Booked a guarantee

[RMLincoln]

....still waiting..... I will know for sure in a week, 'cause that's when we sail....

 

Best assignment we got was at the pier... booked 3 weeks out (pretty much last minute to get flights too) for a low or lowest grade Inside guarantee and at the pier we got assigned a mid-ship OV. nice surprise.

Wishing you well. m--

[cruz chic]

....still waiting..... I will know for sure in a week, 'cause that's when we sail....

 

Not sure if you know this but it will appear on your luggage tags as soon as its assigned. It takes about a day to populate the reservations side. Good luck!

[cruisencrazy]

We got our assignment, finally. We got what we paid for, and that's ok. Last time we were on the Oosterdam we had a Neptune suite and this time we are in an oceanview. We got assigned what we booked and that's ok. This is a very last minute, squished in (availability and schedules) trip. Can not wait to be underway.

[cruz chic]

We got our assignment, finally. We got what we paid for, and that's ok. Last time we were on the Oosterdam we had a Neptune suite and this time we are in an oceanview. We got assigned what we booked and that's ok. This is a very last minute, squished in (availability and schedules) trip. Can not wait to be underway.

 

Sorry to hear the upgrade fairy flew past you. Have a wonderful cruise just the same.

[iancal]

That is exactly our attitude.

 

We make a choice on a gty category. We assume the least attractive cabin will be assigned to us and we are OK with that cabin/price trade-off.

 

We are just happy to be on board and consider ourselves very fortunate.

 

And then, if we get a great cabin it is like winning the lottery (well not quite, but almost).

 

The money we save goes towards shore tours, an extended pre or post cruise trip, or another cruise. It is quite surprising how the savings from booking a gty, booking inside the final payment window , and negotiating TA provided OBC's can add up to a significant amount.

[Cruiser 4 Life 66]

I think whenever I've booked a guarantee inside room I have been upgraded for free to an outside room. Not always in the best location, but at least I got a window.

[The Tsar]

Our upcoming Mar 2017 Caribbean cruise will be our first "Guarantee" booking ever, made three months ago.

 

This was the only way HAL would even accept a booking of a Signature Suite on our cruise. Could NOT select a cabin of our choice, even though more than a year out. The cruise just 11 days prior, all Signature and Neptune Suites Sold Out already.

 

Has anyone else run into this situation? What were the results?

[KAKcruiser]

There may be a reason they don't want to assign specific cabins at this point. I would check periodically to see if things change and you could get an assigned cabin.

[DaveOKC]

There may be a reason they don't want to assign specific cabins at this point. I would check periodically to see if things change and you could get an assigned cabin.

 

Good advice! I had this happen once and got a great cabin, but I was constantly monitoring the cruise. Called my PCC/TA as soon as it opened it.

[Randyk47]

Not a myth - historical fact. That used to be the case on HAL. V/VA were on decks 7 & 8, VE & VF were on decks 4 & 5. VB & VC were on 5 and 6. Then a couple of years ago a fleet-wide re-categorization turned everything upside down , based, as you said, on demand.

 

But, except for stern cabins, suites are still on higher decks.

.

 

I agree, not a myth. I also agree that HAL, and for that matter maybe other lines, have changed this paradigm recently based on demand. Probably didn't take much analysis to realize they were relatively easily selling basically the same cabin on a lower deck for less money than on a higher deck. Go with the flow and jack up the price on the more in demand lower but similar cabins.

[jtl513]

... they were relatively easily selling basically the same cabin on a lower deck for less money than on a higher deck. Go with the flow and jack up the price on the more in demand lower but similar cabins.

And conversely I believe the high category cabins far forward and far aft on decks 7&8 did not sell well because of concerns about motion or noise from the pool deck above. I think many of them were assigned to people who paid for a VE or VF Gty, so it makes sense to sell them as such.

.

Edited December 30, 2015 by jtl513

[gatorbill62]

Our upcoming Mar 2017 Caribbean cruise will be our first "Guarantee" booking ever, made three months ago.

 

This was the only way HAL would even accept a booking of a Signature Suite on our cruise. Could NOT select a cabin of our choice, even though more than a year out. The cruise just 11 days prior, all Signature and Neptune Suites Sold Out already.

 

Has anyone else run into this situation? What were the results?

 

Just tried to book a March 2016 , no SS or SZ available on line, called a PCC and was told I could book a guarantee in that category, I told him I prefer to choose my cabin and could he tell me what is available; he said they only book guarantee any more.

