Guarantee Clarification

[Thrak]

This may be a dorky question but...

 

Other than one cruise in 2012 I have always chosen my own cabin. On that cruise I booked a guarantee balcony but, when booking the room, it was very specifically listed as a guarantee. I booked, and paid for, one of the balcony rooms on Star Princess that was all the way forward on deck 8 - the ones where the promenade steps up. I ended up with a mid-ship upper deck balcony and was extremely happy with the outcome of the guarantee. (Yes, I know this isn't something one can count on happening.)

 

I haven't seen that option listed since but I know that one can still book a guarantee. As far as I can tell, the only way to do so is to use the "Choose for me" option when booking and take whatever cabin Princess assigns. I just want to be certain that is what is going on if I do let Princess choose.

 

I want to book a guarantee but really want to be certain that is what is happening with this option or if I need to contact Princess or my TA to specifically ask for a guarantee.

[srpilo]

I know you're referring to booking directly with Princess, but if you go to almost any of the large online cruise agency's all their booking engine's will show a "guarantee" as a booking option.

 

Do some research online, then call Princess directly

Srpilo

[cb at sea]

The pro of a gty booking is you can get better than you paid for. The con is that you might get a cabin somewhere you don't want to be.

 

If you care about location, don't book a gty!

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

I don't believe it is specifically referred to as a guarantee anymore. Rather, you can select the option "choose for me" at several points in the booking process. This works the same way as a guarantee. If I understand your question correctly.

[pablo222]

I haven't seen that option listed since but I know that one can still book a guarantee.

 

The option looks like this "Your cabin will be assigned just prior to departure."

(see attached)

 

It is sometimes a choice under "I'll chose my own cabin".

 

Given how clear the language is, it is surprising how many

posts there are here asking "When will my cabin be assigned?"

 

Um...just prior to departure?

Edited April 19, 2015 by pablo222

[SoCal Cruiser78]

This may be a dorky question but...I haven't seen that option listed since but I know that one can still book a guarantee. As far as I can tell, the only way to do so is to use the "Choose for me" option when booking and take whatever cabin Princess assigns. I just want to be certain that is what is going on if I do let Princess choose...

 

There are no dorky questions, only dorky answers ;).

 

I had wondered about this myself, as I am now booking all our reservations directly with Princess online. I eventually figured out that if there is a "choose for me" option for that category or cabin type, then no guarantees are currently being offered, at least online. If you have, as Pablo222 mentioned, a "cabin will be assigned just prior to departure" option, then there are guarantees available online.

 

What I don't know is if a TA, Princess phone rep or PCC can somehow book a guarantee even if they are not showing as available online. I am too picky about cabin location to use guarantees, so I have never checked into it.

Edited April 19, 2015 by SoCal Cruiser78

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

There are no dorky questions, only dorky answers ;).

 

I had wondered about this myself, as I am now booking all our reservations directly with Princess online. I eventually figured out that if there is a "choose for me" option for that category or cabin type, then no guarantees are currently being offered, at least online. If you have, as Pablo222 mentioned, a "cabin will be assigned just prior to departure" option, then there are guarantees available online.

 

The Choose for Me option is a guarantee. You are guaranteeing that category or higher. If you want to guarantee a particular cabin or area on the ship then you must select a particular cabin and ask Princess to not upgrade you. Nothing has changed except the terminology.

[Working 2 Cruise]

The Choose for Me option is a guarantee. You are guaranteeing that category or higher. If you want to guarantee a particular cabin or area on the ship then you must select a particular cabin and ask Princess to not upgrade you. Nothing has changed except the terminology.

 

This is incorrect. This option gives you a specific cabin at the lowest fare in that category. This is different from a guarantee where the verbiage "cabin will be assigned before departure" is shown.

[texasnana]

On our first Princess cruise in March 2015 I booked Guaranteed balcony. I paid for the cruise in December of 2014 when I booked the cruise. With in a week I had an assigned room and upgrade. Had a great location and loved the room. I just booked for December 2015 today and booked guaranteed balcony again. I hope I get a good location.

 

Good luck...

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

This is incorrect. This option gives you a specific cabin at the lowest fare in that category. This is different from a guarantee where the verbiage "cabin will be assigned before departure" is shown.

