How long have you waited for a 'guarantee' assignment & what kind of cabin?

[SnappyNappi]

Hi All,

So I booked our cruise on the Oasis in March of this year and have been watching the prices to see if I could snag a deal to upgrade from our originally booked CP Balcony to an Oceanview Balcony... Last week, I grabbed a 'Deluxe Guarantee' for a little more than what I originally paid, and took the gamble. I felt that it was worth it with the guarantee of a Junior Suite or higher - and the deluxe guarantee was essentially the same price as booking a D1. I have never taken a guarantee before, but I feel good about it and will be happy with whatever category I receive (minimum of a JS).

 

Okay - so it has been a week since I 'upgraded' to the guarantee and we are about 7 1/2 weeks out from our November Oasis cruise. I was just wondering if I can solicit any feedback from other CC friends who have taken guarantees in the past - how long have you waited for your cabin assignments? and just out of curiousity, if by chance you have taken the Deluxe Guarantee (Category W), what kind of cabin were you assigned to?? I'd love to hear others' experiences - might make me less impatient while I wait for my assignment.

[Classynfun1]

So far, everyone on our November 24th Oasis roll call, who have booked a W guarantee (including me) has recently been assigned a cabin. We all ended up with JS. Funny, because there are only 4 JS left now, but 13 GS, 4 OS, and 16 total CL, and a couple of higher suites. Cruise is still far out (but after final payment) and there have been no suite price drops yet. However, we were all assigned the lowest category for the guarantee and there are very few left now. Much less than other suites. Very interesting indeed...

[CreativeJourney]

Hi All,

Okay - so it has been a week since I 'upgraded' to the guarantee and we are about 7 1/2 weeks out from our November Oasis cruise. I was just wondering if I can solicit any feedback from other CC friends who have taken guarantees in the past - how long have you waited for your cabin assignments?

 

Cabin assignment on a guarantee can take anywhere from 1 day after booking up until the day of the cruise. There's no way to know when they'll assign cabins on a particular cruise. We booked a balcony guarantee in August for a late December sailing and were assigned a cabin within three days. I've heard of others who didn't get their assignment until they showed up at the port, and everywhere in between. Seems that Royal likes to keep us guessing. :rolleyes:

 

Don't know about the Deluxe guarantee as we haven't done that (yet!). We have booked a JS before and loved all of the extra room. Have a great cruise!

[Starry Eyes]

Hi Penny,

Though I have not yet joined the roll call, I recognize your user name and I think we are on the same cruise. And I did the same thing...I was in a CP balcony and switched to a W last week when it popped up at a decent price. No assignmet yet.

 

I upgraded myself to W twice previously...both times after final payment for Transatlantic cruises.

 

The first time a few JS and several GS + were available when I upgraded...I got a JS assigment quickly. Royal Caribbean lowered the GS price, so Ipaid for a second upgrade. Another person on the roll call waited until all JS were assigned, then he upgraded to a W and was assigned a GS. He got a better deal than I did, but we had a great cruise.

 

The second time, a W was offered the weekof sailing. No JS were showing available and a few GS were available. I knew they could upgrade somebody else and give me their JS, but I was hoping they just assign an available cabin. They did...I was assigned a GS within 24 hours...I was pleased. It was another great cruise.

 

When I booked OV or balcony gty in the past, assignment times varied. Once it was assigned before final payment. Some were 3-6 weeks after final payment.

 

Since there are 15 JS showing available on our cruise, I fully expect to be assigned one of them, and I swear will be happy with any JS. Still with so many full suites available, I do hope they sell those JS's and assign me a nicer suite...even if I have to wait a long time for the assignment....every day without an assignment is a day to hope for an upgrade.

[SnappyNappi]

Stary Eyes,

I am happy that you responded to my post. I was going to try to wait it out on the W upgrade guarantee, but the price was just too good to pass up and I was afraid, the way the prices have been fluctuating for our sailing, that it would go up as it gets closer. I will be very happy with a JS if that is what is given to us. I actually spoke to RCCL and I got the actual counts of the suites in each category that are available. As of last Thursday morning, there were actually 58 suites available.. 26 are Junior Suites (not all show on the screen) and about 32 or so in all the categories above that (7 of the higher category suites are Grand Suites and 14 are Crown Loft Suites). I fully expect to receive a JS as well and, like I said, will be thrilled with it! I can dream of a higher category upgrade, but since it is just hubby and I, and we have never traveled in even a Junior Suite before, I know we will love it. I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to get in on the guarantee of any suite. Cruise planning is so exciting!

 

I hope you will join our roll-call - if you are indeed on the same sailing (November 10th Oasis/Western) it has been very quiet on there the last month or so. I think everyone is very busy these days. If you are interested, we have also hit our minimum for the Meet & Mingle if you are planning to register. I hope to meet you on-board.

