First time as Casino Royale Prime-Can someone please help me with booking questions for redeeming cruise?

[chfenton]

Thank you in advance.  So I received the email entitling me to a free interior for up to 7 nights and went to clubroyal offers website.  I see the redeem now button.  When I go in, it looks like its a form to fill out where you choose your first, second and third choices.

 

Questions---

1) Does that mean you don't book your own cruise and you just fill out form and someone will get back to you?

2) How does the cash value of $500 work in lieu of the free interior room?

3) If I do choose the interior am I Never/sometimes/always allowed to immediately pay an upcharge to upgrade?

4) What else do I need to be thinking about?

 

Thanks again

 

Edited April 20 by chfenton
typo

[watcher_62]

1) yes they will get back to you, however you’re better off calling them. They’re very helpful. 1-888-561-2234
 

2) if you choose to book a cruise and room that doesn’t have an interior that matches your offer, you can use the $500 towards that booking.

 

3) you can call and ask to upgrade from an interior and they will tell you the current upgrade cost. It changes based on promotions that are active at the time.

 

4) call and talk to the reps, they’ve very helpful and can answer your questions….

[RFerrington]

Welcome to Club Royale !

 

If you want to choose your own room or are considering an upgrade, I strongly recommend against using the “redeem online” link.  This amounts to basically a Guarantee reservation.  I have read that some people have requested a specific room in the “comments” section and been successful, but there’s no guarantee that you will be awarded your requested cabin when doing it online.

 

The cash value is just that.  You are entitled to apply the cash value of the certificate to a new booking.  In the past, you used to be able to use the certificate (either the “full” value or the cash value) to an existing booking but recently there have been only a few reports of being able to use the annual tier cert on an existing booking.  YMMV

 

You can always upgrade your tier comp to a higher category.  In the past, there was a “casino rate” applied to comp upgrades but those days are over.  Nowadays, you pay the full retail price difference between the value of your comp (typically a 4V category for Prime) and whatever the current sticker price of the upgrade you desire.  No discounts whatsoever.

 

Something to keep in mind.  Sometimes (rarely) the cost of a higher cabin category will actually be less than the cost of your award (the 4V I mentioned earlier).  For example, I booked both of our annual Prime tier comps on Symphony for March 2025.  For both of these bookings, an ocean view balcony guarantee (category XB) was lower than the interior (4V) so we will get an OV balcony at no additional cost as opposed to a dungeon inside !  So be sure and do some research (and ask the rep with whom you speak) to see if there are any “hidden” upgrades.  These are rare…so you have to do your homework.

[chfenton]

Thank you both for your replies.  Sounds like calling is obviously best way to redeem.  So to be clear, let's say if I go to the website and see the price for interior is 699/pp for a particular cruise and the balcony is $799/pp for same cruise.  To be clear, in that circumstance I could book the balcony cabin for $100/pp - is that right?  Thanks again.

[birdofsong]

Definitely call.  And I wouldn't wait too long.  Everyone got their Prime certificates at the same time, so everyone is calling to book at the same time.  We just booked a Greek Isle cruise with ours, and there were literally two interior cabins left when we called.  That probably won't be the case with the larger ships or destinations that have several sailings, but if you're looking at something that might not have a lot of options, then I suggest you do it quickly.

 

Also, I have never NOT gotten the cabins I wanted when I call on the phone.  They always give me the cabins I ask for.  

[cruisegirl1]

2 hours ago, chfenton said:

Thank you both for your replies.  Sounds like calling is obviously best way to redeem.  So to be clear, let's say if I go to the website and see the price for interior is 699/pp for a particular cruise and the balcony is $799/pp for same cruise.  To be clear, in that circumstance I could book the balcony cabin for $100/pp - is that right?  Thanks again.

Not always, Royal has strange math.  They sometimes use a lower price for the interior than what is showing online so the upgrade is more.  As you suggested, calling is best.   It might be a good idea to have a first and second choice ready when you call.

Good luck. 

[roupa]

CALL. them… much easier. We have taken advantage of this offer but upgrade since I am claustrophobic in an inside stateroom 😩 Cost of an upgrade varies so do the math if you’re not comfortable with an inside.  
 Free only goes so far tho.  You may need to cover taxes, gratuities etc.

