balcony guarantee is now a 'bait n switch' ..

[tinaincc]

I just booked a Sky Suite S1 guarantee for our trip in March. Within 2 days I was given an S1 upgrade and assigned a cabin. I had no clue when they were going to assign the cabin and I didn't care! Happy with the upgrade as well. I am not sure how the OP can make this into a problem. Seriously, I can't follow the logic.

[Toofarfromthesea]

...

as for 'demanding a higher category', I'll assume you stopped reading halfway through after you had formed your opinion..

 

That is the chance you take when you start off inappropriately using incendiary terms because the world doesn't work the way you think it should.

 

And there is no such thing as an implicit guarantee.

[RDC1]

That's not getting unlucky. That's getting exactly what you paid for when you book a guarantee. If you get ANYTHING better, it's essentially a freebie that you should be grateful to have. (and before you blast me, please remember, we book gty cabins at least 90% of the time!)

 

I never said that it wasn't. Just that the pro and cons for guarantee, compared to picking a room location you want.

[Toofarfromthesea]

So you buy a ticket at a meat draw.. 749 for a chance at anything from chuck on up to prime rib.. or you can pay 729 for chuck, 745 for rump roast, 765 for sirloin etc... Once they get all the tickets in the barrel, they will draw.. from your experience on draws like this, sometimes you get sirloin, sometimes rump roast, most of the time definitely better than chuck.. never prime rib yet but hey what the heck .. lets roll the dice.. they take your money and immediately give you chuck roast .. 'we changed the rules, we decided to give you chuck instead of putting your ticket in the barrel..'

you're perfectly ok with that though right ? ;)

 

That has NOTHING to do with how guaranty cabins work.

[Paulras]

I've never booked a GTY but I've always known a "balcony guarantee" means you're guaranteed at least a balcony cabin. Not lower but sometimes higher. That's the explicit guarantee which trumps anything implicit.

 

Though I'm sure the new selling of upgrades has negatively impacted the odds of getting a higher cabin. But no one guaranteed you'd get higher.

 

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[CruisingChick]

Last pearl of wisdom from rep2 !? -> don't book BGs until as late as possible.. in a reversal of logic, the early BGs are 'guaranteed' the worst cabins until they fill up (assigned right after final payment is paid); then the later BGs leap frog over to the better cabins.

 

I do agree with this to some extent. Usually the later we have booked our guarantee the better cabin we have gotten. 2 years ago booked an inside guarantee and were given an ocean view cabin and last year booked a guarantee ocean view cabin and we were given a balcony.

[Baron Barracuda]

Have booked a number of gty's. Key to decision is price and ample open inventory. Usually receive cabin assignment fairly quickly.

 

Treat it as a free, no lose spin. If you're assigned a good cabin, great, you save some money and win. If unhappy check for better available cabin in same category and request transfer. Have never been denied. You still save $ and win. If no acceptable cabins available in your category just upgrade and pick your own cabin. No $ savings, but your choice of cabin.

[sanger727]

So you buy a ticket at a meat draw.. 749 for a chance at anything from chuck on up to prime rib.. or you can pay 729 for chuck, 745 for rump roast, 765 for sirloin etc... Once they get all the tickets in the barrel, they will draw.. from your experience on draws like this, sometimes you get sirloin, sometimes rump roast, most of the time definitely better than chuck.. never prime rib yet but hey what the heck .. lets roll the dice.. they take your money and immediately give you chuck roast .. 'we changed the rules, we decided to give you chuck instead of putting your ticket in the barrel..'

 

you're perfectly ok with that though right ? ;)

 

 

 

If you are ever paying more for a guarantee than the cost of the lowest assigned cabin category then you are swindling yourself. The guarantee rates are often lower because of the uncertainty of cabin category and location. I don’t think anyone has ever looked at a guarantee cabin as a upgraded cabin due to it being a raffle ticket. And the cruise lines certainly don’t sell them this way. They are discounted cabins sold as a means to get on the ship for someone willing to accept any cabin of that type. There’s really no conspiracy here. And if they got you 3 guarantee cabins assigned so closely together, that was them doing you a solid. They could just have easily been on completely separate decks and sections of the ship. And had you booked closer to sailing, they almost certainly would have been.