 

Then I guess I better call Princess. I chose the lowest category deluxe balcony using the "choose for me" option on our upcoming Baltic cruise. I was told that a cabin would be assigned just prior to departure, but that I was guaranteed at least this category. Now you are saying that this isn't a guarantee. What exactly is it then?

[pablo222]

This option gives you a specific cabin at the lowest fare in that category.

 

As Pia was the first to point out, the 'choose for me' option

may not give you the lowest fare. It is some how selecting

the 'best' cabin for you. Apparently princess profit factors

in to the definition of 'best'.

 

Always good to check both ways.

[cherylandtk]

Now you are saying that this isn't a guarantee. What exactly is it then?

 

The Choose for Me option is not equivalent to a guarantee. It is more of a 'give me the best available' type of option.

 

With BOTH Choose for Me and I'll Pick My Own you may see the guarantee option which is listed with the 'cabin will be assigned just before departure'. You also may NOT see this option if Princess has not opened bookings for guarantee assignments on that particular sailing.

Edited April 20, 2015 by cherylandtk

[Tedferg]

Then I guess I better call Princess. I chose the lowest category deluxe balcony using the "choose for me" option on our upcoming Baltic cruise. I was told that a cabin would be assigned just prior to departure, but that I was guaranteed at least this category. Now you are saying that this isn't a guarantee. What exactly is it then?

 

My guess is that there are two scenarios when you select 'Choose for me'

 

a. Cabins available and they show you one at the low price point.

b. No Cabins available and so they give you a guarantee at that price point.

 

I had not seen b. when browsing cabin availability. But just went and tried it. 'Choose for me' balcony at $2,199 went to 'assigned before voyage'. If I tried 'I will choose' $2.199 took me to Reserve - no assigned cabin.

 

I could choose my own cabin or Reserve at $2,259 price point.

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

I am more confused than ever. On my upcoming cruise I selected selected the balcony option. Then chose the front of the ship. Then selected deluxe balcony from the upper deck. At that time I could have selected one of the two available cabins or select the chose for me option. I went with the latter. This guaranteed me a deluxe balcony cabin at the lowest fare without selecting a particular cabin.

 

I have done this with Princess on two other occasions. On both of those cruises the wording was different and it may have actually stated I was guaranteeing a cabin at the minimum category I selected, but I don't see how that differs from what I am doing this time around.

[texasnana]

This is what my page said about guaranteed bookings when I booked this afternoon....

 

Fast and easy. Let us take care of it for you. We'll select the best available Balcony stateroom at $ person. Based on current stateroom availability, a stateroom will be assigned closer to departure date.

 

*Does not include wheelchair accessible staterooms

 

 

( I did not include the price we paid)

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

This is what my page said about guaranteed bookings when I booked this afternoon....

 

Fast and easy. Let us take care of it for you. We'll select the best available Balcony stateroom at $ person. Based on current stateroom availability, a stateroom will be assigned closer to departure date.

 

*Does not include wheelchair accessible staterooms

 

 

( I did not include the price we paid)

 

Mine said the same thing when I booked. I don't understand why some posters don't think this is a guaranteed cabin.

[geoherb]

The "choose for me option" can give you one of two results. The first is an immediate cabin assignment--supposedly the most desirable available cabin in the chosen category. The second possibility is a guarantee--when there may not be any cabins in that category showing up at that time. It doesn't mean that you will automatically be upgraded to a better category. You'll get a cabin assignment to that category or higher any time between then and the morning of sailing.

[Thrak]

The "choose for me option" can give you one of two results. The first is an immediate cabin assignment--supposedly the most desirable available cabin in the chosen category. The second possibility is a guarantee--when there may not be any cabins in that category showing up at that time. It doesn't mean that you will automatically be upgraded to a better category. You'll get a cabin assignment to that category or higher any time between then and the morning of sailing.

 

The "choose for me" offers me the lowest category cabin. The very lowest category cabin in the chosen cabin type. That is why I was thinking it was a guarantee. If that isn't the case then why do they pick the crappiest cabin possible?

 

I will have to call and find out what the deal is. I thought that the folks here would know but it seems that, given the conflicting answers above, nobody here is certain either or rather that there are several people who are certain but who do not agree with each other.

[rdsqrl]

Mine said the same thing when I booked. I don't understand why some posters don't think this is a guaranteed cabin.

