Selected cabin changed to a Guarantee!

[jtl513]

"Let us choose" is the online version of guarantee. If you click on "let us choose" the next screen shows you the lettered categories (in the case of the Zuiderdam cruise I just tried this with, it offers four guarantee letter categories of outside cabins). It also says this:

Right, but those are four different levels of cabin, say C/D/E/F. Of course a C guarantee is going to cost more than an F guarantee. If you choose the C guarantee, any specific C, on that day, is the same price.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Right, but those are four different levels of cabin, say C/D/E/F. Of course a C guarantee is going to cost more than an F guarantee. If you choose the C guarantee, any specific C, on that day, is the same price.

 

The same probably holds true for selecting D, E, or F. We don't do guarantees, so I didn't realize you could ask for a guarantee at any level. I thought it was just "entry level" for each category--cheapest inside, cheapest OV, etc.

 

So since you can book a specific cabin for the same price as a guarantee, why take the guarantee risk? Is the lure of an upgrade worth the risk of getting an "undesirable" cabin? The only time I had a guarantee on HAL was during a promotion in which that was all my TA could get for me. (This was about 5 years ago.)

Edited August 4, 2016 by 3rdGenCunarder

[geoherb]

The times I've seen guarantees priced lower don't really count. It's been when HAL has still offered a guarantee in a category without offering any specific cabins. So we've been able to book a guarantee in a category rather than paying a higher price to book a specific cabin in another category--and sometimes the specific cabins have been available in lower categories.

[Cruising-along]

Right, but those are four different levels of cabin, say C/D/E/F. Of course a C guarantee is going to cost more than an F guarantee. If you choose the C guarantee, any specific C, on that day, is the same price.

 

 

Thank you for explaining.

There seems to be a long-standing belief on CC that guarantee cabins are cheaper, and that's why some of us book them.

 

If there is a specific cabin we really want (such as on our next 2 cruises) then we book it. But in all our guarantee bookings we've never had a bad cabin and usually were upgraded. Sometimes from OV to verandah. So for us it has worked out well, maybe we've been lucky but a lot of thought goes into our choice.

[jtl513]

We don't do guarantees, so I didn't realize you could ask for a guarantee at any level.

We did 9 guarantees, up until they re-categorized everything in the fleet a couple years ago. When they did that they put too high a category on many cabins I do not like. For example, the deck 5 mid-ship cabins that used to be VE or VF went to VA on Vista ships and plain V on Signatures. We used to book VD guarantee usually, to be sure that we would not get a steel-walled VH or VF balcony on deck four, or a tiny VE or VF balcony above the lifeboats on deck 5. Any other verandah cabin was fine with us. Now ANY Vx gty can get stuck in the deck 5 mid-ships --- so we haven't done a guarantee since.

 

So since you can book a specific cabin for the same price as a guarantee, why take the guarantee risk? Is the lure of an upgrade worth the risk of getting an "undesirable" cabin?

As I said we booked VD gty, and as far as we were concerned there were no undesirable cabins at that level or above. On all 9 guarantees we were assigned a higher level than we paid for. Our best were a VB stern and a deck 8 V on the Nieuw A. Only once was I less than very pleased, but DW liked even that one.

[jtl513]

Thank you for explaining.

There seems to be a long-standing belief on CC that guarantee cabins are cheaper, and that's why some of us book them.

That's because a lot of people like 3rdGen don't realize that you can do guarantees at any level. (Well, not PS!) On the selection page they see the Choose Your Own price of $3,499 and the Let Us Choose price of $3,199 and conclude that guarantees are cheaper. Only if they ever try the Let Us Choose option will they see that there are also guarantees higher than $3,199, and that price is just for the entry level cabins. Edited August 4, 2016 by jtl513

[SilvertoGold]

Right, but those are four different levels of cabin, say C/D/E/F. Of course a C guarantee is going to cost more than an F guarantee. If you choose the C guarantee, any specific C, on that day, is the same price.

 

Yes! This is how it works. Always.

Edited August 4, 2016 by SilvertoGold

[3rdGenCunarder]

We did 9 guarantees, up until they re-categorized everything in the fleet a couple years ago. When they did that they put too high a category on many cabins I do not like. For example, the deck 5 mid-ship cabins that used to be VE or VF went to VA on Vista ships and plain V on Signatures. We used to book VD guarantee usually, to be sure that we would not get a steel-walled VH or VF balcony on deck four, or a tiny VE or VF balcony above the lifeboats on deck 5. Any other verandah cabin was fine with us. Now ANY Vx gty can get stuck in the deck 5 mid-ships --- so we haven't done a guarantee since.

 

As I said we booked VD gty, and as far as we were concerned there were no undesirable cabins at that level or above. On all 9 guarantees we were assigned a higher level than we paid for. Our best were a VB stern and a deck 8 V on the Nieuw A. Only once was I less than very pleased, but DW liked even that one.

