Booking a bigger room with less people?

[sunny_shores]

I tried searching for an answer to this, but I can't find it. When looking at rooms on the RC site. Searching for more than 2 guests, new options for balcony rooms come up. If you are only sailing with 2 people, will Royal not allow you to book those rooms that only come up with a search option of 4 people?

[39august]

As a rule, no. But if those cabins are still available after final payment date is past, sometimes it is allowed just to fill those cabins. We once booked a family suite for just the two of us about a month before the sail date.

[lazydayz]

You could call but I doubt it. As the sailing date gets closer, it becomes more likely. But remember even if RC let’s you book one of the four person cabins, they might move you if they need it. When I have heard about this being done, it is usually not an upgrade but just a lateral move. Personally, I wouldn’t bother trying to get the four person room.

[Beachammo]

I tried searching for an answer to this, but I can't find it. When looking at rooms on the RC site. Searching for more than 2 guests, new options for balcony rooms come up. If you are only sailing with 2 people, will Royal not allow you to book those rooms that only come up with a search option of 4 people?

We (2) booked a family suite on the Harmony TA. We booked it the first day Royal opened up the bookings. It was only $107 total more than a regular ocean balcony.

 

Many times on Freedom/Voyager class Royal holds those corner afts for 3+ until closer to sailing date.

 

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[cruiseguy1016]

Book the cabin with 3 or 4 people. Give the extra people fictitious names. You'll have to pay a deposit on everyone. After a few months, cancel the fictitious people. Their deposits will roll over to your cruise fare.

[ONECRUISER]

Just have to watch for them. I sailed in 2bd/2Ba 12 nite Repo all to myself...

[fsjosh]

Agree with the above posters. They hold them for those who have more people, but after a certain point, they do open them up for anyone. Me and the Wife ended up with a 2 bedroom Aquatheater room that way once. Also, like someone else said, you can just add a fake person to your booking and remove them later if you absolutely have to have one of those rooms. There is a chance they may try to move you if they end up with a tightly booked ship and need the berths.

[packedandready]

Book the cabin with 3 or 4 people. Give the extra people fictitious names. You'll have to pay a deposit on everyone. After a few months, cancel the fictitious people. Their deposits will roll over to your cruise fare.

 

What's the chance we'd be kicked out of the cabin and put in some random area of the ship? I've been tempted to do this but was afraid we'd be moved. By that time there may not be to many decent options available.

[molly361]

What's the chance we'd be kicked out of the cabin and put in some random area of the ship? I've been tempted to do this but was afraid we'd be moved. By that time there may not be to many decent options available.

 

Probably slim but I have read about it happening more than once

[cruiseguy1016]

What's the chance we'd be kicked out of the cabin and put in some random area of the ship? I've been tempted to do this but was afraid we'd be moved. By that time there may not be to many decent options available.

 

I think if you wait a while it won't be a problem. Here's a related story. When we booked our last cruise we tried to get cabins on the back of the ship. None were available. About 5 months before our cruise, several of them opened up. This was 3 months before final payment. I don't think that many people would have, coincidentally, all cancelled at the same time. My guess is RCI was holding them all hoping to fill them with triples. Since they weren't filling with triples, my guess is they released them to be booked by doubles. I have no proof of this, it's just what seems logical to me.

[cb at sea]

Yes...that's what they do. They want to sell as MANY cabins as possible. There are MANY more "beds" on a ship than they are allowed to fill. So they are trying to maximize the 1st and 2nd person rates.

[FOXTROT]

We have never purchased a 2 bedroom cabin. We have been upgraded to one several times. They are very nice.

[SG65CB]

Book the cabin with 3 or 4 people. Give the extra people fictitious names. You'll have to pay a deposit on everyone. After a few months, cancel the fictitious people. Their deposits will roll over to your cruise fare.

 

There is a good chance this won't work.

 

Just a few days ago I was on the phone with RC and asked this very question - I was wondering what happens to the non-refundable deposit if the third person cannot go. He told me that the deposit will be applied to your cruise fare (not forfeited) but you will probably be moved to a different room that is meant to accommodate two people.

 

He also confirmed that when you reserve through the website you are presented with different rooms depending on the number of people you have in your room.

[sunny_shores]

Thanks for the information everyone. I think I'll just stick with was available for 2.

[awestover89]

What's the chance we'd be kicked out of the cabin and put in some random area of the ship? I've been tempted to do this but was afraid we'd be moved. By that time there may not be to many decent options available.

 

We've done this twice (not fictitiously, we were originally sailing with 3 people and one cancelled both times) and both times we lost our room and were moved to a room meant for 2 people. The first time (on Harmony, in a Boardwalk Balcony) they repriced the reservation at current rates