Good luck and enjoy!

[Ourusualbeach]

Absolutely call.  If they give you a price for an upgrade that you like book it right then and there.  Do not hang up to think about it and call back as you will likely be given a different price.

[Sunshine3601]

9 hours ago, chfenton said:

Thank you both for your replies.  Sounds like calling is obviously best way to redeem.  So to be clear, let's say if I go to the website and see the price for interior is 699/pp for a particular cruise and the balcony is $799/pp for same cruise.  To be clear, in that circumstance I could book the balcony cabin for $100/pp - is that right?  Thanks again.

I Always call to book as we like to select our own cabin.   We have had some great deals on upgrades.    The pricing you see online is never the same as they use "casino rate".

We have had some great upgrades.   

 

Our last cruise on Anthem in March (was a casino offer) and my offer was for an interior cabin; however, we got a OV balcony for no additional charge. 

 

I received a Certificate for my play while on the Anthem and used it for a sailing out of San Juan next January.  My Certificate was for an OV Balcony and the cost to upgrade to a Junior Suite was only $11/pp.    Royal's website showed it costing more than $2000 to upgrade to a JS.  Never hurts to ask. 

 

Remember to frequently check the clubroyaleoffer website at least once a week for new offers.  We receive new offers almost every Monday.   

 

The free cocktails, beer or wine and the 30% discount off internet booked onboard are always nice perks.   We have been Prime for several years.    Enjoy!!

 

 

[birdofsong]

On 4/20/2024 at 7:35 PM, Sunshine3601 said:

 

 

The free cocktails, beer or wine and the 30% discount off internet booked onboard are always nice perks.   We have been Prime for several years.    Enjoy!!

 

 

Seriously?  30%.  Of course they don't tell you that on the rewards website.  I had no idea. Do you do that at Guest Services, or in the casino?  Can you get that rate before sailing by calling the Casino Royale Prime number?

Edited April 22 by birdofsong

[Sunshine3601]

10 minutes ago, birdofsong said:

Seriously?  30%.  Of course they don't tell you that on the rewards website.  I had no idea. Do you do that at Guest Services, or in the casino?  Can you get that rate before sailing by calling the Casino Royale Prime number?

You book onboard via the App then you go to the voom desk and ask for the casino credit.

I've heard it is suppose to happen automatically but I always go to voom desk to make sure it gets credited to my acct.

 

Even nicer if you are Diamond or higher and can use your free day(s) first then sign up for voom then get 30% off

[RFerrington]

3 hours ago, birdofsong said:

 Can you get that rate before sailing by calling the Casino Royale Prime number?

No.  The discount is off the full onboard price so you must wait until after you board to apply for the discount.

[RNCindy]

We always call to redeem our "free" cruises with Club Royale.  I always ask for an upgrade and have rarely been denied (I ask them to combine my account and my husbands account for the redemption). Last cruise I booked, I was upgraded to a Junior Suite from a balcony for no extra charge. It never hurts to ask!!  We frequently utilize the Galveston cruises (close to home) and we usually pay no more than just the port charges and taxes.

[ocdb8r]

On 4/22/2024 at 5:02 PM, RFerrington said:

No.  The discount is off the full onboard price so you must wait until after you board to apply for the discount.

...and so for those with experience, does it ever make sense to wait to book on-board given the online discounts?  It seems you can regularly get at least 25% off booking ahead of time (and often more if you stalk their "sales")?

[nelblu]

On 4/20/2024 at 9:47 AM, RFerrington said:

 In the past, you used to be able to use the certificate (either the “full” value or the cash value) to an existing booking but recently there have been only a few reports of being able to use the annual tier cert on an existing booking.

I haven't had a problem applying $ off to an existing reservation as long as the sail is within a year of the offer and exercised by the expiration date.

 

To the Op:  I'm solo and exercised my free interior on Odyssey sailing March 30, 2025, and upgraded to Ocean View balcony for $820.  Chose that late day as it gives me a step up on the following year earnings.😀

Edited May 16 by nelblu

[RFerrington]

1 hour ago, ocdb8r said:

...and so for those with experience, does it ever make sense to wait to book on-board given the online discounts?  It seems you can regularly get at least 25% off booking ahead of time (and often more if you stalk their "sales")?