It can be both. If there is a cabin available in the price point shown when you click on "Choose for Me," then it will assign you that. If not, then you get a guarantee. Alternatively, you can select the "I'll Choose My Own" box and then the deck plans show up, wherein you can select a cabin or choose a guarantee if that option is available.

 

Let me illustrate by example. I just did a mock booking on the Regal's 11 Jun departure. I asked it to select a balcony for me at the lowest price point ($1199): it gave me E704, a BE cabin. Then I went back and asked to select my own cabin. For $1199, I had a choice of booking a guarantee in a BF category or booking a specific cabin in BE, one of which was the aforementioned E704. So, even though there are guarantees available on this sailing in BF, the system skipped those and gave me a "better" assigned cabin, a specific BE.

 

In short, if you want a guarantee, you must click on "Choose My Own" and find a category that will allow you to select a guarantee -- bearing in mind that if there are still plenty of cabins available in that category, the option to choose a guarantee will probably not show up.

 

I hope this helps explain what's happening and doesn't confuse you further.

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

I hope this helps explain what's happening and doesn't confuse you further.

 

Thanks for your detailed explanation, but I wasn't really confused except by all those folks who kept telling me I hadn't booked a guaranteed cabin using the chose for me option when I knew I had.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

...I will have to call and find out what the deal is. I thought that the folks here would know but it seems that, given the conflicting answers above, nobody here is certain either or rather that there are several people who are certain but who do not agree with each other.

 

Let us know what you find out. I'm wondering if we are all trying to articulate the same thing, or if Princess in fact uses different online templates (for lack of a better term) at different times, based on yield management algorithms or whatever :confused:.

[Colo Cruiser]

It can be both. If there is a cabin available in the price point shown when you click on "Choose for Me," then it will assign you that. If not, then you get a guarantee. Alternatively, you can select the "I'll Choose My Own" box and then the deck plans show up, wherein you can select a cabin or choose a guarantee if that option is available.

 

Let me illustrate by example. I just did a mock booking on the Regal's 11 Jun departure. I asked it to select a balcony for me at the lowest price point ($1199): it gave me E704, a BE cabin. Then I went back and asked to select my own cabin. For $1199, I had a choice of booking a guarantee in a BF category or booking a specific cabin in BE, one of which was the aforementioned E704. So, even though there are guarantees available on this sailing in BF, the system skipped those and gave me a "better" assigned cabin, a specific BE.

 

In short, if you want a guarantee, you must click on "Choose My Own" and find a category that will allow you to select a guarantee -- bearing in mind that if there are still plenty of cabins available in that category, the option to choose a guarantee will probably not show up.

 

I hope this helps explain what's happening and doesn't confuse you further.

 

 

 

This makes sense. I would be quite a few get caught up with this.

[ldock]

I just go to other button, stating choose own, pick front , back or other. There's a option to then do specific or guarantee. R only guarantee if no rooms curriently Avail.

[Thrak]

It can be both. If there is a cabin available in the price point shown when you click on "Choose for Me," then it will assign you that. If not, then you get a guarantee. Alternatively, you can select the "I'll Choose My Own" box and then the deck plans show up, wherein you can select a cabin or choose a guarantee if that option is available.

 

Let me illustrate by example. I just did a mock booking on the Regal's 11 Jun departure. I asked it to select a balcony for me at the lowest price point ($1199): it gave me E704, a BE cabin. Then I went back and asked to select my own cabin. For $1199, I had a choice of booking a guarantee in a BF category or booking a specific cabin in BE, one of which was the aforementioned E704. So, even though there are guarantees available on this sailing in BF, the system skipped those and gave me a "better" assigned cabin, a specific BE.

 

In short, if you want a guarantee, you must click on "Choose My Own" and find a category that will allow you to select a guarantee -- bearing in mind that if there are still plenty of cabins available in that category, the option to choose a guarantee will probably not show up.

 

I hope this helps explain what's happening and doesn't confuse you further.

 

 

Ahhhhhhhh........... Thank you. So if I don't see the option for "your cabin will be assigned..." then there are no guarantees available. THANK YOU. This makes sense to me.

 

It looks to me like there are no guarantees available for the sailing I am interested in. Poop. :p

[pablo222]

It looks to me like there are no guarantees available for the sailing I am interested in. Poop. :p

 

Can't you just select a cabin which you don't like, and have

the same effect?