Guarantee assignment

[Jancruz]

4 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

My Next Observation on the Topic of Guarantee Stateroom:

 

I thought that my ship which only had two Oceania and on Owners Suite left would have lower stateroom show up when the Final Payment was due.  Following my thought, it seems if folks were going to cancel, they would do so before final payment.  Well the final payment was last Friday, on PH1 showed up and it was gone and never came back.  

 

Not what I thought would happen.  I find this very interesting.  Maybe the lack of cancelations is because the sale that filled the ship up was a really good one.  No one wants to lost the valuable fair they have.  Maybe it is another reason.  Again, just interesting to watch.

 

Back to logic.  I have no earthly idea how many Guarantees Oceania books in a given category.  To me this means that all that stateroom Category are sold and assigned to a guest. So, Guarantee followed by waitlist as Oceania's strategy to keep every stateroom filled. Kind of like a plane over booking passengers with the policy that you will be in a stateroom at your guarantee level or higher. 

 

Now I am interested to see what happens every time the penalty stage get higher.  I will report back. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Your confused because the premise you are looking at is the wrong one

Jancruz1

[Sthrngary]

2 minutes ago, Jancruz said:

Your confused because the premise you are looking at is the wrong one

Jancruz1

@Jancruz I know your experience and respect it.  Please share your knowledge.  I am not in the industry so I look at everything trying to make sense of it.  Your comments will be appreciated. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[FetaCheese]

6 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

My Next Observation on the Topic of Guarantee Stateroom:

 

I thought that my ship which only had two Oceania and on Owners Suite left would have lower stateroom show up when the Final Payment was due.  Following my thought, it seems if folks were going to cancel, they would do so before final payment.  Well the final payment was last Friday, on PH1 showed up and it was gone and never came back.  

 

Not what I thought would happen.  I find this very interesting.  Maybe the lack of cancelations is because the sale that filled the ship up was a really good one.  No one wants to lost the valuable fair they have.  Maybe it is another reason.  Again, just interesting to watch.

 

Back to logic.  I have no earthly idea how many Guarantees Oceania books in a given category.  To me this means that all that stateroom Category are sold and assigned to a guest. So, Guarantee followed by waitlist as Oceania's strategy to keep every stateroom filled. Kind of like a plane over booking passengers with the policy that you will be in a stateroom at your guarantee level or higher. 

 

Now I am interested to see what happens every time the penalty stage get higher.  I will report back. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

When I booked, Regatta, I wanted a Cat. D. (was on ESS); it was only available as a GTY.  3 weeks out, still no assignment.

[LHT28]

3 minutes ago, FetaCheese said:

When I booked, Regatta, I wanted a Cat. D. (was on ESS); it was only available as a GTY.  3 weeks out, still no assignment.

you may not get  a cabin number  until you show up at the port   then again you may get it tomorrow  😄

[FetaCheese]

5 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

you may not get  a cabin number  until you show up at the port   then again you may get it tomorrow  😄

Thanks.  Yes, I accepted the terms of GTY.  Checking everyday.  Not worried, as Jan has assured me I'll be on the ship!  

[jonthomas]

We also have not been assigned a cabin, sailing Regatta Sept 20, after being on the ship for the Sept 7 sailing.

Guess we will find out while on the ship.

[Brad1185]

When does one typically find out what cabin you do have 

[Jancruz]

3 hours ago, FetaCheese said:

When I booked, Regatta, I wanted a Cat. D. (was on ESS); it was only available as a GTY.  3 weeks out, still no assignment.

Feta email me

Jancruz1

[Jancruz]

4 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

@Jancruz I know your experience and respect it.  Please share your knowledge.  I am not in the industry so I look at everything trying to make sense of it.  Your comments will be appreciated. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

 Its hard to explain as I am very limited in what I can write on CC usually Im very good with what I can say..and appreciate the fact I am on this board, but in a case like this my hands (or fingers) are tied..if an when we meet I will be happy to explain it to you..Have a great week!!

