Guaranteed rate?

[Locobill49]

Has anyone had good results by booking a balcony room at the guaranteed rate? They are cheaper rates but you let RCL pick the room.

[rjeffler]

I did that on my first 2 cruises and had fine luck. Ended up on decks 8 or higher. I choose now, though, to pick my own room based on reviews, balcony size, location, etc... It is totally a personal preference!

[cruisegirl1]

I get the category they promised (i.e. balcony) , and generally not a higher one ( i.e. suite). I’ve been able to transfer to another cabin in that guarantee assigned category – SOMETIMES, but not always as occasionally there are no cabins available. If cabin type/location/deck is important at all, a guarantee is NOT FOR YOU.

 

We sail often and have been in most of the “desired” cabins (center hump, corner aft, center aft, etc.) so location is generally not important any more. We take a guarantee if available and if it a sizable cost savings, and have generally been satisfied.

 

Good luck

M

[tomahawk246]

Has anyone had good results by booking a balcony room at the guaranteed rate? They are cheaper rates but you let RCL pick the room.

 

I did a last minute balcony guarantee on Freedom. Best cabin ever, they gave me a handicap balcony. The cabin was the size of a large hotel room. The bathroom was very large.

[mjldvlks]

We have played the guarantee game several times and have always been pleased. But I think you have to look at it as a way to get the guaranteed category at a cheaper rate. For example, we saved about 50% by taking a balcony guarantee on our transatlantic cruise. If it saves you money and the savings outweigh location, go for it [and as a committed price snob, I'm there]. If you look at it as an avenue to an upgrade, I believe you are most likely to be disappointed.

[silentbob007]

You tend to end up in cabins they are having trouble selling (otherwise, why offer the lower price?). This may mean that you are on one extreme end of the ship or another, right above a lounge, etc. I've done it many times ... a small amount of upgrades, but mostly I received exactly what I reserved and that was fine with me.