Walk me off the ledge. GTY just received room number.

[m-of-connor]

I know it is a gamble when you book GTY and I thought we would be happy with any balcony they gave us.  I could not be more wrong.  I have been patiently awaiting our room assignment dreaming of sitting on my balcony watching the waves and looking for the little flying fishes.  Well that is not going to be the case on this trip. Yes, we have a balcony, but I can't sit and watch the waves or look for flying fish. I get to look out on a deck, I can see the ocean from a distant but holly heck I never knew these rooms existed. 

The ship is sold out so if anyone has stayed in one of the aft balconies on deck 6 (Voyager of the Seas) please tell me what you thought of it.  It is the most non balcony, balcony room I have encountered.  Who knew, lesson learned. 

 

 

[Tree_skier]

Aft balconies are awesome but I've never had one on deck 6.  What is your cabin number and I'll find some pics.

 

[Cruise5life]

49 minutes ago, m-of-connor said:

I know it is a gamble when you book GTY and I thought we would be happy with any balcony they gave us.  I could not be more wrong.  I have been patiently awaiting our room assignment dreaming of sitting on my balcony watching the waves and looking for the little flying fishes.  Well that is not going to be the case on this trip. Yes, we have a balcony, but I can't sit and watch the waves or look for flying fish. I get to look out on a deck, I can see the ocean from a distant but holly heck I never knew these rooms existed. 

The ship is sold out so if anyone has stayed in one of the aft balconies on deck 6 (Voyager of the Seas) please tell me what you thought of it.  It is the most non balcony, balcony room I have encountered.  Who knew, lesson learned. 

 

 

What your issue.  You pick GTY so you knew the risk.    
But an aft balcony is awesome.   So not sure what ledge you need to be talked down from.    

 

[m-of-connor]

We have had an aft balcony before and this is not the same.  Please go take a look at this balcony and you will see that you have a deck for at least 100 to 200 ft and railing all along it. You have to look at deck 6!  This is the strangest balcony I have encountered.

Please take a look at deck 6 aft Balconies. 6390, 6690, 6392, 6394, 6692. 6694

[Tree_skier]

7 minutes ago, m-of-connor said:

We have had an aft balcony before and this is not the same.  Please go take a look at this balcony and you will see that you have a deck for at least 100 to 200 ft and railing all along it. You have to look at deck 6!  This is the strangest balcony I have encountered.

Please take a look at deck 6 aft Balconies. 6390, 6690, 6392, 6394, 6692. 6694

I did, which one do you have.  The corner one while being obstructed have a very large deck.  Probably 4 times bigger the typical balconies, the ones beside it are typical width but double the length.  Instead of a two small chairs you get two small chairs as well as two full size loungers and tables.  True you can't look directly down at the water but I'd gladly take one of those over a typical balcony cabin all the time.  I understand it wasn't what thought you might get but I think you may be pleasantly surprised once you get it.

[MommaBear55]

We would always take an aft over anything else. We are on deck 9 on Explorer, sister ship, and although we can't see water directly down, we can see it for miles in an 180 degree view. 

[Scottdalfonso]

Here are videos of most of those rooms.... I see what you are saying, but honestly I think you'll still be happy with it.  People love these balconies and I'm surprised they were even the ones they assigned for GTY. https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/ships/deckbydeck.php?ship=Voyager-of-the-Seas&deck=6

[A&L_Ont]

Unfortunately the GTY is a calculated risk that comes with a savings. Sorry it didn’t work out as you wished. 
 

I have seen folks on CC that have praised these aft rooms, so hopefully you will grow accustomed to the view.

[Cruise a holic]

It is a gamble to take a guarantee.  Only time to get a good location is if you book a true suite.  If not, a suite guarantee will almost definately get you a junior suite- 

[OCSC Mike]

Good example here relating to people who say "you'll likely get an undesirable cabin" when you book a GTY.

 

Cabin preferences are not universal. Most posters seem to covet aft facing balconies but the OP isn't happy with one. What is desirable to one person may not be desirable to another.

Edited October 18, 2023 by OCSC Mike

[RD64]

If you play the guarantee game, you have to go in with the expectation that you may be assigned a cabin you wouldn’t knowingly pay for.

[BND]

There's a simple way around getting a cabin you don't want.  We have always selected our cabin so it's never a surprise.   We wouldn't be happy with an aft balcony because when we've been in the aft of a ship that has a lot of motion, it really makes me feel it more.  I know gty is normally cheaper than selecting your own, but is a few hundred dollars worth more than comfort or location?  There are several posts a week by people who don't like where their gty cabin is.  GTY is how Royal gets cabins booked that normally might go unsold.  They're not doing it to save cruisers money, they're doing it to make money on cabins that might not sell otherwise.  