 

Let me know when you get your cabin assignment how it worked out for you... I will check in with you if I get mine. I am not really that anxious, it is just all the excitement. I haven't even told DH that I took the guarantee so he will be SUPER SURPRISED, if I can manage to keep it a secret until we get to FLL. We are just counting the days to be able to finally step on the Oasis.

[Starry Eyes]

It is the same cruise...Nov 10.

 

It is great that they told you the real number of available suites. I also think there is a decent chance the prices will drop further (maybe a Tuesday sale?), but I did not want to risk the W disappearing or the price rising, so I jumped on it. Now I know I was not the only one:D...I hope a lot of people have booked the W as it would increase the odds somebody will get an upgrade. How fun that you are surprising your DH. I told DH what I was doing while I was on hold waiting to do the upgrade...At first he didn't see the point, but he has warmed to it. I could not keep it a secret as he checks the website; he'd have noticed the change. I will join the roll call soon and will let you know when we get our assignment.

Wendy

[gacruzr]

 

We have an x gty for the 10/27 sailing and have not received a cabin assignment yet. We just booked it two weeks ago and made final pymt when we booked. I keep looking every day and hoping but so far I'm impatiently waiting with you!

[SnappyNappi]

Wendy,

If I can actually keep it a secret remains to be seen... my DH can read me like a book. He is bound to figure it out if I don't blurt it out in my sleep or something. LOL!

 

Sue & Rick,

Check in here with us when you get your cabin assignment. I saw that your sailing has a Crown Loft Guarantee - first time I think I have seen that one - but it is over $3300. I don't know if I would pay that kind of money without knowing what I am getting. :eek: Anyway, it is fun to have someone to tell when you do get your assignment. Keep us in mind. I'd love to know how it works out for you too!

[Starry Eyes]

Gacruzrs, try to be patient...there are some very good cabins left on your sailing. I have done a many gty bookings over the years. in general, I feel the longer it takes to get an assignment, the better the outcome is apt to be. the cruise line has an incentive to keep so primo cabins available to tempt last minute bookings...If those last minute bookings do not materialize, the line can assign those primo cabins to gty customers at the last minute. meanwhile, my fingers are crossed for you.

 

Penny, my husband sees through me too if I try to keep a secret. Still, I hope you can keep the secret as it would be a really fun surprise for your DH. I agree that it is fun to hear about other's assignments...I also like to hear about other people's upgrades. it gives me a vague hope I might someday have an unlikely but happy upgrade surprise.

 

I had never heard of a crown loft gty before either...even if I were on a cruise that offered it, that price seems too high for a gty cabin. I only recently heard on CC of a GS gty...now loft gty...what will I learn next?

[sdear]

We booked a W gty for 9/29 Oasis. We were assigned a JS about 4 weeks or so ago.

 

I have been watching the suites very close. Today the last JS vanished, and the "W gty" changed to a " JS/W gty " even though there are no JS's left.

 

There are about 11 GS's left, and multiple higher suites..about 30 total from what I can tell.

 

 

I am sooo tempted to call and ask to be put back in the pot, but I have a great location of the JS that we are assigned and don't want to risk losing that one.

 

I am hoping maybe over the next week some of us that paid for the W gty get an automatic upgrade but I am not holding my breath. Either way we are happy. :D

[CruisinDawn]

Assigned a JS before final payment :eek: I did ask to move to the other side of the ship as we prefer Starboard and we were moved no problem. We were originally assigned one of the larger JS balcony cabins and moved to a larger as well. :D

 

We are Diamond Plus and got the minimum you could get with that guarantee, however my parents are Diamond booked a D8 and got upgraded to the JS directly above us, go figure. Should have kept my D8 and maybe I would have got the free upgrade instead of being tempted and paying for the guarantee.

 

BonVoyage

Dawna

[cruiseatick]

we are on allure 10/28 sailing with a grand suite garentee . allsuites except for one cl are showing sold out!!still waiting for a cabin,I have heard the longer the wait the better the outcome!!!

[SnappyNappi]

I hope everyone who has replied who is booked on a guarantee and hasn't received their assignment yet, will let us know when you do... Like I said, it is fun to hear from everyone and share excitement. :)

 

Wendy, just a side note - very glad we didn't wait, the Category W guarantee is no longer on the website as of last night. Doesn't mean that it won't come back, but glad I didn't take the chance by waiting it out. TTYS.

[Starry Eyes]

Penny, thanks for pointing that out...I had not yet noticed the W category was gone now. As you said, it may reappear; still, I know would be kicking myself today if I had waited. They also raised the price of the neighborhood balcony gty by $50. Hmm...did they get lots of bookings or are they playing a marketing game? It will be interesting to watch.

[gacruzr]

38 days and still waiting! Should I say patiently:cool:

[waterbugohio]

Just booked yesterday. Sail in 51 days. Assignment cant come soon enough.

