Reply here, when and where your relocation cabin category ended up on Wonder of the Seas?

[Pratique]

1 hour ago, Jimbo said:

Plus they know the people booking CLS's are Loyal Royal Caribbean cruiser's and will come back to Royal again eventually. 🙂

Even if true, I don't think that is the right way for them to think about it. Impacting the guests who are willing to pay a premium for an upgraded experience sends the message that this is not a company that particularly cares about them. Especially on a transatlantic cruise where the suites sell out more than a year in advance. But we know that Royal is not a luxury line so no surprises here.

 

We reserved a full suite. That product is no longer available to us, and the substitute (JS) is completely different even with the suite perks. A JS is essentially a standard cabin with more space between the walls. On a 14 day TA with many sea days we were looking forward to relaxing in our suite quite a bit, so the cabin is even more important to us than it would be on a shorter Caribbean cruise. The only option left is refund, so that's what it will be. Still waiting to see how much they think they could charge us for the JS, and my bet is that it will be very close to what we were going to pay for the CLS. That's not a good deal IMHO.

 

FWIW, this is the third time Royal has cancelled a cruise on us for reasons not related to Covid in the past couple of years. However, this change from Allure to Wonder is the worst deal they have offered us, by far.

[pyrateslife4me84]

Noticed my cruise fare was adjusted, as promised, today. Same as I paid for Allure. Oddly, tips were removed but I can easily add those back if they don’t show up by 10/13. 
 

So I am extremely happy. Same room number, same price on new ship. I wish everyone else the same luck.

[Pratique]

1 hour ago, Biker19 said:

RCI has a history of this and unless/until there's enough pressure (social media these days), they will not change their ways. In the case of the Allure->Wonder switch, they can't accommodate everyone  so a refund and moving on is likely the best way forward.

They could probably find a way to price protect on a different cruise, as they have done before, or offer a better deal like unlimited dining, but not this time.

[Bob_Houston]

First, Royal Caribbean has treated us well on our previous cruises - as they used to market - our cruises were WOW.  That's why we're on the verge of reaching Diamond Plus on our next cruise.

 

I suspect what happened is that they applied their normal ship-to-ship transition policies on the over 150,000 reservations transferred from the Allure to the Wonder.  And because those transitions are usually between ships with a similar number of cabins in each category, they didn't anticipate the disproportionate impact on full suite passengers.  They also had over 150,000 reservations that they had to cancel for the original Wonder China sailings.  So the impact on only 600+ reservations was likely lost in the noise - and noone actually looked at what was going to happen to the most expensive cabins being downgraded.

 

They should have re-allocated the full suites based on the original cabin category - which would have moved most of the suite reservations down about 1 category (Star Loft/Panoramic to CLS/OS, CLS/OS to GS, and likely most of the GS/GS2bdrm to JS).  While this would have impacted more reservations, each affected reservation would essentially be moved down 1 cabin category - much easier to understand - and would have seemed fair to everyone.

 

But they didn't do that - and probably won't go back and do that at this point.

 

So, for those of us downgraded (multiple categories), it's not reasonable we're paying more for a JS than other GS/JS reservations that were booked at the same time.  I don't see how anyone could possible consider that as fair.  The current price is irrelevant (unless it is lower) - because that wasn't the price we considered when the reservation was made.

 

Providing the same Sky/Star class amenities as the original reservation is a very good gesture - but will be complicated because the Suite Lounge and Coastal Kitchen are about 2/3 the size of the Allure - which could cause overcrowding by providing Sky/Star amenities to up to 28 JS cabins.

 

The $300 onboard credit is also a nice gesture - though offering the same $300 for a 7 night and a 14 night cruise isn't reasonable - the transatlantic sailing should get $600.

 

If they offered us the same price of the JS as if we had booked in in August 2020, plus Sky Class and $300 (or $600), we'd consider it.

 

Because Royal Caribbean is asking us to take a much smaller cabin than we had originally reserved, they should consider providing more than has been offered.  If we had wanted to be in a JS - we would have booked one in the first place (at a much lower price).   So to get the affected customers back to looking forward to a great cruise on the Wonder, they may need to sweeten the pot a little more - such as providing the dining package (which would help reduce the strain on the Coastal Kitchen).

