Guarantee Cabin/Upgrades

[Kiwifruit]

Wondering if someone can explain how these work on Oceania. We have booked a guarantee cabin for the first time as this was all that was available in the cabin catergory that we wanted. My understanding was that this means we are guaranteed a cabin of the standard we have booked or better and so there seemed to be little downside. However, having read a thread on a different cruiseline it mentions people with a "guarantee" being downgraded and being offered a minimal shipboard credit by way of compensation. Is this really possible? I'm interested to hear other peoples experiences when booking guarantee cabins on Oceania.

 

Conversely, I'd be interested to know what the likelihood of being upgraded is, if anyone has firsthand experiences to share. I'm not convinced we have done the right thing as although we would be happy with any cabin in our booking catergory, its always reassuring to have a cabin allocation.

[mike35]

In my case, when I booked an A2 on our upcoming Nautica cruise, I was told that I had a guarantee cabin. Around the time the final payment was due, I was assigned an A1. According to my TA, many people book cruises in order to secure a cabin, but when the time comes for final payment, they back out, hence opening up several pre-reserved cabins. That appears to be the case in my upgrade.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Mike

[Jancruz]

Oceania very rarely gives upgrades..you could get a cabin assigned tomorrow with your guarantee in that very same category..I would say over 90% of the time you will end up in the category that you have guaranteeds..since there are not many undesireable cabins on the ships..it usually doesnt matter

Oceania has no set policy on upgrades..

Jan

*****

[Bruin Steve]

Well...I've booked "Guarantees" four times in my cruising life...Twice with Celebrity, once with Royal Caribbean and once with Oceania...

 

Here's my experience with the four (obviously, none of this is a "rule", merely anecdotal evidence):

 

My first "Guarantee" was on the Celebrity Millennium...I booked the lowest category guarantee almost a year prior to the cruise...and, only after final payment, I was assigned an inside cabin, but, at least the highest category inside, midship on Deck 8...

 

My second Guarantee was on Celebrity Constellation...I booked a "2C" (Balcony) Guarantee...and again, only after final payment, was assigned a 2C--but, at least one of the best 2Cs on the ship, one of the oddball cabins with double the size balcony of the other balcony cabins on the ship...

 

The third will be on my upcoming Monarch of the Seas cruise...We booked a "Category Z"--guaranteeing the lowest category on the ship...I booked the cruise just a little more than two months prior, making the final payment almost immediately...a few days later, we were assigned an inside, but again, a slightly "upgraded" inside, midship Deck 6...

 

For the Nautica this coming July (We booked it back in SEPTEMBER 2005), we figured we'd again go with the "Guarantee"... A category "G" Guarantee...The FIRST thing we noticed is that, unlike Celebrity or Royal Caribbean, the Oceania "Guarantee" rate came with absolutely zero "discount"--a Guarantee rate cost us exactly what we would have paid had we chosen our own cabin (On the other lines, the guarantee was at a fairly nice discount)...We figured that was okay since, hopefully, with very few Cat Gs on the ship, perhaps we'd get upgraded...We were a little bit shocked when we were IMMEDIATELY assigned #6011...a Category G cabin...

 

It's not that we only got a Cat G...When we book a Guarantee, we're prepared to get assigned exactly the category cabin we paid for...If they left it as a "Guarantee" and eventually assigned us the same cabin, it would have made sense...but, the question is "What's the point of selling a Guarantee when it's at the SAME price and you're assigning the cabin IMMEDIATELY?"...Why go through the charade?

[Jancruz]

The reason Oceania sells a guarantee is that they have no cabin numbers available..they would all be given out under deposit or waiting for deposit..as soon as a cabin in that category becomes available it goes to the guarantee list..also, Oceania does not discount!! So that is why you dont get one..Other cruise lines with many more cabins than Oceania do everything to fill their ships..Oceanias ships are full with no discounting..

