Cabin assignment for guarantee

[Pet Nit Noy]

I am concerned about the hassle of dealing with our luggage since we will not have tags. If they do the "day of assignment" I expect I will have to carry my large bags everywhere instead of just dropping them with a porter.

 

Since you're concerned with having to carry you large bags everywhere, let's get that question cleared up. Here's the question you might have asked when posting originally:

 

To all cruisers who have sailed with Oceania on a guarantee, will I [AKA the OP] be able to drop my luggage off with the porters or will I have to bring my large suitcases into the waiting lounge and onto the ship itself?

 

Now, let's see what answers you get back.

 

ETA: Good to read that you've had the answer to the question since 8:00 PM last night. (Answered in Post #12 and you've acknowledged receiving the information in Post #17.)

Edited January 7, 2017 by Pet Nit Noy

[pinotlover]

I guess I don't see the purpose of all the angst being displayed. When one books a guarantee, they are telling Oceania that any cabin, within that class of cabins is fine with them. End of story. It's like booking a room at a hotel, you get what you get in that class of room. You don't know which room until you show up at the door. If one cared about which cabin they got, they would book the cabin and not worry about it.

 

I'm not sure that guarantees are any more likely to get a upsell offer than a cruiser that booked a regular cabin. Oceania has certainly never released any statistical data that would imply one over the other. I never book guarantees, but am often offered upsells, especially when not in a PH. Some people like shooting craps and I believe they may be booking guarantees with some hope of getting an upgrade or an upsell on the cheap. Shoot the craps all you want, but in the end you'd better be happy with whatever cabin in the class guaranteed you get, because that's all you asked for.

 

If you book a guarantee, you are guaranteed a cabin, what part of that is difficult to understand? It's the definition of guarantee. If O chooses to not inform you of your cabin until you arrive, you still have a cabin, and the porters typically know by then anyway.

 

FWIW, I'm currently booked on three (3) Oceania cruises over the next 15 months. Oceania only allowed the sale of guarantees on 2 of those 3 cruises thus far. I'm not sure that the days of being able to book a guarantee isn't drawing to a close, except for a very limited number of cruises where they historically struggle to sell cabins.

[Paulchili]

We had an inside guarantee last month on Riviera. We were assigned our room 6 days before sailing, which was a free upgrade to Oceanview. 2 days before sailing we were offered an upsell to a B1 for a very reasonable amount, which we jumped on.

 

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Agree.

This was exactly the point of my post above (#13).

With a GTY you may get a free upgrade, with an assigned cabin you may get an upsell.

This is one of the reasons most people book a GTY - they get a cabin no lower than what they booked and sometimes a higher category for free (all at a lower price) - a "gamble" with known risks.

It's not for everyone.

[Jancruz]

Jim and Stan, please read my original post again. I did not DEMAND anything. I was expressing my displeasure with the possibility of a day of sailing assignment. Since you don't know me, you don't know that I have never booked a GTY cabin and based on this I probably will not book one in the future. Silly me for listening to a travel agent. I normally handle all my own arrangements anyways and will likely return to that path.

I "imagined" the process would be different because I did not expect Oceania would be operating like Carnival and including extra hassle for free.

I was not looking for an upgrade. I took a certain level cabin expecting to get that level, just at a very good price the travel agent offered me. Again, silly me for listening to a travel agent.

Now, if you are done with your italicized and bold words in an effort to express your contempt for my asking a question about others GTY cabin assignment timelines, please kindly remove yourself from this discussion and go try to look down your nose at someone else.

 

First of all I find you very rude to people who are so wonderful and helpful on this board, Jim and Stan..2nd..just because you "imagined" the process to be different doesnt mean it is..I "imagined"winning the lottery and boy am I mad I didnt...

You should have come on this board beore you went for a GTY and everyone would have been gracious and explained how it works..

