Guarantee - worth the risk?

[cruisebax]

We are thinking about booking a very last minute reservation on the Millenium (4/16) There is a guarantee balcony stateroom available. What is the worse that can happen by booking it? We are pretty flexible but like the balcony.

 

Also, will this cruise by overrun with children since it is over Easter?

 

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[ECCruise]

Find the balcony cabin that you consider to be absolutely the worst on the ship (far forward, far aft, whatever). If you are assigned this cabin, would you be OK with it? If yes, then book the guarantee. If no, pass on the guarantee...it probably will be the one you get :)

 

Will there be more children aboard due to Easter week? Yes, probably.

Will it be overrun? Probably not, but if you prefer an "adults only or close" experience this may not be it.

 

Hope this helps...

[JohnChiang]

When I booked a guaranteed balcony on Infinity to Hawaii, I got a handicap room right next to the glass elevators. There was little privacy on the balcony as I would wave to the people looking out of the glass elevators as it went up and down.

 

But since both the room and the balcony were 50% larger than a regular cabin, I didn't mind too much. Only about half the balcony was visible to those in the glass elevators.

[Brucemcdou]

I agree with ECCruise that you should check the deckplan and find what you would consider to be the worst cabin and then decide if you'd be OK with that cabin. For us, a connecting cabin with a noisy couple next door would be a nightmare and I wouldn't risk ruining a vacation for a few bucks if I had to listen to the couple next door yell at each other over the TV.:eek:

 

The one time we booked a guarantee cabin on Celebrity, we were able to change our cabin after it was assigned by checking that other cabins in the same category were still available and then calling them and politely asking to switch. But you can't assume you'll be able to do that.

 

Like JohnChiang, another time we were also "upgraded" at the last minute from a Cat 4 OV cabin to a Cat 2C handicapped balcony cabin next to the glass elevators. Presumably (hopefully!) nobody actually needed the cabin on the cruise so Celebrity offered it to us. The extra space was offset by the wheelchair-accessible configuration of the room and the bath, (no sofa, only a chair; a shower with water running over the floor and out the door) plus having strangers able to see into our balcony. In retrospect I wouldn't consider it an "upgrade" even for the balcony.

[newmexicoNita]

We are thinking about booking a very last minute reservation on the Millenium (4/16) There is a guarantee balcony stateroom available. What is the worse that can happen by booking it? We are pretty flexible but like the balcony.

 

Also, will this cruise by overrun with children since it is over Easter?

 

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Overrun with kids, we did an NCL cruise a few years ago that left on Easter Sunday, yes, some schools do get that week off so there will be more kids than say, a cruise the first week in May or Dec, but nothing like there have been the last 2 or 3 weeks or the next couple. If you like a balcony and the price is right grab it while you can. You are assured a balcony just not sure what deck it will be on. All balcony cabins will be about the same. NMNita

[chessbriar]

Do it. The worst balcony on the ship is still a great cabin

[cruisebax]

Thanks for your advice, I think we are going to do it.

[Nancyquilts]

I hope you took it - we have been very pleased with our guarantees. Nancy

[cruisebax]

Booked the guaranteed and ended up with on Panorama deck. Like someone already said, any room on a cruise with a balcony sounds good to me.