Jan

*****

[susiesan]

I booked a cat G and was instantly assigned a cabin also. The price was the same as if I paid for a cat G. I can live with what we have, which is an inside on deck 7. But if there is an empty cabin on sailing day or someone who paid does not show up I'd expect that O would put us in that empty cabin, no matter what category it is. That's what happened to us on our recent Celebrity Xpedition cruise to the Galapagos and a Viking River cruise last year. But it appears that O is notorious forr pulling a "bait and switch" in letting people think they may get an upgrade when it never happens. This will be my first O cruise and it just makes me question their honesty and business ethics, especially in light of all I've read here about revising itineraries at the last minute, ripping off passengers with their credit card processing company, overpriced pre and post hotel stays and shore excursions, ridiculously expensive drinks, and exhorbitant internet usage charges. It's a corporate mindset/culture, a way of doing business. As a business owner myself, these things have a way of catching up with the corporations and eventually producing a backlash. Customers vote with their pocketbooks and they will leave if they do not think they got value for their money. I haven't even cruised with them yet and I'm going with the attitude that O will rip me off every chance they get. So I plan not to spend one extra dollar on board for anything optional. And I will still have an excellent time.

[Jancruz]

I booked a cat G and was instantly assigned a cabin also. The price was the same as if I paid for a cat G. I can live with what we have, which is an inside on deck 7. But if there is an empty cabin on sailing day or someone who paid does not show up I'd expect that O would put us in that empty cabin, no matter what category it is. That's what happened to us on our recent Celebrity Xpedition cruise to the Galapagos and a Viking River cruise last year. But it appears that O is notorious forr pulling a "bait and switch" in letting people think they may get an upgrade when it never happens. This will be my first O cruise and it just makes me question their honesty and business ethics, especially in light of all I've read here about revising itineraries at the last minute, ripping off passengers with their credit card processing company, overpriced pre and post hotel stays and shore excursions, ridiculously expensive drinks, and exhorbitant internet usage

charges. It's a corporate mindset/culture, a way of doing business. As a business owner myself, these things have a way of catching up with the corporations and eventually producing a backlash. Customers vote with their pocketbooks and they will leave if they do not think they got value for their money. I haven't even cruised with them yet and I'm going with the attitude that O will rip me off every chance they get. So I plan not to spend one extra dollar on board for anything optional. And I will still have an excellent time.

Wow, why are you going on Oceania if you feel that way..I suggest that you travel on another line..what makes you think they should upgrade you?? When you got the cabin that you paid for..I'm a little confused..

Every cruise line is entitled to charge what they want for internet, drinks, etc..many lines charge if you eat in the alternate restaurant, for pizza and for ice cream, expressos and cappuccinos..Oceania does not..why doesnt anyone talk about that???

Would you have wanted them to keep the Libya itinerary and when the ship arrived no Americans could get off..does that make any sense..?? Yes I am prejudiced no doubt about it..I love the size of the ships and everything about them..

Jan

*****

[Member]

Jan, go back to the "O" guarantee issue. From your own experience with "O", has "O" ever placed your customer to the lower category due to overbook that particular category?

[Jancruz]

Absolutely not!!

Jan

*****

[Member]

I can't speak for the others, but it seems "O"s off-beat itineraries (at least on the Med. sailings) attract the attention the most.

[Jancruz]

I agree..the itineraries, size of ship and wonderful food is what draws the clients..if someone wants an all inclusive trip..there are 3 lines they can choose..I have been on Oceania 14 times..and have never had a cruise we didnt love..yes sometimes small stuff happens, but Stu and I a long time ago learned not to sweat the small stuff..we have been on over 55 cruises..and loved Oceania, Radisson and Seabourne..Oceania has the best price and best food and by far the best itineraries..IMHO..I also like the fact everyone pays about the same price..no one get these deeply discounted prices like some lines do at the end when they are not full..

Jan

*****

[susiesan]

The reason Oceania sells a guarantee is that they have no cabin numbers available..they would all be given out under deposit or waiting for deposit..as soon as a cabin in that category becomes available it goes to the guarantee list..also, Oceania does not discount!! So that is why you dont get one..Other cruise lines with many more cabins than Oceania do everything to fill their ships..Oceanias ships are full with no discounting..

