Budget booking - interior stateroom not assigned

Anyone book an interior room at lowest price?

To get best deal, they do not assign cabin.

I am just wondering how 'bad' of a cabin they would give us.

On teacher's budget so need to save every $ I can

What do you think?

Will they put us under the staff floor?

Don't stress. Look at the deck plan for your ship. Look at all the available interior rooms. You will be in one of them.

No, paying customers are never, ever, in crew quarters, or below crew quarters in the dungeon. Very few ships have a dungeon. Just kidding! You will be in a standard interior room designed for paying customers.

look at the deck plan for the ship you want to sail

then look where the inside cabins are located look above & below that deck to see what is there

Any of those insides is where you can end up or you may even get an upgrade, upsell

I prefer to pick a cabin & know where I am sleeping

YMMV

Anyone book an interior room at lowest price?

To get best deal, they do not assign cabin.

I am just wondering how 'bad' of a cabin they would give us.

On teacher's budget so need to save every $ I can

What do you think?

Will they put us under the staff floor?

That is incorrect as they do assign the stateroom for you instead of you choosing the one you want. That's the trade off for the price. They can be assigned anytime from final payment to day of boarding, but typically a couple of weeks prior to sailing. You also may have the ability to request a different available same category room if desired once it is assigned.

Not sure why you think they would put you under the staff floor. The rooms are just sold at a reduced price because you don't have the choice of location but are all on normal passenger decks.

And the engine room is below the lowest crew deck..... :)

What you have is called a guarantee. This means that you will have a cabin in the category you booked or any higher category. You will get an assignment whenever the cruise line decides to assign it. Most people get a cabin in the category they booked, but some get an upgrade to a higher cabin category.

You may very well get something better than the lowest category you booked...or you may get the category you paid for...either way, it's fine...none of the cabins are awful!!!!

There are some cabins that people don't want, by staff/service stations, or night time venues (Theater or night club), under the lido deck where chairs are shuffled early, etc.

How sensitive of a sleeper are you? Would these things bother you? Will you be out late anyway, so it doesn't matter? I was worried once where we were RIGHT next to an elevator. Turned out to be a non issue. I do prefer to book the cabin I want and not a guarantee, but that's me. Some people want the excitement of a potential upgrade.

There are many positives to a cabin guarantee, if you are flexible.

Booking a guarantee means you are willing to accept the worst cabin in your lowest chosen category. What's 'worst' for me might not be 'worst' for you.

If the worst cabin is unacceptable then book a specific cabin.

Two adages come to mind-- Beggars can't be choosers and Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

We've done several guarantees over the years. Only one cabin we wouldn't have chosen ourselves. YMMV

Your travel agent should have explained all this to you at the time of booking. If they didn't, then you need a new travel agent!

Your travel agent should have explained all this to you at the time of booking. If they didn't, then you need a new travel agent!

No mention in the OP's post of booking through a TA.

We've done this several times on last minute cruises, and the cabins have just been normal cabins... :) I know someone with children who was given one next to a venue which could be heard inside when the children went to bed, and eventually they were moved, but if you can cope with that, then no problems! ;)

Twice now we've gone at the very last minute, booking an inside, and been upgraded to outside. :)

In my experience the later the allocation the better chance of an upgrade, doesn't mean you will get one, just a better chance.

The worst case is you get the lowest category inside.

If location maters don't book guarantees it's really that simple.

Anyone book an interior room at lowest price?

To get best deal, they do not assign cabin.

I am just wondering how 'bad' of a cabin they would give us.

On teacher's budget so need to save every $ I can

What do you think?

Will they put us under the staff floor?

We took an inside guarantee on Freedom two years ago as it was a last minute cruise for us and it was far and away the cheapest option to take the guarantee. We got a deck six aft room about 4 doors down the hall from the elevators. Great location and worked out well for us. As others have said, you can get assigned anywhere there are inside rooms, but where really depends from sailing to sailing. If the price is really good, I would say go for it! Worst case, you don't get a room you love but IMO a room I don't love on a cruise is better than no cruise at all.

The lower levels are taken by staff, passengers can never be below.

We booked an inside guarantee on Freedom of the Seas about 10 months out and received our assignment a short time after booking, on deck 2. One of the nice things that RCL allows is that once you get your assignment if you find a stateroom available in the exact category you've been assigned, you can call and ask to be switched. That's exactly what we did, changing to an interior on deck 6. We ended up in a stateroom that would have cost us about $140 each more...so it worked out OK for us.

The other guarantee we took was on our Westerdam cruise last year, but we booked within final payment taking an inside guarantee. Took an upsell to balcony guarantee and ended up with an awesome aft balcony.

So far, we're two for two in the great assignment category. For us though, when we take a guarantee, we're truly just looking to be on the ship.

Very helpful responses, thank you.

And no, there was not travel agent was used(Booked through Carnival site).

Just a last minute decision on a light budget.

I am sure any cabin will work just fine.

Glad to have resources like this to 'sound' off on.:)

No mention in the OP's post of booking through a TA.

Very helpful responses, thank you.

And no, there was not travel agent was used(Booked through Carnival site).

Just a last minute decision on a light budget.

I am sure any cabin will work just fine.

Glad to have resources like this to 'sound' off on.:)

Reason number 37 to use a TA. They cost you nothing, they can save you real money, and they have a vested interest in making sure you're happy and will answer questions like this for you.

I've booked several guarantees over the years, and really only had one dud. It was a tiny, poorly arranged inside cabin.

Roz

Reason number 37 to use a TA. They cost you nothing, they can save you real money, and they have a vested interest in making sure you're happy and will answer questions like this for you.

Never had one save me money.

Will they put us under the staff floor?

No, paying customers are never, ever, in crew quarters, or below crew quarters in the dungeon. Very few ships have a dungeon. Just kidding! You will be in a standard interior room designed for paying customers.

I don't think most people realize this, but the crews' cabins are not all located on some bottom level below everything else. They are located on every level of the ship, a lot of times between the rows of interior rooms. I'll admit that I, too, thought that they would all be located on some level 0, below the decks with the guest cabins, but then I took a Behind the Fun tour on the Carnival Dream and learned otherwise.

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Reason number 37 to use a TA. They cost you nothing, they can save you real money, and they have a vested interest in making sure you're happy and will answer questions like this for you.

Not sure about saving real money unless you are booking into a block of rooms reserved as a TA group which may have some price reduction based on number of rooms and price when reserved. The stateroom price direct with the cruise lines is the same as that provided to the TA's with most mass market cruise lines and any other reduced price or perks is coming from their commissions.

There are also a number of TA's that charge fees for their service separate from the the cruise lines for originating, modifying, or canceling a booking made through them. They should be avoided IMO.

That being said, we have used the same TA for 20 years who has provided excellent service with no separate fees. She also is our advocate with the cruise lines for any issues and watches for price changes, etc. Very valuable to us.

Never had one save me money.

You should get a good TA then!

You should get a good TA then!

Don't want to downgrade.......:D She's excellent with regards to our expectations, which is why we've been with her as long as we have. It isn't only about the money.

Don't want to downgrade.......:D She's excellent with regards to our expectations, which is why we've been with her as long as we have. It isn't only about the money.

I think it was directed at me.

I think it was directed at me.

So it was......my mistake.:o

But my answer - although not directed at you - would remain the same. :)