Guarantee Cabins

[daze6399]

Ok, I'm looking a cruise on Radiance in Dec, I've heard about "guarantee" cabin classes. I would like some info on those.

 

If I'm thinking right (not real likely) a Guarantee basically means you don't know what cabin you get, but that it will be a certain level or above right? Like if you book a balcony, you won't get an inside but you will get at least a balcony and maybe a suite?

 

Or am I crazy?

If I'm not crazy how does one find these cabin classes?

thanks

daze

[PantherFan]

You are correct. Just look at the RCL website. They are generally the last catagory in each class. They are not always available and show up for a while and disappear. I think they show up if bookings are slow.

[cb at sea]

Gty. reservations are not available on every sailing. But, if they are, and you book, say, a "balcony gty", the LEAST you'll get is a balcony cabin....you could get something better.

Same with a "suite" gty...the least you'll get is a JS.

 

If you aren't particular about the location of your cabin, a gty. is an economical way to book. If you don't want to be anyplace but mid-ships, then you should book a specific cabin #...that way, you're positive you'll be happy for your cruise!

[daze6399]

Thanks for the help. I thought that's what a gty was. I don't really care where we are. We'll be booking an inside either way, but if i have a shot at something better, I might as well take it right?

Are these also the ones that show up as unavailable online? for the inside categories it's like Z class or something.

[Bella1031]

We had a balcony GTY cabin for our cruise in November 2009....we booked booked in July 2009 and were told we wouldn't be assigned a room til we paid in full, blah, blah, blah. I happened to look on there one day before final payment was due and saw that we had already been assigned a hump balcony. We also didn't care where we were on the ship but it worked out great!

[Grota2]

In our case, we're sailing on FOS Sept 12th, balcony guaranty has been paid for over 80 days and we just this week were assigned our cabin, about 28 days out. We got a D1 balcony, which I think is a slight upgrade. I then was able to get my TA to request a cabin change within the same category assigned. Not many left, and they were all at the front or rear of the ship.

[Pelle]

We booked Guaranteed Balcony Stateroom 3 weeks ago for Navigator of the Seas, Sept 17th from Rome, and was informed one week later we got a D1, superior stateroom, nr 9354. We are happy!

[PantherFan]

Thanks for the help. I thought that's what a gty was. I don't really care where we are. We'll be booking an inside either way, but if i have a shot at something better, I might as well take it right?

Are these also the ones that show up as unavailable online? for the inside categories it's like Z class or something.

 

 

That is correct.

[mjldvlks]

We have gotten some great deals on guarantee cabins and, as committed price snobs, most likely will again. BUT, word of caution, don't play the game if you are not willing to abide by the rules. If the guarantee is a balcony, that is all you are promised. It can be anywhere on the ship and will most likely be in the lower categories [E2 on most ships]. We once got an upgrade to a D2 by throwing our name back in the pool 2 or 3 times after being offered E1 or E2 cabins, but NEVER book a guarantee unless you are willing to be content with what you get. Otherwise, you are likely to be disappointed. Generally, they offer guarantees to move cabins that are not selling. That means they are in the less desirable areas of the ship. Don't expect you'll get a center hump on deck 9 or corner aft on deck 10 by booking a balcony guarantee -- t'aint likely.

[Chicky2181]

Ok, I'm looking a cruise on Radiance in Dec, I've heard about "guarantee" cabin classes. I would like some info on those.

 

If I'm thinking right (not real likely) a Guarantee basically means you don't know what cabin you get, but that it will be a certain level or above right? Like if you book a balcony, you won't get an inside but you will get at least a balcony and maybe a suite?

 

Or am I crazy?

If I'm not crazy how does one find these cabin classes?

thanks

daze

 

 

You would be correct. They can be booked directly through the rccl website. I booked an guarantee balcony last december and we ended up getting a hump room! Perfect location and perfect view! I also saved about $400. All I wanted was a balcony, and I didn't care were it was. In the end I ended up with a great room at a great price.

[phred119s]

We booked Guaranteed Balcony Stateroom 3 weeks ago for Navigator of the Seas, Sept 17th from Rome, and was informed one week later we got a D1, superior stateroom, nr 9354. We are happy!

 

hey!! Why don't you come over an join our roll call?? :)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1084231

 

I also booked a guarantee for this cruise - inside guarantee. When we got our assignment it was one of the Promenade rooms. :D

[robtulipe]

There are two type of guarantees with RCI.

Cabin category in which RC will offer the gty in a specific cabin category like an L, G, E1 or JS. I've seen these offered as the only option or as an option along with a select cabins usually when there are very few cabins available for selection in that category.