Jan

*****

 

I was quoted an inside guarantee on June 9, 2005 for a cruise on the Insignia June 26, 2006. I have it in their writing. So you're saying the ship was already sold out over a year in advance? I doubt it. Why would O advertise guarantees if they had no intention of ever providing the possibilty of an upgrade? To me this is just misleading. I have been on over 35 cruises and always book a guarantee. Over half the time I have been upgraded. And when I wasn't I was content with the cabin I had. I understand you make your living selling O products so you don't dare say anything negative about the company that might get back to your buddy FDR. To the general public out here not everything they do is perfect.

 

I'm going on O because I loved the ships when they were Ren and am hoping for a similair cruise experience. The small size ship is perfect. I like the itinerary, 7 out of 8 ports will be new for me. I'm expecting good food. Having occupied an inside on a Ren cruise, I know the cabin size is adequate. As for extra charges for cappucino and ice cream, do you ever go on any other cruiselines besides O? None of the ones I've travelled on charge extra for these things even the mass market cruises like NCL and Princess.

 

Oceania can overcharge all they want for drinks, internet, and shore excursions. I don't need any of these from them to have a fabulous cruise-I'll bring my own liquor, use internet cafes in port, and book all my own shore excursions for a fraction of the cost without having to be on big buses with 30 people. My onboard ship account will be minimal, especially since they use the bank in Ireland that tacks on 3%. I also did my own air with FF miles and got my own hotels pre and post for a fourth of what O charges.

 

As to the Libya situation, I know it wasn't O's fault they couldn't go there. But the way they rearranged the itinerary 3 or 4 times without notifying the passengers was shameful, especially waiting until after the final payment was due. And they are palnning to go to Libya again? Anyone who books that cruise must be hoping for a mystery cruise.

 

"I also like the fact everyone pays about the same price..no one get these deeply discounted prices like some lines do at the end when they are not full.."

 

Huh? I get offers in the mail all the time from O and travel agancies with hefty discounts for sailings that are not full. So yes, they do discount. Jan, you need to take off the rose colored glasses and see O from the point of view of us who are reading comments about them from real people who have no vested interest in the cruiseline. Your bias comes through loud and clear.

[Andee]

"especially since they use the bank in Ireland that tacks on 3%. "

That has not been our experience on Oceania. We did not have an aditional 3% charge on our cc bill.

 

 

"As to the Libya situation, I know it wasn't O's fault they couldn't go there. But the way they rearranged the itinerary 3 or 4 times without notifying the passengers was shameful."

Again, that was not our experience. We received notification from both Oceania and our TA that the itinerary had been charged.

[mjmme]

i have booked 2 guarenteed G bookings in the past and have been upgraded on both occasions. Once to a "c" and once to a "d". I am booked on a "g" for an upcoming cruise and can live with that if thats what I get. The rooms without a balcony are not that huge a differance for the price.

[muddsmom]

Do they charge for ice cream? Gee, that's disappointing. One of the main reasons we have chosen Oceania is because we hate formal nights at meals and being forced to sit with people we don't know. We have been on one other cruise, "Grand Princess" and decided we would not cruise again after that experience. After hearing about Oceania's rather upscale crowd, country club casual dress code and open seating for meals, we started asking more questions and liked what we heard. I always thought there was a market for people like us and Oceania seems to fit that bill. We don't sail until September, but I'll post my thoughts after our return.

 

Sharon

[joan24]

Oceania doesn't charge for ice cream or capuccino but Princess does. We've been on many cruise lines mass market such as Princess and on luxury lines including Radisson. No cruise line is perfect but IMHO, Oceania comes close. We always have a good time no matter what cruise line that we sail on. We plan on having fun and do.

Joan

[Jancruz]

I was quoted an inside guarantee on June 9, 2005 for a cruise on the Insignia June 26, 2006. I have it in their writing. So you're saying the ship was already sold out over a year in advance? I doubt it.

