Worth it to pick rooms or save money and have ship assign?

[aimcat]

We can save about 160 by having the ship make room assignments for a sailing we are planning on the Sensation in late Feb. Is that worth it or should we just pick our rooms? We have a balcony room and a oceanview and if we pick we can be about 15 rooms apart on the same floor, but dont know how close they may get us if we just let them choose?

[True Texan]

We have booked a balcony guarantee 2 times. First time was on the Triumph and we got an aft balcony. Second time was on the Breeze and we got a cove and were very pleased. So it worked out well for us.

[Georgie562]

We can save about 160 by having the ship make room assignments for a sailing we are planning on the Sensation in late Feb. Is that worth it or should we just pick our rooms? We have a balcony room and a oceanview and if we pick we can be about 15 rooms apart on the same floor, but dont know how close they may get us if we just let them choose?

 

If you are on a budget, then definitely let them chose for you. You might end up getting a good upgrade :)

[LH25]

We've done the guarantee and let the ship choose. We're not particular about where the cabin is, so it works for us. We have friends that don't, because they have specific areas of the ship they want to on and that they don't.

[Aviendah]

I don't like surprises so we always choose our rooms; it's part of the planning fun for me.

[aimcat]

We will have 2 rooms, 1 a balcony and another an oceanview, will they put us close together?

[LH25]

We will have 2 rooms, 1 a balcony and another an oceanview, will they put us close together?

 

Are your reservations linked?

[lcpagejr]

Your decision should be based on the importance of 2 cabins in close proximity of each other. If you do the "guarantee" option....high liklihood cabins will be on different floors. That being said...I have done the "guarantee" approach several times and never have been disappointed with the cabin assignment and many times it was a upgrade over the category I would have booked if I chose the cabin

[Melcoug]

I've done both and generally prefer to pick my cabin. We ended up in a cabin directly below the Lido once and I was woken up through the night with sounds of the crew cleaning. Since I'm a bit of light sleeper, I prefer to have cabins above and below me. Two decks below the Lido and toward the aft is my favorite location.

[BugsMomma]

If you do this with an interior, are you taking a chance that you'll get a room where the 2 beds can't be pushed together?

[summersigh]

Sleep is very important to us.:D On another company's ship we ended up with a cabin under an area scheduled to close by 10pm BUT, unknown to us, had service carts rolling back and forth over tiled floors all night. By day 3 we were so exhausted that if we hadn't been out to sea we'd have gotten off and flown home it was that miserable. We had complained to Guest Services and the hotel manager but no relief. Finally by day 4 we and our neighboring cabins complained so much they rerouted the carts over someone else's ceilings and we finally got to sleep the night through.

 

From that time on we've always chosen our specific cabin even if it costs a little more.

[finoky]

It's really up to you. Can you accept being anywhere on the ship? If not then pick your cabin. We have been on 21 cruises and always pick our cabin. Not worth rolling the dice to us.

[Reojewel69]

I like the guarantee rooms. Not only do I save a few dollars but 2 out of the 3 times we were upgraded from interior to ocean view. Worked out nice.

 

 

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[sgttami]

These days I just book what I want but I have booked balcony guarantee and got Owners Suite!

[salty dingo]

We have done guarantees in the past. Some worked out very well, others no so well.

 

Now, we like to pick the room because we are 100% assured of a location we like. If you do the guarantee your odds drop a bit. I think a balcony or suite guarantee would have better odds of a good location than an inside or outside.

 

FWIW - once we did an inside guarantee and actually got an oceanview. Not that I care about an oceanview, but it was a higher category.

[sanger727]

I always pick my room. I’m not too fussy about mid ship or how high or low on the ship but I’m a very light sleeper. I’ve never had a noise issue when I’ve been in a cabin with other cabins below and above me. But I’ve definitely heard of being right below the pool deck or right under the night club and having noise issues. Also, keep in mind that the free upgrades can backfire. Not sure if carnival does it but on some lines you can get a guarantee within a cabin type. So say you want a mid ship cabin and you can get a mid ship interior guarantee. Every other cabin type is an upgrade so you could end up in any ocean view and have it be included in the guarantee. So don’t think ‘we’ll, I’m ok w any cabin in that category’; be sure you are ok w any cabin in that category or higher on the ship.

 

 

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[riclop]

We will NEVER have them assigns us a room nobody wants.

[OCruisers]

I don't like surprises so we always choose our rooms; it's part of the planning fun for me.

 

Same for us! We want to know where our cabin will be. :D:D

[Rogueperson]

Its a crap shoot. My next cruise was an interior guarantee and I'm afraid I'm right next to the kitchen on deck 3 all the way in the back. There is a giant blank area behind me which i suspect is the kitchen. I'm a little wary, but hey, i chose interior guarantee.

 

I normally do not. The only reason I did was I'm more tolerant of noise than my wife and my wife is very particular on where she wants to be. If you do a guarantee, I would choose a balcony guarantee as you're more likely to get a decent balcony room than a decent interior.

[katiel53]

If I had the need for 2 cabins for family, I would never book a guarantee. I would not like having the rooms on separate decks or even on the same deck but way apart.

 

We booked a guarantee one time when we booked a cruise near the sail date. The balcony cabins we would normally choose were booked, and the ones left didn't seem that great, so we knew we wouldn't be getting our choice and we saved $100 for a guarantee cabin. NEVER AGAIN!

 

Our assigned cabin was below the Lido so we heard carts rolling all night and across from the Steward's panty. OMG, they were out there early in the AM and we could hear the ice machine, the stewards talking etc. That cabin was the absolute worst we have ever had on a cruise. We will never book a guarantee again. It's not worth it to have the cruise line assign the cabin as it seems to me, we get the least desirable cabins and I do understand that's what they have to do.

 

I will continue to book my choice and if if I can't find what I want because of a late booking, I will pass.

[jas1178]

We one time booked a guarantee along with another family traveling with us. One of us ended up over the piano bar - "SWEET CAROLINE....." the other over the disco. We were cured.

[jabcruiser]

We did guarantee several times but now pick our cabin. Last guarantee we got cabin far forward over showroom. Not only very far from most places we went and hubby had just had surgery so hard to walk that much. Also noise from showroom lasted at least until midnight every night. That cured us. Pick my cabin now. First two times did guarantee (balcony) all was good. But this last time not so much. It is a gamble.

Jane

[aimcat]

We went ahead and booked a guaranteed balcony and guaranteed oceanview do Sensation because it ended up saving 220 overall. Now when will they have room assignments done so that maybe I could see and change and if I wanted to change where would be desired decks?

[Florida Paesano]

Assignment could be anytime from now up to and including your arrival at the port. If there is no prior assignment, the porters will have a list with the assignment when you get to the port. Enjoy your cruise!

[sw33twif3]

I let them choose and usually get an upgrade.