I have never found it cheaper to wait until I get onboard as the onboard price is always so high.  I guess it's possible that the onboard discount would beat the pre-cruise discount, but that has not been my experience - ever.

 

In general, it is best to completely disregard the advertised % off...whether it's onboard on pre-cruise.  Since all discounts are based on the current full retail onboard price, and that onboard price is constantly in flux, you never really know what the "base" price is, so a percentage is useless.  Just look at the final per-person cost (and don't forget to add gratuities as this WILL be charged, in the end) and forget about the smoke-and-mirrors % off.

[bajathree]

On 4/20/2024 at 12:39 PM, cruisegirl1 said:

Not always, Royal has strange math.  They sometimes use a lower price for the interior than what is showing online so the upgrade is more.  As you suggested, calling is best.   It might be a good idea to have a first and second choice ready when you call.

Good luck. 

Just a note on this. I recently booked a Utopia sailing on a prime offer but wanted to upgrade to an ocean balcony. I looked on-line at the pricing for the interior 4V (that was the prime offer) and the 2D ocean balcony I wanted to upgrade to and did my own math to work what the upgrade should cost. When I called Club Royale there price was showing almost $200 more than what I came up with. I told them that isn't right as I am looking right at pricing online. They told me their current pricing of the 4V and then of the 2D...both were different than I was seeing currently online. While they were on the line with me I went ahead and did a mock booking for both and told they Royal's website pricing. They said that wasn't the pricing they had on their system....which BTW they were in India. They said their pricing could vary but I stuck to my guns and said thats non-sense...pricing should be pricing...not showing the same product at 2 different prices on 2 different systems. After a brief hold a couple times they came back and apologized to me and gave me the pricing for the upgrade I was seeing and explained to me that their systems hadn't updated to the most recent pricing. So if you are getting a different price from Club Royal than what you are seeing online I would challenge them to it like I did. 

Also should be noted that as long as it's prior to final payment due date you can get adjustments for your upgrades if current pricing shows...so also price check on upgrades...I just recently got 2 price drops honored for that same upcoming Utopia sailing.

Edited May 16 by bajathree

[RFerrington]

1 hour ago, bajathree said:

 their systems hadn't updated to the most recent pricing

Wow.  Totally bogus on their end.  Thank goodness you stuck to your guns !  Absolutely unacceptable.

 

They will always base their "base" comp fare on the lowest available price (not including the GTY) so sometimes it is a 2V rather than a 4V although the 4V is usually the lowest.  They really do manipulate the numbers to work in their favor EVERY time.

 

Agree with you to always keep checking your prices, even on comp cruises.  I recently upgraded from a 4N OV to a 1L OV (the big panoramic OV rooms up front) and received a $28 refund...so while it is extremely rare to get a price reduction these days, it does happen.

[chfenton]

OP here...just to follow up with a data point.  I did call and got what seemed to be a very helpful and knowledgeable agent.  I was able to book Symphony of the Seas for early December and for $26 bucks more was able to upgrade from the "free" interior to a balcony guarantee.  So all in all happy with my first experience with the casino comp cruise.

[RFerrington]

51 minutes ago, chfenton said:

OP here...just to follow up with a data point.  I did call and got what seemed to be a very helpful and knowledgeable agent.  I was able to book Symphony of the Seas for early December and for $26 bucks more was able to upgrade from the "free" interior to a balcony guarantee.  So all in all happy with my first experience with the casino comp cruise.

That's a great deal.  I had a similar experience with SY but ours are in March.  Well done !

[nelblu]

Looking for some help.  Got a Casino offer for Utopia in late August.  The agent allowed me to book a bb totaling 7 days.  The front-end leg is a 3 niter and even though my invoice shows "Z1GTY" the App shows cabin #9595, which seems to be a CP view cabin.  The second leg is a 4 niter and both the invoice and App simply shows "GTY."  