Jancruz1

[Sthrngary]

I have been educated by members/travel agent, criticized and laughed at, for my amateurish study of the concept of Oceania Guaranteed Stateroom.  All of that was justified by everyone because everyday, with all the information I find, nothing seems to go the way one would logically think.  If my guesses were on a table game in Vegas, I am bankrupt. 

 

Example:  From a cruise that is completely Waitlisted at 90 days out which was the date that full payment was due.  At 75 days when the penalties are higher, there are maybe four (4) state rooms showing as available two of which are Oceania Suites or higher.  I would have thought a lot more and I would have been WRONG YET AGAIN.  

 

My conclusion for now is, I as a guest even with decades of cruise experience I don't have ANY clue how a cruise brand will strategize Guarantee Staterooms.  I have NO idea other than illness or personal emergencies why folks would pay the cruise in full, than cancel it losing money.  Maybe Cruise Insurance with Cancelation for any reason is a big part of the. The one definite fact is I have no clue. 

 

Now since I cannot draw any conclusions based on history because nothing is consistent, here is my completely valueless thought.  If you have a Guarantee Stateroom, know the "rules to the game".  Realize NO matter how much you want a specific stateroom location, or want your stateroom assigned quickly just to be out of the unknown phase; don't count on any of that happening.  We agreed to ANY stateroom with no renegotiation within that category or higher.  The likelihood of a higher stateroom status although possible, is still a bit of a longshot.  Gaining the worst possible stateroom on the ship for your category is also a possibility but not an absolute.  

 

It is luck of the draw maybe based on status, category guarantied under, number of guest that cancel late in the game, Travel Agencies Group Bookings, and "magic pixie dust". Another words, Who Really Knows!!!!!!!!   The only Guarantee is you will be on the ship, for the sailing at the category your booked or higher with that assignment done before the ship departs.  Would I do a Guarantee again, Absolutely under the same circumstances of a four category upgrade to a Guarantee.  Fun researching this topic and for all of us it is simply, a game of wait and see.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

[LHT28]

8 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

It is luck of the draw maybe based on status, category guarantied under, number of guest that cancel late in the game, Travel Agencies Group Bookings, and "magic pixie dust". Another words, Who Really Knows!!!!!!!!   The only Guarantee is you will be on the ship, for the sailing at the category your booked or higher with that assignment done before the ship departs.  Would I do a Guarantee again, Absolutely under the same circumstances of a four category upgrade to a Guarantee.  Fun researching this topic and for all of us it is simply, a game of wait and see.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

The moral of the story is

if you are  control person or  a nervous  Nelly/Ned   DO NOT BOOK A  GTY 😃

[RD64]

Regarding the worst possible cabins, someone will more than likely be sailing in them. Whether by choice or through the guarantee process. As long as you are willing to accept the possibility of being assigned the very worst cabin in a category, then the guarantee game is for you.

 

I recently played the “Guarantee Game” on another line. While the location was perfect, I would have never selected that cabin by choice. My days playing the game are over, and I will gladly pay extra to have the cabin / location that I want.

[FetaCheese]

12 days out, still no cabin assignment yet.  Fully waitlisted.

 

A D GTY, will be satisfied with it.  That's what I booked.  Not expecting anything better.

Edited August 26, 2023 by FetaCheese
Addl info

[flyer79]

Same here.  Sailing a week from today.   I presume we will get assigned at the port.  We are in an A4 Guarantee and all the A4s look acceptable to me so not worried about it.   The ship being fully waitlisted I certainly don't expect anything better.

