Guarantee Cabins

[BluEyed445]

Hello All! I have recently heard quite a bit of chatter on these boards about guaranteed cabins and became curious...

 

First of all, I didnt even think RCCL had this option. But to tell the truth, I am not 100% sure I understand what it means. DH and I have booked inside cabins for our three cruises. Since we really cant go much lower than that (except a few decks lower??) wouldnt it make sense to book a guaranteed room?? Our TA never mentioned it to us..is it more money to do a guaranteed room? Is there a possibility to get a worse room? Just curious if anyone can explain what it means to have booked a guaranteed room.

 

thanks!

[firefly333]

Guarantees are usually offered closer to the cruise date. For instance I booked for Jan 2012 Mariner ... and there are no inside guarantees offered this far out.

 

We have had very good luck with inside guarantees, so if you pretend to book and see one at the price you paid, I would change to a guarantee. It just guarantees you get at least a inside cabin, if you booked a inside guarantee.

[Mr_Cruise]

Hello All! I have recently heard quite a bit of chatter on these boards about guaranteed cabins and became curious...

 

First of all, I didnt even think RCCL had this option. But to tell the truth, I am not 100% sure I understand what it means. DH and I have booked inside cabins for our three cruises. Since we really cant go much lower than that (except a few decks lower??) wouldnt it make sense to book a guaranteed room?? Our TA never mentioned it to us..is it more money to do a guaranteed room? Is there a possibility to get a worse room? Just curious if anyone can explain what it means to have booked a guaranteed room.

 

thanks!

 

 

It's not offered on every sailing at any given time. It's random; usually closer in than further out, or when the ship is getting quite heavily booked up.

 

When they do offer guarantees, sometimes it's a particular category that is the minimum guaranteed (say, "K guarantee") and other times it's category letter designations that don't exist on any of their ships but mean:

 

Z - run of ship, could be anything starting with interior

Y - oceanview or better (anything other than an interior)

X - balcony or better

W - junior suite or better

 

They use the Z, Y, X and W so that people that have booked particular existing categories can't just switch to these lower priced offers quite as easily because it's not the same category. People, before final payment, can change whatever they want, including to one of these guarantee offers, but in doing so give up their confirmed room.

 

On any guarantee you have to be prepared for any room within the terms of the offer. Sometimes great rooms are assigned, and sometimes less than ideal locations (the ones no one wanted) or obstructed views etc. For this "risk" the traveler usually pays a reduced rate (but not always); you just have to be comfortable with what you're spending and what the possible rooms you could receive are.

 

If traveling with others and you need to be near each other, guarantees aren't the best way to go because assignments are done by computer and you could very well end up in different categories on a different deck than someone else that you're traveling with (even if you booked the same deal at the same time).

 

Hope this helps you decide what's best for you!

[Trevoli]

A 'guarantee' means you are guaranteed a certain type, or category, of cabin. You book a guarantee inside, you'll get an inside. Somewhere.

 

If you're not picky what you're near/over/under, then that's probably fine. Are they cheaper than selecting your own inside cabin? I'm not sure, haven't done a guarantee for a long time. If I remember right, you don't get your cabin assignment until just a few weeks before sailing, and maybe not until you arrive at the pier.

 

Having had some bad cabin locations, I much prefer to pick my cabin. Might cost me a little more, but's better than winding up under the disco or the galley.

[Cuizer2]

Hello All! I have recently heard quite a bit of chatter on these boards about guaranteed cabins and became curious...

 

First of all, I didnt even think RCCL had this option. But to tell the truth, I am not 100% sure I understand what it means. DH and I have booked inside cabins for our three cruises. Since we really cant go much lower than that (except a few decks lower??) wouldnt it make sense to book a guaranteed room?? Our TA never mentioned it to us..is it more money to do a guaranteed room? Is there a possibility to get a worse room? Just curious if anyone can explain what it means to have booked a guaranteed room.

 

thanks!