 

 

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[NCHPcruiser]

As the previous poster just stated, the OP's three cabins could very easily have been on separate decks. It's hard enough (or impossible) getting two rooms close together when booking close to sail date. We usually cruise with another couple and our upcoming Med cruise in a couple of weeks will be the first that we are on the same deck with only one cabin between us. I can not imagine how they though they would be in adjacent cabins. Our first cruise on Celebrity (4 years ago) was a GTY Sky suite booked four months from sail date. Our cabin, a perfectly fine S2, was assigned a month after booking. Sure it would have been nice to have been upgraded but we certainly didn't expect it and were not disappointed in the least.

[yorky]

You paid for a guaranteed balcony and you got a balcony, god what a none story.

[Oville]

I just booked a Sky Suite S1 guarantee for our trip in March. Within 2 days I was given an S1 upgrade and assigned a cabin. I had no clue when they were going to assign the cabin and I didn't care! Happy with the upgrade as well. I am not sure how the OP can make this into a problem. Seriously, I can't follow the logic.

 

If you booked a S1 gty and got assigned a S1, what is the upgrade?

[BC__Cruiser]

That is the chance you take when you start off inappropriately using incendiary terms because the world doesn't work the way you think it should.

 

I'll pick this one to reply to because, upon reflection, you are correct..

 

I do apologize for using the incorrect term 'bait n switch'. In my mind and experience, I had a different interpretation on the meaning. I, in no way, meant to imply any illegal activity on the part of Celebrity. I may not like the wording and workings but that is, as you imply, my problem.

 

Hanging up on me is like lighting a fuse and once a fuse is lit, it turns out.. well, incendiary ! If I could remove that term I would, although the rest of the post led to (in my mind anyway) some great feedback.. I have had immense respect for the way Celebrity employees have provided service in the past, so this was extremely aggravating and unexpected.

 

I would like to thank ALL the respondents, especially the responses with solid advice (ie: contact your sluffing-off TA !), but even the 'you are a moron' ones are helpful :').. I learned a few things today, so I'll take that as a 'win'.

 

I see now that balcony guarantees have changed over the years, probably for a whole whack of reasons. I will assume it's the same for all cruise lines and, in the future, book accordingly.

 

To the respondent who said that (something like) hoped the other 2 cabins in a group got bumped way up and we were 'stuck' in 2D. Actually, believe it or not, that's exactly what I hope too ! That is the second-best case scenario.

 

Cheers and happy cruising to all:cool:

[gerelmx]

The risk of not getting a good cabin when booking a guaranteed, is when the inventory is little or last-minute reservations. I have booked with a TA and they have always treated me well with the changes or upgrades requested, Celebrity will never listen to you.

[dkjretired]

I'll pick this one to reply to because, upon reflection, you are correct..

 

I do apologize for using the incorrect term 'bait n switch'. In my mind and experience, I had a different interpretation on the meaning. I, in no way, meant to imply any illegal activity on the part of Celebrity. I may not like the wording and workings but that is, as you imply, my problem.

 

Hanging up on me is like lighting a fuse and once a fuse is lit, it turns out.. well, incendiary ! If I could remove that term I would, although the rest of the post led to (in my mind anyway) some great feedback.. I have had immense respect for the way Celebrity employees have provided service in the past, so this was extremely aggravating and unexpected.

 

I would like to thank ALL the respondents, especially the responses with solid advice (ie: contact your sluffing-off TA !), but even the 'you are a moron' ones are helpful :').. I learned a few things today, so I'll take that as a 'win'.

 

I see now that balcony guarantees have changed over the years, probably for a whole whack of reasons. I will assume it's the same for all cruise lines and, in the future, book accordingly.

 

To the respondent who said that (something like) hoped the other 2 cabins in a group got bumped way up and we were 'stuck' in 2D. Actually, believe it or not, that's exactly what I hope too ! That is the second-best case scenario.

 

Cheers and happy cruising to all:cool:

 

Please come back, this board is great for information you might desire.

[jkgourmet]

I'll pick this one to reply to because, upon reflection, you are correct..

 

I do apologize for using the incorrect term 'bait n switch'. In my mind and experience, I had a different interpretation on the meaning. I, in no way, meant to imply any illegal activity on the part of Celebrity. I may not like the wording and workings but that is, as you imply, my problem.

 

Hanging up on me is like lighting a fuse and once a fuse is lit, it turns out.. well, incendiary ! If I could remove that term I would, although the rest of the post led to (in my mind anyway) some great feedback.. I have had immense respect for the way Celebrity employees have provided service in the past, so this was extremely aggravating and unexpected.

