Guarantee to Assignment

[Rinderoo]

For those who have booked GTYs in the past, how long until HAL assigns the stateroom? I changed one cabin to two last week and both are GTY (different categories so we'll be separated, which is fine.) Just don't want to print boarding passes and bag tags until I have a room, but if it is assigned at the port I may not have a choice.

 

Thanks!

[CruiserBruce]

As commonly discussed here, assignment can come anywhere from 30 days out to dockside. Most common seems to be between 10 and 20 days prior to sailing.

[Cruising-along]

Our average has been 11-12 days, and once it was 1 day before the cruise.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

As HAL has gotten more into offering "upsells" I have seen the window for assigning guarantees get closer in. Lately it has been 5-10 days prior to sailing on average.

[johno1234]

Last year we booked a couple of GTY Balcony cabins on the NCL Hawaii Cruise, a couple of months out. The price was sensational at the time. We booked it on the phone through cruise.com. Here's the kicker, we requested the cabins to be next to each other... and the lady on the phone put the request in. Within about two days we had assigned adjacent cabins - and unobstructed views. It was my first cruise so I really had no idea how the GTY mechanism worked, but to this day I can't understand how we got such good service that far out on a GTY.

 

In general I have found for multiple reasons that you should book over the phone talking to a person rather than using online services!

[SilvertoGold]

Think in terms of 15 to 5 days out for your cabin assignment.

 

Have a great cruise!

[RMLincoln]

If you do not have a cabin assignment before you leave home, no worries - the pier porters have always had luggage tags that can be filled out dockside. Even if you have an assignment you may ask for the tags, which saves having to print them ahead of time and prepare them on your way to embarkation, usually for us that means at the hotel in the departure port. m--

[sevenseasnomad]

We only booked one GTY in the nine years we've been cruising with HAL & that reservation was aboard 2015 Prinsendam Christmas cruise. We reserved inside category. After all those years of knowing the cabin we'd call home for a cruise's duration, we were sitting on pins and needles waiting for cabin # confirmation. About 8 days prior to sailing, we received notification that we were, in fact, assigned an inside on an upper deck. We were disappointed that the upgrade fairy hadn't smiled on us, but what could we do? Two days prior to embarkation, we received an email notice that we had been upgraded to an outside in a very desirable section of the ship, at least in our opinion. We were excited and pleased and enjoyed the cabin.

 

We're about to book another guarantee, so I suppose we didn't learn a lesson from the previous nail-biting experience. I guess what I'm trying to say is that those of us who take our chances and book GTYs have to be patient souls. Whether the assignment comes two weeks before the cruise or at check-in, waiting & hoping is one of the downsides of GTYs.

 

Hope you get a fabulous cabin!

[djhsolara]

On Koningsdam in January we got our assignment 3-5 days prior to sailing. Not sure if it was because they knew we wanted an upgrade/upsell, but we did and got it.

 

 

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[djhsolara]

On Koningsdam in January we got our assignment 3-5 days prior to sailing. Not sure if it was because they knew we wanted an upgrade/upsell, but we did and got it.

 

 

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[jenng1976]

I'm (im)patiently waiting for our balcony guarantee assignment for Eurodam April 1st! Crossing fingers we don't get a faux VT balcony!

 

I didn't realize when we booked that there was actually a balcony category on this ship where 2 people can't sit out! My previous impression of HAL verandahs were that they were all more spacious and with nicer furniture than the other lines.

 

But, too late to change now so we wait and hope and see! [emoji4]

 

 

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[Rinderoo]

I'm three weeks out (Eurodam March 11). They're still selling space and no call from the upgrade fairy. HAL did let me go from one room to two, and waived penalties. Their customer service has been pretty good thus far, so I will wait until they're done.

 

Thanks!

[DaveOKC]

With HAL aggressively doing upsells now-a-days in many cases the guarantees are pushed back until this process is over, which can be as little as a few days out.

[Krazy Kruizers]

The best place to check and see what cabins you have been assigned is the "luggage tag" area.

So in about a week -- start checking there.

[jtl513]

I didn't realize when we booked that there was actually a balcony category on this ship where 2 people can't sit out! My previous impression of HAL verandahs were that they were all more spacious and with nicer furniture than the other lines.

I read recently that those VT cabins now have two small wicker chairs on the balcony. Originally those cabins were intended to be just OVs with floor-to-ceiling windows but no balcony. The Juliette balconies were a late construction change. HAL learned their lesson, and the cabins in the same area of the Nieuw A have square balconies, albeit still small.

[VTcruisenut]

I contacted HAL this morning about our Guarantee inside cabin assignment for the March 18th on the Eurodam. I was told to look for it about a week before sailing and we would get an email. This is what happened to us in 2015 with a Guarantee booking, and we got the room assignment about 14 days out of sail date. Since we booked an inside $99 per person Casino Offer, I don't expect any upgrade Fairy to visit, and will be surprised if in fact our cabin isn't down in the bowels of the ship near the incinerator! but all I do is sleep and shower there, so no worries! $99 for a 7 day cruise???? I'm there! :D

[jenng1976]

I read recently that those VT cabins now have two small wicker chairs on the balcony. Originally those cabins were intended to be just OVs with floor-to-ceiling windows but no balcony. The Juliette balconies were a late construction change. HAL learned their lesson, and the cabins in the same area of the Nieuw A have square balconies, albeit still small.

 

 

Thanks for the info! Hopefully we won't get one, but if we do maybe it won't be too bad. [emoji4].

 

 

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[ingleparker]

I got my assignment 18 days out from March 5th NA cruise - had an SZ guaranty and got an SS. Probably that early as all Signatures and Neptunes had been sold out for a good 10 days by then. Good luck!

[Tokyo Mom]

We had a SY Guarantee on a March 3rd sailing and we just got our cabin assignment today - to an SS on deck 6 midship. Can't wait!