Jancruz1

[joan24]

We booked a Waitlist for the first time on a Feb. cruise on Riviera. It was the only way to book on this cruise, since all the suites were Waitlisted. Within 2 days we got a GTY for our PH1 and we were very happy, since the locations were all good. About 7 weeks pre-cruise we got a cabin assignment and all is well. If I had a choice, I wouldn't have booked that way, since I like "my ducks in a row" but if it's the only way for us to cruise on O, it's fine and worked out well for us. We did not get a better rate as some others have, but never expected it.

Belated Happy New Year to all and happy sailing.

Joan

[YoHoHo]

We booked a Waitlist for the first time on a Feb. cruise on Riviera. It was the only way to book on this cruise, since all the suites were Waitlisted. Within 2 days we got a GTY for our PH1 and we were very happy, since the locations were all good. About 7 weeks pre-cruise we got a cabin assignment and all is well. If I had a choice, I wouldn't have booked that way, since I like "my ducks in a row" but if it's the only way for us to cruise on O, it's fine and worked out well for us. We did not get a better rate as some others have, but never expected it.

Belated Happy New Year to all and happy sailing.

Joan

Glad it worked out well for you.

 

I have never seen a GTY offered at a lower rate myself on O. In fact, I thought they were ONLY available once O stopped taking bookings for specific cabins. Perhaps I am wrong. I know other cruise lines do often sell them for less but on many of those larger ships there are some less desirable cabin locations even within a particular category and so those familiar with that ship try to avoid them and so do not buy a GTY and that is why they sell them for less.

 

We've booked a GTY several times on O, like you not by design but just based on availability of the category we want, and have been happy with the result.

Edited January 9, 2017 by YoHoHo
sooo many typos - time to quit

[Wendy The Wanderer]

We sail in less than a week. We booked a guarantee and have not been assigned a cabin. I understood this might happen when I booked the guarantee. I take this as a good thing. Maybe we will get a nice upsell offer!

 

I'm in the same situation on a Regent cruise. We sail in 8 days. I understood how it worked, and was glad to pay for a minimum cabin knowing it could be anywhere.

 

Yes, I'm anxious, but not worried. I figure the longer they wait, the more likely they'll somehow upgrade us. They offered "outsells" several months ago, so I know the ship is full, but you never know. Adds to the spice of life! And I know it will be handled smoothly at the port.

[Debbers]

We have six months to embarkation and no stateroom assignment yet. We booked the guarantee to get the category of choice (PH3); now that all PHs are waitlisted, I have no idea where we stand. But we are calm and confident that the stateroom we finally get will be lovely. In the meantime, I have an excuse for checking the website daily.

[smj]

We got our cabin assignment 4 days before sailing

[Paulchili]

We got our cabin assignment 4 days before sailing

 

Is it the same as your GTY?

[smj]

Our cabin assignment was technically an upgrade but we booked a regular balcony and hot a regular balcony. We did get a very generous move over offer 2 days before the assignment.

[crilski]

I booked a GTY once. Not on Oceania. It is the worst cabin I have ever had. I was right below the buffet. In addition, there was some sort of elevator with rolling carts. The noise started about 4am and continued passed midnight. Talking, Rolling, Clanging, sudden crashes. It was awful.

 

I knew my cabin before I sailed. As a result, I bought ear plugs. I wanted to make the best of it. It did not work. I begged Guest Services (with bags under my eyes) nicely to move me. The ship was full. But someone missed embarkation so I had to wait to make sure they didn't fly in to the first port. They didn't - I got a new inside cabin . . . . and peace and quiet. I'll never take the chance again. Good luck if you have a GTY. Looks like many got upgraded - hopefully that's always the way it is!

[Mura]

Crilski, it does sound like you had an unusual situation ... and if I were you I might well also say "never again".

 

I can only remember one time when we had a guarantee. That was for an "A" cabin on Insignia for the Norway 2010 cruise. My problem was that I didn't realize until too late the itinerary was being offered, and so when we signed on we had a guaranty. But it worked out just fine. (Other than that I really wanted a PH but none were available even though I asked if there'd been any last minute cancellations when we checked in.)

 

We usually book well in advance and target the category we want. But sometimes you don't have a choice, and so you take a guaranty. Which I THINK would be better than a wait list ...

