“We pick your room” questions

[mook1525]

Hello!

 

My last cruise was in 2019 before Covid shut down and I am getting ready to get back into cruising this summer!

 

understandably, cruise price has sky rocketed since 2019 and I am leaning towards We (RCI) Pick Your Room fare for balcony cabin.

 

1. ship is Oasis of the Seas - that means I will be assigned to central park or boardwalk balcony since they are cheaper than oceanview balcony? Or you just don’t know?

 

2. what is the cancellation/change policy for this fare? Worst case I will need to move the sailing date - Does RCI allow to move the date for a $100 change fee?

 

3. approximately how many days before sail they assign you with a room? Are we still able to check in without room number?

 

 

Thanks in advance everyone!

 

 

[firefly333]

Cwc is now thru sept 2022 so the answer depends on what date you plan on booking, before or after sept 2022. You can cancel and move the deposit without charge if before then.

 

Right now final payments have been 30 days out, but any time now could be back to 90 days out. Yes you can currently check in 45 days before you sail. I was 43 days before, was on a cruise and missed out on the earliest boarding time. So check in asap lol.

 

No one can predict when they will assign your cabin, could be anytime from booking until boarding.

[lovetinktink]

We did "Guarantee balcony room" for the Odyssey of the Seas about 4 weeks before sailing...  I checked in almost immediately after booking, , and our room assignment showed up on the app about 3 weeks before sailing.    We got a fine room from what I can tell.. but we don't have the central park on this ship..  I was afraid I would get an obstructed view balcony, but we did not.     

[redsox1584]

I am booked on the 3/11 Freedom sailing with a guarantee balcony and have not got a room assignment yet. So I think it can really just happen at any time. 

[Showingthatgame]

If you select "you pick your room" there is a guaranteed Ocean view balcony at the bottom of the list should you feel like you must have a sea view balcony but dont care where on the ship it is. From what I have noticed the guaranteed ocean balcony is not much more than guaranteed anywhere balcony.

 

I think you are more likely to end up with a park view or boardwalk balcony with the RCI picking but it would depend on your sailing. 

[Ourusualbeach]

39 minutes ago, mook1525 said:

Hello!

 

My last cruise was in 2019 before Covid shut down and I am getting ready to get back into cruising this summer!

 

understandably, cruise price has sky rocketed since 2019 and I am leaning towards We (RCI) Pick Your Room fare for balcony cabin.

 

1. ship is Oasis of the Seas - that means I will be assigned to central park or boardwalk balcony since they are cheaper than oceanview balcony? Or you just don’t know?

 

2. what is the cancellation/change policy for this fare? Worst case I will need to move the sailing date - Does RCI allow to move the date for a $100 change fee?

 

3. approximately how many days before sail they assign you with a room? Are we still able to check in without room number?

 

 

Thanks in advance everyone!

 

 

On Oasis class the balcony guarantees are broken into 2 different guarantees.  

 

XN is a neighborhood balcony guarantees and

XB. Is an Oceanview balcony guarantee.

 

You will get whichever of the balcony categories you book.  If you book an XB you eill get an Oceanview balcony. 

 

If the cruise sails before Sept 30 you can change without a penalty. 

[mook1525]

7 hours ago, Showingthatgame said:

If you select "you pick your room" there is a guaranteed Ocean view balcony at the bottom of the list should you feel like you must have a sea view balcony but dont care where on the ship it is. From what I have noticed the guaranteed ocean balcony is not much more than guaranteed anywhere balcony.

 

I think you are more likely to end up with a park view or boardwalk balcony with the RCI picking but it would depend on your sailing. 

Sorry to bother you but I just can’t find a page where I can choose “guaranteed oceanview balcony” 

once I click Select under We Pick Your Room it takes me to “Who is traveling” page.

 

:(

[mook1525]

7 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

On Oasis class the balcony guarantees are broken into 2 different guarantees.  

 

XN is a neighborhood balcony guarantees and

XB. Is an Oceanview balcony guarantee.

 

You will get whichever of the balcony categories you book.  If you book an XB you eill get an Oceanview balcony. 

 

If the cruise sails before Sept 30 you can change without a penalty. 

Do you remember where I am able to choose XB?

 

once I click Select on “choose stateroom assignment” page, it takes me to “who is traveling” page.

I don’t see where I can choose “guaranteed ocean view balcony” I tried 3 times 

 

 

[Ourusualbeach]

4 minutes ago, mook1525 said:

Do you remember where I am able to choose XB?

 

once I click Select on “choose stateroom assignment” page, it takes me to “who is traveling” page.

I don’t see where I can choose “guaranteed ocean view balcony” I tried 3 times 

 

 

What goes it say in the description of the balcony you are choosing 

Edited February 22, 2022 by Ourusualbeach

[dcgrumpy]

I'm sailing on Harmony 5/15. On the consumer site it only has one Balcony Guarantee category with no description or code. I can tell by the price that it's a neighborhood guarantee, but it doesn't say it anywhere. On the TA site you can pick neighborhood or OV balcony guarantee. 

