GTY or assigned cabin??

[Anal Annie]

I am looking at various options to potentially book a 13 night one-way Asian cruise on Royal Caribbean in 2027. It's a big expense coming from the East coast and considering that we'll want to bookend the cruise with a few nights on land before & after. The cruise has 6 sea days so I think we'll want to have a balcony. In order to save some money I am seriously considering booking a GTY OV balcony cabin. It would save about $700 over booking an assigned OV balcony cabin. I know it's pot luck but just wondered if I could get anyone else's experience with it on RC? We booked a GTY OV cabin on our first ever cruise way back when (on DCL) & ended up with one of their aft balcony cabins with the solid wall. So it was a win-win. But this is such a big trip I'm wrestling with what is the right thing to do. There's currently a pretty good GTY rate available thru a couple of the internet cruise sites that I hate to miss out on so I'm trying to make this decision kinda quickly.

Obviously booking an assigned cabin would be the best thing but budget is a factor here. WWYD? Is $700 enough of a savings for 2 ppl to be worth it? The $700 savings would really come in handy for airfare or for hotels on either side of the cruise. I think probably the important thing is that I would prefer the balcony over OV or interior. Thoughts? Advice? Comments? Experiences? Concerns (other than I may end up in a noisy spot)?

TIA, Annie

 

[Dug720]

I'd say look on cruisedeckplans.com and the views they have of the cabins and see what the worst is view/location is. If you can live with that, go for the GTY. If you're going to be upset with the view or being under the pool deck or fitness center, etc. then go with a selected stateroom.

 

[DCLMP]

I've only booked GTY cabins on Royal and have been fine with my cabins each time. Twice neighborhood and gotten Central Park. Once Oceanview and it was perfect. I'm not sure what would constitute a bad cabin unless you need to be close to elevators or absolutely do not want a connecting cabin. I would not spend the extra money. There's always a very small chance you'll get upgraded to something better than what you booked. It's happened to me on Disney. I haven't cruised Royal enough to have that happen, but you'll never be downgraded.

I'm curious what cruise you're doing on Royal. I've been looking at Asian cruises and haven't seen anything on Royal that interests me.

 

[peacefrogdog]

We usually get balconies - I thought I would not miss one when booking an interior room, but missed an opportunity to stand out there and look our at the sea, and the calming noise. Also Tthe extra space the balcony provides. So if the price is similar or not much more, I would go for the GTY OV balcony vs interior or OV especially for such a long cruise.

In addition to the possibility of a partially obstructed view (lifeboats), some people comment that if prone to sea sickness, you may be more likely to feel unwell if at the front vs back of the ship, and on a higher deck vs lower. But if you're not prone to that, it wouldn't be an issue if matched to those locations. Also you hear some noise from the crew doing their morning cleaning and moving around of tables/chairs if your cabin is on the deck just below the Windjammer or Pool deck. So add that to the list of possible undesirable locations you could get matched to (depending on how well you sleep anyway)

Re: neighborhood balcony GTY - Boardwalk ones can seem louder in the evenings especially when the water show is on, and the bell each time the carousel runs. If you're sensitive to noise and like your afternoon naps, that may not be a good match.

 

[peacefrogdog]

Sorry to hijack but has anyone booked a Suite GTY cabin? They are always cheaper than the Junior Suite. So if looking to book a junior suite anyway, what (if any is the downside) of booking a Suite GTY stateroom?

 

[peacefrogdog]

I'm curious what cruise you're doing on Royal. I've been looking at Asian cruises and haven't seen anything on Royal that interests me.

Agree with this. Asia itineraries on celebrity look more interesting. If you are interested in building your RCL status, cruises sailed on Celebrity can now be used towards accumulating RCL's crown and anchor points.

 

[Anal Annie]

I've only booked GTY cabins on Royal and have been fine with my cabins each time. Twice neighborhood and gotten Central Park. Once Oceanview and it was perfect. I'm not sure what would constitute a bad cabin unless you need to be close to elevators or absolutely do not want a connecting cabin. I would not spend the extra money. There's always a very small chance you'll get upgraded to something better than what you booked. It's happened to me on Disney. I haven't cruised Royal enough to have that happen, but you'll never be downgraded.

I'm curious what cruise you're doing on Royal. I've been looking at Asian cruises and haven't seen anything on Royal that interests me.