 

The way a guarantee works is you decided on the lowest category you want (inside, ocean view or balcony). For a reduced rate, you purchase a guarantee. You will get that category or better, but no lower. However, you do not get to choose the cabin. The cruise line chooses the cabin.

 

Most likely if you receive an upgrade, it will be in the same category, just a better location. So instead of an inside cabin on the lowest deck you might end up with an inside cabin on an upper deck. Less likely is an upgrade to an ocean view.

[temple1]

Hello All! I have recently heard quite a bit of chatter on these boards about guaranteed cabins and became curious...

 

First of all, I didnt even think RCCL had this option. But to tell the truth, I am not 100% sure I understand what it means. DH and I have booked inside cabins for our three cruises. Since we really cant go much lower than that (except a few decks lower??) wouldnt it make sense to book a guaranteed room?? Our TA never mentioned it to us..is it more money to do a guaranteed room? Is there a possibility to get a worse room? Just curious if anyone can explain what it means to have booked a guaranteed room.

 

thanks!

 

What FireFLy and Mr. Cruise posted - watch the rates for your cruise.

 

We were booked in an OV on our upcoming Monarch cruise and when they opened the JS reservations to Guarantees close to the fare we paid for the OV we jumped on it. Mr. Cruise commented about reduced selection, I don't know about that, at the time we moved up to JS there were about 15 available.

 

The location of the cabin they put us in initially wasn't all that great but I waited a few days, called back and got a better location.

 

For some reason when I was booking our first cruise I just couldn't understand the whole Guarantee concept and just didn't think the savings was enough to go from deck 3 mid ship to deck 2.

[Shippy]

....the price is lower than that particular catagory.

For instance....we booked an 'outside guarantee' which was about $100. cheaper than picking our own room number. We wound up with a room that had the lifeboats right outside the window.

We took a junior suite guarantee which was about $200. cheaper. They gave us a handicapped room. Seems a lot of cruiselines hold these until the end & then ,if not requested, give them to the guaranteed people.

Another time we took a balcony g. & got a partially blocked balcony.

 

I am not saying you cannot get a tremendous upgrade doing it. We never have but there again we are paying less for the gamble. I always way the $ saved.

Remember that every ship, just like every hotel, has some rooms that are not as desirable as others.

It is interesting reading these boards. How many gamblers talk about their losses? They just like to talk about their winnings....I think the same goes for people who take guarantees. If everyone got 'the great upgrades' you read about, then there would be a fight to get the guarantee bookings. It is a gamble but at least you know your minimum catagory.

[temple1]

I think the difference is knowing what is available when you take the bait and jumping in hoping for the best. When I took the bait - I knew about how many JS's were available and that for the most part on the Monarch location is not a big issue. I think once cabins are assigned it just shows the level of your assigned cabin.

[BluEyed445]

Thank you all. I am starting to understand the concept. I dont THINK we are too worried about what inside cabin we get...although I may think differently if we ended up above the disco as someone mentioned! :eek:

 

So since we just made our final payment, we cannot get into a "guaranteed" room?

[uksimonusa]

Thank you all. I am starting to understand the concept. I dont THINK we are too worried about what inside cabin we get...although I may think differently if we ended up above the disco as someone mentioned! :eek:

 

So since we just made our final payment, we cannot get into a "guaranteed" room?

 

Even thought you just made your final payment, it is not due for another 5 days, unless you boked in the last week or two, so if there is a guarantee available you should still be able to take it

[teddie]

Remember that once your "guarantee" cabin is assigned, you are free to change to another available cabin within the assigned category.

 

We booked a guaranteed E2 and were assigned a D3 about four days later. We kept an eye on the available D3 cabins over the next several weeks, and swapped from a D3 cabin waaay forward to one just behind the hump. We'll stick with this one!

 

By the way, we booked the gty on May 21, and we are sailing Sept 2nd. This is the first time we've tried a guarantee, and it worked out well.

 

Good luck!