Guaranteed Cabins. What did you get? Would you do it again?

[Mid43]

I book inside cabins most all the time, sometimes it turns out to be guarantee and I would say for us. My primary reasoning for this is to keep the costs as inexpensive as possible. In the 10+ times we have done it, it has always been fine. I realize we aren't going to get prime location, but it has always worked out. I always expected we would wind up under the kitchen, or next to staff/crew doors/stairwells, and I don't think that had ever happened.

Once we were right above the theater, heard some music during the shows, but it was very muffled, as if someone 5 doors down had their radio on not a bother to us. During this time I mentioned it to my Travel Agent and she mentioned we could try to move it, but I felt, if it was really that bad, they wouldn't have rooms there.

 

Anyhow, if it helps to keep costs down, I will do guarantee ever time.

Hope this helps.

[Needz2Cruise]

...

So...have you done a GUAR cabin?

 

Yes, this summer on Enchantment.

 

What did you book and what did you get?

 

Booked kind of late, so GUAR was the only balcony type available. Was given 7546 (1B)

 

Were you happy with the cabin that was assigned?

 

Yes, very! It was near the elevator, so I thought there might be extra hall noise, but never noticed it.

 

Would you do it again?

 

Sure. Next cruise is with 2 staterooms, so we're not doing it as to stay close with the other room, but if just us, I wouldn't hesitate.

 

How long did it take to get assigned?

 

Only a day or two after booking

 

....

[marci22]

I have done it a few times and it worked out fine. A couple times I was assigned the cabin I had before I switched to guarantee. It pays to do your due diligence and see what you could possibly get based on your guarantee category. I find that a W guarantee usually has the least drawbacks. Balcony guarantee can be iffy if there is not a lot left to switch to if you do not like your location.

 

Inside and Oceanview I rarely do as you could be in a variety of locations that I don't prefer and the savings are often not compelling.

[ORDPLATAA]

On the 11/25 sailing on the FOTS. We are with a group and had booked a PR cabin. On Friday there was a huge price drop and we (through the group TA) managed to upfare to a Cat X Balcony GTY for a whopping $22 more per person. Cabin assignment was within a few hours (like 3) of approving the charge. Assigned a Cat D3 on Deck 7 - almost a $300p.p. upgrade. Very Very Happy!

[Noreen411]

Thought I'd start a thread that may or may not pick up steam. If not, oh well.

 

So...have you done a GUAR cabin?

 

Yes

 

What did you book and what did you get?

 

Booked a Grand Suite Guarantee for Anthem of the Seas

Booked late March 2017 for a late January 2018 sailing

 

Were you happy with the cabin that was assigned?

 

We received a Superior Grand Suite. It's the next category up from a regular grand suite

 

Would you do it again?

 

Yes, for suite guarantees since the locations are generally good for the suites

 

How long did it take to get assigned?

 

We booked in late March 2017, our cabin was assigned early June 2017, and we sail late January 2018

 

Any other thoughts or suggestions on guaranteed cabins?

 

It's a great option when you can get a good price and end up in a cabin you are happy with.

[baileymouse]

So...have you done a GUAR cabin?

 

What did you book and what did you get? Balcony guarantee, received smaller balcony 6138 on Anthem.

 

Were you happy with the cabin that was assigned? Mostly. Nice cabin, but noisy at times, under the theater.

 

Would you do it again? Yeah

 

How long did it take to get assigned? Assigned 2 months before sailing

 

Any other thoughts or suggestions on guaranteed cabins? It was a big price difference.

 

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[FloridaPalms]

Have you done a GUAR cabin?

 

Yes, once. My May 28th cruise on Allure this year.

 

What did you book and what did you get?

 

Cruising in one cabin with my 16 and 17 year-old grandsons :eek:, I booked a very rare triple occupancy INSIDE cabin guarantee 4 months before the cruise. Finally, 4 DAYS before sailing, I was assigned an OCEAN VIEW cabin.

 

Were you happy with the cabin that was assigned?

 

Yes. (y) I was assigned oceanview cabin 3208, located almost midway between fore and aft elevators. It was nice in that it had a Pullman bed over the sofa bed so that we didn't have to open the sofa. Perfect for my smaller grandson and I had the steward separate the regular bed in two for me and my other grandson (who I've raised since birth). The porthole was a nice size and gave a great close-up view of the ocean. The cabin was small but we were only in it to sleep, shower and dress so it was fine. Single occupancy (just me!) would have been nicer still...

 

Would you do it again?

 

I'm not sure :confused: but probably yes if it was a very substantial savings. I only did it because at the time it was $1200 cheaper than selecting a specific inside cabin for the three of us but I found it very stressful waiting for my assignment. Perhaps this is something people get used to if they do lots of guarantees.