I have been looking at the 13 night Singapore to Tokyo one-way departing April 29, 2027 on Navigator of the Seas. It's longer than I really wanted (has 6 sea days) but it visits 6 different countries which was intriguing to me. The GTY OV balcony was only $5,903 for 2 ppl thru cruisesonly which I thought was a steller price for 13 nights. I am looking at it as a way to get from destination A to destination B and avoid additional airfare & packing etc. What I would really like to find is a shorter one-way with fewer sea days but they're all on the longer duration. Ideally I would like to do Tokyo to Hong Kong (or vice versa). OR between Shanghai and Hong Kong.

We obviously have a goal to visit some of the Asian parks while over there so we'd like to bookend the cruise with a few nights on land for those opportunities, which is why we'd like to include itineraries that include Shanghai, Hong Kong and/or Tokyo. I figured if we could hit 2 of them we could count ourselves somewhat successful.

 

[Sleepy425]

Have you gone on Cruise compete to see if an agency has a group rate? Sometimes they are the same price as guarantees but get you an assigned cabin.

 

[Anal Annie]

We usually get balconies - I thought I would not miss one when booking an interior room, but missed an opportunity to stand out there and look our at the sea, and the calming noise. Also Tthe extra space the balcony provides. So if the price is similar or not much more, I would go for the GTY OV balcony vs interior or OV especially for such a long cruise.

In addition to the possibility of a partially obstructed view (lifeboats), some people comment that if prone to sea sickness, you may be more likely to feel unwell if at the front vs back of the ship, and on a higher deck vs lower. But if you're not prone to that, it wouldn't be an issue if matched to those locations. Also you hear some noise from the crew doing their morning cleaning and moving around of tables/chairs if your cabin is on the deck just below the Windjammer or Pool deck. So add that to the list of possible undesirable locations you could get matched to (depending on how well you sleep anyway)

Re: neighborhood balcony GTY - Boardwalk ones can seem louder in the evenings especially when the water show is on, and the bell each time the carousel runs. If you're sensitive to noise and like your afternoon naps, that may not be a good match.

I was told that this particular ship doesn't have any obstructed view balconies. We sailed pretty far aft on our first DCL cruise on the Magic (booked as a GTY) and it had one of the solid wall balconies. This was a MX Rivera cruise and we had some really rough weather on the return and were okay. We also did a back-to-back on the Wonder in the Fwd "secret porthole" cabins and were okay. We upgraded to a mid-ship balcony on the Magic when I caught a price drop on a Mediterranean cruise which was nice. These are the only cruises we have done thus far. We have no experience with any other cruiseline. DCL priced us out and we just stopped cruising. We've only been on the smaller ships.

We may wait for more itineraries to be posted for later in 2027 or early 2028. I was focused on RCI because they are slightly cheaper than Celebrity. But if we wait a tad bit longer maybe we can consider them. I want to rent out our DVC points to help cover the cruise and will use credit card miles / points to help with the flights. Waiting would give me more time to accomplish that. I am really in the early planning stages now and just exploring ideas. I think if we have to book a GTY to get into a balcony then that's probably worth doing.

 

[Anal Annie]

Have you gone on Cruise compete to see if an agency has a group rate? Sometimes they are the same price as guarantees but get you an assigned cabin.

Not yet. I did explore Costco, cruisesonly (had the best price), cruisedirect and a couple others in addition to the RCI site. I also requested a price from the DVC Rental Store for a "cruise swap" and a quote from Dreams Unlimited (which I did late yesterday so I don't have it yet).

 

[peacefrogdog]

I have been looking at the 13 night Singapore to Tokyo one-way departing April 29, 2027 on Navigator of the Seas. It's longer than I really wanted (has 6 sea days) but it visits 6 different countries which was intriguing to me. The GTY OV balcony was only $5,903 for 2 ppl thru cruisesonly which I thought was a steller price for 13 nights. I am looking at it as a way to get from destination A to destination B and avoid additional airfare & packing etc. What I would really like to find is a shorter one-way with fewer sea days but they're all on the longer duration. Ideally I would like to do Tokyo to Hong Kong (or vice versa). OR between Shanghai and Hong Kong.

We obviously have a goal to visit some of the Asian parks while over there so we'd like to bookend the cruise with a few nights on land for those opportunities, which is why we'd like to include itineraries that include Shanghai, Hong Kong and/or Tokyo. I figured if we could hit 2 of them we could count ourselves somewhat successful.

Have you found any cruises that go to Japan that have Hong Kong as a start or stop location?

