No Cabin assignment 3-weeks away & blank luggage tags received

[Baybear]

Our Oceania cruise is 3 weeks out and we have our luggage tags, but they have a blank for cabin number. That's because we have a guaranteed cabin and they haven't yet assigned it.

 

Does anyone with Oceania experience know whether it is possible we may get to boarding day and still not know which cabin we're in? If so, what do we put on our luggage tags??? Since you turn your luggage in before you enter the terminal and see the agent to board.

 

Or do you ALWAYS know your cabin number before you travel a day ahead of time to the Port?

[Mura]

This hasn't happened to us but I know it has happened to others. Sometimes people arrive at the ship to discover which cabin they are in.

 

I have NEVER heard of a case where someone with a guaranty arrived and there was no cabin.

 

Not that this probably is very reassuring to you ... but I don't think you have a problem.

 

Yes, I would like to know what number to put on my luggage tags!

 

Mura

[LHT28]

I have heard people mention that the porters have a list with cabin numbers if you still do not get your cabin before you arrive at the port

 

I never book a GTY because I like to know where my cabin is ahead of time :D

[CintiPam]

You should receive your cabin assignment before you arrive at the port. We had a guarantee cabin for our very first Oceania cruise (and first cruise ever) on Nautica in 2008. We got our assigned cabin about ten days before the cruise.

 

On our upcoming Riviera cruise sailing in three days there has been a great deal of cabin change in the past week, with some guarantee cruisers receiving their cabin assignments about six days before sail away.

Edited January 11, 2015 by CintiPam

[YoHoHo]

Last GTY we had a cabin assigned an hour or two before leaving for the airport. This was initiated with a last minute email to my TA.

Wasn't concerned but wanted to be sure everyone knew we if we did not know soon we would not know until arriving at the terminal.

I've read (here) that some have not learned of the cabin assigned until they arrived at the terminal. Don't be concerned, you will board. Just add it to pre-cruise anticipation.

 

Unlike larger ships, especially on the R ships there are no bad cabins. Some are preferred but not like you will be under a noisy late night disco.

[StanandJim]

Our Oceania cruise is 3 weeks out and we have our luggage tags, but they have a blank for cabin number. That's because we have a guaranteed cabin and they haven't yet assigned it.

 

Does anyone with Oceania experience know whether it is possible we may get to boarding day and still not know which cabin we're in? If so, what do we put on our luggage tags??? Since you turn your luggage in before you enter the terminal and see the agent to board.

 

Or do you ALWAYS know your cabin number before you travel a day ahead of time to the Port?

 

This same scenario has happened to us (Also on an R Ship). The Porters will have a complete cabin list if it should happen that your Cabin has not been assigned by that time.

Edited January 11, 2015 by StanandJim

[jakes47]

We have always selected our cabin at the time of booking. I would give a couple cabin numbers in order of preference and with in 24 hours we would have confirmation.

 

Bev

[StanandJim]

We have always selected our cabin at the time of booking. I would give a couple cabin numbers in order of preference and with in 24 hours we would have confirmation.

 

Bev

 

Yes, but that type of booking is an entirely different thing.

 

In this case, the OP has in effect requested that the Cruise Line hold his Cabin Assignment in abeyance, so that:

 

A) he could buy onto the Cruise at the Rate for a Cabin Category which is so full that specific cabins are no longer being offered.

B) by the time Cabins are assigned, he hopes that only better accommodations will remain unsold, and he will be put into one of those without extra charge. In any case, he is promised a place on the ship at least as nice as the category he buys in at.

 

This type of flexibility, in America we call it buying a "Guarantee", not only fills empty cabins for the Cruise Line, but gives passengers a no (or low) cost method of sampling nicer digs than they might otherwise feel comfortable paying for.

 

In most cases, it is a win/win proposition.

Edited January 11, 2015 by StanandJim

[roothy123]

We almost always book a guaranty (our TA can usually do it, instead of having to wait until the GTY shows up on O's website, if it ever does). We've now booked maybe 8 GTYs for inside staterooms. In all cases, we got our room assignment before reaching the embarkation point, although a couple times it was only 2 days before. I'm always happy to wait until the last minute, as more than likely that means we'll get an upgrade (sometimes an offer; occasionally a free one).

Edited January 11, 2015 by roothy123

[PaulMCO]

On Riviera for the 23 Dec sailing -- we were still getting upgrade offers B3 to B1 for $50 on the 21st.. So there is alot of musical cabins going on.

[RetiredFL]

Hey Baybear,

We are on your cruise and haven't even received our document/booklet yet. We did buy a cheap upgrade so maybe they are redoing things but although we have a cabin we have no paperwork.

Maybe Monday will be the lucky day.

[roothy123]

Hey Baybear,

We are on your cruise and haven't even received our document/booklet yet. We did buy a cheap upgrade so maybe they are redoing things but although we have a cabin we have no paperwork.

Maybe Monday will be the lucky day.

 

I'm not sure Oceania sends any updated paperwork, but perhaps someone else would know. We just got the stateroom number, put it on our luggage tags, left for our cruise, and saw the upsell charge reflected on our credit card later. Perhaps the TA sent us updated paperwork, but if so, I've forgotten about it! We didn't need it for embarkation.

 

If you booked through a TA and are willing to take an upsell if offered, make sure your TA knows how to contact you quickly - and give him/her an idea of how much you're willing to pay for a particular stateroom, depending upon the category, location, etc.