 

If we feel Royal Caribbean is being fair and reasonable, within the constraints of the cabins on the Wonder, we'll seriously consider staying with this cruise.

 

But right now, they aren't close - affected reservations will be paying more than the other JS/GS reservations - and adding Sky class + $300 doesn't make up for that or the much smaller cabin.

 

 

[dunedinmaiden]

15 minutes ago, Bob_Houston said:

First, Royal Caribbean has treated us well on our previous cruises - as they used to market - our cruises were WOW.  That's why we're on the verge of reaching Diamond Plus on our next cruise.

 

I suspect what happened is that they applied their normal ship-to-ship transition policies on the over 150,000 reservations transferred from the Allure to the Wonder.  And because those transitions are usually between ships with a similar number of cabins in each category, they didn't anticipate the disproportionate impact on full suite passengers.  They also had over 150,000 reservations that they had to cancel for the original Wonder China sailings.  So the impact on only 600+ reservations was likely lost in the noise - and noone actually looked at what was going to happen to the most expensive cabins being downgraded.

 

They should have re-allocated the full suites based on the original cabin category - which would have moved most of the suite reservations down about 1 category (Star Loft/Panoramic to CLS/OS, CLS/OS to GS, and likely most of the GS/GS2bdrm to JS).  While this would have impacted more reservations, each affected reservation would essentially be moved down 1 cabin category - much easier to understand - and would have seemed fair to everyone.

 

But they didn't do that - and probably won't go back and do that at this point.

 

So, for those of us downgraded (multiple categories), it's not reasonable we're paying more for a JS than other GS/JS reservations that were booked at the same time.  I don't see how anyone could possible consider that as fair.  The current price is irrelevant (unless it is lower) - because that wasn't the price we considered when the reservation was made.

 

Providing the same Sky/Star class amenities as the original reservation is a very good gesture - but will be complicated because the Suite Lounge and Coastal Kitchen are about 2/3 the size of the Allure - which could cause overcrowding by providing Sky/Star amenities to up to 28 JS cabins.

 

The $300 onboard credit is also a nice gesture - though offering the same $300 for a 7 night and a 14 night cruise isn't reasonable - the transatlantic sailing should get $600.

 

If they offered us the same price of the JS as if we had booked in in August 2020, plus Sky Class and $300 (or $600), we'd consider it.

 

Because Royal Caribbean is asking us to take a much smaller cabin than we had originally reserved, they should consider providing more than has been offered.  If we had wanted to be in a JS - we would have booked one in the first place (at a much lower price).   So to get the affected customers back to looking forward to a great cruise on the Wonder, they may need to sweeten the pot a little more - such as providing the dining package (which would help reduce the strain on the Coastal Kitchen).

 

If we feel Royal Caribbean is being fair and reasonable, within the constraints of the cabins on the Wonder, we'll seriously consider staying with this cruise.

 

But right now, they aren't close - affected reservations will be paying more than the other JS/GS reservations - and adding Sky class + $300 doesn't make up for that or the much smaller cabin.

 

 

I, too, am concerned about overcrowding at Coastal Kitchen.  We specifically booked a full suite in order to have dinner there.  Once on board, it will be a numbers game, with several left out considering it's smaller size.  I agree that a specialty dining package should be added to alleviate that issue!

[PK34]

Just curious if anyone knows of anyone else downgraded from a Star Class suite to a JS?  Or am I the only one?  I've heard of several Sky Class downgraded, but not other Star.

[Jimbo]

1 hour ago, Pratique said:

Even if true, I don't think that is the right way for them to think about it. Impacting the guests who are willing to pay a premium for an upgraded experience sends the message that this is not a company that particularly cares about them. Especially on a transatlantic cruise where the suites sell out more than a year in advance. But we know that Royal is not a luxury line so no surprises here.

 

We reserved a full suite. That product is no longer available to us, and the substitute (JS) is completely different even with the suite perks. A JS is essentially a standard cabin with more space between the walls. On a 14 day TA with many sea days we were looking forward to relaxing in our suite quite a bit, so the cabin is even more important to us than it would be on a shorter Caribbean cruise. The only option left is refund, so that's what it will be. Still waiting to see how much they think they could charge us for the JS, and my bet is that it will be very close to what we were going to pay for the CLS. That's not a good deal IMHO.

