Should I rebook cruise in a guarantee stateroom?

[lovedecruise]

I know ultimately it is my decision but thought I would ask as sometimes others can bring light to things you may not have thought about.

We are fast approaching final payment date for our 10 night cruise.  We initially booked onboard back in Jan '19 and received the $200 OBC and two "free" perks.  The cruise price has steadily risen so we have been content with our choices. 

 

Yesterday though, I thought I would check again and I see they are offering a guarantee stateroom (AQ) for NZ$2100.00 less.  First off, I'm not even sure we are allowed to change our booking to a guarantee stateroom but if we are, would we take the $200 allocated OBC with us.  I know we would lose the perks but the money saved would more than compensate for this, (we don't drink alcohol so the drinks package isn't a real drawcard for us). 

 

My real hesitation is stateroom location as there are many rooms available in areas we just wouldn't want to be ie under the gym and pool area.  I guess that is always the gamble when choosing guarantee and whether we can live with it should we get an undesirable location.  I suppose we have to weigh up whether choosing your own room is worth $2100.00.  We have had guarantee before and have been pleased with our location but they were in CC and generally the CC cabins are located between two floors of staterooms on Level 9 and 10.  When sailing AQ we prefer to be under the cabins nearer the end of the ship.

Again, I know it is really only a decision I can make but any thoughts that may help me with that decision would be appreciated. Thank you.

[Caribbean Chris]

I switched to a guarantee once before final payment when we were in a Sky Suite on Constellation and regretted it.

 

We saved $$$, maybe $250 US (I forget precise amount now), but our new room, unbeknownst to me, was across the hall from the steward/butlers’ pantry - there was noise during the night, a bright light from the pantry shone under our door all night, and butlers’ tea carts were lined up in the corridor right outside our door. We also had a view of machinery directly beneath our balcony. I think they gave me their worst Sky Suite.

 

Other people may get good guarantee assignments, but we never have on Celebrity. Two others before that one were very undesirable outside staterooms on Century, so I finally learned my lesson and have never booked a guarantee again. (Had MUCH better luck with Holland America guarantees.)

[jelayne]

What perks did you choose?  If you chose prepaid gratuities then your savings are $2100NZ minus the cost of the gratutity.  Same with your 2nd perk if it was the beverage package & you don’t drink alcohol, do you drink the coffees & teas from Cafe al Bacio, or bottled water, juices or soda- if so estimate how much that will cost to purchase those items and subtract that from your saving.

if the savings are still substantial then the question is if you are assigned cabin in a poor location are the saving enough to make you happy with the location.

[lovedecruise]

3 minutes ago, jelayne said:

What perks did you choose?  If you chose prepaid gratuities then your savings are $2100NZ minus the cost of the gratutity.  Same with your 2nd perk if it was the beverage package & you don’t drink alcohol, do you drink the coffees & teas from Cafe al Bacio, or bottled water, juices or soda- if so estimate how much that will cost to purchase those items and subtract that from your saving.

if the savings are still substantial then the question is if you are assigned cabin in a poor location are the saving enough to make you happy with the location.

 

We chose the beverage package and $300 OBC.  Am just trying to work out our daily cost for drinks package:  between the two of us, probably 4 bottles of water, 4 mocktails, 2 softdrinks, 4 coffee/tea/hot chocolate.  From memory, I think that would be around US$80, (please correct me if I am wrong), and then I guess I have to add the gratuities onto that.  Looks like somewhere round US$100 per day for the two of us.  That would be US$1000 which is about NZ$1576.  Take that away for the NZ$2100 you are left with NZ$524 which is equivalent to about US$332, nearly the same amount of OBC, our second perk.  We were going to use these OBC to buy an internet package when we got on board so when you break it all down like this, the savings don't seem as substantial and fact that you can't choose your room, makes the deal seem a bit more undesirable.   Our gratuities are included in our fare so it wasn't a perk option.

[wrk2cruise]

To answer your question you will be able to retain the OBC for booking onboard.  Going to AQ I believe the OBC is still $200.  However if you go up or down categories where the onboard booking OBC is different your OBC would be adjusted to the amount for your new category.

[lovedecruise]

That's good to know you retain OBC you received when booking onboard.

Just realised If I do book guarantee and lose drink perk, I could always use savings to buy Premium non-alcoholic package as it makes more sense as we don't drink alcohol.  This would cost us NZ$700 instead of the $1576 I worked out above if just paying as we go.

[Turtles06]

2 hours ago, lovedecruise said:

My real hesitation is stateroom location as there are many rooms available in areas we just wouldn't want to be ie under the gym and pool area.  I guess that is always the gamble when choosing guarantee and whether we can live with it should we get an undesirable location.

 

Exactly; no one else can make this decision for you.  Only you can know how distressed you would be if you wound up under a noisy public space and heard all that noise throughout your cruise.   It's a reason we choose our cabin locations carefully, and never book guarantee.  YMMV. 