Edited January 11, 2015 by roothy123

[roothy123]

Sorry, I just realized what I wrote above might be confusing. I was referring to the receipt of updated paperwork due to a cabin being changed, not receipt of the blue booklet. Yes, of course everyone receives a blue booklet. If the cabin number is set at that time, the luggage tags will be preprinted. If not, they won't, and you may or may not get any further documentation to reflect your new or final stateroom number. I don't think we ever got anything at that point other than notification that we would be in stateroom X rather than GTY, at an additional charge of -$0- or Y.

[planitohio]

We just sailed. Got our room on Tuesday evening for the sailing that Sunday. Wrote the room numbers on the tags.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Baybear]

Yes, but that type of booking is an entirely different thing.

 

In this case, the OP has in effect requested that the Cruise Line hold his Cabin Assignment in abeyance, so that:

 

A) he could buy onto the Cruise at the Rate for a Cabin Category which is so full that specific cabins are no longer being offered.

B) by the time Cabins are assigned, he hopes that only better accommodations will remain unsold, and he will be put into one of those without extra charge. In any case, he is promised a place on the ship at least as nice as the category he buys in at.

 

This type of flexibility, in America we call it buying a "Guarantee", not only fills empty cabins for the Cruise Line, but gives passengers a no (or low) cost method of sampling nicer digs than they might otherwise feel comfortable paying for.

 

In most cases, it is a win/win proposition.

 

Wow! It's like you can read my mind! And can also look in my wallet! (insert funny emoticon here)

[Baybear]

OP here: Thanks for all your replies. The best news seems to be that IF I don't get an assignment before I show up at the dock, the porters may have a list with my name and cabin number on it. So that's reassuring.

 

I didn't want our inside-cabin luggage to show up in some Penthouse Suite and someone else wore all our clothes for the whole cruise... I could always tackle them at Polo's if I saw my cabana wear on them.

[CruseKrazy]

We are a believer in the "guarantee" type booking. The catch is you have to be willing to accept the cabin O assigns you and actually movein. In cases where the ship is not full you can ask the Concierge once you are onboard if a higher level cabin is available. You may be offered an upgrade at very reasonable price. I hope I don 't get banned for saying this.

 

D.

[Baybear]

We are a believer in the "guarantee" type booking. The catch is you have to be willing to accept the cabin O assigns you and actually movein. In cases where the ship is not full you can ask the Concierge once you are onboard if a higher level cabin is available. You may be offered an upgrade at very reasonable price. I hope I don 't get banned for saying this.

 

D.

 

Ooooh... That's an interesting tidbit. We'll have to try that. Mum's the word...

[G&G]

We are a believer in the "guarantee" type booking. The catch is you have to be willing to accept the cabin O assigns you and actually movein. In cases where the ship is not full you can ask the Concierge once you are onboard if a higher level cabin is available. You may be offered an upgrade at very reasonable price. I hope I don 't get banned for saying this.

 

D.

 

You will not get banned. We do the same thing. Sailed five times on Oceania and each time booked an inside and got an upsell to an outside balcony at a great price. Recently we sailed on the Regatta and received the upsell three days prior to the sail date. But yesterday we got a great deal on Riviera to book our first Verandah cabin for the price of an inside cabin. Can you say we have been very lucky.

[StanandJim]

You will not get banned. We do the same thing. Sailed five times on Oceania and each time booked an inside and got an upsell to an outside balcony at a great price. Recently we sailed on the Regatta and received the upsell three days prior to the sail date. But yesterday we got a great deal on Riviera to book our first Verandah cabin for the price of an inside cabin. Can you say we have been very lucky.

 

Your experience is your experience, but being offered an upsell or a downsell after having booked a specific cabin on the ship is NOT the same as buying a Guarantee in the first place.

I wish that people would not muddle the waters by discussing them interchangeably.

[G&G]

Your experience is your experience, but being offered an upsell or a downsell after having booked a specific cabin on the ship is NOT the same as buying a Guarantee in the first place.

I wish that people would not muddle the waters by discussing them interchangeably.

 

I failed to mention that all our bookings have been guarantees on Oceania including our recent booking on the Riviera in a Verandah. The up sells have been offered less than a week prior to sailing after we have been assigned a cabin 10-14 days prior to departure.

[mickieandlee]

"Your experience is your experience, but being offered an upsell or a downsell after having booked a specific cabin on the ship is NOT the same as buying a Guarantee in the first place.

I wish that people would not muddle the waters by discussing them interchangeably." STANANDJIM

 

We booked on Marina in an F category GTY for a Baltic cruise in 2012 and were not assigned a cabin until we showed up at the port. We were told by the luggage handlers that we were in an A4 Conceirge Veranda! The best gamble we ever made and we now book GTY every time!

 

Mickie:)

[Minoushka]

Did not get ours till 2days prior to leaving for Tahiti ...we were supposed to get them on board only ...so don.t expect to know before you go ...not necessarily so ..many people did not get theirs till in port

 

Michele

[CruseKrazy]

 

[/font][/size] We booked on Marina in an F category GTY for a Baltic cruise in 2012 and were not assigned a cabin until we showed up at the port. We were told by the luggage handlers that we were in an A4 Conceirge Veranda! The best gamble we ever made and we now book GTY every time!

 

Mickie:)

[/color]

 

Agree. The same happened to us. Our TA was surprised that this would ever happen on O. We will always book an Inside GTY and keep our fingers crossed from now on. Mum's the word.

[Baybear]

OP here: Six days to go and still no assignment. Statistical probability of a better cabin rising with each passing day??? (We're on the cheapest inside "gty")