There is also a class of cabin gty like the W-suites, X-balcony, Y-oceanview and Z-inside with which you will get that class of cabin as a the lowest assigned.

In my experience guarantees tend to be offered fairly close to the final payment date for that cruise and typically are offered if certain categories on a cruise are not selling well. If you need to cruise in a popular or in a high demand time period it's not likely you will see gtys being offered and it will indicate 'call for availability' which basically means no availability.

IMO cruise lines basically use guaranties to sell out a cruise by offering a lower category of cabin that they don't have or have very limited availability of so they can sell higher, more available category of cabins without having to lower the price of the actual higher category being assigned to the gty booking. The client gets a lower price in exchange for allowing the cruise line the flexibility of what cabin they assign you as long as the assigned cabin is at or higher than the guaranty category. That's why they typically show up close to the final payment date after which it cost $ to cancel a booking because you are in the penalty phase so booking tend to be firmer after that date.

For example, for four of our last five cruises on RC and X, we booked guaranties in categories that showed no availability in the actual category booked and we got upgraded all four times, twice into the next class of cabins which were five and seven categories upgrades.

On our last cruise, a Grand Princess 15 night TA cruise last April, we booked a lowest mini-suite category gty when there is no availability in that category nor in the next one above it. We got a two category upgrade and paid quite a bit less than what I would have paid to get the lowest available for selection mini-suite.

They sold us the higher categories at a lower price without lowering the price in the actual category assigned and without the possibility of having to do a price adjusting of any bookings selected in the assigned category.

RC or X could also just have a new booking only sale like their Tuesday Special Event Sale but this tends to upset those who have current bookings at a higher price since they can see their actual category being offered at a lower price that can't be used to adjust the price they paid.

Also those who have selected and paid for their cabin are much less likely to change to a lower category gty or class of cabin gty as there is the possibility of actually being assigned a cabin in the actual category booked.

If you do some research you can almost guaranty yourself an upgrade on certain cruises by booking a guaranty .

[ehfl]

We always go with the guarantee when available. We really don't care where the cabin is. We get a lower price, and a chance for a better cabin....I would never do otherwise unless the guarantee was not available.

[daze6399]

@rob

That was...informative. A little confusing.(I'm simple) So you are saying that a guarantee is just RCCL's way of selling a higher class of cabin for cheap without irritating people who have already paid? And because it's cheaper to sell a few cabins at a lower rate, but pretend that they were upgrades, instead of having to lower the rate for an entire class. With of course the option to stuff you in whatever cabin they need to fill.

 

Am I close?

 

daze

[robtulipe]

@rob

That was...informative. A little confusing.(I'm simple) So you are saying that a guarantee is just RCCL's way of selling a higher class of cabin for cheap without irritating people who have already paid? And because it's cheaper to sell a few cabins at a lower rate, but pretend that they were upgrades, instead of having to lower the rate for an entire class. With of course the option to stuff you in whatever cabin they need to fill.

 

Am I close?

 

daze

Yes, that sums it up.

For example for our X Mercury last Nov., a month before sailing, I noted on a internet site that shows more cabins availability than X's web site, that there were lots of superior OV cabins available in Category 4 and 5 but no regular OVs or insides below those two categories available for selection. X was offering cat. 4 at $999, Y (OV) gty at $599 and Z (inside) gty at $499. We wanted a Superior OV but booked a Z gty to save a $1000 over a selecting a Cat. 4 or $200 with a Y Gty. We were willing to accept an inside cabin if that was assigned to us.

We were assigned a nice mid ship deck 8 Cat. 5 OV which was a seven cabin category upgrade from a Cat. 12 which could have been assigned. X sold us that Superior OV at an inside price without having to adjust or lower their price on that actual category. By the way this was a 12 night cruise. The cabin was great and had the same interior size and set up as our friends Cat. 2A balcony along with a better outside view from inside with it's large picture window than the 2A had because that category only had a single door to look out.

Did the same for our Radiance repositioning cruise from Chile in April/09.

Booked a X Balcony Gty when no E cabins were available for selection and got a deck ten D1 Balcony.

[swmichigan cruiser]

We are leaving on the Liberty of the Seas in two weeks. We had a great D1 cabin that we had reserved. We have had it twice before but we are geting close to being Diamond Plus so I talked my wife into doing a JS guarentee so we would get the extra cruise credit so we changed it last week. A few days we got our cabin assignment and got a GS. Turned out perfect except the wife may like the cabin to much and will affect future cabin selections.