How do you all feel about GTYs?

[tammymacb]

I'm curious about the general consensus with GTYs?

 

Until a recent cruise, I was fine with them. I felt like I didn't spend that much time in the room, so why not get the cheapest ticket on the ship and hope for the best. I got the "best" ( well, not best, but fine rooms that I was ok with) for several cruises. Then, I got the upgrade that landed me directly below the disco. :eek: I truly loved my cruise, ( Easter, spring break on Celebrity with my kids who had a great time, and as an added bonus my sister and BIL joined us) but trying to sleep was a nightmare. The thuuuump thumpthump thuuuump thumpthump of the bass..and when you were just getting a little used to it and trying to float off...the dang song would change and you'd have a whole new series of thumps to deal with...:eek: It was awful. I work at a very high stress job at a Medical University Hospital, I have school aged kids and I never get to sleep. And I promise, on that cruise, I didn't get to sleep on vacation either. However, I booked a GTY, knew the risks and lived with it.

 

Of course, I haven't booked a GTY since. ;) Now, I'd rather do my research, pay to pick my room and earn the right to complain if there is a major problem.

 

How do you all feel about GTY rooms? Worth the gamble or no?

[hockeyluver]

3 of our 4 cruises were gty and not a single problem with any of them. one was a 4a gty and we ended up with a balcony 8f. Second and third cruise we booked a IS gty and both times ended up with 4c. This time I booked a balcony gty keeping my fingers crossed for a good cabin :D

[ddunn]

I do not like GTY. I want to pick my room........and know what i am up against before i get there.

 

Just my opinion.......

 

Denise

[trarecar]

If you do a GTY with a group, will they try to keep you together. I booked a 4A GTY, but I wouldn't be adverse to getting updraded to balcony, with the other group members. LOL

[PA Dutchman]

Never had a problem with GTY. We have done 6 so far all 8A balcony and have ended up all over the place. Noise don't bother us, we have the TV going all the time and never hear anything from the outside.

[GoinCruisin]

I always do a GTY (well, almost always :p) and have no problem with it... I also am not one that expects an upgrade, so I'm never disappointed... I don't care where my cabin is... I wake up early and stay up late so noise isn't a factor... I prefer booking a GTY unless we are with a group and decide to book all the AFT's :D That is becoming my preferred method of booking!!!!

[Cotton]

I like knowing exactly where I'll be on the ship, so I choose the specific cabin I want.

[GayleR]

We booked guarantee with our last cruise and were happy with what we received. We booked specific rooms this time b/c we are taking my parents and I wanted to know that their cabin would be ahead of time. I always pack earplugs for all cruises as you never know who your neighbors are going to be. Sometimes they are noisy....crying babies, yelling kids, etc.....

[mrdood]

There is no guarantee with a guarantee, it can be a great way to save money, and possibly get a free upgrade, but you have to be prepared to receive the lowest category cabin in the worst location.

 

If that is not acceptable, don't book it :eek:

[momofzeke]

I prefer booking a specific cabin. I like being able to choose exactly where my cabin is, and I like being down low (Riviera) and in the middle of the ship. Plus, I always make sure I'm not directly below something noisy like the casino, disco, etc.

 

I am kind of an "overplanner" anyway ~ I like having everything planned ahead of time. So, I would be too stressed out over where I might end up with a guarantee.

[iamgolden]

Will never do it again. Inspiration Cat 11 guar. check out my balcony:

[lizardhowson]

I'm curious about the general consensus with GTYs?

 

Until a recent cruise, I was fine with them. I felt like I didn't spend that much time in the room, so why not get the cheapest ticket on the ship and hope for the best. I got the "best" ( well, not best, but fine rooms that I was ok with) for several cruises. Then, I got the upgrade that landed me directly below the disco. :eek: I truly loved my cruise, ( Easter, spring break on Celebrity with my kids who had a great time, and as an added bonus my sister and BIL joined us) but trying to sleep was a nightmare. The thuuuump thumpthump thuuuump thumpthump of the bass..and when you were just getting a little used to it and trying to float off...the dang song would change and you'd have a whole new series of thumps to deal with...:eek: It was awful. I work at a very high stress job at a Medical University Hospital, I have school aged kids and I never get to sleep. And I promise, on that cruise, I didn't get to sleep on vacation either. However, I booked a GTY, knew the risks and lived with it.

 

Of course, I haven't booked a GTY since. ;) Now, I'd rather do my research, pay to pick my room and earn the right to complain if there is a major problem.

 

How do you all feel about GTY rooms? Worth the gamble or no?

 

Exactly why I always pick my room.

 

With the past guest discount and included upgrades, I always get the guarantee price anyway.

[firefly333]

Im getting the idea that the pendulum has swung to positive. I read a old thread from 2004 I think it was about tips and things they have learned and post after post saying "dont book a guarantee" or "I wouldnt ever book a guarantee again".

 

Now I see post after post to book a guarantee in hopes the upgrade fairy will hit you.

[Cruise, J.D.]

I like GTYs. I don't really care where the cabin is.