 

Booked a balcony guarantee on the Liberty for $549 pp. Great deal

[FLACRUISER99]

Hi All,

So I booked our cruise on the Oasis in March of this year and have been watching the prices to see if I could snag a deal to upgrade from our originally booked CP Balcony to an Oceanview Balcony... Last week, I grabbed a 'Deluxe Guarantee' for a little more than what I originally paid, and took the gamble. I felt that it was worth it with the guarantee of a Junior Suite or higher - and the deluxe guarantee was essentially the same price as booking a D1. I have never taken a guarantee before, but I feel good about it and will be happy with whatever category I receive (minimum of a JS).

 

Okay - so it has been a week since I 'upgraded' to the guarantee and we are about 7 1/2 weeks out from our November Oasis cruise. I was just wondering if I can solicit any feedback from other CC friends who have taken guarantees in the past - how long have you waited for your cabin assignments? and just out of curiousity, if by chance you have taken the Deluxe Guarantee (Category W), what kind of cabin were you assigned to?? I'd love to hear others' experiences - might make me less impatient while I wait for my assignment.

Each booking/cruise is different so feedback on what happens to other folks means nothing.

[SnappyNappi]

WATERBUGOHIO,

That is a great price for a balcony guarantee! Good for you! Wendy (another poster in this thread) and I are on the same cruise in 52 days, so we are about at the same point and haven't been given assignments yet either. Hope you will check back in and let us know when you get assigned and let us know what you get.

 

GACRUZRS,

...about as patiently as the rest of us, right? 38 days until your cruise or since you booked your guarantee? If you have 38 days until you sail, I am pretty confident that you will hear something in the next 6 weeks or so. ;)

 

FLACRUISER,

We all know that every booking and cruise is different and guarantees can be assigned anytime, but it is fun to hear others' experiences and know who else is waiting with me. I thought it might be some interesting and entertaining conversation to help pass the time until my guarantee is assigned.

[waterbugohio]

Penny, While I think we sail on the same day, unfortunately we are on the Liberty while you are on the Oasis.

 

Will still keep you updated when we get assigned.

 

Also agree, while we all know that it is always different for all guarantees, it is fun to see when others are assigned and what they ended up with. Thanks for starting this thread

[StangGT909]

What's the best method everyone is using to determine the quantity of rooms left for a category? The RCI website does not appear to show this well...

 

I found Expedia shows a deck by deck view with flashing yellow dots on open cabins but it's kind of slow, as you have to compare all decks.

 

What's the best method?

[BigR]

We took a guarantee outside on a 10/21 cruise and haven't been assigned a cabin yet. I, too, check every day... kind of like a game of chicken, but hopefully worth the wait.

[Starry Eyes]

Hey Penny, I am still waiting, too. The W category was back for our cruise (same price)this morning. How long do you think it will last this time?

 

I have enjoyed this thread and think it is fun to hear when and what others are assigned. I am pulling for everybody and hope at least one of us gets a wonderful assignment or an upgrade. I have been fairly lucky with balcony gty in the past...last fall on Liberty I got a D1...On a Splendor B2B a couple years ago I got aft balconies on both legs...No major upgrades from gty (I've had to pay for those), but nice cabins. Some locations are nicer than others, but I can live with any cabin in my selected category.

 

Did you see post 6 (I think it was 6) on this thread...Maybe there is hope for an upgrade even after an assignment. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1708291

[Sammycupcaker]

I have a question related to this. Once I've been assigned a cabin after booking a guaranty, is it still possible that my cabin will be changed? I am booked on Othe Monarch on 10/22. I'm happy with my cabin, just wondering if it might change still..

[Starry Eyes]

I have a question related to this. Once I've been assigned a cabin after booking a guaranty, is it still possible that my cabin will be changed? I am booked on Othe Monarch on 10/22. I'm happy with my cabin, just wondering if it might change still..

 

Glad you like your assignment because you will probably stay there. Technically, I think they have the right to change it anytime before sailing, but, so far, I have not had them reassign me. If they do move you, odds are it will be to a higher category (upgrade fairy) as could happen to anybody.

[SnappyNappi]

I am hoping that at least one of our fellow guarantee posters will get an assignment soon and be able to come here and brag on all of us about it!

 

SAMMYCUPCAKE,

Once assigned, chances are that is where you will stay. However, you can be upgraded as Wendy said below, or you can request to be put back in the guarantee pool (if they still allow that). If you are happy with what you have been assigned, I wouldn't touch it... :)

 

Wendy,

I did see that they put the guarantee back up earlier today... who knows what they are doing with that, but when I did the count today there are still a whole bunch of suites available for our sailing... I suppose we will see that category W go up and come down a few more times while we are waitin' it out.

 

BIGR,

Game of chicken... LOL! That is funny, totally true, and funny!