I'm also someone who basically uses the room to sleep and shower. On sea days, I plan to be out in the ship and on port days, I will be out nearly all day. Probably the only issue for me would be noise at night, but I'll see what I am assigned and if it's a real problem then I'll see what I can do. Those may be famous last words but it worked out for me before.

[BensonFan711]

If there's a decent price difference, I book guarantee.  Then again, I live in a noisy city, and I'm not much bothered by anything.  It doesn't matter to me where I stay on the ship as long as there's a bed, a bathroom, and place to lock up my stuff.  I really like the guarantee rooms, but it's not for everyone.

 

[Zephanor]

I've read many account that stated that they were fine with the rooms that were picked for them and some that were not. It really depends on what you value. If just sleeping, showing and changing then it shouldn't matter too much... unless you're close to a loud venue that runs late! But if you stay up late anyway then no biggie... unless you're under the pool deck where you could hear chairs being dragged and foot stomping from heavy walkers while trying to sleep in.

 

Personally, and it's up to each individual, I'm always very concerned with where our room is. First cruise we got a balcony which was on deck 6, right above the life boats, and there was a dinging all night long as a result. Learned my lesson there. Next cruise we got an inside room and surrounded it with other rooms, not a problem, perfect for sleeping. Next cruise we got a balcony higher up, deck 8, so as to avoid the dinging. We also chose a higher level so we're mid ship and even got a larger balcony due to being on the bump without having to pay more. 😉

[Ourusualbeach]

43 minutes ago, Tatka said:

 

Yes, however booking GTY can also get an "upgrade"... if their category is sold out.

 Oh uncertainty. 🙂

 

 GTY can be in various categories. Not only in the lowest.

The days of getting an upgrade are pretty much non existent now that they have launched the Royal up program.  

 

 

[cb at sea]

You are not paying MORE to select an exact cabin, you are being given a discount for allowing them to assign your cabin.  There is no rhyme or reason to how they choose.  If you book a "balcony" guarantee, you will get a balcony at the very least.  It may have some obstruction, or not be on your desired deck....but you will get AT LEAST a balcony.  If there are no balcony cabins showing as available, they are likely to "upgrade" someone else to give you a balcony.....rare for them to upgrade YOU!

[mafig]

18 hours ago, MaskedTurtle said:

They may be less-desirable to me, but not to others.  Also, they may be cheaper to the point that people book them to save as much as they can.

Within the same category the room prices are the same.  

[MaskedTurtle]

6 minutes ago, mafig said:

Within the same category the room prices are the same.  

Not exactly.  Ocean View w/ Balcony and Spacious Ocean View w/ Balcony are both in the category of Balcony rooms, but are priced differently.  Also, there have been times, when checking rates online, in which subcategories of rooms are priced differently based on location on the ship, etc.

[celoplyr]

I will do guarantees if I'm only booking 1 room- I can sleep through ANYTHING (even fire alarms) and I don't care what deck I'm on, or how much I walk.  I also only book insides, so the room view is not as important.

 

If I'm traveling with my parents I will absolutely not book a guarantee because they care about being close together, and they want to be close to the elevators, etc.  I'm a 36 year old woman who lives on her own and apparently I can't walk more than 20 feet from my parents on a cruise.... 

 

I would only book a guarantee if there's no chance that I will dislike any of the rooms. Otherwise, it's penny wise and pound foolish (and sometimes it's not even cheaper!).

[mafig]

41 minutes ago, MaskedTurtle said:

Not exactly.  Ocean View w/ Balcony and Spacious Ocean View w/ Balcony are both in the category of Balcony rooms, but are priced differently.  Also, there have been times, when checking rates online, in which subcategories of rooms are priced differently based on location on the ship, etc.

They are both balcony cabins but are not the same category (without looking it up they are categorized differently and usually priced differenty).  So the ocean view w/balcony and spacious oceand view w/balcony, while both balconies are categorized differently.  Most would say the "spacious" balcony is better and is priced more.  I think we're saying the same thing, but wording it differently.

 

 

Edited August 2, 2019 by mafig

[racerxspeedy]

I have booked a number of GTY rooms.   I have been happy with the rooms offered, and I have moved to other rooms in the same class that were open that I wanted to try.   Most recently a nice deck 10 balcony on Mariner.   

 

REALLY STRANGE -  Yesterday RC offered a lower price to pick your own room on one of my Navigator GTY Sept 23 booking - after final payment.       I called RC and they let me pick the room of my choice - deck 9,  zero cost.   It pays to keep an eye on prices for your cruise.   

[MaskedTurtle]

7 minutes ago, mafig said:

They are both balcony cabins but are not the same category (without looking it up they are categorized differently and usually priced differenty).  So the ocean view w/balcony and spacious oceand view w/balcony, while both balconies are categorized differently.  Most would say the "spacious" balcony is better and is priced more.  I think we're saying the same thing, but wording it differently.

 

 

I think so.  This is probably oneof those times when it makes more sense in my head than when I read it in words.

 

So, while we're still on this subject, the rooms still available in the category of my choice right now (Ocean view with balcony on NOS) are mostly on deck 6, many of those on the hump.  There are also some for a few extra dollars on deck 8, also some of which are on the hump.  For even a few dollars more, there are 3 new ones on deck 11.  There are pros and cons to each.  Any thoughts?