Edited October 17, 2019 by Turtles06

[tjunmin]

3 hours ago, lovedecruise said:

My real hesitation is stateroom location as there are many rooms available in areas we just wouldn't want to be ie under the gym and pool area.

 

For this exact reason, I would not do it.

[fleckle]

Or just pack earplugs.

That's what we always do, realizing that we may get a noisy hotel room, where we typically don't get to pick a specific room. 

Then there are the crying babies or snoring passengers on airplanes as well, and some music venues where the sound is too loud -- even in the Celebrity theater from time to time.

 

 

[helen haywood]

If you do decide to change to a GTY, once you receive your cabin assignment if you aren’t happy with it you can request another cabin in the same category you received.  So you aren’t necessarily stuck with a bad cabin location. 
 

 

[Miaminice]

The money is one thing and reason enough... However, to add Blu restaurant to the game would be my #1 reason.

 

Concierge class never had any appeal to us and we find the MDR loud and hectic. Which is why we‘d switch in a heartbeat. The ambiance in Blu is so much better.

 

Also IMHO there are no really bad AQ staterooms. So the decision would be easy for us.

 

BTW: the only ship where we didn’t miss the ambiance of Blu as the smaller restaurant was Edge. We just did a Med cruise on her. The new concept with 4 smaller (and quieter) dining rooms really worked for us.

[hulamoon]

I would take AQ over a lower category unless I had an extra big balcony. But you seem sensitive to location. So you might have to go with your gut in this. Now if you take that guarantee and there are a lot of other AQ options you can move after your assignment. If the only available are locations you dislike, then don’t do it. 

 

Have a a great cruise.

[lovedecruise]

We do actually have an AQ booking at the moment, we are just trying to decide if we change it to a guarantee booking. I have been in touch with Celebrity and we are able to change the booking to a Guarantee but as I thought, we lose our two perks but keep our initial $200 OBC that were allocated when we booked on board.  I have checked out the available AQ rooms and roughly only half a dozen out of around 30 rooms showing availability,  would be in an area I would choose.  Just thinking it may be too risky with those odds.

Have calculated that buying two premium non-alcoholic drink packages and the single device internet package would eat into NZ$1000 of the savings we make but we would still save another NZ$1100.00 . The big question is, is it worth risking our present rooms position for $1100.00 saving.

Some have suggested asking for a cabin change if we weren't happy with a guarantee allocation, but I thought it was pretty well a done deal once a cabin is allocated.  Has anyone had success getting a change when they have been unhappy with a guarantee allocation?

 

[Lolou127]

10 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

I switched to a guarantee once before final payment when we were in a Sky Suite on Constellation and regretted it.

 

We saved $$$, maybe $250 US (I forget precise amount now), but our new room, unbeknownst to me, was across the hall from the steward/butlers’ pantry - there was noise during the night, a bright light from the pantry shone under our door all night, and butlers’ tea carts were lined up in the corridor right outside our door. We also had a view of machinery directly beneath our balcony. I think they gave me their worst Sky Suite.

 

Other people may get good guarantee assignments, but we never have on Celebrity. Two others before that one were very undesirable outside staterooms on Century, so I finally learned my lesson and have never booked a guarantee again. (Had MUCH better luck with Holland America guarantees.)

Can I ask which SS they gave you, we’ve just been allocated our GTY SS2 on Connie, I’ve started another thread about whether I should ask to change, they’ve allocated us 8121 which is accessible and right by the elevator, I’m worried it may be a little noisy x

[varoo]

2 hours ago, lovedecruise said:

........Some have suggested asking for a cabin change if we weren't happy with a guarantee allocation, but I thought it was pretty well a done deal once a cabin is allocated.  Has anyone had success getting a change when they have been unhappy with a guarantee allocation?

 

 

The policy, for some strange reason, seems to vary depending upon one's nationality, or by the country in which you book the cruise.

 

Americans are permitted to change to any other available cabin in the same category, but some Brits have reported that they were not allowed to do so.

I have no idea what the policy is for New Zealand , but you may want to check and find out before making your decision, or maybe someone else who posts here will know.

Good luck!

 

[Caribbean Chris]

2 hours ago, Lolou127 said:

Can I ask which SS they gave you, we’ve just been allocated our GTY SS2 on Connie, I’ve started another thread about whether I should ask to change, they’ve allocated us 8121 which is accessible and right by the elevator, I’m worried it may be a little noisy x

 

I can’t remember anymore, but ours was an SS2 on Deck 6. There aren’t many SS2 cabins on that ship. Yours looks good - overhead is another stateroom - and if you have an accessible room, I think they are often going to be next to the elevator.

[ipeeinthepool]

13 hours ago, lovedecruise said:

I know ultimately it is my decision but thought I would ask as sometimes others can bring light to things you may not have thought about.

We are fast approaching final payment date for our 10 night cruise.  We initially booked onboard back in Jan '19 and received the $200 OBC and two "free" perks.  The cruise price has steadily risen so we have been content with our choices. 