 

Maybe it is because I am too close [10 weeks] to the sail date.

Or is this the way they are handeling all reservations now.

[iancal]

For us the biggest risk was always location. By location I mean not having a cabin over or under a noisy public area where we could feel vibration or hear the scraping of chairs. Our preference is always to have cabins above and below us. Don't care about being close to an elevator either as this has never bothered us. And we have seldom had an attached cabin.

 

So far so good. We have always ended up with an acceptable one. Twice in a row on Celebrity we ended up on deck 6 mid ship with those extended push out balconies. Wonderful.

 

If you are fussy, or are prone to sea sickness that at gty may not be good. I suspect that an inside gty may have a higher degree of risk on certain ships however this is pure speculation on my part.

 

I did meet someone on one cruise who was very upset with their ocean view gty. Seems they booked an gty obstructed ocean view cabin and were upset because that is exactly what Princess assigned to them. Go figure. It was a short conversation because I was not terribly interested in hearing about it.

[sayaguru]

I did meet someone on one cruise who was very upset with their ocean view gty. Seems they booked an gty obstructed ocean view cabin and were upset because that is exactly what Princess assigned to them. Go figure. It was a short conversation because I was not terribly interested in hearing about it.

 

Haha!

We've booked guarantee before on a few lines.

The last one we booked the agent said "Oh you should get an upgrade as you have been on many Princess cruises". Then i was sort of expecting it (when I have never before) and we didn't get one. THAT was then disappointing.

 

Oh well! I do have guarantee on my next HAL one. Time will tell. It really doesn't bother me where i am on the ship (well except for over the motors). that happened once. GGRRR!! That's what i get for buying the cheapest cabin. It was ridiculously cheap.

[cruz chic]

For us the biggest risk was always location. By location I mean not having a cabin over or under a noisy public area where we could feel vibration or hear the scraping of chairs. Our preference is always to have cabins above and below us. Don't care about being close to an elevator either as this has never bothered us. And we have seldom had an attached cabin.

 

So far so good. We have always ended up with an acceptable one. Twice in a row on Celebrity we ended up on deck 6 mid ship with those extended push out balconies. Wonderful.

 

If you are fussy, or are prone to sea sickness that at gty may not be good. I suspect that an inside gty may have a higher degree of risk on certain ships however this is pure speculation on my part.

 

I did meet someone on one cruise who was very upset with their ocean view gty. Seems they booked an gty obstructed ocean view cabin and were upset because that is exactly what Princess assigned to them. Go figure. It was a short conversation because I was not terribly interested in hearing about it.

Several people on here have beenupset about their assignment. They feel they should be able to give a laundry lists of wants and likes. They don't really understand the process and usually get upset when someone tries to explain it.

[DaveOKC]

Several people on here have beenupset about their assignment. They feel they should be able to give a laundry lists of wants and likes. They don't really understand the process and usually get upset when someone tries to explain it.

 

Very True. There is no way HAL could keep up with various lists of wants and dislikes in assigning cabins - remember that this is often done at the last minute, so time is an issue.

 

As others have mentioned, you need to be very careful with purchasing Guarantees and be certain you are OK with the worst cabin in your category (or above).

[iancal]

I do not think that the concept of a gty cabin is very difficult.

 

I think the issue is that there are so many people out there who think they are special or are entitled.

 

You see it on this forum. Every once in a while you see someone make reference to a customer service issue/challenge and then make the bold statement that if they had been in that position a staff member would have been fired. It is that sense of self importance that probably leads to many unnecessary issues.

[cruz chic]

I

 

You see it on this forum. Every once in a while you see someone make reference to a customer service issue/challenge and then make the bold statement that if they had been in that position a staff member would have been fired. It is that sense of self importance that probably leads to many unnecessary issues.

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one that thought that comment was a bit much. I had to sit on my hands to not reply :D. I knew if I did it wouldn't be pretty for me if I did.

Edited December 31, 2015 by cruz chic

[iancal]

Agreed.

 

I actually feel sorry for people like that. They do not realize how 'small' it makes them look.

 

Work with the public for a while and you soon get to see everything from the very best to the very worst.

 

One occupation that is very similar is lawyers. They too get to see the very best and the very worst of people. From the most selfish, entitled, and greedy people filled with their own self importance to the most generous, giving types. I guess this is what makes the world go round as they say.