Info I got from Princess on Guarantee cabins

[mrstmaxx96]

I had written them saying it was frustrating to not be able to select a cabin and that because of my husband's motion sickness we can’t have any cabin. 

 

They responded and said if I need help to call them. 

 

So then I responded and said I want to be able to see what cabins are available for any cruises we might be interested in.  I want to see things before we make a decision.  And I was curious why most cabins are guarantee only and not open like they used to be.

 

 

They responded:  We understand.   In December Princess made all lead-in categories by meta (and select sub-meta).   Guarantee only (IF,BF,MF, etc).  If you are selecting a category other than lead-in, it will show what is available.  It may be on those sailings, only the Guaranteed cabin categories are available.  If you ever need assistance or would like us to check availability feel free to IM them

 

I wrote back – thanks for responding but I have no idea what this means and I’m pretty sure not many people will.   Whatever the changes are it kinda sucks and I feel like it will be way too much effort on my part to book a cruise like I used to.  I still don’t understand why I can’t just find a cruise we want and book it without jumping through a bunch of hoops.  We will have to re-think future cruises with princess.    But it’s been real😊

 

Maybe others know what the heck Meta and sub-meta mean but I sure don't  I think this was the definition of a 'non answer'

 

 

[wallyj]

Will try to make this simple in my mind and hopefully you can follow.

 

Meta is simply the category such as interior, Oceanview, balcony and so on. Sub meta are the differences within each category based on Princesses perceived desirability usually based on location but may also consider size and amenities in the cabin.

So a mid ship located cabin is usually designated as category IA going down in price to IF . This holds true for most categories with the first letter designating the category ‘type’.

 

Princess recently changed pricing so that lowest ‘sub meta’ categories can only be booked as ‘guaranteed’ which are predominantly the very forward or aft cabins in your particular ‘category/cabin type’.

 

If you do not normally book the very forward or aft located cabins, you will be able to see what is available and select a cabin from the displayed deck plans. During the booking process, the engine will ask do you want to select your cabin or have Princess select?

 

I believe the default when booking on the Princess website is to accept ‘any’ upgrade. Keep in mind what Princess considers an upgrade may not be what you do. I am not sure with the new bidding for upgrades if the availability of complimentary upgrades have been diminished. If you want only to be upgraded to the next category such as interior to Oceanview, you need to have Princess or your TA mark your booking as ‘meta’ upgrade only.

 

I see others have responded while I am typing this response, so my response may be redundant.

 

 

[PacnGoNow]

46 minutes ago, pugbeary said:

I had written them saying it was frustrating to not be able to select a cabin and that because of my husband's motion sickness we can’t have any cabin. 

 

They responded and said if I need help to call them. 

 

So then I responded and said I want to be able to see what cabins are available for any cruises we might be interested in.  I want to see things before we make a decision.  And I was curious why most cabins are guarantee only and not open like they used to be.

 

 

They responded:  We understand.   In December Princess made all lead-in categories by meta (and select sub-meta).   Guarantee only (IF,BF,MF, etc).  If you are selecting a category other than lead-in, it will show what is available.  It may be on those sailings, only the Guaranteed cabin categories are available.  If you ever need assistance or would like us to check availability feel free to IM them

 

I wrote back – thanks for responding but I have no idea what this means and I’m pretty sure not many people will.   Whatever the changes are it kinda sucks and I feel like it will be way too much effort on my part to book a cruise like I used to.  I still don’t understand why I can’t just find a cruise we want and book it without jumping through a bunch of hoops.  We will have to re-think future cruises with princess.    But it’s been real😊

 

Maybe others know what the heck Meta and sub-meta mean but I sure don't  I think this was the definition of a 'non answer'

 

 

Those categories are the lowest possible prices of cabins In Inside, balcony and mini suites, etc.  Lowest, you’ll see those on the deck plans, like IF, BF, MF etc.

 

So, if you look at the next higher category, you should be able to see what is open.

 

 

[mrstmaxx96]

Thank you for your comments!!!  This is helpful🙂 Because of my husband's motion sickness we book balcony and either mid-ship or mid-foward on the lowest possible deck.   I've received some emails for new sailings and even with the selection of balcony mid-ship or mid-forward all cabins, except for literally maybe 2 on deck 9 - were guarantee only.   If we see anything we might be interested in I'll contact our travel agent and see if she can get any info for us.

 

thank you again - really appreciate the responses

[waltd]

Problem I have with the Guarantee's now is most if not all are non refundable deposit..    

[PacnGoNow]

1 minute ago, waltd said:

Problem I have with the Guarantee's now is most if not all are non refundable deposit..    

Yes, agree.  That would keep me from booking a guarantee cabin. Only had to do that a couple of times, because it was sold out.  But, I wouldn’t in the future.

[Paula_MacFan]

Every cruise I've looked at lately has only guarantees for everything.  I am unable to see any specific cabin no matter what category I select.  That is ridiculous.  I let my CVP know it when I spoke with them this week too.  Wasted my time and his by having to make a phone call to book our preferred cabin (which is not a lead-in category BTW).