 

 

[mauibabes]

@FetaCheese

I would follow up on that email to jancruz.  At this time Oceania may not have a room for you yet or maybe there are others in addition to you who they are also trying to place. Just “maybe” they have not found that guest who is willing to accept an offer they could not refuse. Call it “the price isn’t right yet”. We have accepted “buy outs” in the past and they can be QUITE lucrative, like a longer future cruise in a PH-1 when we were in an A-2 and 💵, 🤪👍.  Good luck and enjoy your cruise and we hope your angst was worth it.  
Mauibabes

[jonthomas]

We are also waiting to be assigned, sailing on sept 7 and have a balcony cabin, but the next leg, sept 20, LA to LA, we have an inside guarantee. All is sold out. 

We will be on the ship, so if not yet assigned, will be able to check once it comes through and if in the very nose or the very aft, will do our best to get something more mid ship. Yes, inside will do, but the motion will be difficult. Based on what we end up having, I reserve my judgement if I would ever book a guarantee again.

 

Has anyone been on the ship, waiting to hear where they are on the next leg?

 

Will let you know how it works out. 

[jonthomas]

Just to add to that, I have been told that if I had the right agent, all this would have been settled months ago. As it is, it is left up to luck. 

[mauibabes]

@jonthomas

And that’s the TRUTH as Lily Tomlin would say on Laugh In. Some TA’s are better connected than others and then some are BETTER than that. We all live and learn because it is not always about a discount from a TA. No unnecessary stress as my sanity and angst have value AND costs, JMHO.   
Have a great cruise.  

Mauibabes

[jonthomas]

Yup I hear you, but hard to say no to a rebate check  we just received from the agency we dealt with,  for 2 back to back cruises, sept 7 to 27, for $695 US. 

[FetaCheese]

1 hour ago, mauibabes said:

@FetaCheese

I would follow up on that email to jancruz.  At this time Oceania may not have a room for you yet or maybe there are others in addition to you who they are also trying to place. Just “maybe” they have not found that guest who is willing to accept an offer they could not refuse. Call it “the price isn’t right yet”. We have accepted “buy outs” in the past and they can be QUITE lucrative, like a longer future cruise in a PH-1 when we were in an A-2 and 💵, 🤪👍.  Good luck and enjoy your cruise and we hope your angst was worth it.  
Mauibabes

Thanks Maui, yes I did email Jan, when she asked me.  Said O would be working on GTY's this past week.

 

If Jan can't get it done, no one can!

 

Not really stressed, just patiently waiting.  Will most likely be assigned at check in, as GTY policy does stipulate.

[FetaCheese]

1 hour ago, jonthomas said:

We are also waiting to be assigned, sailing on sept 7 and have a balcony cabin, but the next leg, sept 20, LA to LA, we have an inside guarantee. All is sold out. 

We will be on the ship, so if not yet assigned, will be able to check once it comes through and if in the very nose or the very aft, will do our best to get something more mid ship. Yes, inside will do, but the motion will be difficult. Based on what we end up having, I reserve my judgement if I would ever book a guarantee again.

 

Has anyone been on the ship, waiting to hear where they are on the next leg?

 

Will let you know how it works out. 

Last cruise on O, Insignia 2019, Caribbean, was in inside, 7002 at bow.  Do not remember any unusual motion, but every voyage is unique.

[jonthomas]

That is right in the nose, I would not want that.

[Jancruz]

1 hour ago, FetaCheese said:

Thanks Maui, yes I did email Jan, when she asked me.  Said O would be working on GTY's this past week.

 

If Jan can't get it done, no one can!

 

Not really stressed, just patiently waiting.  Will most likely be assigned at check in, as GTY policy does stipulate.

Send me your info again and I will work on it Monday

Jancruz1

[FetaCheese]

1 hour ago, Jancruz said:

Send me your info again and I will work on it Monday

Jancruz1

Just sent.  Thanks

[jonthomas]

2 hours ago, FetaCheese said:

Just sent.  Thanks

Let us know how you do.

We booked the second leg many months ago, when all was available. I am hoping that because of that, they would assign cabins based on whose money they have had the longest. Yeah right, wishful thinking.