 

If I'd had that noisy room on an completely sold cruise, I wouldn't have been happy either! But most people who post here (at least) seem happy with the results ...

 

Yes, it can be a crap shoot! As others have said, if there are areas of the ship you absolutely don't want to be on, then don't take a guaranty.

 

Mura

[comalchief]

We booked a guarantee cabin since it was such a great offer. We are now only 15 days from sailing and have no cabin assignment. Our TA contacted Oceania today to inquire and they said it may not be assigned until the day of the cruise. We booked Oceania again because we enjoyed the ship and service so much on our two week Tahiti cruise aboard Marina. I feel that a day of departure assignment is unacceptable ( I can get that kind of service on Carnival). Has anyone else had any recent experience with such late notices to a guarantee cabin and is this the new norm? Thank you.

Picked up my docs yesterday from my TA for the 2/1/2017 Marina cruise. I originally had a guarantee B4 which was supposed to be assigned at the port. My new documents show that I now have a B1 cabin midship on deck 8.

[comalchief]

Picked up my cruise documents yesterday from my TA and found that my B4 GTY and been upgraded to a B1 cabin on mid-deck 8. No complaints from me.

[roothy123]

Our TA has booked at least 6 or 7 cabins for us using a cabin category guarantee of G or F. So far, we've always received our room assignment at least a day or two pre-boarding. That's not to say a last minute assignment can't be made, but it has never happened to us. I'd say the average has been maybe 5 or 6 days pre-cruise for us, but I imagine it DOES vary according to fullness of the ship (overbooked or half full, for example) and cabin category (G, F, B, suite, etc.) Even if we got our room number when we got to the ship, it would be no big deal. Many times we do well with a guarantee. Occasionally we get exactly what we "guaranteed." Never have we gotten anything less than what we paid for. It works for us. However, if you care a lot about location, it may not work for you. Also, on some ships, the rooms in one category of ocean-view cabins are smaller than the inside cabins (F&G). Therefore, if you care more about size than having a view, you may not want to buy an F or G guarantee.

[StarFlyr]

Jim and Stan, please read my original post again. I did not DEMAND anything. I was expressing my displeasure with the possibility of a day of sailing assignment.... please kindly remove yourself from this discussion and go try to look down your nose at someone else.

 

NOT sure why ANYONE would reply to you as you seem very rude and demanding. Feel sorry for your cabin attendant to say the least.

 

As I understand it , a guaranteed booking GUARANTEES you will get the cabin you paid for and you MIGHT get an upgraded cabin at no additional cost. When you check in for the cruise, if you carry this attitude toward the check in crew, you WON'T be getting a free upgrade.

 

I CAN almost guarantee you will not have to carry your bags on to the ship and nor will they let you if you tried.

 

Every cruise I've been on, I think we had to wait about a couple of hours before our rooms were ready for us. Get on, have lunch, relax and wait until an announcement is made that your room is ready.

 

Hope you're not on our cruise and certainly NOT at our dinner table.

[Baandb]

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Thanks for the insightful comments :)

[Jayne E]

This is the exact wording on the Oceania Website when booking a guarantee cabin.

 

Guarantee

A guarantee booking is confirmed for the category selected. Your specific suite or stateroom will be assigned within 45 days of embarkation, and possibly not until embarkation. If you prefer to select your suite or stateroom now, please choose a category marked "Available," or Contact Reservations or your Travel Agent for assistance.

 

It clearly states that Oceania has the right not to assign the stateroom until embarkation. They did not deceive you in any manner or promise you something that they are not delivering. You simply did not read the legal disclaimer.

 

Unfortunately, saying that it is "unacceptable" to be assigned a cabin on the day embarkation is on "you" and not on Oceania.

 

Booked a B4 Gty last September for a February 2017 cruise. It was a previous booking and we gave up our assigned B3 cabin due to a very big price difference. Two weeks later we were assigned a B4 cabin, while Oceania has continued to sell the B4 Gty for months and the cruise still has over 100 empty cabins. As only 22 B4 cabins, those booking after us are obviously being upgraded. We were never "in the game" for a possible upgrade. That is completely contrary to O's statement of cabin assignment within "45 days of sailing." O's reply to my call was that we paid less than the current Gty price.

