GTY assignments--Fact or Fiction?

[Elizabeth K.]

I am curious about people's experiences with the timing of getting your cabin assignments. I have heard people say the later you get your cabin assignment the better in terms of what you get. But I can't recall reading much about real examples of that. I am 20 days out from my sailing and booked an AE GTY mini. This sailing is totally sold out from what I can see. What have been your experiences with getting your cabin assignment this close to sailing?

[e050377]

On our Diamond Princess cruise i booked 4 weeks out and took a gty mini. We were assigned 3 days before leaving and got an Emerald deck mini which we loved. Apparently they upgraded someone else to give us the room, as their luggage was delivered to us and promptly taken to their new room!

[GloriaF]

My only experience with a GTY booking was our first cruise on the Grand --

we still didn't have a cabin assignment when we arrived at the pier. Being our first cruise and that we were not familiar with cruising and didn't know about cruise critic, we booked the lowest advertised fare. Now I realize that was an inside in the worst location, but we lucked out and were upgraded to an OV on Plaza deck. We did not have our cabin assignment until we went through registration.

[geoherb]

I don't think timing really matters. We've had guarantees on our last several Princess cruises. On one, we got upgraded from an obstructed view to an unobstructed one a few weeks before final payment. On another one, we found out a couple of weeks before sailing that we had received the same type of upgrade.

[Keata]

On a Med Cruise in early June - booked a guaranteed BG and ended up with a BA last Friday. Very quick and very happy with the upgrade.

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

One our up and coming cruise just about 100 days now we got our cabin today, its the same grade but a better location so worth a hundred pounds more than what we paid for the gty.

 

 

yours shogun

[cantwaitfornextcruise]

We always book gty, had a full suite from a mini once that was our best upgrade, also had a mini from a balcony, usually our upgrade has been within the category paid for lowest grade and had something higher never had the category we paid for yet.

Timing can vary for our June cruise we booked an inside lowest category and have been allocated a OV allocation was before Christmas, but in Sept for B2B we were allocated at check-in. IMHO there is no pattern

[mrspaper]

I like to hear your experience being upgraded to a full suite from a mini. Hope that happens to me in Sept. that will be my 3rd time taking a gty.

First time was an inside and got a higher floor, at 10 am on cruising day, we still didn't have an assignment. When we were at dock, I called and got my room, so I was able to tag my luggage. Usually, we've gotten our rooms way before.

My friends just booked a gty oceanview obstructed and got an upgrade to an unobstructed, which is $300 more per person on her cruise.

 

I have friends who never sailed Princess, took a reg inside cabin (not a gty). They were upgraded to a mini. Lucky newbies.

[shepp]

Only relevant experience: on the Island last year, I booked an inside guarantee and was pretty promptly assigned a cabin a deck or two up from what I booked. Then - due to FCC considerations - I cancelled and rebooked. Months went by, and then, close to sailing, got a 15-category upgrade to an unobstructed OV. Does that prove anything? I have no idea.

[melodyina]

Hello,

We sailed the Emerald mid-january and booked a Guarantee AE 6 months before sailing. A couple weeks before cruising we were upgraded to an AC. I enjoy booking GTY as we aren't particular with ship placement. I've never heard the laundry room, nor the elevators. I enjoy the sounds of the ship; anchor, side thrusters, tenders lowering, raising, etc. I've heard the arguments about covered balconies, mid-covered balconies or open balconies. We've experienced them all and have enjoyed them all. So GTY works wonderful for us.

 

I will note that on one of our cruises I had a phone call from the neighboring cabin who asked us to please shut off our deck light. (?). We are quiet cabin people, and I enjoy sitting out on my balcony at night reading. So, what I do hope with cabin placement, are for respectful cabin neighbors.. especially on decks above.

[Pam in CA]

It's fiction.

 

GTYs and upgrades are all based on supply and demand which are never the same. I'm about to head to Santiago for my Star cruise and some people were just assigned their GTY -- in the exact same category they booked.

[CRLess]

I am curious about people's experiences with the timing of getting your cabin assignments. I have heard people say the later you get your cabin assignment the better in terms of what you get. But I can't recall reading much about real examples of that. I am 20 days out from my sailing and booked an AE GTY mini. This sailing is totally sold out from what I can see. What have been your experiences with getting your cabin assignment this close to sailing?

 

We booked a Cat AD mini on guarantee many months ago for our April cruise on the Ruby. We are big fans of the Emerald Deck minis since they are the only minis with fully covered balconies, and we are especially fond of cabin E731(which was not available when we booked) with the extended balcony since we have had it two other times. I was fully expecting to be moved up to a mini on the Dolphin deck (AC/AB/AA). Right after final payment, when we were just inside of 75 days out, we got our cabin assignment...an AD mini just like we requested...but not just any AD, we got E731! To most this is not an upgrade at all, but to us it is way more than we expected. That and E730 are usually the first two minis to go. Imagine my further surprise when our traveling companions were assigned E730 and my parents were assigned E729 right next door to us. Kudos to Princess on this "non-upgrade" upgrade!

[bestmom1]

We booked a Cat AD mini on guarantee many months ago for our April cruise on the Ruby. We are big fans of the Emerald Deck minis since they are the only minis with fully covered balconies, and we are especially fond of cabin E731(which was not available when we booked) with the extended balcony since we have had it two other times. I was fully expecting to be moved up to a mini on the Dolphin deck (AC/AB/AA). Right after final payment, when we were just inside of 75 days out, we got our cabin assignment...an AD mini just like we requested...but not just any AD, we got E731! To most this is not an upgrade at all, but to us it is way more than we expected. That and E730 are usually the first two minis to go. Imagine my further surprise when our traveling companions were assigned E730 and my parents were assigned E729 right next door to us. Kudos to Princess on this "non-upgrade" upgrade!

 

My soon to be 14 yo would say Luuuu-ccckkkyyy! I had E731 booked for our Beijing to Bangkock next November and due to an error in the deposit process, lost it. Two days later when I rebooked, it was gone and we now have E729 (on Diamond). I am waitlisted for it again.

 

Liz

[bestmom1]

It's fiction.

 

GTYs and upgrades are all based on supply and demand which are never the same. I'm about to head to Santiago for my Star cruise and some people were just assigned their GTY -- in the exact same category they booked.

 

Enjoy the Horn and the beagle channel. This is in my top two itineraries of all time.

[dr__dawggy]

We are less than two weeks away from our next cruise on Caribbean Princess. Our gty balcony stateroom has not been assigned. The two previous times we have booked gty balconies on the Coral and Golden we were assigned within a week of our initial booking, both times were upgrades to BB.

[srpilo]

We book gty's about half the time, and with all those gty's, Princess has never just assigned us the catagory we booked.

 

 

 

 

We feel over the long haul we've been pretty lucky with Princess gty's

Srpilo

[Elizabeth K.]

Thanks for all of your replies. We will see what happens. I'm 14 days out and still no cabin assignment. I am assuming, that since there are only 2 actual AE cabins (if I'm reading the deck chart correctly), and I booked not especially early ( actually I was booked in a balcony originally and switched to a mini when the price was right) that the AEs were assigned already. Oh well its all part of the the fun of the countdown:)

[Pam in CA]

Enjoy the Horn and the beagle channel. This is in my top two itineraries of all time.

Thanks. Actually, I've done that itinerary twice which is why I opted to take the Santiago to San Francisco repositioning. Frankly, my HAL cruise around the Horn was better than my Princess cruise as they have an itinerary with an extra day between ports and more scenic cruising. :)