 

FWIW, this is the third time Royal has cancelled a cruise on us for reasons not related to Covid in the past couple of years. However, this change from Allure to Wonder is the worst deal they have offered us, by far.

May be time to just throw in the towel. Take the refund and move on and find another cruise or cruiseline.

Don't think Royal Caribbean is going to change anything going forward. They made up their mind how they are going to handle those cabin changes.

Edited September 30, 2021 by Jimbo

[Biker19]

30 minutes ago, Bob_Houston said:

and would have seemed fair to everyone.

Nope, just like you, we would have had complaints by some - that's the norm on CC.

[CruisingMax1981]

This is what should have happened:

 

Choice (a) - You pay your original fee, take the downgrade and keep the suite amenities and $300, I agree $600 for the TA would be reasonable.

Choice (b) - Pay the JS fare on the Allure, but lose ALL suite benefits, but retain the $300 (or $600) as a guesture of goodwill

Choice (c) - Cancel the booking and write it off another one of those horrible things that happened during the pandemic.

Personally I would have gone with A.

[MedicMariner]

36 minutes ago, PK34 said:

Just curious if anyone knows of anyone else downgraded from a Star Class suite to a JS?  Or am I the only one?  I've heard of several Sky Class downgraded, but not other Star.

It makes me wonder how they decided who got what- we went from SLS to OS. Originally I was a little disappointed, but now I see that I was treated much better than some! FWIW we are Diamond, although I don’t think that mattered in the decision-making. We booked in December of 2020.

[cccruzin]

 

3 hours ago, Pratique said:

Even if true, I don't think that is the right way for them to think about it. Impacting the guests who are willing to pay a premium for an upgraded experience sends the message that this is not a company that particularly cares about them. Especially on a transatlantic cruise where the suites sell out more than a year in advance. But we know that Royal is not a luxury line so no surprises here.

 

We reserved a full suite. That product is no longer available to us, and the substitute (JS) is completely different even with the suite perks. A JS is essentially a standard cabin with more space between the walls. On a 14 day TA with many sea days we were looking forward to relaxing in our suite quite a bit, so the cabin is even more important to us than it would be on a shorter Caribbean cruise. The only option left is refund, so that's what it will be. Still waiting to see how much they think they could charge us for the JS, and my bet is that it will be very close to what we were going to pay for the CLS. That's not a good deal IMHO.

 

FWIW, this is the third time Royal has cancelled a cruise on us for reasons not related to Covid in the past couple of years. However, this change from Allure to Wonder is the worst deal they have offered us, by far.

Check back today - looks like they are doing some re-pricing. We were downgraded to a JS too and the original price on the new cabin was triple what we paid! But now that it's repriced, they honored the price we paid which is much more reasonable for a JS with Sky Class amenities + $300 OBC. And yes, we are right there with you. Numerous sailings cancelled, re-booked, cancelled again... things moved around. I think they are trying to do the best they can. Wishing you all the best!

[Dktbdt04]

Sailing Date: October 20, 2022

Date you were moved: Sept 30, 2021

Allure Cabin Category: Ocean View Balcony

Wonder Cabin Category: Ocean View Balcony very close to where we were originally booked

 

I'm satisfied with the new cabin. We wanted one with other cabins above and below us (didn't want pool or common area noise to deal with) and we got that.

Edited September 30, 2021 by Dktbdt04

[Bob_Houston]

2 hours ago, cccruzin said:

 

Check back today - looks like they are doing some re-pricing. We were downgraded to a JS too and the original price on the new cabin was triple what we paid! But now that it's repriced, they honored the price we paid which is much more reasonable for a JS with Sky Class amenities + $300 OBC. And yes, we are right there with you. Numerous sailings cancelled, re-booked, cancelled again... things moved around. I think they are trying to do the best they can. Wishing you all the best!

Did they reprice it to your original suite fare?  Or to a discounted price?

 

The fair way to look at the new fare is to compare what you'll be paying for the JS vs. what you would have paid when you booked the full suite.  For our Crown Loft Suite, based on current Allure pricing, a Junior Suite is priced around 40% of a CLS.  A GS is priced around 67% of a CLS.  On the Allure sailing I was using for comparison, an OS was priced at 90% of a CLS.

