Let Princess Choose.....

I am assuming that the option of cabin selection that allows Princess to choose for you is a guarantee. We have had much success with this type of booking and when the ship is not fully booked, I have been able to change the guarantee to a cabin more to my liking. My question is does anyone feel that the more cruises you have had with Princess, the better chance for a better cabin assignment? Just wondering...........

Some of the let Princess choose end up actual cabins and some are guarantees, at least when I'm booking/looking.

I actually like to have Princess show me what it thinks is the best available and then pop around the site checking out other options and locations.

If all i get is a guaranty, I'll assume that category is currently sold out, and yes, then you and I might get an upgrade.

The upgrade fairy just arrived for my November cruise and all is well.

The "Let Princess Choose" option is different than booking a guarantee. When you go through the online booking process and use the let princess choose feature the computer will select a cabin for you- that cabin will pop up in the booking window and display the price and room information. If the best option is a guarantee that may also be displayed but I have not experienced that as we don't typically use this feature so have limited exposure to it.

I am assuming that the option of cabin selection that allows Princess to choose for you is a guarantee. We have had much success with this type of booking and when the ship is not fully booked, I have been able to change the guarantee to a cabin more to my liking. My question is does anyone feel that the more cruises you have had with Princess, the better chance for a better cabin assignment? Just wondering...........

I feel that it is new Princess customer that is most likely to get the better upgrade, but have no actual inside information regarding Princess' actual practices.

Out of five guarantees booked - one went from IF to IB and passed on an upsell, one from IF to obstructed OV on an upsell, one from IF to IB to MB on a rebooking - got the mini suite for over $100 less than the interior booked, one still assigned IF and one unassigned IF. So it is a combination of upgrades, upsells, and watching for sudden and short lived price drops. Patience also seems to play a part of it.

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What I see when I click "Choose for me," is that they choose a specific cabin they think is best. On the cruise I selected (Crown Transatlantic, April 2018) they would have assigned me a very nice cabin. I can find one I would like better, but who can argue with that?

I think on Princess, guarantees are offered only when there are no specific cabins available, and they are assuming there will be cancellations. You will see "Cabin will be assigned before departure," or some such thing. We bit on something like that a couple of months ago and wound up with an attractive moveover offer.

Jim

If you are worried about where your cabin will be don't use this option.

Just pick the cabin you want.

Out of five guarantees booked - one went from IF to IB and passed on an upsell, one from IF to obstructed OV on an upsell, one from IF to IB to MB on a rebooking - got the mini suite for over $100 less than the interior booked, one still assigned IF and one unassigned IF. So it is a combination of upgrades, upsells, and watching for sudden and short lived price drops. Patience also seems to play a part of it.

 

 

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How do you book a 'guarantee' cabin?

How do you book a 'guarantee' cabin?

Guarantee is a category that shows only when there are no cabins left in a category. Upgrade should not be presumed.

"Let Princess Choose" is a time-saving step for people who have no specific cabin preference. Like Ticketmaster's "best available."

I am assuming that the option of cabin selection that allows Princess to choose for you is a guarantee. We have had much success with this type of booking and when the ship is not fully booked, I have been able to change the guarantee to a cabin more to my liking. My question is does anyone feel that the more cruises you have had with Princess, the better chance for a better cabin assignment? Just wondering...........

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I just use the let princess choose option although I booked through a big box TA for one cruise with the notation accepts any upgrade. Sometimes when you select pick for me the cabin is assigned quickly sometimes not.

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Not that I would not want any upgrade, but I always prefer to choose my preferred cabin upon booking. With this, I have also received, and accepted, attractive upsell offers.

I am assuming that the option of cabin selection that allows Princess to choose for you is a guarantee. We have had much success with this type of booking and when the ship is not fully booked, I have been able to change the guarantee to a cabin more to my liking. My question is does anyone feel that the more cruises you have had with Princess, the better chance for a better cabin assignment? Just wondering...........

I don't think so.

Tony

I don't think so.

Tony

I don't think so, either. I actually have a theory that Princess will give a nice upgrade to someone that hasn't sailed with them before. They know we're hooked .... why not try to impress someone that isn't necessarily hooked. Well, I am sure this is not really what happens but in my experience ... sure seems that way.

A Guarantee cabin assignment is pretty much based on supply and demand: the number of cabins in a category available and demand for that cabin category. It varies with every sailing. I don't think Captain's Circle status has anything to do with it.

If you are worried about where your cabin will be don't use this option.

Just pick the cabin you want.

Absolutely Agree!

We are "picky" about our cabin location so always select our own cabin. :)

I always did wonder what algorithm Princess uses for cabin selection for guaranteed. And since it is a mystery, I also wonder why it is such a secret. Might it not benefit Princess if they at least hinted what drives the selection? Point being, maybe more would book higher level cat. cabins if they new their chances of getting bumped up a level or two were slim? Of course, I suspect one could flip that logic and suggest that some might book the Guaranteed in hopes for that "free" upgrade.

We usually book a guaranteed ocean view cabin a month or two before sailing date, and usually find out what cabin we have when we board the ship. It is always an obstructed view. Were ok with this

Guarantee is a category that shows only when there are no cabins left in a category.