I'm very satisfied with our cabin location and cost!!! However looks like we were punished for getting such a low price 😀

[roothy123]

Booked a B4 Gty last September for a February 2017 cruise. It was a previous booking and we gave up our assigned B3 cabin due to a very big price difference. Two weeks later we were assigned a B4 cabin, while Oceania has continued to sell the B4 Gty for months and the cruise still has over 100 empty cabins. As only 22 B4 cabins, those booking after us are obviously being upgraded. We were never "in the game" for a possible upgrade. That is completely contrary to O's statement of cabin assignment within "45 days of sailing." O's reply to my call was that we paid less than the current Gty price.

I'm very satisfied with our cabin location and cost!!! However looks like we were punished for getting such a low price 😀

 

I would guess it's not likely, however, it IS possible you'll still get an upsell offer, or be upgraded for free later on. We once had a guarantee, had our cabin assigned maybe a week prior to embarkation, and then a couple days later, got a free, modest upgrade. You just never know what might happen, especially since some people do end up canceling at the last minute!

[FlaMilkman]

Booked a B4 Gty last September for a February 2017 cruise. It was a previous booking and we gave up our assigned B3 cabin due to a very big price difference. Two weeks later we were assigned a B4 cabin, while Oceania has continued to sell the B4 Gty for months and the cruise still has over 100 empty cabins. As only 22 B4 cabins, those booking after us are obviously being upgraded. We were never "in the game" for a possible upgrade. That is completely contrary to O's statement of cabin assignment within "45 days of sailing." O's reply to my call was that we paid less than the current Gty price.

I'm very satisfied with our cabin location and cost!!! However looks like we were punished for getting such a low price 😀

 

I guess it is how you look at it. I wouldn't call getting the cabin category that you paid for (at a discounted price) being "punished." I can't fault Oceania, or any other cruise line, for upgrading those people that have paid more before those that paid less.

 

I have read too many threads where the OP is upset that they didn't receive an upgrade on a guaranteed cabin. If I was running Oceania (or any other cruise line) I would also upgrade those paying a higher rate before I would those on a guarantee.

[JimandStan]

Exactly FlaMilkman!

 

Do you know what happens when ANY company stops putting profit first?

If you don't believe me, Google:

• Royal Viking Cruise Line
  
• Royal Cruise Line
  
• The Home Lines
  
• Sitmar
  

 

[pinotlover]

If it were me running Oceania, I would ensure that those that booked guarantee got exactly what they guaranteed probably 3 out of 4 bookings. Then, maybe 25% of the time, I would offer them an upsell or free upgrade. Change up the odds on shooting craps to more favor house advantage! Let those attempting to game the system fully understand the new odds! ;)

[potterhill]

I'm probably wrong, but I understood that on Oceania guarantees are only available after the rooms are booked. Then waitlist. Then closed.

 

When we first started cruising in 2005, there were no guarantees on O. At least none that I was aware of.

 

I think we've only booked one guarantee and that's because it was that or nothing in the category we wanted. In that instance we got a room assigned within a few days. Less than a week for sure.

 

If this is the way it works you can't really book to game the system unless you only ever book a cruise that's selling guarantees, with little or no concern for the itinerary.

 

The other thing that happened in the old days was that as the cruise filled, the price rose from 50% off to 40% to 30 to 25 to zip. At least that's the progression I remember.

 

Feel free to tell me I'm wrong, LOL.

 

Mo

[FlaMilkman]

I also believe that Oceania should take into consideration the loyalty of their customers when deciding who receives an upgrade. If everything else is "apples to apples" than returning clients should be upgraded first.

 

This will be my first Oceania cruise. I certainly couldn't argue if someone who has cruised numerous times on Oceania receives an upgrade before I do; assuming that we paid relatively the same amount of money for the same category cabin.