 

So if you had a CLS - you're going to be paying more than 2X what you would have paid if you had booked the JS instead.  And you'll be paying more than someone who booked at GS at the same time.

 

Coming from a CLS, Sky Class amenities plus a $300 OBC don't come close to being worth 60% of your original fare.

 

While Royal won't estimate the value of Sky Class amenities (above Sea Class that comes with the Junior Suites), you can indirectly estimate the value by using the price of The Key.  The undiscounted price for The Key is $37 per person per day.  For two people for a 7 day cruise - that's $518 - and you get similar priority boarding/departure, reserved show seating and VOOM (1 device per person).  The additional Sky Class amenities (suite concierge/lounge, Coastal Kitchen for breakfast and lunch, suite sun deck) have some value, but probably less that The Key per day.

 

When considering your offer - assume the Wonder JS will cost more than your original fare - so you should use the original full suite fare for your evaluation.  Compare that fare to what a JS would have cost if that's what you had originally booked.   From the difference in pricing, subtract $750 (for a 7 night cruise or  $1500 for a 14 night cruise) - the approximate value of Sky Class - plus the $300 OBC being offered.

 

For most passengers, the transition to the Wonder - at the same price as the Allure is a big improvement.  Newer ship, (probably) new shows, more stops in Spain before the crossing, ...

 

And for most of the full suite passengers in OS & GS, they appear to have stayed in their suites.

 

It's really only the small number of reservations for Star Loft, Panoramic, Crown Loft and Grand 2bdrm that have been severely impacted by the transition - being offered a much smaller cabin - at the same price being paid for the original suite.  Adding Sky Class and $300 doesn't come close to being worth the increased fare (compared to what other JS would be paying).

 

If the difference is larger - then you should have your TA complain to Royal about this and/or you should contact Royal directly.

 

If we can get the fare difference close to the value of the additional Sky class amenities and the OBC - we'll serious consider the cruise.  If not, then they're expecting for us to pay a penalty because we decided to spend more on our original cabin, while others that originally booked GS or JS are paying less.

[Jimbo]

2 minutes ago, Bob_Houston said:

 

 

.  On the Allure sailing I was using for comparison, an OS was priced at 90% of a CLS.

 

 

Then you got a bad deal on your CLS, because you overpaid for it, if it was higher priced then an OS...........Guess you should have purchased an OS.

[Bob_Houston]

3 hours ago, MedicMariner said:

It makes me wonder how they decided who got what- we went from SLS to OS. Originally I was a little disappointed, but now I see that I was treated much better than some! FWIW we are Diamond, although I don’t think that mattered in the decision-making. We booked in December of 2020.

You must have been lucky enough to be on a cruise where there was an OS available - so they could put you there.  Otherwise, they would have moved you down to JS.  It appears they tried to move everyone in a suite on the Allure to the same category on the Wonder - which means 2 Star Loft, 2 Panoramic, 17 CLS, 6 GS 2bdrm and 2 GS would be displaced - and by keeping all of the OS and GS in place, that means almost all of the displaced full suites were pushed down to JS.  So getting an OS is a blessing.

 

Based on pricing for the Allure's October 24 sailing, the price of an OS is 43% of an SLS. 

 

They should be including Star Class - which has considerable value above Sky Class that comes with the OS (full dining package, including Chef's Table, deluxe beverage package, best seats in the house for shows, personal genie, stocked beverages in the suite, daily snacks/specialty drinks, ...).

 

If Royal is offering the OS for your original CLS fare, Star Class plus $300 OBC probably isn't close to being worth 57% of your fare...

 

So if you have the same offer we received - you'll probably paying much more for the OS than what others are paying for their OS - and you aren't getting enough value from Star Class to make up for that.

 

If you're not satisfied - contact your TA and/or contact Royal Caribbean and voice your concerns about the pricing.

 

Unless they hear from their customers about this - nothing will happen.

[Bob_Houston]

24 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Then you got a bad deal on your CLS, because you overpaid for it, if it was higher priced then an OS...........Guess you should have purchased an OS.

Check the Allure sailings next October - they have CLS listed at a higher price than OS (90%).  I'm pretty sure that was the case when we booked our CLS for the transatlantic cruise.