 

Your comments about changing categories sound familiar. I think there were quite a few complaints when those changes were made. On Queen Mary 2, the obstructed balcony cabins kept getting repositioned in the order of categories, and when they were "better" than the category I like, I always said "do not upgrade." QM2's lifeboats are big and very ORANGE!

Edited August 5, 2016 by 3rdGenCunarder

[DaveOKC]

I agree with the comments about not booking guarantees after HAL redid the ctegories a couple of years ago. We like the Signature category and really think that some of the SYs are now better than some of the SS ones, so we do not do a guarantee but rather pick our cabin. With our luck, we would get upgraded to a worse (IMO) cabin.

 

On the R and S class ships the Vista cabins also have a similar situation. My friend was on the Maasdam a few months ago and I had him book a BB cabin and he absolutely loved it due to easy access to Seaview pool, one deck from Lido, and below the carpeted area of the buffet (so quiet). The higher "ranked" BA cabins are below the pool area and above the MDR, two decks from the Lido, plus they are considerably further aft than the BBs. I sure would not want to be "upgraded" from a BB to a BA on this ship.

 

You really need to study the deck plan of your ship before you sign up for a guarantee AND if you plan on allowing HAL to upgrade you. Remember, if you select the "do not upgrade" option on your reservation, you still will be offered "upsells" from HAL.

[summersigh]

I still didn't see a plain answer to "why" one would choose a guarantee over a cabin you pick yourself if they're the same price at booking. :confused:

 

I know there's the chance of an upgrade but, in reality, how often do folks usually get upgraded - especially if you choose to guarantee a veranda?

 

Not trollin' here :D ... just truly curious as DH and I put a lot of time and deliberation into choosing the cabin we want and picking our own.

[DaveOKC]

I still didn't see a plain answer to "why" one would choose a guarantee over a cabin you pick yourself if they're the same price at booking. :confused:

 

I know there's the chance of an upgrade but, in reality, how often do folks usually get upgraded - especially if you choose to guarantee a veranda?

 

Not trollin' here :D ... just truly curious as DH and I put a lot of time and deliberation into choosing the cabin we want and picking our own.

 

OK, I will try to answer. IMO, by picking a guarantee you have a better chance for a free upgrade.

 

Of course this depends on the category you select the guaranatee in. For example, very often HAL uses specific categories for low price marketing purposes and only puts a few cabins in that category. So, if you select this category, you are very likely to get upgraded, as normally more people purchase guarantees in these small categories than there are cabins for them.

 

From reports on this board, I have heard of many people getting upgraded in the veranda category, but this does depend on the ship.

[jtl513]

I know there's the chance of an upgrade but, in reality, how often do folks usually get upgraded - especially if you choose to guarantee a veranda?

9 out of 9 in our case. Our first few cruises, before we discovered Cruise Critic we were "experimenting" with different locations on the ship and were willing to take "whatever" to see if it worked out. All our upgrades were good, a couple were great, and we saved a bunch of money compared to what we would have paid for what we got. Since the wholesale re-categorization a couple years ago we will no longer do guarantees.

For example, very often HAL uses specific categories for low price marketing purposes and only puts a few cabins in that category. So, if you select this category, you are very likely to get upgraded, as normally more people purchase guarantees in these small categories than there are cabins for them.

Only once did we try a VH gty. We were given a VB stern. Mostly we booked VD gtys and got VAs. Admittedly, those were often high up and far forward or aft, which some people don't like. We do like them, and often choose them now that they are VF and VE!! Edited August 5, 2016 by jtl513

[summersigh]

Dave & jtl ... Thanks for the insight. We often wondered:)

[Sopwith]

It's been a while since we sailed with HAL. We became disenchanted a few years ago and have avoided them, but since we spotted an itinerary that appealed we thought we'd give it a try again to see if things have improved.

 

However, we're off to a bad start. We selected a certain cabin and paid the deposit. After final payment and looking at the invoice I see that they have switched us to a Guarantee for the same category. I realize that this could work out to our advantage, however we could also be directly under the Lido restaurant or the pool deck, which we specifically wanted to avoid. I had our TA check, and they claim they don't know how it happened. They have allegedly promised to get our selected cabin back or upgrade us. I'm afraid I don't trust them to come through.

 

Is this normal for HAL these days to switch you out of a selected cabin without asking or telling? Doesn't bode well for our future relationship, which is already fragile.

 

So just to close this loop, we were finally assigned a cabin about two or three weeks prior to sailing. HAL tried to tell me it was an upgrade, but we ended up two decks down and opening directly into the elevator lobby, which was exactly what I was trying to avoid when I booked the numbered cabin. So in my view it was a downgrade.

