FYI: guarantee upgrades and "group" bookings

[BoiseIdahoSpud]

I thought some of you might be able to benefit from my recent experience with a guarantee booking.

Last fall my partner and I booked an SB guarantee cabin for an upcoming cruise. As the months passed, several friends and family decided to join us. Each of us had separate bookings through different agencies so we were never officially "booked as a group". Our original bookings were for: 1 SB guar, 1 SY guar, 2 VE guar, and 1 VF specific cabin.

Even though we had booked guarantee cabins, no one was upgraded and we all ended up in our original category. We were kept in an SB cabin which was fine because that's what we paid for. But then we noticed on the CC boards that lower category cabins for our cruise were receiving upgrades to SA.

As you might expect, this was a little mystifying to us as we had paid for a higher category guarantee cabin to begin with and wondered why we were "passed over" for the upgrade. Through a few very friendly and informative emails with a HAL rep in Seattle, we found out what had happened.

Cabins are assigned by the HAL Ship Inventory department. While didn’t book as a group, I was told that because I had linked our dining reservations to the same time and table we were, in effect, identified as a group in the HAL system.

Ship Inventory, with all good intentions even though we never made such a request, treated our cabin assignments as a group and tried their best to keep them as close together as possible. I was also told that when you are identified as a group, they avoid upgrading individual cabins within the group so that someone doesn't feel shortchanged. This is why those of us with guarantee bookings were passed over for upgrades.

In addition, we were told that Mariner day-count status is also a consideration in how upgrades are decided along with original date of booking, original category of booking, and fare paid.

If we sail with a group again in the future on guarantee bookings, we will make sure HAL knows in advance that we do not need to be kept together and are willing to take any upgrades.

This situation was handled very well by HAL and I sent a complimentary letter to the representative’s supervisor.

I hope you find this helpful for your future bookings.

Pete

[takemewithyou]

Thank you for this information. I do think it's very helpful in figuring out how upgrades are given.

[Oceanwench]

On a cruise with family in 2007, DH and I booked a specific VA cabin. [We can't do guarantee, as DH needs a HC cabin.]

 

Those with us booked four obstructed-view cabins - guarantee.

We were linked together only through our dinner arrangements.

We used two different travel agencies in booking.

All four with the obstructed-view cabins moved up one category, and all four upgraded cabins were close together.

[mrblack]

Hi thanks for the info. I'm wondering how many cabins in your group. We booked a guarantee and were hoping for an upgrade but we have also two couples who are joining us and are linked to our dinner seating so we can all be at the same table. We are the only couple who have sailed HAL before and we booked first, then they decided to join us. Mel

[BoiseIdahoSpud]

Hi thanks for the info. I'm wondering how many cabins in your group. We booked a guarantee and were hoping for an upgrade but we have also two couples who are joining us and are linked to our dinner seating so we can all be at the same table. We are the only couple who have sailed HAL before and we booked first, then they decided to join us. Mel

 

 

Hi Mel:

 

My original post has the details of our cabin bookings. 5 cabins total in 4 different categories. I would specifically instruct HAL that you want an upgrade if available.

 

Pete

[mrblack]

Thanks. I talked to HAL a few days ago because actually all our friends have received their docs but we haven't. They appear to be lost :( I'm not concerned though. The HAL agent said we likely would receive an upgrade because we've sailed 4 X before on HAL but would not know until a few days before departure. I will give them another call to make them aware we would like an upgrade for sure if possble despite being linked with our friends for dinner. Thanks again for the info. Mel:)

[Roz]

I almost always book guarantees - insides and obstructed outsides. It's the luck of the draw. Sometimes I've been upgraded, sometimes not. As has been said in these forums a million times, don't book a guarantee unless you would be happy with the guarantee category you booked.

 

Roz

[hammybee]

First and foremost, all upgrades function to benefit the cruise line. Either they need your cabin or they do not.

[Pam in CA]

One thing that surprised me on my Amsterdam cruise last month was the Cruise Sales Rep described Guarantees as a "Guaranteed Upgrade," telling passengers specifically that if you booked a GTY, you would definitely get an upgrade. It's my understanding that when you book a GTY, you will get the category you book or better, but it's never guaranteed that you will be automatically upgraded at least a category. Thus CCrs tell posters to book the GTY in the category you're willing to sail in. She repeated it several times to make sure everyone understood that if you booked a Guarantee, you were guaranteed an upgrade. IMHO, that was mis-leading.

[Roz]

I'm amazed the HAL sales rep said that. I've never heard of a GTY cabin referred to as a guaranteed upgrade. :confused:

 

Roz

[kryos]

Last fall my partner and I booked an SB guarantee cabin for an upcoming cruise. As the months passed, several friends and family decided to join us. Each of us had separate bookings through different agencies so we were never officially "booked as a group". Our original bookings were for: 1 SB guar, 1 SY guar, 2 VE guar, and 1 VF specific cabin.

Just a suggestion ... If you decide to do another family sailing in the future, you might want to consider booking it through one travel agent or at least agency. Depending upon how many cabins you book, you could get some nice group amenities by sailing as a "group," including possibly a cabin for free. This "free" cabin can either be turned back into the cruise line with the money used to offset the cabin prices of everyone in the group, or it could taken and used to bring along someone in the family who otherwise couldn't afford to join you. There are also other bennies for groups ... depending upon their size ... such as bottles of wine in the cabin, free photos, Pinnacle Grill dinners, etc.

 

I have a friend who is part of a very large family and they do a reunion every so many years. A couple of years ago, they decided to do it on a cruise and they all booked through one particular travel agency. Because of the size of their extended family -- brothers, sisters, in-laws, close family friends, etc. -- they had enough people to get something like two free cabins. They used those cabins to bring along several of the widowed mother-in-laws, mothers, etc. The mothers got a free cruise (I think they only had to pay some taxes and port charges, as well as their own onboard expenses) and the family members got some babysitting services in return. Nice for when you want to enjoy a more relaxed evening around the ship, or go on a special shore excursion where young kids would be a hassle. These folks getting the free cabins were only too happy to help out and the whole group had a wonderful stress-free cruise.

 

Booking as a group definitely has its benefits ... and they get better as the group gets larger.

 

Just an observation and a suggestion for the future.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[BoiseIdahoSpud]

Just a suggestion ...

Booking as a group definitely has its benefits ... and they get better as the group gets larger.

 

Just an observation and a suggestion for the future.

 

--rita

 

Thanks Rita. This group was never at a point of agreeing on what to do so we just booked the cruise through our TA and then told everyone we were going and gave them the contact info for our TA. As a former event planner, it would be a DREAM if we could ever be so forward thinking as to book in an actual group.:)

 

They used two different online discounters and saved some money over the fare that our TA was quoting. We have liked to have taken advantage of the group benes you speak of. Three of our travellers are singles so the extra $$ in savings was a big deal.

 

Pete

[BoiseIdahoSpud]

I almost always book guarantees - insides and obstructed outsides. It's the luck of the draw. Sometimes I've been upgraded, sometimes not. As has been said in these forums a million times, don't book a guarantee unless you would be happy with the guarantee category you booked.

 

Roz

 

Yes - I get that guar bookings are a crapshoot. Everyone knows that. We've done them several times.

 

The point of my original post is to inform others as to how being identified as a "group" may affect their ability to get an upgrade. We all booked cabin cats we were happy with.