Obstructed Deluxe Balcony Guarantee - Regal

[megbowlstrike]

Hi! Has anyone done a guarantee deluxe balcony cabin on the Regal or its sister ships? I noticed that some cabins are forward facing and you aren't allowed to use the balcony while the ship is at sea. For this reason, we booked a regular (not deluxe) obstructed view balcony so we could choose our room; deluxe balcony obstructed view are only showing guarantee cabins.

 

It'd be nice to have the extra room in the deluxe! Should we switch?

[SCX22]

The forward facing DW cabins provide an interesting view.  You'll always have front row seats, literally, and the balcony is huge.  The balcony doors are never locked by the crew, and you're free to use the balconies while at sea.  The stateroom curtains have to be closed at sunset because any light emitted from the cabin could cause interference with navigation.

 

The problem becomes, the wind.  Some days it's just too windy to use the balcony.  There's no shield and the wind gusts hit the balcony directly.  The cabin attendants usually strap down the balcony furniture on these days.

 

I had a Forward Facing Mini Suite assigned to me on a Caribbean cruise, and it was fine.  My friends chose a Forward Facing DW cabin on a Trans Atlantic and they really never got a chance to use the balcony once the ship got to the open Atlantic because it was too windy.

 

There are some YouTube videos showing these rooms.

[Steelers36]

29 minutes ago, megbowlstrike said:

Hi! Has anyone done a guarantee deluxe balcony cabin on the Regal or its sister ships? I noticed that some cabins are forward facing and you aren't allowed to use the balcony while the ship is at sea. For this reason, we booked a regular (not deluxe) obstructed view balcony so we could choose our room; deluxe balcony obstructed view are only showing guarantee cabins.

 

It'd be nice to have the extra room in the deluxe! Should we switch?

There is a current issue (either system bug or some sort of new PCL policy no one can quite figure out) concerning Dx cabins.  You can try booking for 3 people and see if you see a larger selection.  If so, speak to a PCL CVP or your TA about getting one of them.  Otherwise there is an extensive thread topic on here about this situation and some were suggesting book a third person and drop them soon after.

[Rick&Jeannie]

Just my opinion (worth LESS than 2 cents!), but I seriously doubt that you would get a forward facing cabin via a guarantee booking.  I may be wrong...

[reedprincess]

On 7/5/2023 at 7:11 PM, megbowlstrike said:

Hi! Has anyone done a guarantee deluxe balcony cabin on the Regal or its sister ships? I noticed that some cabins are forward facing and you aren't allowed to use the balcony while the ship is at sea. For this reason, we booked a regular (not deluxe) obstructed view balcony so we could choose our room; deluxe balcony obstructed view are only showing guarantee cabins.

 

It'd be nice to have the extra room in the deluxe! Should we switch?

Yes, the extra space and sofa are well worth it, IMO.

And the forward facing balconies are not locked off. You can use them whenever you want. 

Caveat - it can be quite windy and it's quite uncomfortable at times. And very occasionally, the stewards will have to tie down the deck furniture due to high winds (rare, but it happens).  Even then, the balcony isn't locked off - you can go out there - but dang! Very uncomfortable.

The vast majority of the time, it's breezy and you can use it whenever you want. 

Caveat 2 - at dusk and throughout the night, curtains have to be kept closed to prevent light pollution, and you can't use your balcony light.  So, no Ultimate Balcony Dinner after dark, unless you want to eat in almost pitch darkness... 

 

We love the Deluxe Balcony cabins, forward or side or aft..  I'd switch back in a heartbeat... 

[Wishing on a star]

Yes, to the above post.  Do not know what has been going on, for a LONG time now, with these Deluxe Balcony Cabins being held for 3 passengers.  Only offer GTY for two passengers.

See if you put in three passengers, if those Deluxe cabins open up.

If you see one you want, for the two of you, you can either try to talk to your TA or your Princess Planner.

If that doesn't work, you might book for three passengers, and then simply go back and cancel the third.  I have heard that this has worked.

 

[megbowlstrike]

Thank y'all for the info! We switched and actually just got a nice mid-ship room assigned, so we are happy. 🙂

[susancruzs]

Those guarantees are a nuisance.  My TA booked my Regal TA plus following cruise separate instead of Grand Adventure.  I was able to get the midship deluxe obs., E409, but Princess does not make the process simple.  I prefer the deluxe for longer cruises.

[Steelers36]

I'd like to know if anyone on here has either asked their CVP directly or asked their TA (and I mean a TA who does a LOT of PCL business) if they have discussed with PCL.  Is this something deliberate or another "feature" from our "friends" in IT Dept?

 

ETA:  Beating myself up here for not trying to slip that question in on the marketing webinar yesterday, but they don't like "difficult" questions.  It's all rah-rah and shake the pom-poms time on those webinars.

Edited July 14, 2023 by Steelers36