 

I did have a discussion with the FCC on board to enquire if she could shed some light on how this could have happened. What I heard was the inevitable: HAL blamed the TA and the TA blamed HAL. She was quite dismissive of me and the whole affair. The FCC's initial response, and I'm paraphrasing only slightly, was "HAL doesn't make mistakes, so it must have been your travel agent". Later in the conversation it was "No, we would never have said that."

 

Regardless of who is responsible, a mistake happened and no one would take ownership and get it fixed. This is an opportunity lost by a company that holds itself out as putting great importance on customer loyalty. If you advertise this, you have to walk the talk. Not at HAL, apparently.

 

Sayonara, HAL. We gave you a second chance and you blew it.

[RocketMan275]

So just to close this loop, we were finally assigned a cabin about two or three weeks prior to sailing. HAL tried to tell me it was an upgrade, but we ended up two decks down and opening directly into the elevator lobby, which was exactly what I was trying to avoid when I booked the numbered cabin. So in my view it was a downgrade.

 

I did have a discussion with the FCC on board to enquire if she could shed some light on how this could have happened. What I heard was the inevitable: HAL blamed the TA and the TA blamed HAL. She was quite dismissive of me and the whole affair. The FCC's initial response, and I'm paraphrasing only slightly, was "HAL doesn't make mistakes, so it must have been your travel agent". Later in the conversation it was "No, we would never have said that."

 

Regardless of who is responsible, a mistake happened and no one would take ownership and get it fixed. This is an opportunity lost by a company that holds itself out as putting great importance on customer loyalty. If you advertise this, you have to walk the talk. Not at HAL, apparently.

 

Sayonara, HAL. We gave you a second chance and you blew it.

 

I understand why you're upset but I'd like to ask a question. We've wondered about cabins near the elevator lobby in the past. How did you find this cabin? Was it as bad as you expected?

[3rdGenCunarder]

I'm sorry to hear about HAL's ultimate response to your issue. I can understand if they had already assigned cabins when you got moved to guarantee and they couldn't move you back to your choice. But they should have said SORRY. What would it have cost them to say "There was an error made somewhere and we are sorry we couldn't fix it." Give you some OBC or credit toward another cruise. I'm NOT saying you were complaining to get money out of HAL, but it would have been a gesture of apology and an indication that they value your business.

 

It's getting to be like computers--when there's a problem, the software people blame the hardware and the hardware people blame the software.

[iancal]

It does not matter who is at fault. Simply get it rectified. If you cannot then live and learn. Then change TA's or cruise lines if you are so inclined. It is not the end of the world.

 

Last time we booked early we did a reprice. Gave up an assigned cabin, saved $600. and ended up with a higher cat. gty in a better location. It can work both ways.

Edited October 25, 2016 by iancal

[doublebzz]

So just to close this loop, we were finally assigned a cabin about two or three weeks prior to sailing. HAL tried to tell me it was an upgrade, but we ended up two decks down and opening directly into the elevator lobby, which was exactly what I was trying to avoid when I booked the numbered cabin. So in my view it was a downgrade.

 

I did have a discussion with the FCC on board to enquire if she could shed some light on how this could have happened. What I heard was the inevitable: HAL blamed the TA and the TA blamed HAL. She was quite dismissive of me and the whole affair. The FCC's initial response, and I'm paraphrasing only slightly, was "HAL doesn't make mistakes, so it must have been your travel agent". Later in the conversation it was "No, we would never have said that."

 

Regardless of who is responsible, a mistake happened and no one would take ownership and get it fixed. This is an opportunity lost by a company that holds itself out as putting great importance on customer loyalty. If you advertise this, you have to walk the talk. Not at HAL, apparently.

 

Sayonara, HAL. We gave you a second chance and you blew it.

 

A letter to HAL's President might result in some recompense; at least, its worth a try.

 

I know this is besides the point, but I've had cabins adjacent to the elevator lobby on a few cruises and actually found the location to be an advantage.

[sail7seas]

Aside from the cabin situation, how was your cruise? I hope you were able to put Aside your anger about the cabin an enjhoy yourselves.

Edited October 25, 2016 by sail7seas

[summersigh]

That's because a lot of people like 3rdGen don't realize that you can do guarantees at any level. (Well, not PS!) On the selection page they see the Choose Your Own price of $3,499 and the Let Us Choose price of $3,199 and conclude that guarantees are cheaper. Only if they ever try the Let Us Choose option will they see that there are also guarantees higher than $3,199, and that price is just for the entry level cabins.

I have to say that the HAL website is no help at all explaining all of this - nor are other lines for that matter. So misunderstanding is easily accomplished.

 

We've searched/mock-booked a zillion:) different cruises since 2000 and have never seen a clear explanation of this on a cruise line web site. Maybe there is an explanation but I've never seen it. As per the example above ... why would one be overly tempted to click "let us choose" if you are led to assume the guarantee is for the lowest level cabin in that category? We certainly don't feel the $3oo dollar difference would be worth it if you were stuck in a cabin with a steel walled verandah.