 

Why would O advertise guarantees if they had no intention of ever providing the possibilty of an upgrade? To me this is just misleading. I have been on over 35 cruises and always book a guarantee. Over half the time I have been upgraded. And when I wasn't I was content with the cabin I had. I understand you make your living selling O products so you don't dare say anything negative about the company that might get back to your buddy FDR. To the general public out here not everything they do is perfect.

 

I'm going on O because I loved the ships when they were Ren and am hoping for a similair cruise experience. The small size ship is perfect. I like the itinerary, 7 out of 8 ports will be new for me. I'm expecting good food. Having occupied an inside on a Ren cruise, I know the cabin size is adequate. As for extra charges for cappucino and ice cream, do you ever go on any other cruiselines besides O? None of the ones I've travelled on charge extra for these things even the mass market cruises like NCL and Princess.

 

Oceania can overcharge all they want for drinks, internet, and shore excursions. I don't need any of these from them to have a fabulous cruise-I'll bring my own liquor, use internet cafes in port, and book all my own shore excursions for a fraction of the cost without having to be on big buses with 30 people. My onboard ship account will be minimal, especially since they use the bank in Ireland that tacks on 3%. I also did my own air with FF miles and got my own hotels pre and post for a fourth of what O charges.

 

As to the Libya situation, I know it wasn't O's fault they couldn't go there. But the way they rearranged the itinerary 3 or 4 times without notifying the passengers was shameful, especially waiting until after the final payment was due. And they are palnning to go to Libya again? Anyone who books that cruise must be hoping for a mystery cruise.

 

"I also like the fact everyone pays about the same price..no one get these deeply discounted prices like some lines do at the end when they are not full.."

 

Huh? I get offers in the mail all the time from O and travel agancies with hefty discounts for sailings that are not full. So yes, they do discount. Jan, you need to take off the rose colored glasses and see O from the point of view of us who are reading comments about them from real people who have no vested interest in the cruiseline. Your bias comes through loud and clear.

OK Lets start at the beginning..

 

It is entirely possible that all the cabins had been assigned a year in advance..as you got your cabin immediately..someone did not put a deposit down

 

O does not advertise guarantees..and where does it say if you get a guarantee you get an upgrade..there can be no bait and switch if there is nothing written anywhere that you are entitled to an upgrade if you take a guarantee..

I have been on 55 cruises including Princess (where I paid for Ice Cream) and Holland America, NCL and many mass market ships where I paid for things we get for free on Oceania

No one is more honest with FDR than I am, and I dont work for Oceania so I can say anything I want..just like you can!! When I see a problem, I call faster than anyone else..

 

I am not getting in to the Libya situation..because you know nothing about what happened..

 

There are marketing strategies that everyone uses..when you get to the bottom line on Oceanias prices no matter who advertises them THEY ARE ALWAYS THE SAME with the exception of a travel agent that discounts off of their commission and that is not allowed to be advertised!!..

 

I have been on Oceania 14 times and trust me..no rose colored glasses on these eyes..

I will tell you this..your chances of getting upgraded on this full ship are slim to none..

I will not be answering on this thread any more..

Jan

*****

[Bruin Steve]

Jan, In your rush to defend and promote Oceania, I think you just miss the point (Sorry if this sounds a little harsh...no personal offense intended)...

 

No one is saying they deserve more than they pay for...

 

What we're saying is that if it really isn't what the cruising public knows as a "guarantee", then don't offer it at all...

 

I know for certain that when I booked my Oceania cruise, they were NOT sold out of cabins, not even of Category "G" cabins...I was offered a choice of Cat G cabins...

 

My TA asked if they also had a "Guarantee" rate and they said YES...and so we booked it that way...The confirmation came back from Oceania showing no room number but "GTY"...

 

The very next piece of correspondence we received from Oceania...within just a day or two...already showed an assigned cabin: #6011, a category G...

 

I never COUNT on getting an upgrade with a "guarantee" rate...I only book them as a fair "quid pro quo"...I give the cruise line the flexibility to move me around the ship in order to assist their marketing efforts and cabin availability...In return, they give me something: The good faith "chance" at maybe being upgraded to a higher category cabin...(On other cruise lines, it's a lower price AND that chance)...

