Is it possible to receive a suite with a balcony stateroom guarantee?

[rebburke]

A cruise I am booked on has no balcony staterooms available but has a balcony stateroom guarantee category listed but is states "With this selection, you are guaranteed to receive a balcony stateroom, which could be in any balcony category (excluding suites), anywhere on the ship. Room assignments may be determined at any time after your reservation has been completed and paid in full up to the day of sailing." Does this mean I cannot be upgraded to a suite? Prior to reading their statement I figured there would be a pretty good change of receiving a JS since there were lots of those and no balconies available. Has the policy on guarantees changed???

[teajak]

Since it says excluding suites I would assume not.Just because it doesn't show any balconies doesn't mean they won't have some available later.

[grod19]

sometimes they will upgrade you but many times they will upgrade someone in a suite and give you their suite. There is a chance you will get a suite but not a very good one.

[Boo Boo]

I believe that it means "very unlikely" - of course, nothing is impossible... but I wouldn't book the "balcony gaurantee" thinking that you have a good chance of a JS.... you wouldn't have a "good chance", but anything is possible.

 

The most likely scenario is that they would either:

- wait to allocate you a specific stateroom (people cancel bookings all the time - they could wait for someone else to cancel, then give you that stateroom).

- upgrade someone else to a JS (i.e. someone with C&A status, someone who booked very early or someone who paid more for their cabin - not sure what algorithm they use to work out who to upgrade), then give you the balcony room they vacate.

 

That doesn't mean that they wont put you into a JS (either now or later on), but don't count on it being "likely". If you definitely want a JS, book a JS.

 

Good luck :)

Boo

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

My understanding is that you will not be upgraded to a suite unless they overbook the balconies. Since they can't downgrade you to an oceanview or inside, they have nowhere to go but up. :) But when the suites aren't selling as well as projected, they often run a suite guarantee offer until whatever quota they have is met. That way they can charge a bit more and fill their suites, rather than just upgrading people with balcony guarantees.

 

I'm sure it seems strange to have a balcony guarantee available when no balcony rooms are showing, but you also have to bear in mind that we never see the actual available inventory of rooms.

 

Of course, this is just what I've learned in my own research . . . I am not an RCI employee, nor do I play one on TV. :D

[Boo Boo]

I'm sure it seems strange to have a balcony guarantee available when no balcony rooms are showing' date=' but you also have to bear in mind that we never see the [i']actual [/i]available inventory of rooms.

 

And that available inventory changes over time... i.e. with a "gaurantee", they don't always assign youa specific cabin straight away - gives them more flexibility until closer the sailing date...

 

Boo

[rebburke]

Thanks everyone for input. The saildate is just two weeks off so it is interesting that they would offer this and not a suite guarantee as there are suites available but no balconies.

[debbie83]

I booked a balcony guarantee on RCI and was upgraded to a junior suite - an aft one at that.:) I don't usually have that kind of luck, but I definitely made out well that time. I have no idea how I ended up getting so lucky. There were balconies available when I booked, and it never occurred to me that I'd be upgraded. They were offering really great prices, and I booked last minute (less than a month before sailing). I guess so many people booked that they ran out of balconies. I was actually trying to get an oceanview, but after several days of thinking about whether I should go, the oceanviews sold out. I can tell you that I booked directly through RCI. When I booked a guarantee last summer through a travel agency, I ended up in the lowest category I could have. That's not a complaint; I'd take that room in a heartbeat again for the price I got. It's just that I wonder if going through RCI increased my odds of getting a better room. Good luck. Even if you don't get upgraded, I'm guessing the rate you're getting on a balcony will still be a good deal.

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

I booked a balcony guarantee on RCI and was upgraded to a junior suite - an aft one at that.:) They were offering really great prices, and I booked last minute (less than a month before sailing). I guess so many people booked that they ran out of balconies.

 

There you go, then . . . in the immortal words of Journey, "Don't stop believin'! " :D

[rebburke]

I love that song!!! And, you're right, anything can happen. I may go for it and I will let everyone know what happens.