Edited February 22, 2022 by dcgrumpy

[mook1525]

22 minutes ago, dcgrumpy said:

I'm sailing on Harmony 5/15. On the consumer site it only has one Balcony Guarantee category with no description or code. I can tell by the price that it's a neighborhood guarantee, but it doesn't say it anywhere. On the TA site you can pick neighborhood or OV balcony guarantee. 

Ohhhh really?

 

Does that mean I HAVE TO use travel agent to book OV balcony guarantee?

 

What is the price difference between neighborhood balcony guarantee and OV balcony guarantee? Approximately?

 

my sailing is in August 2022 out of New York.

 

currently neighborhood balcony guarantee room is about $4200 for 4 people.

 

thanks!!

 

 

[smplybcause]

If you're booking through Royals website the balcony guarantee I've seen recently is just a generic, catchall guarantee balcony. 

 

Ie after you pick balcony it goes directly to you pick/we pick and if you choose we pick it goes directly to fill in your information. 

 

At least on the cruises I've checked it no longer allows you to pick XN or XB for balcony we pick. I've gone to a big box website and checked the same sailing and they had the two categories. On their website XN was the same price Royal was giving me for gty balc. The XB category was several hundred more. 

 

It looks like when booking direct Royal no longer gives you the option to choose on balcony gty. Though I did not bother to call to see if they could book something different. 

 

It's a definite change from before where you'd pick balcony on an Oasis class, pick a category (CP, OV, etc) and then it would ask you pick/we pick.

Edited February 23, 2022 by smplybcause

[dcgrumpy]

2 hours ago, mook1525 said:

Ohhhh really?

 

Does that mean I HAVE TO use travel agent to book OV balcony guarantee?

 

What is the price difference between neighborhood balcony guarantee and OV balcony guarantee? Approximately?

 

my sailing is in August 2022 out of New York.

 

currently neighborhood balcony guarantee room is about $4200 for 4 people.

 

thanks!!

 

 

This seems to be something new.  I'm not sure if it's on all sailings or just some. The difference was about $300.

[hellopuppies]

On 2/22/2022 at 11:15 AM, Ourusualbeach said:

On Oasis class the balcony guarantees are broken into 2 different guarantees.  

 

XN is a neighborhood balcony guarantees and

XB. Is an Oceanview balcony guarantee.

 

You will get whichever of the balcony categories you book.  If you book an XB you eill get an Oceanview balcony. 

 

If the cruise sails before Sept 30 you can change without a penalty. 

How much is the penalty if the cruise sails after Sept 30? I have a non-refundable booking with $450 deposit for each of us and it sails in 2023. Thanks.

[Ourusualbeach]

6 minutes ago, hellopuppies said:

How much is the penalty if the cruise sails after Sept 30? I have a non-refundable booking with $450 deposit for each of us and it sails in 2023. Thanks.

$100 per person penalty.  The other $350 per person will be issued as a FCC

[hellopuppies]

4 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

$100 per person penalty.  The other $350 per person will be issued as a FCC

Thanks for your prompt reply, Ken.

[Starry Eyes]

20 hours ago, mook1525 said:

Ohhhh really?

 

Does that mean I HAVE TO use travel agent to book OV balcony guarantee?

 

What is the price difference between neighborhood balcony guarantee and OV balcony guarantee? Approximately?

 

my sailing is in August 2022 out of New York.

 

currently neighborhood balcony guarantee room is about $4200 for 4 people.

 

thanks!!

 

 

You do not have to use a travel agent.  First option…,Sometimes the oceanview balcony guarantees are listed with the “you choose” options.  They may not be available on every sailing (especially for four).  Second option….you can call to make the reservation.  I generally call Crown and Anchor 

Also, as there are four of you…have you priced two cabins for two?  Some the pricing is appealing.  If two are youngsters, they can be in a connecting cabin, an adjacent nonconnecting cabin or directly across the hall.  Some families book a balcony plus an inside across the hall, for example.  Typically one must call to make such bookings.

[gumshoe958]

20 hours ago, smplybcause said:

If you're booking through Royals website the balcony guarantee I've seen recently is just a generic, catchall guarantee balcony. 

 

Ie after you pick balcony it goes directly to you pick/we pick and if you choose we pick it goes directly to fill in your information. 

 

At least on the cruises I've checked it no longer allows you to pick XN or XB for balcony we pick. I've gone to a big box website and checked the same sailing and they had the two categories. On their website XN was the same price Royal was giving me for gty balc. The XB category was several hundred more. 

 

It looks like when booking direct Royal no longer gives you the option to choose on balcony gty. Though I did not bother to call to see if they could book something different. 

 

It's a definite change from before where you'd pick balcony on an Oasis class, pick a category (CP, OV, etc) and then it would ask you pick/we pick.

 

The UK site still lets you choose between a Neighbourhood or Ocean View balcony guarantee, but the US one doesn’t. Bizarre.

 

 

[Showingthatgame]

23 hours ago, mook1525 said:

Sorry to bother you but I just can’t find a page where I can choose “guaranteed oceanview balcony” 

once I click Select under We Pick Your Room it takes me to “Who is traveling” page.

 

😞

Ah it seems that it might be a UK site thing where it lets me choose ocean view balcony guarantee. I made the foolish mistake of assuming the US site would be the same.