Guarantee Balcony?

[puente0629]

With the guarantee balcony, do they usually give you the worst cabin on the ship? Would we most likely get upgraded? When do you know your room number? Would you not recommend booking a guarantee balcony?

 

 

Thanks!

[sandancer]

No they don't give you the worst cabin on the ship but you are more likely to get a cabin in a location which is either far forward or aft. If it is important to be mid-ship then you may want to book your own choice of cabin. You may be upgraded but it is not a given. Last time we booked a guarantee balcony we were allocated room much too far forward for my comfort. We asked to be pur back in the guarantee pool and guess what, we got the same cabin back again. We gave in and booked a cabin of our choice. I have heard of people who have had great upgrades though. As to when, we have been allocated a cabin within 24 hours of booking on some occasions. Check your reservations online regularly.

[puente0629]

No they don't give you the worst cabin on the ship but you are more likely to get a cabin in a location which is either far forward or aft. If it is important to be mid-ship then you may want to book your own choice of cabin. You may be upgraded but it is not a given. Last time we booked a guarantee balcony we were allocated room much too far forward for my comfort. We asked to be pur back in the guarantee pool and guess what, we got the same cabin back again. We gave in and booked a cabin of our choice. I have heard of people who have had great upgrades though. As to when, we have been allocated a cabin within 24 hours of booking on some occasions. Check your reservations online regularly.

 

If they give you a cabin ahead of time, can you have them change it?

[Gonzo70]

If they give you a cabin ahead of time, can you have them change it?

 

No, with a guarantee you have no say in the stateroom you receive. It is a compromise; you save some money and increase your chances for an upgrade and the cruise line is able to offload a stateroom that is difficult to sell (usually, but not always people with guarantees are assigned staterooms in an undesirable location). If you book a guarantee balcony, expect to be placed in an obstructed view balcony far forward or far aft; anything better is gravy. As for when you know your assignment, it could be within hours of booking or it may not be until you arrive at the cruise terminal (or anywhere in between). Also, once you are assigned a room, there is a chance it might be switched at some point.

[terp4life]

I have only done a guarantee once, but I did change my assignment that time. It worked out well for me. We had to book last minute - less than a month out. The 2C guarantee was $150/pp cheaper than the 2B and higher balconies. We took a chance and ended up assigned to a 1A. We were mid ship just a few cabin doors down from the elevators. It was an awesome cabin. We were originally given a different 1A, but I was not as crazy about that location (right above the port side smoking area), so I called. They changed the assignment and told me I could change the cabin within the category I was assigned to at no charge. The one piece of advice I got from these boards was be sure to book the lowest category you are comfortable with. 2D are obstructed view, 2C partial obstruction. I was fine either way, but my husband was against the 2D, so we booked the 2C. Oddly though, when we booked the 2D and 2C were both the same price.

 

Good Luck!

[robtulipe]

I've also been able to change our guarantee assigned cabin to another within the same category on several occasions.

[Dunmore2]

our C1 Guarantee turned out to be a sky suite. Very sweet. We found out our room assignment just one week before we sailed when I logged into the Celebrity website.

[Bruin Steve]

The "worst" balcony cabin on the ship is still a danged good cabin...

...and, typically, you get a pretty good discount with a guarantee booking...

 

I will take that deal any time I can and take my chances...

 

One time on the Connie, with a "2C Guarantee", we got a 2C...turned out to be #6030--the farthest midship of the "Sweet Sixteen"--the 16 balcony cabins on the M-Class ship with double the size of the balcony...and the one on the end...so that the next cabin was all the way back...

 

...definitely NOT the worst balcony cabin on the ship...

 

We've been upgraded with guaranties as well...

 

But, even if it turned out being the "worst" balcony cabin, think about that...What is the worst? All the way forward or aft on a mid-level deck? That's a great cabin... The put SUITES in those locations...People go out of their way to book aft balconies, how bad can it be?

 

 

Good luck...

[parkey]

We lucked out with our 2D obstructed view guarantee. We booked about 1 month out for Jan 16 Solstice. About 5 days out assigned 1A hump cabin. We were very happy with that. Two days out I went online and we had been moved to a Celebrity Suite a hump one at that. Loved it. I know it may never happen again but it was fun.

[scoob]

We were moved to 2A midship. great location!