 

Thanks OP for taking the time to voice your frustration with Princess and for reporting back to us!

Edited May 8, 2023 by Paula_MacFan

[cruise_critical]

I recently booked a Royal Princess cruise for end of Dec. I made a "free" hold booking in a Guaranteed Reserved Class Mini Suite for 2A 2C. Then the next day, Princess called me trying to lock that in with a deposit by offering me extra on board credit. Then he asked what cabin location I preferred and told him near evelevators in the middle, and prefer large room / large balcony etc. Then I made the deposit. Later, I noticed that I was assigned M1 Accessible which is nearly 2x the size of a normal M1. I guess it's secured for now until there are enough bookings that genuinely needs them. 

 

Moral of the story, maybe call to make a booking over the phone insted of online, to try and get them to book you in a cabin that you want.

[PacnGoNow]

28 minutes ago, cruise_critical said:

I recently booked a Royal Princess cruise for end of Dec. I made a "free" hold booking in a Guaranteed Reserved Class Mini Suite for 2A 2C. Then the next day, Princess called me trying to lock that in with a deposit by offering me extra on board credit. Then he asked what cabin location I preferred and told him near evelevators in the middle, and prefer large room / large balcony etc. Then I made the deposit. Later, I noticed that I was assigned M1 Accessible which is nearly 2x the size of a normal M1. I guess it's secured for now until there are enough bookings that genuinely needs them. 

 

Moral of the story, maybe call to make a booking over the phone insted of online, to try and get them to book you in a cabin that you want.

Was it a non refundable deposit?

[Buckeye10640]

5 hours ago, pugbeary said:

I had written them saying it was frustrating to not be able to select a cabin and that because of my husband's motion sickness we can’t have any cabin. 

 

They responded and said if I need help to call them. 

 

So then I responded and said I want to be able to see what cabins are available for any cruises we might be interested in.  I want to see things before we make a decision.  And I was curious why most cabins are guarantee only and not open like they used to be.

 

 

They responded:  We understand.   In December Princess made all lead-in categories by meta (and select sub-meta).   Guarantee only (IF,BF,MF, etc).  If you are selecting a category other than lead-in, it will show what is available.  It may be on those sailings, only the Guaranteed cabin categories are available.  If you ever need assistance or would like us to check availability feel free to IM them

 

I wrote back – thanks for responding but I have no idea what this means and I’m pretty sure not many people will.   Whatever the changes are it kinda sucks and I feel like it will be way too much effort on my part to book a cruise like I used to.  I still don’t understand why I can’t just find a cruise we want and book it without jumping through a bunch of hoops.  We will have to re-think future cruises with princess.    But it’s been real😊

 

Maybe others know what the heck Meta and sub-meta mean but I sure don't  I think this was the definition of a 'non answer'

 

 

This explains my experience trying to book a forward Lido balcony or deluxe balcony a year out.  Guarantee only showing available. Emailed my PVP and she gave me a half dozen rooms to choose from. Never hurts to call (or have your TA) call and ask.

[cruise_critical]

2 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

Was it a non refundable deposit?

Yes up to a cerain point (below) as per their standard policy. I have until mid-June to cancel without losing the deposit as mine is in mid-December.

https://www.princess.com/plan/standard-cancellation-refund-policy/

 

[Wishing on a star]

I have not found a TA or a PVP who will offer any of these blocked and/or GTY cabins.

I would love if somebody here who has had luck getting a 'blocked' cabin could send me some info that might help.  That we so much appreciated.

 

Maybe they are able, or willing, to help with the lead-in sub-category.

But, that does not solve the issues with being able to choose a cabin in a higher sub-category.

 

I just wanted to point out that we want to select a higher level cabin, not a lead in, but a DA on the Sun Princess.   So much blocking that none will show below deck 14. 

This problem with the unacceptable amount of blocking is NOT just these lead-in categories.

 

Everybody here should be letting Princess know that this is a problem, and perhaps a deal-breaker issue when one can not choose a cabin that is desirable or even 'acceptable'.

 

[Steelers36]

3 hours ago, waltd said:

Problem I have with the Guarantee's now is most if not all are non refundable deposit..    

Only the lead-in's are Non-Ref.  Guests can elect GTY option in almost any cabin category, but if you are booking a BA (for example) and elect GTY, the deposit is Refundable.

[Steelers36]

3 hours ago, cruise_critical said:

I recently booked a Royal Princess cruise for end of Dec. I made a "free" hold booking in a Guaranteed Reserved Class Mini Suite for 2A 2C. Then the next day, Princess called me trying to lock that in with a deposit by offering me extra on board credit. Then he asked what cabin location I preferred and told him near evelevators in the middle, and prefer large room / large balcony etc. Then I made the deposit. Later, I noticed that I was assigned M1 Accessible which is nearly 2x the size of a normal M1. I guess it's secured for now until there are enough bookings that genuinely needs them. 

