Guarantee Cabin warning. Lesson learned, check the ship map first.

[Clarea]

1 minute ago, nanowerx said:

Is the 'obstructed balcony' issue confined mostly to Quantum ships? Or do all ships have a few bad balconies? ...

 

There are very few (maybe none) obstructed balconies on Voyager/Freedom class.

 

Just a few on Radiance class.

 

The Royal ships with the most obstructed balconies seem to be Quantum class.

[birdie16]

28 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

There are very few (maybe none) obstructed balconies on Voyager/Freedom class.

 

Just a few on Radiance class.

 

The Royal ships with the most obstructed balconies seem to be Quantum class.

Good to know.

[reallyitsmema]

31 minutes ago, nanowerx said:

Is the 'obstructed balcony' issue confined mostly to Quantum ships? Or do all ships have a few bad balconies?

 

Going on the Harmony in June. Currently have inside room, but was hoping I got a Royal Up offer for a OV balcony. Now I am questioning that (considering they pick the room), I can deal with a little obstruction, but the one this post is about is abysmal and I would not even want to chance getting a room like that.

 

However, rooms like the Aft Balcony on the Freedom (showing in the video above) would be perfectly fine with me, that is an 'obstructed view' that I could get down with.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to book a guaranty on Oasis class or bid on Royal Up.  My issue with that Freedom aft balcony is that it is set way back in the ship, like 15-20 ft from the aft of the ship and is always shaded.  We love aft balconies on other class ships but on Freedom and Voyager class ship we only book corner afts so we will actually be at the edge of the ship and not tucked way back in.

[Ourusualbeach]

35 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

There are very few (maybe none) obstructed balconies on Voyager/Freedom class.

 

Just a few on Radiance class.

 

The Royal ships with the most obstructed balconies seem to be Quantum class.

Can’t recall any on Oasis class  either. (Oceanview)

[Clarea]

2 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Can’t recall any on Oasis class  either. (Oceanview)

 

I agree, I've never heard of any on Oasis class.

[nanowerx]

Glad to hear the Oasis class is immune to this issue. How did RC get it so wrong on the Quantum ships?! Seems like a lot of crappy balcony rooms at the lower decks based on pictures I am looking at now.

 

Design misstep or is there an actual reasonable excuse for the layout of the lifeboats like they have them?

[2Long2NxtCrz]

Thanks for letting us know about these balconies.  I haven't yet been on a Quantum ship so haven't done much research on them.  They're a class I'd like to go on, but so far it hasn't worked out.

[nelblu]

3 minutes ago, 2Long2NxtCrz said:

Thanks for letting us know about these balconies.  I haven't yet been on a Quantum ship so haven't done much research on them.  They're a class I'd like to go on, but so far it hasn't worked out.

The Quantum class because of the designs and cut-outs has a lot of so called "hump cabins."  These are cabins with larger than normal balconies and many are located near the elevators.  The same can be said with the Radiance class.

[Arzeena]

4 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

I agree, I've never heard of any on Oasis class.

Where are the ones on Radiance class located? Any specific ship?

[Clarea]

13 minutes ago, Arzeena said:

Where are the ones on Radiance class located? Any specific ship?

 

There are some aft balconies (don't remember the stateroom numbers) that are located where they park the balcony washing structure.

 

You can see it here:

 

[ReneeFLL]

On 4/2/2019 at 1:53 PM, Biker19 said:

Depends on your definition of fully obstructed - the lifeboat in front of that cabin comes up to about the bottom of the balcony railing - you can still see above it.

 

 

Yikes, that view sucks. Hope you can change rooms.

[birdie16]

2 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

 

Yikes, that view sucks. Hope you can change rooms.

We did, for another $1,000, thanks to help from this thread.

[megsie]

We made a late booking on Ovation to cruise last year and chose a obstructed balcony guaranteed cabin at a very good price.

We expected a deck 6 but we were given an obstructed balcony on deck 13.

Very nice.

 

[bradenj21]

Dumb question... are there different levels of GTY? Like a deck 13 GTY? Or a 6D GTY?

[megsie]

This was the booking for our guarantee room.  I had not noticed when looking earlier that there were any other categories for guarantee balcony bookings. We only received our room placement approx 2 weeks before cruising.

[Saab4444]

I believe all these obstructed views are acceptable as long as the price is reasonable below other balconies. For all who complain please look at obstructed view balconies e.g. on Queen Mary II, the life boats and/or the davids are blocking all the view. This I would call a fully obstructed view but Quantum Class is fine. By the way Solstice Class obstructed view is similar to Quantum.    