 

How long did it take to get assigned?

 

FOREVER! (n) (I booked 4 months before the cruise but wasn't assigned a cabin until 4 days before we sailed. When I booked, I could live with any of the inside triples that were available then. But they soon disappeared and I found myself checking 2-3 times a day as the cruise sold out. In light of the recent stories of Royal overbooking some cruises, this was very stressful as I worried we would be bumped.

 

Any other thoughts or suggestions on guaranteed cabins?

 

(yn) Don't book a guarantee expecting an upgrade; odds are IF you get upgraded, it will only be one level. And don't book it thinking there are a bunch of cabins you can switch to if you don't like your assignment; they can all get booked by the time you get your assignment. And, finally, don't book it if you can't stand the suspense of waiting for your assignment; that might not happen until pier check-in. Do book it if there is a substantial cost savings and you don't care about location. And do CHECK FOR PRICE DROPS. While my triple occupancy guarantee was only offered once, and just for a couple of hours, Royal gave me two price drops after I called them when they lowered the double occupancy guarantee rate. Sweet! :D

 

~ Judy

[pbinn]

This was the first time we did the balcony gty. Only did it because at the time we booked it was more than $300 cheaper than picking it out ourselves and still cheaper than booking an obstructed view. Decided to take the chance, not wanting obstructed if possible, and we got a balcony on deck 10 assigned in about 3 days. I was surprised that it was already assigned, i didnt expect to find out until we boarded. Only things i wasn't crazy about was it was pretty far aft and had an adjoining room. I called tonight and they let me change to another D7 room more midship so i am very happy that we booked it. I figured the $300 + we saved when booking would pay for our drinks and gratuities!! :ship::tropical-drink:

[JTS1992]

Just a quick questions, I upgraded today on category w suite guarantee. We were assigned a handicap accessible cabin! I was looking forward to the tub and they don’t have one in this cabin. Can u tell me if their are advantages in this room versus a standard junior suite

 

 

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[Clarea]

Just a quick questions, I upgraded today on category w suite guarantee. We were assigned a handicap accessible cabin! I was looking forward to the tub and they don’t have one in this cabin. Can u tell me if their are advantages in this room versus a standard junior suite

With a "W" suite guarantee, you will most likely get a regular JS.

[JTS1992]

With a "W" suite guarantee, you will most likely get a regular JS.

 

 

 

It is a junior suite just handicap accessible! Didn’t know if they have bigger balconies etc! We don’t need this room and I would hate to take it and others with mobility issues really need it

 

 

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[OntarioTraveller]

I just checked our inside guarantee reservation for April’s Jewel cruise. “Inside guarantee “ has been changed to “accessible oceanview guarantee”. No cabin assigned yet. Anyone have this happen?

Btw, love this thread, keep the stories coming!

[Clarea]

I just checked our inside guarantee reservation for April’s Jewel cruise. “Inside guarantee “ has been changed to “accessible oceanview guarantee”. No cabin assigned yet. Anyone have this happen?

Btw, love this thread, keep the stories coming!

Yes, this has been reported recently. Keep watching, it will probably change again.

[OntarioTraveller]

Yes, this has been reported recently. Keep watching, it will probably change again.

Yup, just changed back.....

[Stockjock]

I wanted to follow up on my question earlier in this thread, where I asked if I could be thrown back into the guarantee pool after being assigned a cabin.

 

I booked a Cat. W GUAR, which guaranteed me a minimum of a Spa Jr. Suite. I was assigned a very nice Family Jr. Suite after roughly a month.

 

I noticed that the only remaining suites or Jr. suites were GS and above. I also noticed that they were still selling a Spa Jr. Suite GUAR. So I figured that even though I had a perfectly fine FJS, if they'd let me go back into the guarantee pool, I had a crack at a GS or better.

 

The travel agent said that she didn't think there would be any problem doing this and gave it a shot. Unfortunately, even though my Cat W. guarantees me at least a Spa Jr. Suite, the new GUAR was for Cat SJ, which also guarantees at least a minimum Spa Jr. Suite. Even though they both have the same minimum guarantee, they are, for whatever reason, different categories.

 

She said that if the category was the same, they would have thrown me into the guarantee pool, but different categories was no good without paying about a $1,400 premium.

 

I'm perfectly happy with the Family Jr Suite I was assigned and it is an upgrade over the Spa Jr. Suite. Took a shot at something potentially even better and it didn't play out. Oh well, it will be great either way, I'm sure.

