Help! Need cabin change on upcoming cruise

[SHIPMEOUT]

I sympathize with your dilemma, Cocopuff. I too would be upset with the turn of events.

 

However, as others have said, booking a guarantee could have you end up just about anywhere on the ship.

 

The way I understand it, a guarantee isn't "cheaper", but how you would use it is to book at least one category below what you would "ideally" like, but would still settle for if you didn't get upgraded. For example, paying a cheaper BD category price, and potentially getting upgraded to the more expensive BC or BB category, thus the guarantee savings. However, as you now know, the room assignment is a crapshoot and you never know where you'll end up. In my opinion, to book a guarantee, you really have to not care where you end up staying on the ship. In your case with 2 rooms involved, there's no way you could expect them to stay together when one (or worse, both) are booked as guarantees.

 

Have you always booked directly with the cruise line on your 25 past cruises or used a TA at times? The "no upgrade" notation must have been offered and explained to you and your husband no matter who you booked with. Personally, I will never book a guarantee, because I always want to book an exact cabin location, based on the itinerary, particular ship, etc. and we always mark "no upgrades". But, that's just me, I know that many others may not be as obsessed about it as me.:rolleyes:

 

Unfortunately, you may have no other recourse at this late date other than to keep phoning Princess, (keep trying to speak to a supervisor), etc., and be as early as possible boarding the ship and see if you can work something out if there are any "no-shows". If I were you, I would be prepared to pay for something in a higher category if I could get 2 rooms closer together. Alternatively, even accept a category lower if there are 2 rooms closer together there.

 

A hard lesson learned indeed. I wish you good luck with this and hope it works out for you, and that you and your family do enjoy your cruise.

 

Cindy

[3GR8Sons]

Although in theory this sounds like a good plan. I guarantee you that guest realations would not sanction something like this. And in fact if it was done without their approval, the neighbors being asked may possibly complain and then there could be a real problem. This is something I don't think I would even consider.

We all wished that others traveling were as considerate as we are, but that isn't always the case, unfortunately.

 

But the room steward might be willing to help make it happen.

[spongerob]

Since both cabins were on a "guarantee", and the Deck 15 cabin is a higher category than the same cabin on Deck 8, I've asked Princess to try to move someone else with a guarantee to the better cabin on Deck 15, and put my mother and daughter on Deck 8 near us.

If this cannot be resolved, my suggestion would be to put your mother and daughter on deck 8, and you and your husband take the deck 15 cabin. In the extremely unlikely event of an emergency muster, your mother would be only 1 deck away from the muster stations. Also, make sure that the cabin steward is aware that your mother would need assistance during an emergency.

[SHIPMEOUT]

But the room steward might be willing to help make it happen.

 

I don't think the room steward would have the power to do this.

[MaryPoppinz]

If you don't have any luck with Princess (and I hope you do, you really do have an unusual situation and I commend you for going back to cruising *at all* after that!) why don't you check your roll call thread? There may be someone there with a comparable cabin on deck 8 or 15 who would be open to switching with you after you have all boarded?

[Crown Prince]

It may be that the 2 bookings were not even cross-referenced. NUP (No Upgrade) code cannot be put on a Guaranteed Booking.

 

Also, if it is close to sailing, guarantees may be the only thing available to book.

 

What I cannot understand is why she booked with a T.A. and then her husband booked Direct. If she had called her T.A. for the second cabin, the T.A. may have advised her to change her booking to 2 adjacent, assigned cabins, cross-referenced, and coded NUP ;)

[sunshine426]

If you don't have any luck with Princess (and I hope you do, you really do have an unusual situation and I commend you for going back to cruising *at all* after that!) why don't you check your roll call thread? There may be someone there with a comparable cabin on deck 8 or 15 who would be open to switching with you after you have all boarded?

 

I was also on that cruise (we refer to it as the charred princess). Luckily my family experienced no harm, just the stress of all night in the muster station, having the cruise terminated etc.

 

But we have resumed cruising and had a wonderful cruise to Alaska, and will be cruising in the carribbean next month. We always attend the muster drill and have learned a few things that would help us in the very rare event that we had another cruise catastrophe.

[willysgrandma]

I sympathize with your dilemma, Cocopuff. I too would be upset with the turn of events.

 

The way I understand it, a guarantee isn't "cheaper", but how you would use it is to book at least one category below what you would "ideally" like, but would still settle for if you didn't get upgraded.

Cindy

 

That isn't quite correct. A guarantee is usually a little cheaper, sometimes only $10 or $20 per person cheaper, but it is usually less expensive.

[cherylandtk]

That isn't quite correct. A guarantee is usually a little cheaper, sometimes only $10 or $20 per person cheaper, but it is usually less expensive.

Not on Princess, not even a category such as Inside Guarantee or Balcony Guarantee. Other lines, yes, but not Princess. You can only book a specific grade along with a GTY of that grade, not type. Same price.

[SHIPMEOUT]

Not on Princess, not even a category such as Inside Guarantee or Balcony Guarantee. Other lines, yes, but not Princess. You can only book a specific grade along with a GTY of that grade, not type. Same price.

 

That was my understanding too.

 

Cindy

[Toto2Kansas]

That isn't quite correct. A guarantee is usually a little cheaper, sometimes only $10 or $20 per person cheaper, but it is usually less expensive.

 

We have never gotten a guarantee cabin cheaper on Princess, ever. The stateroom category we book the guarantee in is always the exact same price as if we would have actually booked a cabin assignment in that category. Not sure where this info is coming from, but I for one have NEVER experienced this happening.

[cdngrl]

We have never gotten a guarantee cabin cheaper on Princess, ever. The stateroom category we book the guarantee in is always the exact same price as if we would have actually booked a cabin assignment in that category. Not sure where this info is coming from, but I for one have NEVER experienced this happening.

i agree. i've also had no price reduction with a guarantee.

[Ken076]

coco - you booked "Guarantee" and you should know the groundrules for guarantee bookings - there's no linking and they can be anywhere. If you wanted cabins together, you have to book them that way. Princess is giving you exactly what you booked. ken