Connecting rooms help

[ElizabethH]

I have been trying hard to book a cruise with RC but it seems darn near impossible. We are a family of 5 and would like connecting rooms. I have tried and tried online to no avail. I called 2 times and got a foreign guy each time who had no idea what I was even talking about. I emailed a travel agent who said she would get back to me and then never did. Should I just give up?? Any tips/tricks??

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

I ran into the same problem when trying to book connecting staterooms for our upcoming RC cruise online. I had to call RC directly to book. Thankfully the RC rep. on the phone spoke fluent English so I didn’t encounter the language barrier you described. My advice would be to call back with the hopes of getting a rep. that is both knowledgeable about connecting rooms as well as one that you can communicate with easily. Good luck and have a great cruise!

FYI: I have no idea which ship you’re considering, but if it’s one of the ships in the Voyager class it might be worth taking a look at deck 9 plans. Notice to pairs of connecting cabins both all the way forward and aft. We have a pair of the aft connecting rooms booked for our family of 4 (2 young kids). We wanted a balcony for the adults but didn’t want the young kids to have access to a balcony of their own. These pairing of staterooms are rare, cost effective, and a perfect fit for us.

Rooms 9218/9220 and 9518/9220 are connecting OV/balcony

Rooms 9376/9381 and 9676/9681 are connecting interior/balcony. Edit: (it appears these aft staterooms can only accommodate 2 guests each which wouldn’t work for your family of 5)

 

[starvenger]

Make sure you check your junk mail. I’ve had a few TA emails go there in the past.

Also remember that you are not beholden to any one travel agent. If you know any others in your area that specialize in cruises, contact them.

Another idea - not as good as connecting, but if you get side by side balconies you can get to each other’s rooms from the outside (ask them to remove the divider).

 

[msjprincess]

I've always one it over the phone directly with RCCL with no problems.

One hint, if you look online at the Royal Caribbean UK site they show more availability than the US site. It doesn't help with pricind but you can get a better idea of what's available. That's what I did with the cruise I have booked now. When I called I was able to tell them specifically which 2 rooms I was interested in.

 

[Madteaparty001]

I go to their website, pick the cruise I want, then manually input connecting stateroom numbers in locations I'm happy with until I find two that are available. (The rooms with the two sided arrows indicate connecting.) I was also able to speak with a RC agent that I believe was American at 3 PM EST time so you may have called at off US call center business hours. He was also able to find connecting cabins for me without issue and there was no language barrier.

I found trying to book through travel agencies, such as costco, that they weren't given any of the connecting rooms to sell, so I had to transfer my booking to them after booking direct.

 

[disneyeveryyear]

I wasn't able to find connecting rooms on the website because they only show a few rooms available. My TA friend was able to book it for us because she can see everything. She is very responsive. If you would like her information, pm me.

 

[Macprincess]

We're also a family of five. We're currently booked on Allure of the Seas the first week of June. We have only cruised Disney as a family. My husband and I have cruised RC without the children years ago. I always book DCL by myself and have never had any issues with booking connecting cabins, excursions, spa, and adult dining. I find Disney's sight pretty easy to navigate. I'm finding RC site to be a huge pain in the rear. To the point that I probably would have given up trying to book if it had not been for the fact that we are traveling with extended family on my husbands side. I finally gave up the nonsense of trying to find connecting cabins or even cabins near each other with 3 in one cabin and 2 in the other. It was a frustrating process as every time I put in our info it would spit out cabins on different decks. This drove me nuts! I did call a TA and we now have one inside cabin for the kids and hubby and I are in a balcony ocean view across the hall. My kids are older teens so it works.

I feel so lost with this cruise. I have no idea when I should or even how to book excursions, specialty dining, spa or show times. I'm really considering canceling because it just seems so difficult to get any info. Their web site is awful! We really are not saving that much compared to Disney and I'm starting to think were going to be on the ship the whole time wishing we were with Disney. I honestly can't get excited about this vacation. We do many non Disney vacation so I don't think it is necessarily a Disney Cruise Line thing for me. I think it's more of a lack of ways to gather information and feeling generally overwhelmed that were spending a lot of money & we have no idea how to make sure we enjoy this cruise.

 

[msjprincess]

We're also a family of five. We're currently booked on Allure of the Seas the first week of June. We have only cruised Disney as a family. My husband and I have cruised RC without the children years ago. I always book DCL by myself and have never had any issues with booking connecting cabins, excursions, spa, and adult dining. I find Disney's sight pretty easy to navigate. I'm finding RC site to be a huge pain in the rear. To the point that I probably would have given up trying to book if it had not been for the fact that we are traveling with extended family on my husbands side. I finally gave up the nonsense of trying to find connecting cabins or even cabins near each other with 3 in one cabin and 2 in the other. It was a frustrating process as every time I put in our info it would spit out cabins on different decks. This drove me nuts! I did call a TA and we now have one inside cabin for the kids and hubby and I are in a balcony ocean view across the hall. My kids are older teens so it works.

I feel so lost with this cruise. I have no idea when I should or even how to book excursions, specialty dining, spa or show times. I'm really considering canceling because it just seems so difficult to get any info. Their web site is awful! We really are not saving that much compared to Disney and I'm starting to think were going to be on the ship the whole time wishing we were with Disney. I honestly can't get excited about this vacation. We do many non Disney vacation so I don't think it is necessarily a Disney Cruise Line thing for me. I think it's more of a lack of ways to gather information and feeling generally overwhelmed that were spending a lot of money & we have no idea how to make sure we enjoy this cruise.

If you don't already have an online account set one up. Then link the reservations for your room and the kids room to your account. All of the above will be available to book in the Cruise Planner. It's too early for shows, they usually open up 60-90 days beforehand.

 

[Macprincess]

Thank you msjprincess this is very helpful!

 

[msjprincess]

Thank you msjprincess this is very helpful!

You're welcome

 

[skiergirl4]

We are also a family of five who recently booked with Royal. I had trouble finding connecting rooms with two people in one room and three in the other until I realized that three people need to be booked in a room with a triangle icon or a cross icon on the deck plans next to the room numbers. (There may be other icons that work, too, but those are the ones I looked for). Those rooms have a pull out couch or pullman bed. If you try to put three people in a room with no icon next to the room number (when looking at deck plans and typing in a room number to select the one you would like), it will say that it’s not available. It might be available, but it doesn’t sleep three. That realization helped me a lot when trying to do my own research on the site.

We have booked two RCI cruises through Costco and have had good experiences (but they are more hands off, so it’s more work on you). We also have a DCL cruise booked through Dreams Unlimited Travel, and they have been wonderful to work with (very quick to respond and helpful). A good travel agent will make your life easier, will likely offer booking incentives, and will help you avoid the frustration you’ve had so far. Plus, you shouldn’t pay more with a travel agent. They earn their money from the cruise line.
Good luck!

 

[skiergirl4]

Another tip for RCI...
There’s a fun and informative podcast about Royal called the Royal Caribbean Blog podcast.

The host, Matt, shares great info about all things Royal. I’ve learned a lot by listening. He also answers listener emails, so you can write in if you have a question. He’s a former radio host, and the podcast is quite well done.