Edited April 4, 2019 by Saab4444

[SakeDad]

On 4/2/2019 at 10:46 AM, birdie16 said:

My husband and I booked a balcony cabin guarantee.  I made the big mistake of not looking at the ship maps first.  On the Ovation of the Seas there are so many bad balcony cabins! I figured we would be perfectly safe booking a balcony, right?  They are usually up above all the obstruction crap.  Not so on this ship.  So, not only have they taken away a port (Kona) and a cruise along the Napoli Coast, I am going to be spending several days at sea in a ship with a view of the side of a lifeboat.  Lesson learned, never book a guarantee cabin.  At this point we would almost rather walk away from the cruise and take our loss.  I find myself feeling like I would rather stay home.  For those of you that want to know, our cabin assignment is 6222, fully obstructed.  I have a call in to my travel agent to see if it can be changed, however, at this time the person at the Loyalty Desk said there is nothing else available in that category.  

You had a "travel agent" book this who had no clue what a GTY cabin could be??? Your problem is a bad TA, not the GTY cabin choice!

[SakeDad]

6 hours ago, bradenj21 said:

Dumb question... are there different levels of GTY? Like a deck 13 GTY? Or a 6D GTY?

Yes, most categories have GTY and you can get the worst of that category but never a lesser category...or you can luck out and get a great cabin in that category or above!!! But you do NOT get to complain in either case...especially if you had a GOOD travel agent who explained all your options

 

[SakeDad]

8 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

 

Yikes, that view sucks. Hope you can change rooms.

Better than a snow covered front yard with a blizzard coming!

[SakeDad]

After reading most of these posts people either had LOUSY travel agents who had no idea what guarantees meant and were just trying to get you the lowest rates or you were looking at the RCCL website and booked yourself not having a clue what a guarantee really was. Either way this is NOT the cruise lines fault by any stretch of the imagination! Become an educated traveler or get a GOOD travel agent. And for those screaming you will change cruise lines....GOOD LUCK!!!...99% of them all handle guarantees this way.

[framboesa]

16 hours ago, birdie16 said:

I used to think like that but the older I get the more I appreciate just sitting on my balcony reading or enjoying a glass of wine.

I totally understand that :) Personally we like to enjoy the ship outside the cabin.Had several balconies in past cruises (all of them upgrades, not the original cabins) and never used it more than 10 minutes. Don't get me wrong, if they give it us for free we will accept (actually we tried to change the upgrades by OBC instead of the balcony but hey refused, lol) but we normally save the money for travel. But probably will change our minds in a few years :) 

Edited April 4, 2019 by framboesa

[framboesa]

14 minutes ago, SakeDad said:

After reading most of these posts people either had LOUSY travel agents who had no idea what guarantees meant 

Really lousy! I have been cruising for 25 years, normally make my own reservations and was always advised for the guarantee rate ...when the passengers know the rules better than the TA....

[SakeDad]

3 minutes ago, framboesa said:

Really lousy! I have been cruising for 25 years, normally make my own reservations and was always advised for the guarantee rate ...when the passengers know the rules better than the TA....

Exactly....an amazing TA will take you from quotes to booking to checkin to docs and follow through when you board and get home. Then there are the lazy ones who have no idea what a GTY is that make the rest look bad. Just sad

[SakeDad]

24 minutes ago, framboesa said:

 if they give it us for free we will accept (actually we tried to change the upgrades by OBC instead of the balcony but hey refused, lol) but we normally save the money for travel. 

You just have to realize they are not offering an upgrade to be nice....it means for one reason or another they either want the cabin you have or they can't sell the cabin they are offering. Either way it's a business deal for them....so never give up what you aren't willing to lose and never be afraid to ask for more if they initiate the dealing. 

[copter]

17 hours ago, birdie16 said:

OMG!  I am LMAO, I just check my emails and after spending $1,000 to upgrade our cabin to the only unobstructed balcony cabin  left on the ship they are now sending me the "Royal Up"  offer to submit a bid.  Let me tell you...that is not going to happen.  Sorry...I just had to share it with you all.

 

 

I know you won't be bidding, but out of curiosity what rates/room types are available to bid on?  I'm sailing on Ovation in a few months and hope to play the bidding game (even if unsuccessful, as most are).