 

We chose the CLS, even though it was higher priced, because it was located down the hall from the Suite Lounge and Coastal Kitchen - and a suite-only deck.

 

We've stayed in OS before - and they are also great suites - but they're located mid-ship, a longer walk from the suite lounge/CK.

 

Plus the floor plan of the CLS is much more open - only downsides are a smaller balcony and a smaller dining table - but they make up for that with a second full bathroom and 2 story windows.

 

From our experience CLS is worth more than OS - though that may be different on the Wonder.

[Jimbo]

3 hours ago, Bob_Houston said:

Check the Allure sailings next October - they have CLS listed at a higher price than OS (90%).  I'm pretty sure that was the case when we booked our CLS for the transatlantic cruise.

 

We chose the CLS, even though it was higher priced, because it was located down the hall from the Suite Lounge and Coastal Kitchen - and a suite-only deck.

 

We've stayed in OS before - and they are also great suites - but they're located mid-ship, a longer walk from the suite lounge/CK.

 

Plus the floor plan of the CLS is much more open - only downsides are a smaller balcony and a smaller dining table - but they make up for that with a second full bathroom and 2 story windows.

 

From our experience CLS is worth more than OS - though that may be different on the Wonder.

Large windows aren't a big deal to us, and don't need a second bathroom or a bedroom on the second level. Rather have whole cabin on 1 level for just the 2 of us.

Never been to Coastal Kitchen before, so not missing what I never had before.

Edited October 1, 2021 by Jimbo

[Billy Baltic]

We had a B2B on Allure for June 2022, with different cabins on each leg. The second cruise has transferred to Wonder but the first is showing as cancelled. Anyone else seeing this? Tried calling RC but the wait times are crazy. 

[dkarrenb]

Hello from Germany,

we were transferred from Allure to Wonder, too. From a cabin 4N (outer cabin) to a GTY cabin at Wonder. We are still interested to get the same cabin number as it was booked

at Allure ( same deckplan in this area ). Contact with RCCL is impossible, no answer at all.

For us it is unbelievable how RCCL is treating long-standing customers.

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, dkarrenb said:

For us it is unbelievable how RCCL is treating long-standing customers.

Not unusual at all. 

[white2018]

Sailing Date: September 11th 2022

Date you were moved: 1st October 2021

Allure Cabin Category: 1V - Interior cabin

Wonder Cabin Category: 2T - Promenade View Interior cabin 

 

This is the 3rd Royal Caribbean cruise for my husband and I. We’re sailing out of Barcelona and extremely happy with our cabin relocation, so relieved to have finally received confirmation! 
 

We have been eagerly following this interesting thread and daily checking our cruise planner. At the moment, our invoice has increased with the cabin upgrade but we’re hoping within a couple of days this will revert back to the original price 🤞

 

Edited October 1, 2021 by white2018

[Canadianmama3]

Just checked and we have been moved for our July 2022 cruise. 
 

We were booked on Allure in a promenade view cabin.  Got upgraded to a Central Park balcony cabin on Wonder. Nice!!!! 

[Monk86]

€50.55 for drinks package for start of August...will it reduce more do ye reckon!?

[Pratique]

14 hours ago, Jimbo said:

Large windows aren't a big deal to us, and don't need a second bathroom or a bedroom on the second level. Rather have whole cabin on 1 level for just the 2 of us.

Never been to Coastal Kitchen before, so not missing what I never had before.

IMHO the CLS is worth more than an OS. Semi-private deck next to the SL/CK, two bathrooms, extra deep balcony, and the loft are all unique.

[karl_nj]

On 9/25/2021 at 6:10 PM, karl_nj said:

 

Well, it doesn't seem like they have gotten around to moving any cabins other then suites...

 

Lets see if they manage to successfully relocate my connecting balcony cabins...

 

 

On 9/25/2021 at 9:54 PM, Jimbo said:

Wouldn't count on it.

 

On 9/27/2021 at 10:08 AM, John&LaLa said:

 

Should happen. That's a specific category

 

Well, as I feared, RCL managed to mess up my relocation too.  They moved me from connecting balcony cabins to two non-connecting cabins on Wonder.