 

[DCLMP]

I have been looking at the 13 night Singapore to Tokyo one-way departing April 29, 2027 on Navigator of the Seas. It's longer than I really wanted (has 6 sea days) but it visits 6 different countries which was intriguing to me. The GTY OV balcony was only $5,903 for 2 ppl thru cruisesonly which I thought was a steller price for 13 nights. I am looking at it as a way to get from destination A to destination B and avoid additional airfare & packing etc. What I would really like to find is a shorter one-way with fewer sea days but they're all on the longer duration. Ideally I would like to do Tokyo to Hong Kong (or vice versa). OR between Shanghai and Hong Kong.

We obviously have a goal to visit some of the Asian parks while over there so we'd like to bookend the cruise with a few nights on land for those opportunities, which is why we'd like to include itineraries that include Shanghai, Hong Kong and/or Tokyo. I figured if we could hit 2 of them we could count ourselves somewhat successful.

I've been eyeing one on NCL, but it's not until January 2028. It starts in Hong Kong and ends in Singapore. Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan. 13 nights with 4 sea days.
I would also look at Celebrity. I'm not sure you're going to find shorter though. Princess has some nice Japan itineraries.

 

[Anal Annie]

Have you found any cruises that go to Japan that have Hong Kong as a start or stop location?

No, not really. But I also have not really looked at any other cruiselines besides RCI because of the pricing. Guess I'll look into that idea next.

 

[Anal Annie]

I've been eyeing one on NCL, but it's not until January 2028. It starts in Hong Kong and ends in Singapore. Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan. 13 nights with 4 sea days.
I would also look at Celebrity. I'm not sure you're going to find shorter though. Princess has some nice Japan itineraries.

I'll look some more. I was sort of targeting April as our first choice (it's our anniversary month) and that month is most recommended for the best weather in most of these ports. I don't want to go in winter for a few reasons. I don't want to be too cold (Tokyo would be cold) and I don't want to have to pack big bulky winter clothes. A balcony in January would be not be practical.

 

[sam_gordon]

Sorry to hijack but has anyone booked a Suite GTY cabin? They are always cheaper than the Junior Suite. So if looking to book a junior suite anyway, what (if any is the downside) of booking a Suite GTY stateroom?

My understanding is the only downside of booking a GTY (whether interior, OV, balcony, or suite) is you don't get to choose your cabin location (unless other cabins in the same category are available after your cabin is assigned). So you could end up in a noisy cabin, one a long way from elevator lobbies, or otherwise a "non-desired" location.

If the chance (because it's far from a guarantee) of getting a "non-ideal" cabin location doesn't bother you, I don't see any reason not to do a GTY.

 

[DCLMP]

I'll look some more. I was sort of targeting April as our first choice (it's our anniversary month) and that month is most recommended for the best weather in most of these ports. I don't want to go in winter for a few reasons. I don't want to be too cold (Tokyo would be cold) and I don't want to have to pack big bulky winter clothes. A balcony in January would be not be practical.

I think the reason this particular cruise is in January is the weather is ideal in January for the Asian ports its visits. Think Florida in January vs Florida in August. These Asian ports are miserably hot and humid in the Summer. Tokyo would be cold in January. We went to Japan late February and it was perfect 65-75 degrees.

 

[Anal Annie]

I've been eyeing one on NCL, but it's not until January 2028. It starts in Hong Kong and ends in Singapore. Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan. 13 nights with 4 sea days.
I would also look at Celebrity. I'm not sure you're going to find shorter though. Princess has some nice Japan itineraries.

Have you cruised on all of these different lines (NCL, Celebrity, Princess etc)?

 

[Anal Annie]

I think the reason this particular cruise is in January is the weather is ideal in January for the Asian ports its visits. Think Florida in January vs Florida in August. These Asian ports are miserably hot and humid in the Summer. Tokyo would be cold in January. We went to Japan late February and it was perfect 65-75 degrees.

Yeah, Tokyo would be cold. Most of my research says March & April are good for Singapore etc. November to January is monsoon season tho. That's no bueno for me. (I also don't like the fickle weater in FL in January. We stopped going then.)

 

[pjacobi]

Note this is a "repositioning" cruise. Be sure to read up on the difference to a normal cruise. A balcony is of more use on the extra sea days.

With RCCL, you could still book Inside GTY and then bid for a balcony upgrade with the Royal Up program. Be sure to research all the rule for the Royal Up program.


-Paul