[Clarea]

... Unfortunately, even though my Cat W. guarantees me at least a Spa Jr. Suite, the new GUAR was for Cat SJ, which also guarantees at least a minimum Spa Jr. Suite. Even though they both have the same minimum guarantee, they are, for whatever reason, different categories. ...

The Cat W is for a minimum of a Spa Jr Suite and anything above. The Cat SJ guarantee is for any stateroom in that category only.

[Stockjock]

The Cat W is for a minimum of a Spa Jr Suite and anything above. The Cat SJ guarantee is for any stateroom in that category only.

 

 

 

It seems strange that they would’ve offered category W when there were still spa junior suites available, but not offered category SJ until all of the spa junior suites were gone.

 

 

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[Clarea]

It seems strange that they would’ve offered category W when there were still spa junior suites available, but not offered category SJ until all of the spa junior suites were gone.

Sometimes what we perceive as a category being sold out or almost sold out is not really the case.

[Citymom92]

Very informative thread, thanks for starting it!

 

I booked the Jan 11 2018 Grandeur cruise out of Baltimore last week and paid in full. Since I don't really mind where we go so long as it's a balcony, and I didn't know enough about the ship to have a location preference I took the discount and the GTY. At the time, the deck plans didn't show many balcony cabins available, even if I had decided to choose my own. Now I can't even access the deck plans to see how it's filling up, even when I go in to start a reservation.

 

I don't recall selecting a category, which I have seen referenced in this thread and others. I haven't gotten an assignment yet, and of course, I'm impatiently waiting, but I know it might take a while. My question is, Does the Grandeur only have a few balconies, so they're all basically the same category? What might I expect with a balcony GTY on the Grandeur, even after booking so late? Is Deck 7 the only level with balconies on the Grandeur?

 

Thanks for any info!

[Biker19]

I don't recall selecting a category, which I have seen referenced in this thread and others. I haven't gotten an assignment yet, and of course, I'm impatiently waiting, but I know it might take a while. My question is, Does the Grandeur only have a few balconies, so they're all basically the same category? What might I expect with a balcony GTY on the Grandeur, even after booking so late? Is Deck 7 the only level with balconies on the Grandeur?

Search for available inventory on RCI's UK site. Though it is a very good indicator of inventory, other cabins may be available but not shown. As of now I see 16 D1s available. The ship also has a D2 category for balconies but none showing available now. My guess, you'll get a D1.

[island lady]

We like sailing in JS cabins, but this late booking I did on Oasis 11/26 cruise listed "JS guarantee" as the only choice, so that is what I booked. I figured...oh well, there really are no bad JS cabins on the Oasis that I know of, so will be happy no matter where they put me. Was a good price also.

 

On "my cruises" page is it showing "Deluxe Guarantee". :confused:

 

This is the first time I have booked a JS guarantee...so I am not sure what JS category I actually am in? :o And still waiting on docs and assignment.

[Clarea]

We like sailing in JS cabins, but this late booking I did on Oasis 11/26 cruise listed "JS guarantee" as the only choice, so that is what I booked. I figured...oh well, there really are no bad JS cabins on the Oasis that I know of, so will be happy no matter where they put me. Was a good price also.

 

On "my cruises" page is it showing "Deluxe Guarantee". :confused:

 

This is the first time I have booked a JS guarantee...so I am not sure

what JS category I actually am in? :o

Have whoever booked your cruise send you Royal's Guest Copy of your booking confirmation. I'll bet the category says "W".

[island lady]

Have whoever booked your cruise send you Royal's Guest Copy of your booking confirmation. I'll bet the category says "W".

 

I booked it myself online direct with RCI. Guess I should call the D+ desk. Would love to see that confirmation anyway. All I have is an emailed receipt of full payment, set sail pass filled out, and it shows up in my cruises as paid in full, but still no emailed docs.

 

As usual...thanks Bob! :)

[Clarea]

I booked it myself online direct with RCI. Guess I should call the D+ desk. Would love to see that confirmation anyway. All I have is an emailed receipt of full payment, set sail pass filled out, and it shows up in my cruises as paid in full, but still no emailed docs.

 

As usual...thanks Bob! :)

Thank Ellen for the automated number: 866-562-7625, press #4.

[island lady]

Thank Ellen for the automated number: 866-562-7625, press #4.

 

Oh...OK...thanks to both of you! I had always been calling the 800-526-9723 number and pressing #9. That works too. Will try both ways then. :)

 

Add in: Tried using that automated set up...did not work well for me, but call was answered

right away with using D+ desk. She is sending my confirmation, just waiting on that.

Thanks again! :)

Edited October 13, 2017 by island lady