 

I appreciate all ya'lls clarifications. If you're casually perusing the prices it DOES appear the guarantees are cheaper. Now we "know the rest of the story". :)

[shealea]

Rocketman - you were asking about cabins at or near the elevator lobby area.

 

Dh and I love that area, and if we choose a cabin rather than use guarantee, we will always choose this area.

 

We had initially thought they would be noisy, but we've never, ever had noise. We don't hear folks coming and going. It could be different if you were at a elevator lobby at the point where people are leaving to go Port. We've never been there.

 

We love when we can get off the elevator, and our room is Right There. Straight ahead, or right around the corner. I don't ever get lost! Ha!

[FredT]

Add us to the "by the elevators or by the lobby is ok" crowd. The ONLY time I have ever had an issue with this was on a RCL ship where they did nightly shows in the atrium... (Airel acts going up all 5 decks) And the noise of people crowding to see the show (They were packed 2-3 cabins into the hallways) was horrible!!! :eek:

[Sopwith]

In reply to a few questions, I was not and am not looking for any monetary compensation. I simply wanted to know what happened, and if possible to be put back somewhere similar to what I had booked. My priorities when booking a cabin are to avoid noise and disturbance: (1) not under or over eateries, galleys, pools, entertainment venues, etc. (2) not close to an elevator lobby. We were once directly under the main galley on the Volendam and were wakened by carts rolling around every morning at 5:00 am. Not good.

 

The cabin we ended up with was the same as what we booked, and the noise factor was present, but not overly problematic until the last evening when the crew was humping bags and loading them into elevators for a few hours. I wasn't ever really angry, just irritated about the botch, and more irritated at HAL's lack of caring.

 

Regarding the rest of the cruise, we enjoyed it, but we found the service to be lacking overall, and the food and entertainment were mediocre. HAL isn't what it used to be.

 

A comment on the Nieuw Amsterdam: this is the same hull as the Vista ships, but they have stuffed another few dozen cabins and up to 190 additional passengers into it without increasing the public spaces. In fact they have reduced the area of available public space by creating a dozen or two private cabanas, which on this cruise were rarely in use. This was particularly evident in the Lido restaurant, where there are not enough tables for the number of passengers, and tables were not being cleared promptly when vacated, which made the problem worse. I was not able to even once eat breakfast inside. I always ended up outside, often had to clear and set my own table, and then go in search of a coffee mug because they weren't being stocked at the coffee station. Very poor service.

[kazu]

In reply to a few questions, I was not and am not looking for any monetary compensation. I simply wanted to know what happened, and if possible to be put back somewhere similar to what I had booked. My priorities when booking a cabin are to avoid noise and disturbance: (1) not under or over eateries, galleys, pools, entertainment venues, etc. (2) not close to an elevator lobby. We were once directly under the main galley on the Volendam and were wakened by carts rolling around every morning at 5:00 am. Not good.

 

The cabin we ended up with was the same as what we booked, and the noise factor was present, but not overly problematic until the last evening when the crew was humping bags and loading them into elevators for a few hours. I wasn't ever really angry, just irritated about the botch, and more irritated at HAL's lack of caring.

 

Regarding the rest of the cruise, we enjoyed it, but we found the service to be lacking overall, and the food and entertainment were mediocre. HAL isn't what it used to be.

 

A comment on the Nieuw Amsterdam: this is the same hull as the Vista ships, but they have stuffed another few dozen cabins and up to 190 additional passengers into it without increasing the public spaces. In fact they have reduced the area of available public space by creating a dozen or two private cabanas, which on this cruise were rarely in use. This was particularly evident in the Lido restaurant, where there are not enough tables for the number of passengers, and tables were not being cleared promptly when vacated, which made the problem worse. I was not able to even once eat breakfast inside. I always ended up outside, often had to clear and set my own table, and then go in search of a coffee mug because they weren't being stocked at the coffee station. Very poor service.

 

I totally get what you are saying about not looking for compensation, but, if I may be so bold to say, the FCC is not the person to talk to about this.

 

I would send an email to HAL about the situation (just click the contact button on their website) and ask what happened. Express your concern in an objective way and you might get to the bottom of it.

 

I totally understand your situation and how you feel. If I were to lose my cabin that I booked nearly a year out after careful choosing, I wouldn't be a happy camper.

 

Sorry to hear about your experience on the N.A. As well. I know she has a lot of fans, but once was enough for me. It sounds like we had had similar experiences. Of course experiences can change from sailing to sailing but for now, we are sticking with Vista class or smaller. (Smaller preferred ;) )

[SeaBands]

but American Airlines changed our seats a few days before a flight and then tried to charge us for a change of reservation that wasn't requested. We never got the seats back. Back to United.