Royal up for Solos and General Royal up questions

[latebuyer]

It looks like i’m underneath the conference center or just beneath the hall beside it so hopefully i’m ok.

[Mick B]

Hi all,

 

2 things here,

Firstly ref GTY rooms.. I have booked these in the past and even have one coming up in October on the Symphony. Normally with these RCI will issue the room number to you a few months before you sail. With that information, you can check the ship plans on their website and check out where on the ship you will be housed. You can also check whats above and below you and how far from the lifts you are or if you are at the very front or very back etc. If you are not happy with your GTY location, then you could try the Royal Up as just about anything else will be either the same or better, so you have nothing to lose!. BTW I have checked and I am happy with the GTY room on the Symphony they have given me so I won't be using the Royal Up for that particular cruise.

 

Secondly, the Royal Up program... As long as you are not going to be bothered by what surrounds you or where you are located (inc noise) then go for it, but, remember, once accepted, there is no going back to your old cabin. 

Like it has been said already here, we are now at full capacity on most cruises, so the choice of the best spare rooms to upgrade to will be limited and probably based on how much you bid and you may not be informed until you have boarded or even as late as 4pm on boarding day.

Again, if you don't want to be at the very back or very front or too far away from the lifts, then I would suggest not going with the Royal Up, but instead, you could approach guest services around 4pm and ask them if there are any upgrades available and if so, they normally tell you/show you where they are before committing, so now you can make a choice of staying where you are or paying a small fee for a guaranteed better room as opposed to the Royal Up where you may pay even more and then get a room that is above the pub or with an obstructed view etc.

 

I know the cruise lines have to make some money, but the Royal Up program does not sound like it is the best option for some cruisers (especially those prone to sea sickness or not too good on their legs) who could probably use the money for other things. Like I said, go to guest services and see what rooms they have. There is normally someone who is late/misses the cruise or cannot travel at the last moment due to some other issue. Sometimes, as a result of people missing the cruise, their rooms may be taken up by a Royal Upgrader which then frees up their original room which may be in a better location than yours. You may have to wait a day or two for such a change to register at guest services, so if nothing is available on the first day at guest services, try again the next day or the day after.

 

I have moved from an interior to a balcony mid-cruise when the people in the balcony were kicked off and arrested, and that room change didn't even cost anything as I had complained about the state of the room I was originally in.

So you can get a better room without forking out loads of money!

 

Mick.

 

 

Edited April 12, 2023 by Mick B
spelling

[latebuyer]

Thanks Mick, yes i am inclined to keep my room as i may get a worse room, plus it looks from the person that posted that i didn’t get a good deal with price of royal up. As you say, i can use the money elsewhere.

[PhillyFan33579]

9 hours ago, RosieRoo said:

Actually May is next month and both Royal ups were to Grand Suites. 

Suites seem to be where I have the most luck with Royal Up bids. 

[latebuyer]

Wow they are really pushing royal up. I’ve got 3 emails about it.

[firefly333]

On 4/12/2023 at 9:26 AM, latebuyer said:

Thanks Mick, yes i am inclined to keep my room as i may get a worse room, plus it looks from the person that posted that i didn’t get a good deal with price of royal up. As you say, i can use the money elsewhere.

I dont think that's a good conclusion. That person had a virtual balcony.. their royal up prices were based on already having a balcony. You are inside so of course your royal up based on moving from a inside.  Balcony to a better balcony will be less. 

[latebuyer]

Thanks. I didn’t think about that. Its still basically a guaranteed room though, you are just guaranteed in category of your choosing.

[SilkySal]

On 4/11/2023 at 5:18 PM, latebuyer said:

Its interesting it says the ship is sold out and won't even let you booked. I may pass. I'd like to go to taku lodge and that's pretty expensive!

We took the ship's excursion and flew over the 5 glaciers to Taku lodge! Yes, it is pretty pricey but, in my opinion, well worth it!!!!! The view of the glaciers from up there is jaw dropping and something you'll never forget! The sea plane arrived at Taku Lodge and we enjoyed a wonderful lunch including freshly grilled salmon, which is caught fresh right there at the Lodge! I really don't care for salmon but, I swear, this salmon was the absolute best that we've ever had (maybe it was the ambiance of the Lodge)! If it's in your budget, you won't regret this excursion!! Enjoy! Cheers!