[firefly333]

If you do a GTY with a group, will they try to keep you together. I booked a 4A GTY, but I wouldn't be adverse to getting updraded to balcony, with the other group members. LOL

 

Iv heard they will try and get you on the same deck, but thats not always the case. You could be spread out all over the ship. Even on the same deck, its a long walk from one end to the other of the ship.

 

lol everyone wouldnt mind getting upgraded to a balcony. Me too lol. One can dream, even if the chances are about 1/10 of 1% huh? Count me in.

[luvtrips]

This is our fourth cruise, and we always book the cheapest room we can get, which is just fine with us. Literally, the only thing we do in there is sleep and change clothes anyway, so we don't mind. Cheap rooms mean more trips! We've always booked the guarantee, just in case the upgrade fairy wants to call. I would just consider it a nice surprise, and nothing to count on. Our first three cruises, we didn't recieve any upgrades, but, guess what. I just checked my status on Carnival website yesterday, and we got an upgrade! We went from a 4a inside to a 5a with french doors. It's an obstructed view, but we're thrilled anyway. The inside had NO view!:)

[RjayB]

Exactly why I always pick my room.

 

With the past guest discount and included upgrades, I always get the guarantee price anyway.

 

Exactly...why book a guarantee when (as a past guest) you can choose your cabin for the same price?:confused:

[dan40]

Will never do it again. Inspiration Cat 11 guar. check out my balcony:

 

The problem was not doing a GTY. It was doing a cat.11 on a FANTASY class ship. Even the best cat. 11 [forward of yours] have lousy balconies. The people that come up the ladder to look out the front are practically standing on your balcony. And the cat. 11's on this class ship are just a teensy bit bigger than an ordinary 8A on the ships built in the "Balcony Age." I do BL GTY's on the newer ships because fore or aft or up high are not concerns to us. And there are no bad cat 8's or better on the new ships. Won't do GTY's for 4's or 6's unless the price has money coming my way.

 

You'll do much better on a new ship.

 

Dan

[hubofhockey]

I pick my cabin because I need a balcony cabin with an upper bed (to get separate beds for the kids) and there just aren't many of those available even a year out in advance. I also like to know in general where I'll be. I don't want to be below the pool or above or below a place with too much noise or even too close to elevators. It's worth a couple hundred for a piece of mind and as others have mentioned, with price drops and upgrades, the price difference at the end may not be much different.

[tinyrose]

Ten Carnival cruises---ten inside gty bookings within the last 4 years. Results = 5 insides ( 1 Rivieria, 1 Main, 1 Upper, 1 Empress, and 1 Lido) + 4 OV (2 Rivieria, 1 Main, and 1 Empress) + 1 Verandah BAL

 

I booked another inside gty for November 2008 on the Freedom when prices were really low. Am planning to book a December 2007 cruise and a February 2008 cruise; those will be GTY too. Crossing my fingers. So far, our rooms have been great!

 

I love cruising! And the only way that I can afford to cruise frequently is to book the cheapest cabins.

 

Rosetta

[sherin65]

I like being able to choose exactly where my cabin is, and I like being down low (Riviera) and in the middle of the ship.

Exactly!

This thread is very timely for me. The cruise I'm taking in Dec. is a group cruise that my mom(lives in Jax) invited my sis and I on. I found out yesterday when talking to the ta involved that I wanted to pick a lower deck, midship, room because my mom and sis have motion problems and mom has a hard time doing a lot of walking. The ta said if we keep the gty we'll have a much better chance of getting an upgrade.

How good will the upgrade be if there are 3 of us in the room? I know the booking for this trip recently opened and Carnival is offering great deals to fill the ship but I'm sure the suites and large balcony rooms will fill up. My mom wants to keep the gty but I think we should lock in with my cabin of choice, especially to avoid ending up very forward.

It's hard for me(a devout CC'r) to not have control over my booking. :cool:

 

Sher

[luv2cruise777l]

Will never do it again. Inspiration Cat 11 guar. check out my balcony:

 

That's really sad to spend that kind of money for a cat 11 gty and get to look out at the lifeboats.:eek: I would never do a gty booking! I like to know where my cabin is and what's around it. Some people will get lucky with their upgrades but there will be some who don't. That's how the cruiselines get rid of those less desirable cabins because there are always going to be people who book wanting to spend less money hoping for upgrades.:)

[cruisinbuddy]

I only found out about gtys about 1700 CC posts ago. I had already done 4 cruises and was never offered it. But from reading all the threads on it, I don't want to be surprised with having a bl with a lifeboat hanging right there or being in a cabin right above the piano bar. I like to book specific cabins so I know what I'm getting.

[MARRIEDATSEA]

good thread, Tammy.

My first three cruises I have paid and picked my balcony room...my 08 trip is the first time I am doing the GTY...(it saved me 200 bucks)...I'll be interested to see what others have to say.

[hutt1]

We booked ocean view guarantees the last cruise and are doing it again on the Glory. We will have a window and we won't end up under the Lido deck. The 6 A's and B's are low on the ship which is great for keeping motion sickness under control. Most of the rooms in this category are in a good location. Since I could play bingo alone and lose, we don't have to worry about the upgrade fairy!