 

If there was NO lower price and ZERO chance at an upgrade, why not tell me that on DAY ONE and allow me to CHOOSE my own Category G cabin from among those AVAILABLE--and, YES, Jan, there were more than one available...

 

THAT is the ingenuous part of Oceania's Guarantee charade...

It's NOT that I expect MORE than I paid for, it's just that I expect some GOOD FAITH...

 

And, NO, that does not mean I should cancel and rebook with someone else...I don't have to have total blind faith in my cruise line...I understand the world of business...No one is going to satisfy me in every possible way and I am not going to blindly believe my cruise line is perfect...

 

There are some "Public Relations" things they can improve and THIS is one of them...

 

Next time a customer or a TA asks about "Guarantees", they should either say, "We don't really offer them unless we're otherwise sold out and then don't count on any chance of upgrade anyway" or "You can book a guarantee, but we have six Cat Gs open, so we'll just book you into one of those RIGHT NOW, so you might as well just pick the one YOU want and save us all the time"...

[lagunaman]

Ridiculous of Jan to say no discounts, today a web site shows 72% for an Oceania Med sailing!

[Trece]

I booked a guarantee on the 11-5-05 Libya-less cruise only because I was told there were no unsold cabins in the category I wanted. It took a while but eventually I did get a cabin assignment, as I expected I would. I was never led to believe I would get an upgrade - though I hoped I would - and almost always have on other cruise lines.

 

That said....

 

The part I find really hard to believe are the representations that there is no "discounting" and that everyone in the same category, to quote Jan, has paid "about" the same rate ("about" being a very vague word - $50 to some may mean "about," $500 to others may mean "about"). I personally know several people who were contacted AFTER booking and asked if they wanted to upgrade at, as the people involved put it, prices they could not refuse. I would take this to mean two things. First, these people most likely did not pay "about" the same rate as others who originally booked into that higher category (I would be 99.999% sure Oceania did not drop the rates of the neighboring cabins). And second, the reason for these post-booking offers were likely because Oceania had guarantees they needed to fulfill. In other words, they had booked X number of people into E category cabins and had taken their deposits and rather than, God forbid, upgrade any of those people for free, they made financial inducements to some of the E category people to bump them up and then put the guarantees into the E's they had booked (the people I know were not in E category cabins, I'm just using that as an example). Frankly, this doesn't bother me all that much. Oceania can & does do what it wants to do and doesn't care much about what I think anyway. What does bother me is the DENIAL that this is happening and the representation that one can be confident that except for TA rebating, everyone pays "about" the same for the same category, because that is just not true.

 

P.S. What we don't get for free in most Oceania cabins is a REFRIGERATOR. :D

[Member]

....... today a web site shows 72% for an Oceania Med sailing!

 

The website I found with this same "discount" shows the May 21st Insignia sailing at $7,198 brochure inside, yet "O" is asking for $5,198. After taking out the free-air rebate from "O" (the other website should have no air rebate at all), I think both sites advertise the similar $2,000 net on this "Libya-cancelled" sailing. And it is not hard to understand why. If there is misleading on "72% discount" here, I would point to that website instead of "O".

[ClaudiaF]

wrote in part:

[i booked a cat G and was instantly assigned a cabin also. The price was the same as if I paid for a cat G. I can live with what we have, which is an inside on deck 7. But if there is an empty cabin on sailing day or someone who paid does not show up I'd expect that O would put us in that empty cabin, no matter what category it is.

 

I am blown away by some of the things that you wrote .

In defense of what is a great cruiseline, which you have yet to step aboard.. my thoughts are:

What in the world makes you think that if there is an empty cabin it should be assigned to you? And if I paid for it and didn't show up that cabin is mine even if I am not there..

not for the ship to "give" away.. which shouldn't happen anyway............

What in the world makes you think that you are entitled to a "free" upgrade? Even if there was such a thing on Oceania..why in the world should it go to you ? I am almost positive that there is no such thing on Oceania. I am not a TA so my knowledge is just what I have been told and read about their operations, but I have been offered an upgraded category on the ship at "a cost" to me before.

