How to book a gty??

[sez809]

So sorry for the "dim" question, but I really dont know the answer.

 

How does one go about booking a gty cabin and what are the advantages, price wise? Do you decide on the category you would feel happy with, and tell your agent that, eg, you want to book an obv on such & such cruise....

 

I have to be honest and say I dont really understand the grading of cabins etc, I just know what I like!

 

We cannot afford to cruise often, but am hoping for a Fjord cruise in 2015 or 2016 (to celebrate our silver wedding). I know its a long way off,but I need to think about saving/budgets etc, allowing, of course, for increases in everything!!!

 

Again, apologies for such a possibly silly question, but really would appreciate your help.:confused::confused:

[Steven_&_Daniel]

So sorry for the "dim" question, but I really dont know the answer.

 

How does one go about booking a gty cabin and what are the advantages, price wise? Do you decide on the category you would feel happy with, and tell your agent that, eg, you want to book an obv on such & such cruise....

 

I have to be honest and say I dont really understand the grading of cabins etc, I just know what I like!

 

We cannot afford to cruise often, but am hoping for a Fjord cruise in 2015 or 2016 (to celebrate our silver wedding). I know its a long way off,but I need to think about saving/budgets etc, allowing, of course, for increases in everything!!!

 

Again, apologies for such a possibly silly question, but really would appreciate your help.:confused::confused:

 

Early Congratulations! We'll also be celebrating our silver anniversary in 2016. It does sound like a long way off, but it's never too soon to start planning or booking a cruise.

 

We've never booked a GTY, but it's my understanding that it's usually a little cheaper. You'll be assigned a cabin in the category you booked or a higher category. The assignment can come at anytime....possibly not until you check in for boarding. I think the attraction to such a booking is a greater possibility of an upgrade.

 

I'm sure those with GTY experience can tell you a lot more.

[MCC retired]

In order to book a Guarantee , the sailing and cabin type that you are interested in must have Guarantee's available. All sailings don't , and availability may come/ go /comeback.

Your TA can confirm this or alert you if they become available.

 

Depending on the cruise line , they may be the same $$ as the lowest cabin assignment in that cabin type ,or may be less.

Yes , you must be able to accept a cabin in the category guarantee that you booked , but in many,many cases you do get upgraded . Worth the chance for me.

Beware ,what a cruise line thinks is an upgrade may not be an upgrade in your eyes.

[Pam in CA]

In order to book a Guarantee , the sailing and cabin type that you are interested in must have Guarantee's available. All sailings don't , and availability may come/ go /comeback.

Your TA can confirm this or alert you if they become available.

 

Depending on the cruise line , they may be the same $$ as the lowest cabin assignment in that cabin type ,or may be less.

Yes , you must be able to accept a cabin in the category guarantee that you booked , but in many,many cases you do get upgraded . Worth the chance for me.

Beware ,what a cruise line thinks is an upgrade may not be an upgrade in your eyes.

I agree. Sometimes, there's a price difference to book a GTY; often, there isn't. And, what is an upgrade in the eyes of one person may not be to another. If you do get "upgraded", it's most likely the exact same cabin in a different location. True upgrades from one type of cabin (inside to oceanview, oceanview to balcony, etc.) aren't nearly as common. And, if you book a GTY, you must be willing to accept the cabin the Princess booking system has assigned you. Too many times, people book a GTY thinking or expecting a real upgrade and are furious when they're assigned a cabin that either isn't in a location they want to be or is not much of an upgrade. If you are assigned a cabin in a higher category and you don't like the location, you may or may not be able to request a different cabin in the same category. It depends on availability.

 

No matter what, there is usually little or no saving by booking a GTY and it's a crapshoot/gamble what you'll be assigned. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't. The only time I've booked a GTY was on a small ship and all the outside cabins were pretty good. I wound up canceling that cruise even though after a year, I still wasn't assigned a cabin. :)

[gdisney]

When we've booked guarantees, they've been the cheapest available price/category. As others have said, the option is not always available. And in my experience, it hasn't been a lot cheaper than the cheapest price to pick your own cabin. BUT, you often get upgraded to something that would have cost more initially. It may be the exact same cabin type but on a higher deck. It could be a better cabin type. It may not be in an area you like as much...i.e. might be forward where you prefer midship. But it would be at least as good of a cabin as the category you booked the guarantee in. For us, since we don't care about location that much, it means we can't really lose.

[Matcodixon]

Also, important consideration, when you are issued an upgrade, you have the ability to decline it within 48 hours.

 

For us, the BG Guarantee we booked could not have worked out better. There are only 4 BG cabins on the ship to begin with so I expected an upgrade of some sort. We were first upgraded to a BA, but chose to go with a selected BD and take a nice price cut.

[AKman2495]

Also keep in mind that for every "I got a great upgrade thread" you see on this board, there are hundreds -if not thousands- of people who get what they bargained for or got something was was no great upgrade, that you never read about.

 

I know from reading these boards, it may look like booking a guy is a sure great upgrade, but, as others have pointed out, I wouldn't bank on it.

[LarryL]

We have booked an GTY on the Caribbean Princess (I mistakenly referred to it as the CP on another thread) in a cat M cabin. After looking up where they are located we decided we would be OK with it if no upgrade came. Anything else is a bonus. We will just get more excercise climbing the stairs from the bowels of the ship (lol):p. The ship itself is the destination anyway. Not to mention the great ports and sea days. Another plus may be that you will be low and midships which may minimize movement if you are prone to seasickness.

 

If you are booking via the princess website or a TA be sure you understand where you may likely have your cabin in the event you don't get an upgrade. If you can live with that you won't be disappointed.

 

Have a great cruise.;)

 

Larry

[snoodqueen]

Guarantees are a gamble. If you would be happy with any cabin in the category you choose, you are getting exactly what you paid for - win/win. As others here have said, sometimes the Upgrade Fairy will visit, sometimes not. I booked a G guarantee and was upgraded to an Aft C and now a second upgrade to a BC balcony. Many, many thanks to Princess but it doesn't always turn out so well.

[caribill]

To book a guarantee, simply tell your Travel Agent (or Princess) that you wish to book a GTY and in which category.

 

GTY booking are usually available in every category (unless sold out) from the least expensive inside cabin to the full suites.

 

Pricing for a GTY is the same as for any other available cabin in that category.

 

The only time there is a cost savings when you book is if there are no cabins other than GTY available in the category you want to book. In that case, the GTY is less expensive than the next highest category that has have cabins to select.

 

If you are assigned a cabin in a higher category than the GTY was made and you do not like the location, you have two choices:

1. Reject the upgrade and be placed back into the GTY group. Your next assignment may or may not be better.

2. Ask for a different cabin the in category you were upgraded to if ione is abailable.

 

A GTY can turn into an assigned cabin anytime from an hour or so after you make the booking until the time you show up at the check-in desk on embarkation day although usually it will be made no later than a week before the cruise.

 

If the GTY is assigned very close to the sailing date, there may be no ability to reject the assignment as other cabins may not be available to you at that time.