 

https://alaskashoretours.com/excursions/juneau/taku-glacier-lodge-feast-5-glacier-seaplane-discovery/?gclid=CjwKCAjw0N6hBhAUEiwAXab-TfSkkbH9dff94CSgxHtO4lMR7s3cWeTeOLQZOVjRy4ic5BuQJUTWXhoCktAQAvD_BwE

 

 

[SilkySal]

Sorry, double post.

Edited April 13, 2023 by SilkySal
delete

[cmmaxwell03]

On 4/13/2023 at 10:15 AM, SilkySal said:

We took the ship's excursion and flew over the 5 glaciers to Taku lodge! Yes, it is pretty pricey but, in my opinion, well worth it!!!!! The view of the glaciers from up there is jaw dropping and something you'll never forget! The sea plane arrived at Taku Lodge and we enjoyed a wonderful lunch including freshly grilled salmon, which is caught fresh right there at the Lodge! I really don't care for salmon but, I swear, this salmon was the absolute best that we've ever had (maybe it was the ambiance of the Lodge)! If it's in your budget, you won't regret this excursion!! Enjoy! Cheers!

 

https://alaskashoretours.com/excursions/juneau/taku-glacier-lodge-feast-5-glacier-seaplane-discovery/?gclid=CjwKCAjw0N6hBhAUEiwAXab-TfSkkbH9dff94CSgxHtO4lMR7s3cWeTeOLQZOVjRy4ic5BuQJUTWXhoCktAQAvD_BwE

 

 

Thank you for posting this information.  I have been trying to diligently research the excursions before booking.  Does this tour fly you in and out of the lodge or do they use a bus to get back to the port?  

TIA 🙂 

[SilkySal]

3 hours ago, cmmaxwell03 said:

Thank you for posting this information.  I have been trying to diligently research the excursions before booking.  Does this tour fly you in and out of the lodge or do they use a bus to get back to the port?  

TIA 🙂 

It was called the 5-glacier tour by seaplane to the Lodge and we elected to have the grilled salmon lunch included. The seaplane flew us to the lodge and back, since you can only access the Lodge by seaplane. We were told that they actually catch and cook the salmon right there by the Lodge. Whether they really do that or not, I don't know, but it doesn't matter, because the salmon was the best we've ever had! While flying over the glaciers, passengers wear headphones, which allow you to hear the pilot telling you all about the glaciers and the beautiful blue waterfalls that you will see from up there! Jaw dropping and, even though pricey, I would definitely do it again if and when we go back to Alaska! Cheers!

P.S. Tip for my CC friends - when you board the seaplane, someone can sit up front with the pilot, so grab it if available!😉 My husband asked if he could sit there and was told, yes, you can! On the return flight, everyone returned to their original seats and hubby said, "doesn't anyone want to sit by the pilot?" Haha! One gal quickly jumped to her feet and said "I do!" He had the front seat going to the Lodge and graciously gave it up to another for the return flight. That's only one reason why I love him!

[cmmaxwell03]

3 hours ago, SilkySal said:

It was called the 5-glacier tour by seaplane to the Lodge and we elected to have the grilled salmon lunch included. The seaplane flew us to the lodge and back, since you can only access the Lodge by seaplane. We were told that they actually catch and cook the salmon right there by the Lodge. Whether they really do that or not, I don't know, but it doesn't matter, because the salmon was the best we've ever had! While flying over the glaciers, passengers wear headphones, which allow you to hear the pilot telling you all about the glaciers and the beautiful blue waterfalls that you will see from up there! Jaw dropping and, even though pricey, I would definitely do it again if and when we go back to Alaska! Cheers!

P.S. Tip for my CC friends - when you board the seaplane, someone can sit up front with the pilot, so grab it if available!😉 My husband asked if he could sit there and was told, yes, you can! On the return flight, everyone returned to their original seats and hubby said, "doesn't anyone want to sit by the pilot?" Haha! One gal quickly jumped to her feet and said "I do!" He had the front seat going to the Lodge and graciously gave it up to another for the return flight. That's only one reason why I love him!

Thank you. Great info!

[Wanna Be Retired]

So, on our cruise coming up, they sent out all of the emails that they had overbooked.  Of course some people were new and didn’t understand and were panicked about what they had to do.  The funny thing is, the next day suddenly another round of people received Royal Ups.  Mostly to balcony rooms.