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I don't think so. Guarantees are usually available as soon as the cruise opens for booking, i.e. when no cabins have yet been sold. It's a way for the cruise line to offer a low price, attract some customers, and maintain some flexibility in cabin assignments, upgrades and upsells.

I don't think so. Guarantees are usually available as soon as the cruise opens for booking, i.e. when no cabins have yet been sold. It's a way for the cruise line to offer a low price, attract some customers, and maintain some flexibility in cabin assignments, upgrades and upsells.

Latserof,

I like your explanation better than mine. As I never look for GTY, I usually bump into them when a category is sold out on a cruise I'm considering.

But your "low price" explanation and their flexibility of stateroom management makes good sense.

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Having done revenue management for one of the world's largest hotels here are some thoughts -

The goal is to maximize revenue per cabin.

Different groups of customers respond to different offers.

After final payment it becomes a juggling act since you now have a pretty clear picture of inventory. You should know from past experienc which upgrade offers work and what types of customers will take upgrade offers.

Some cruises may offer more opportunities to surprise and delight customers with upgrades. Also, something might have gone terribly wrong in the world that results in a lot of cancellations allowing for strategic upgrades of certain passengers.

Each cruise is different and a revenue management team might use different tools in the toolbox based in the situation and amount of time.

The main tools seem to be variations in offers up until final payment - some have very short windows, upgrade offers, mostly in category upgrades, and occasionally move over or move down offers. So if you are vigilant you will encounter one or more of these offers. Depending on your perceived value if the opportunity you will decide to take it or not take it.

Above all flexibility and striking while the iron is hot as well as being vigilant for any opportunity will most likely result in some sort of upgrade that will enhance your cruise experience.

I don't think so. Guarantees are usually available as soon as the cruise opens for booking, i.e. when no cabins have yet been sold. It's a way for the cruise line to offer a low price, attract some customers, and maintain some flexibility in cabin assignments, upgrades and upsells.

I disagree. Usually there is a "Let Princess Choose" option which is not the same as a guarantee. When it gets down to "Your Cabin Will Be Assigned" then that is definitely a guarantee. I do remember in 2011 (sadly we never cruised until then) that I booked a specific cabin but it also said "guarantee". I didn't have a clue what it meant but was really happy when we were assigned a cabin in a much better location that was right down the hall from our disabled son's cabin.

We have had a upsells and also true upgrades. The "best" upgrade was from an IC (L249) category to a B2 (C301) category. I found out about it by checking my personalizer. I took a guarantee balcony for my upcoming 28 day cruise. We were finally assigned a Baja balcony but, once final payment had been made, a Caribe deck balcony opened up and we were able to move to that cabin. On our last cruise we had an interior cabin booked and ended up taking a (very reasonably priced) upsell to a Window Mini Suite.

One just never knows when or how the upgrade (or upsell) fairy will strike.

we actually book the majority of our cruises with Princess as a guarantee cabin. We have never really had a bad cabin but it could be a bit risky.

As for getting any upgrade from Princess with a guarantee cabin - I say dream on.

I am awaiting my cabin assignment for a Dec. cruise at the moment.

I don't think so. Guarantees are usually available as soon as the cruise opens for booking, i.e. when no cabins have yet been sold. It's a way for the cruise line to offer a low price, attract some customers, and maintain some flexibility in cabin assignments, upgrades and upsells.

On Princess there is no "low price" for booking a GTY. It is the same price for a type of cabin and category as when you can book a specific cabin.

The only time it is a lower price is if the category only has GTY booking left in which case it is lower than the next upward category.

we actually book the majority of our cruises with Princess as a guarantee cabin. We have never really had a bad cabin but it could be a bit risky.

 

As for getting any upgrade from Princess with a guarantee cabin - I say dream on.

 

I am awaiting my cabin assignment for a Dec. cruise at the moment.

We also book guarantee category cabins. I don't know how it works with direct bookings. I just tell the TA and no matter how far out and it happens. Unless something has changed since our current booking?

As for upgrades, we have been pleasantly surprised several times but are satisfied to get what we paid for.

The anticipation is kind of fun.

I don't think so, either. I actually have a theory that Princess will give a nice upgrade to someone that hasn't sailed with them before. They know we're hooked .... why not try to impress someone that isn't necessarily hooked. Well, I am sure this is not really what happens but in my experience ... sure seems that way.

I wish I didn't agree with you, but my experience says "You're right". I've been elite for a number of years now because I really love cruising on Princess. I usually pick my own cabin but often allow Princess to upgrade it (I can always say "no"). They haven't offered a free upgrade to me in years. Once, when I'd only cruised 4-5 times previously, Princess upgraded us from interior to a balcony cabin on embarkation day. That was the best free upgrade I personally ever got.

Last year Princess gave me an offer to upgrade from inside to balcony - but only if I gave them more money. I actually took it because I really couldn't afford a full priced balcony but the upgrade brought it into my budgeted range. Of course Princess is going to see if people will pay for an upgrade before giving it away for free.