 

I would like to thank ALL the respondents, especially the responses with solid advice (ie: contact your sluffing-off TA !), but even the 'you are a moron' ones are helpful :').. I learned a few things today, so I'll take that as a 'win'.

 

I see now that balcony guarantees have changed over the years, probably for a whole whack of reasons. I will assume it's the same for all cruise lines and, in the future, book accordingly.

 

To the respondent who said that (something like) hoped the other 2 cabins in a group got bumped way up and we were 'stuck' in 2D. Actually, believe it or not, that's exactly what I hope too ! That is the second-best case scenario.

 

Cheers and happy cruising to all:cool:

 

I gotta tell you, BC: You're a class act. To come back after all this and admit that maybe you 'jumped the gun' is unusual - on CC and the world 'round. You've won the "Good Guy of the Day" Award! (y)

I agree that Celebrity certainly should NOT have hung up on you. Totally unacceptable.

I sincerely hope you enjoy your special birthday cruise with your friends/family. Bon Voyage.

[Straughn]

Just a little story here about how sometimes you can get really lucky with a guarantee. I was on a 10 night Caribbean cruise and became friends with a couple whom I met in Michael’s Club. They said that a year prior, they had booked a TA, just after final payment was due, with a suite guarantee, expecting to get a S1 or S2. They were assigned, wait for it, a Royal Suite with all the accompanying benefits, including unlimited specialty dining and premium beverage package. The husband said “hey, guarantees for me, from now on.” The wife said “lightning never strikes twice” and let’s not assume this will ever happen again.

[stleda124]

OP, a question. If you would have been assigned the best balcony cabin on the ship upon making your reservation, would there have been an issue?

 

This. If this had happened, this thread wouldn't exist.

[cscurlock]

I do understand what a guarantee is. You get whatever they select. Now, I also understand that it does seem somewhat unfair that someone who came after me maybe even the 2 days before the cruise and is assigned a much better balcony than me when I made my reservation 6 months ago. What should happened and what this guy is used to in the past is that the all the guarantees are assigned very close to the cruise date and the assignments from best remaining balcony to worst are done in time order. But since Celebrity has a new bidding process like Norwegian, they need to save the best cabins to have people bid up to make more money. The way the OP is describing it will never ever happen again. What the other people have said it true. You got the balcony you paid for. How it was delivered compared to past sailings is the OPs issue. Unfortunately, you will be assigned the worst guarantee they have as soon as you book now. There is no getting around that.

Edited August 16, 2018 by cscurlock

[tinaincc]

If you booked a S1 gty and got assigned a S1, what is the upgrade?

 

My typo - I did an S2 gty and recieved an S1. :)

[Fogfog]

Honestly I don't understand why anyone would pay more $ for a guarantee when they can Choose their cabin for less $

 

We pick our cabin/pay the freight

 

Have thought about booking a Guarantee before and yet don't want to be under the gym/pool/dining so that has kept us from trying it

[swigso]

Yes, every time we’ve booked a guarantee, it’s been because they were super-cheap. If you get an undesirable cabin, well, you knew that could happen when you booked.

I have only booked a gty once in Aqua and when assigned my cabin was able to move to a better one in the same category does that still apply?

X have changed so many things lately it’s hard to keep up.

Seems they are turning into RCCL, am I the only one who thinks the Edge looks like a clone of the Voyager class Rccl ships, the scaffolding looks terrible

[Yoshikitty]

I have only booked a gty once in Aqua and when assigned my cabin was able to move to a better one in the same category does that still apply?

 

Exactly that happened to us just 10 days ago.

We have booked thru a ta which we are very happy with

[helen haywood]

Unless something has changed, we have booked balcony guarantees and when we were assigned a cabin have several times requested moving to a different cabin in the same category without any problem.

 

 

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[CruisingChick]

Unless something has changed, we have booked balcony guarantees and when we were assigned a cabin have several times requested moving to a different cabin in the same category without any problem.

 

 

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No that hasn't changed. As long as there are still cabins available in your assigned category you can ask to switch.

[stleda124]

No that hasn't changed. As long as there are still cabins available in your assigned category you can ask to switch.

 

 

 

Pure speculation. But the probably wasn’t offered to the OP because of the way the call was handled. Again speculation. But there seems to be a lot of legal terms thrown around and that gets you no where on a phone call.

 

 

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