 

Don't have a clue as to what is Z1 category, and my concern can Royal take back the assigned cabin of the 3 niter.  Also, and when booking a guarantee does invoice and App show a specific type of cabin, eg. interior, ocean view, etc.  

[RFerrington]

27 minutes ago, nelblu said:

Looking for some help.  Got a Casino offer for Utopia in late August.  The agent allowed me to book a bb totaling 7 days.  The front-end leg is a 3 niter and even though my invoice shows "Z1GTY" the App shows cabin #9595, which seems to be a CP view cabin.  The second leg is a 4 niter and both the invoice and App simply shows "GTY."  

 

Don't have a clue as to what is Z1 category, and my concern can Royal take back the assigned cabin of the 3 niter.  Also, and when booking a guarantee does invoice and App show a specific type of cabin, eg. interior, ocean view, etc.  

Z1 is an inside Guarantee...and the CP view (2S) does fall into the category of interior so it sounds like you got a bit of an upgrade.  SCORE !!

 

If you look at your upcoming cruise list online (not in the app) it should give you a bit more information on your GTY.  For instance, below is from one of my upcoming cruises (Brilliance) where I have a category XB, which is a Balcony GTY (also a casino booking).  My booking confirmation just shows GTY (like yours) but I can see that it is a balcony GTY when I go online and look at the booking in my upcoming cruises.

 

 

 

 

Can they take back the S2 ?  Sure...they can always reassign you a different room for a GTY booking but this rarely happens.  I wouldn't worry about it.  Once it's assigned, it usually is good-to-go.

 

I recently selected a Utopia 3-nighter for a casino comp b/c I added it to the front of a 4-nighter that I had already booked for a B2B.  Since there were no more 4V cabins left (which is the category that they usually assign for an interior comp offer), they assigned me a Z1, which is an interior GTY.  I ended up upgrading that offer to a Central Park Balcony (for a whopping 70 cents !!!) but it started off as a Z1, too.  Back in "the day" they never allowed a casino booking to be any category of GTY but it seems like they have reversed that decision and seem to be enticing people to book GTY rooms now.  

 

You might want to check and see how much it would cost to upgrade your booking to a higher category.  Like I said, my upgrade on the 3-nighter cost less than $1 !  Those 3-nighters are pretty cheap to upgrade....or at least, mine was.  Once you upgrade you don't have to worry about them yanking it back....and you might even be able to get the same room for both legs for very little money.

 

 

[bajathree]

2 hours ago, chfenton said:

OP here...just to follow up with a data point.  I did call and got what seemed to be a very helpful and knowledgeable agent.  I was able to book Symphony of the Seas for early December and for $26 bucks more was able to upgrade from the "free" interior to a balcony guarantee.  So all in all happy with my first experience with the casino comp cruise.

I just recently did the same with a Symphony sailing for March 2025....was able to do the same upgrade for $12 total.

[mil76]

The difference between booking VOOM before you board and after with Prime is that you do not get any credit for your free days if you are Diamond or D+ when pre-booking.  If you are Prime you can use your free days first and then book a package using the Prime discount.  We're D+, so we can each use 2 days and then buy a Prime discounted 2 device package for the rest of the trip, or share the free days for 4 days and then share a discounted one-device package for the rest of the trip, which offers substantial savings over pre-booking. 

 

If you are D or D+ it should be cheaper to wait until you board, but if you are not it just depends on if the pre-book sale is more than 30% off. Since moving to Starlink and the single speed option I have found that the onboard VOOM prices have seemed to remain pretty consistent from what they quote in the prebook base price for the sales and the actual onboard price.  

[Sunshine3601]

9 hours ago, ocdb8r said:

...and so for those with experience, does it ever make sense to wait to book on-board given the online discounts?  It seems you can regularly get at least 25% off booking ahead of time (and often more if you stalk their "sales")?

It works out cheaper for us almost every cruise to buy internet onboard then pre-cruise.

 

We are Diamond plus, skip internet day 1 since our phones work up until dinner, use our 2 free diamond days for days 2 and 3, then buy internet for remainder of cruise and get 30%.   

If you are Diamond or higher and can skip internet for night 1, then it works out cheaper for most 7 night cruises.