 

Yesterday though, I thought I would check again and I see they are offering a guarantee stateroom (AQ) for NZ$2100.00 less.  First off, I'm not even sure we are allowed to change our booking to a guarantee stateroom but if we are, would we take the $200 allocated OBC with us.  I know we would lose the perks but the money saved would more than compensate for this, (we don't drink alcohol so the drinks package isn't a real drawcard for us). 

 

My real hesitation is stateroom location as there are many rooms available in areas we just wouldn't want to be ie under the gym and pool area.  I guess that is always the gamble when choosing guarantee and whether we can live with it should we get an undesirable location.  I suppose we have to weigh up whether choosing your own room is worth $2100.00.  We have had guarantee before and have been pleased with our location but they were in CC and generally the CC cabins are located between two floors of staterooms on Level 9 and 10.  When sailing AQ we prefer to be under the cabins nearer the end of the ship.

Again, I know it is really only a decision I can make but any thoughts that may help me with that decision would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

Since you have a preference for cabin location, I wouldn't do it.  Why spend your entire cruise bothered by your cabin location for the possible savings of a small fraction of the total cost of the cruise.  I agree with you, there are many AQ cabins in locations I would never take.  Blu is a great feature of the AQ class, but the entire AQ concept really appears to be a plan for selling poor cabin locations at a premium price. 

[upwarduk]

2 hours ago, Lolou127 said:

8121 which is accessible and right by the elevator, I’m worried it may be a little noisy

Are you sailing on an S class ship?

If so, there are glass sliding doors between the lifts and the corridor that the cabins are on. We have been close by on the ‘hump’ many times and I have never been disturbed by noise.

 

After a recent experience on Royal Caribbean, I would never book Guarantee.

We had been invited to ‘Royal Up’ right up to just one week before our cruises. On the Tuesday before our Saturday sailing, passengers who had booked Direct with Royal and also booked Guarantee were being rung and asked if they would change their cruise to a later one, as there were no available cabins.

We didn’t get the phone call, as we had chosen our cabin and also booked via a Travel Agent. I had also decided not to go for Royal Up, as I was happy with the position of our cabin and once you are assigned a new cabin, then you cannot change the position ( I book with  UK T & C).

[dani negreanu]

7 minutes ago, ipeeinthepool said:

I agree with you, there are many AQ cabins in locations I would never take.  Blu is a great feature of the AQ class, but the entire AQ concept really appears to be a plan for selling poor cabin locations at a premium price. 

 

I couldn't agree more. Most of the AQ cabins are under the pool deck....

[dani negreanu]

6 hours ago, lovedecruise said:

Some have suggested asking for a cabin change if we weren't happy with a guarantee allocation, but I thought it was pretty well a done deal once a cabin is allocated.  Has anyone had success getting a change when they have been unhappy with a guarantee allocation?

 

I've been successful twice. I'm booking with a US TA. Just be prepared to say: "I'd like to change from cabin #X to cabin #Y."

Don't mention that you've had a GTY... 

[PelicanLvr]

Sounds like your cabin location matters too much to you to take the GTY risk.  I would feel exactly the same.

 

Don't possibly dampen your vacation with constant thoughts that you should not have moved.

 

IMHO, Stay with the cabin you have!  Not worth the risk.  

 

 

[NantahalaCruiser]

15 hours ago, lovedecruise said:

I have checked out the available AQ rooms and roughly only half a dozen out of around 30 rooms showing availability,  would be in an area I would choose.  Just thinking it may be too risky with those odds. ...

 

Problem is, those half dozen are the desirable locations that will probably be booked before the guarantees are assigned!

[lovedecruise]

Many thanks to all you wonderful folk who responded to my question.  We have decided to stick with our original booking in AQ.  Changing to a guarantee cabin just meant more risk than what we could cope with.  Final payment is coming up this week, so we will settle our bill and NOT look at the prices again.

Thank you again for helping us come to this decision.

Happy cruising.

[Lolou127]

20 hours ago, upwarduk said:

Are you sailing on an S class ship?

If so, there are glass sliding doors between the lifts and the corridor that the cabins are on. We have been close by on the ‘hump’ many times and I have never been disturbed by noise.

 

After a recent experience on Royal Caribbean, I would never book Guarantee.

We had been invited to ‘Royal Up’ right up to just one week before our cruises. On the Tuesday before our Saturday sailing, passengers who had booked Direct with Royal and also booked Guarantee were being rung and asked if they would change their cruise to a later one, as there were no available cabins.

We didn’t get the phone call, as we had chosen our cabin and also booked via a Travel Agent. I had also decided not to go for Royal Up, as I was happy with the position of our cabin and once you are assigned a new cabin, then you cannot change the position ( I book with  UK T & C).

Hi we’re on the Constellation, not sure if that’s M class, I called X and spoke to a really helpful agent who swapped us to 8127 so very happy with that, we’re on UK t and c’s as well 

[dani negreanu]

1 hour ago, Lolou127 said:

Hi we’re on the Constellation, not sure if that’s M class

 

"Connie" is a M class. Glad it worked out for you, happy sailing.