[OCSC Mike]

29 minutes ago, BND said:

is a few hundred dollars worth more than comfort or location?

 

To some yes, to some no. It's personal preference.

[deliver42]

I've never booked a guaranty cabin, and never will. I want to pick where I am. If I'm paying thousands for a cruise, I'm not looking to save a couple of hundred and not being happy where they put me. I'll only get what they couldn't sell.

[BND]

1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

To some yes, to some no. It's personal preference.

Most of the complaints from people who book gty cabins are location and how can I change my cabin.  Both can easily be avoided.  

[bayou cruiser]

The aft balcony on the Voyager last year was my favorite balcony!  I wasn't on deck six, but the room was much larger and the balcony was huge!  Don't be too upset until you actually see it, you may just be pleasantly surprised.  And the head waiter on Voyager for MTD is the BEST we have ever had.  He is outstanding.  Enjoy your trip.

[OCSC Mike]

1 minute ago, BND said:

Most of the complaints from people who book gty cabins are location and how can I change my cabin.  Both can easily be avoided.  

 

Some people have budget constraints. Spending the extra money is not easy for everyone.

 

But yes, if certain locations will ruin one's cruise, they probably should not risk GTY's.

[time4u2go]

I would hate that view as well.  I enjoy being able to look straight down or almost straight down onto the water.  But that's the nature of a guarantee room.

[Jimbo]

What ship and what is the sailing date. Sometimes cabins open up before your sailing date, you could switch to another cabin in the same category for no charge.

 

Just keep watching for available cabins and be on the ready to switch.

Edited October 18, 2023 by Jimbo

[Starry Eyes]

Chock it up to a lesson learned.

 

On the bright side, it will be a large balcony and may have extra furniture.  Some people with those large balconies pack a rope hammock.

 

Though the ship is currently sold out, there is a chance people will have to cancel, potentially opening a balcony in your category.  So if you are truly unhappy, stalk the web for availability for your cruise; maybe you will be lucky.  

[Scottdalfonso]

I agree that the view is not as nice as a regular balcony, some people love it, some won't.  Some people have no problem where a room is, or financially it just makes sense. Some are willing or able to pay for the luxury of picking a specific room.  I like to know where my room is ahead of time because I'm a weirdo and like to plan WAY in advance. If it came to saving a lot of money, I may consider a GTY and take the gamble- but that's totally up to the person. 

[Cruise5life]

9 hours ago, m-of-connor said:

We have had an aft balcony before and this is not the same.  Please go take a look at this balcony and you will see that you have a deck for at least 100 to 200 ft and railing all along it. You have to look at deck 6!  This is the strangest balcony I have encountered.

Please take a look at deck 6 aft Balconies. 6390, 6690, 6392, 6394, 6692. 6694

Why don’t you just tell us what cabin you got already so we can see what you got and not make us guess what you have.  
how can we walk you off the ledge if we don’t know what ledge your on.     
just sayin.   

[rockmom]

9 hours ago, Cruise5life said:

What your issue.  You pick GTY so you knew the risk.    
But an aft balcony is awesome.   So not sure what ledge you need to be talked down from.    

 

That's a aft on deck 8.  There's a huge difference compared to deck six when it comes to aft 'balcony' rooms.  Deck 6 is really a railing that separates the rooms patio area from a very large open, flat deck area.  I'm not sure how they get away with calling them a balcony, to be honest.  

[Cruise5life]

3 minutes ago, rockmom said:

That's a aft on deck 8.  There's a huge difference compared to deck six when it comes to aft 'balcony' rooms.  Deck 6 is really a railing that separates the rooms patio area from a very large open, flat deck area.  I'm not sure how they get away with calling them a balcony, to be honest.  

Yes now after looking closer I see what they are talking about.  
https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/ships/deckbydeck.php?ship=Voyager-of-the-Seas&deck=6

 

here⬆️  You can see videos of many of the aft cabins.   And for a GTY cabin. I’d be very happy with the cabin.  It’s the chance you take.  

[time4u2go]

4 minutes ago, rockmom said:

That's a aft on deck 8.  There's a huge difference compared to deck six when it comes to aft 'balcony' rooms.  Deck 6 is really a railing that separates the rooms patio area from a very large open, flat deck area.  I'm not sure how they get away with calling them a balcony, to be honest.  

I was thinking the exact same thing.  A deck 8 corner is a whole lot different than a deck 6 middle aft (if that's what the OP has).