 

Moral of the story, maybe call to make a booking over the phone instead of online, to try and get them to book you in a cabin that you want.

When you stated your preference, why didn't you have the rep tell you what he had in mind and then check it real-time against the deck plan?

 

[jwattle]

6 minutes ago, Wishing on a star said:

I have not found a TA or a PVP who will offer any of these blocked and/or GTY cabins.

I would love if somebody here who has had luck getting a 'blocked' cabin could send me some info that might help.  That we so much appreciated.

 

Maybe they are able, or willing, to help with the lead-in sub-category.

But, that does not solve the issues with being able to choose a cabin in a higher sub-category.

 

I just wanted to point out that we want to select a higher level cabin, not a lead in, but a DA on the Sun Princess.   So much blocking that none will show below deck 14. 

This problem with the unacceptable amount of blocking is NOT just these lead-in categories.

 

Everybody here should be letting Princess know that this is a problem, and perhaps a deal-breaker issue when one can not choose a cabin that is desirable or even 'acceptable'.

 

A lot of the blocking on the Sun is TA's holding space.

[Steelers36]

16 minutes ago, cruise_critical said:

Yes up to a cerain point (below) as per their standard policy. I have until mid-June to cancel without losing the deposit as mine is in mid-December.

https://www.princess.com/plan/standard-cancellation-refund-policy/

 

Folks, this is Aussie rules and not same as N.A. market.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I imagine that TA's are holding space, especially on those first sailings.

But, It seems that most of this 'blocking' is the way Princess is handling their bookings.

I can see that cabins are available, but not shown during booking.

There are some very real issues with the way Princess is making cabins available.

 

 

[PacnGoNow]

8 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Folks, this is Aussie rules and not same as N.A. market.

 

Yes.  Looks like a world cruise.

[Cajuntraveler]

11 hours ago, Wishing on a star said:

I would love if somebody here who has had luck getting a 'blocked' cabin could send me some info that might help.  That we so much appreciated.

 I have been able to see available cabins and prices on Regal Princess by selecting 3 passengers instead of 2.  After I get to the cabin listing page, I return to the number of passengers page and change it to 2.  The available cabins still appear and I am able to select the cabin I want. I have not completed a booking using this method, but at least I can see what is available and the price. BTW, I am looking at Reserve mini suite cabins - not the "lead in" category.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Note on the Cruise Critic rule about naming Travel Agents:  if your 'hint' is clear enough to be useful, it is a violation of the rule.

[DJ Cruisers]

Well I am not happy with this new system either.  I just tried to book a Deluxe Balcony (DB) and it showed only Guarantees for any category.  So I changed the number of passengers to 3 instead of 2 and cabins showed up available.  I called Princess to try and book one of the available ones.  The agent was very nice and contacted his supervisor to try to get me the cabin.  She gave him a tip on how to book it but it didn't work.  So I was told I could only book it as a Guarantee.  I told him I wasn't interested in doing that, I want to know I have a cabin I like.

 

What a ridiculous policy.  I'll try calling our TA on Monday and see if she has any luck.  Has anyone had any success with this recently?

 

 

[rjack22]

Same thing happened to me but I had better results.   This was about 4-6 weeks ago. Tried booking a Deluxe Balcony for two guests and none available.   Made it 3 guests and all kinds of Deluxe Balconies showed up.    So I called Princess.  My luck was better than yours.   My representative was able to get me it.   I would suggest you keep trying until a representative can help you.

 

Also I have heard that another work-around is to actually book for 3 guests and then later drop the 3rd passenger.

 

Good luck and keep trying!

Edited June 3, 2023 by rjack22

[sunviking90]

2 hours ago, DJ Cruisers said:

Well I am not happy with this new system either.  I just tried to book a Deluxe Balcony (DB) and it showed only Guarantees for any category.  So I changed the number of passengers to 3 instead of 2 and cabins showed up available.  I called Princess to try and book one of the available ones.  The agent was very nice and contacted his supervisor to try to get me the cabin.  She gave him a tip on how to book it but it didn't work.  So I was told I could only book it as a Guarantee.  I told him I wasn't interested in doing that, I want to know I have a cabin I like.

 

What a ridiculous policy.  I'll try calling our TA on Monday and see if she has any luck.  Has anyone had any success with this recently?

 

 

Like @rjack22 I have also had success at getting my PVP to book a cabin that only showed as bookable for 3. A lot of these deluxe balconies on Royal Class ships are held for triples it seems.

[DJ Cruisers]

Thanks for your replies.  We will keep trying.  Going to put my husband on it Monday maybe he will have more luck.  It wouldn't be the first time he does better than me.

[Buckeye10640]

1 hour ago, sunviking90 said:

Like @rjack22 I have also had success at getting my PVP to book a cabin that only showed as bookable for 3. A lot of these deluxe balconies on Royal Class ships are held for triples it seems.

Wish  Princess would put actual seating, like a loveseat, in balcony cabins like many other lines do. Thats all I want, dont need actual sleeping arrangements for 3.  Any chance they are doing this on the new Sun?