 

Bruin Steve, what do you mean when you say : quote

[What we're saying is that if it really isn't what the cruising public knows as a "guarantee", then don't offer it at all...]

 

What this member of the cruising public knows as the meaning, is this..do you have another meaning?

A "guarantee" cabin, means you are paying for a category rather than a specific cabin. A guarantee cabin can be less expensive than choosing a specific cabin, but it might not give you the location you desire. You are taking a chance and leaving it up to the cruise line to assign you a cabin in a given category.

 

There is NO mention of if the cabin is not available you will be " upgraded" and no mention of upgrade for "free" and no mention of if there is a vacant cabin that the ship will just give it away..

[Bruin Steve]

Bruin Steve, what do you mean when you say : quote

[What we're saying is that if it really isn't what the cruising public knows as a "guarantee", then don't offer it at all...]

 

What this member of the cruising public knows as the meaning, is this..do you have another meaning?

A "guarantee" cabin, means you are paying for a category rather than a specific cabin. A guarantee cabin can be less expensive than choosing a specific cabin, but it might not give you the location you desire. You are taking a chance and leaving it up to the cruise line to assign you a cabin in a given category.

 

There is NO mention of if the cabin is not available you will be " upgraded" and no mention of upgrade for "free" and no mention of if there is a vacant cabin that the ship will just give it away..

A "Guarantee", as offered by MOST cruise lines, means that rather than select a specific cabin from those available, you allow the cruise line to assign the cabin-which may be no lower than the guaranteed category. This allows the cruise line marketing folks to continue to offer lower priced cabins to the public wishing to book specific cabins. IN EXCHANGE FOR that flexibility, the cruise line offers you two things: 1) a lower price and 2) the chance of an upgrade. When the cruise line has a handle on which cabins are sold and paid for, they then assign remaining cabins to the guests who booked "guarantees". If they can be accommodated in the category of the guarantee, they are, if not, they get upgraded based on availability. The trade-off for not getting to choose your precise cabin is the price reduction and/or the possibility of an upgrade.

 

If, in fact, there is zero price reduction and zero possibility of an upgrade, then why on earth would anyone leave "it up to the cruise line to assign you" a cabin which "might not give you the location you desire"?

 

You even write "A guarantee cabin can be less expensive than choosing a specific cabin...". But, Oceania's "guarantees" are NOT less expensive. They offer a "guarantee" at the SAME EXACT price as booking the specific cabin. So, if a lower price is NOT the consideration for taking the "chance", then it would have to be the chance of an upgraded cabin. And , no, a "chance" still means you may end up with exactly the level cabin of the guarantee...BUT, by ASSIGNING that cabin IMMEDIATELY, they are conceding that the idea of a guarantee is a charade. YOU, as the consumer, get NEITHER a discount, NOR any chance at an upgraded cabin...All you've done is ceded the opportunity to select your specific cabin and risked being placed in a location on the ship which does not meet with your desires...

[drwong]

I think this whole problem could be solved if Oceania stopped calling reservations for cabins yet unavailable "Guarantees" and instead told passengers they were "Waitlisted" for their particular category. Some passengers wanting more certainty can be told that Oceania will guarantee them a cabin on that cruise, but it shouldn't lead to expectations that Oceania's Guarantee policy matches that of their competitors.

 

I've booked "Guarantees" on other lines and their policies and practices are far different from Oceania's. With other lines, there's the offer of a lower priced cabin with the potential of an upgrade. Oceania Guarantee Policy provides neither, which has caused much disappointment and consternation among CruiseCritic members.

 

Given the limited number of cabins on each ship and rising demand for those cabins, it's not surprising that Oceania would rather sell a category A cabin to a waitlisted passenger who is willing to pay the full fare (i.e., the advertised price, Alan Fox's number-fudging promotions notwithstanding), rather than giving that Category A cabin to a Category C passenger and selling that Category C cabin at the lower price.

[Jancruz]

Thank you Richard for the resonable explanation..you are exactly correct!!

Jan

*****