Guarantee Cabin warning. Lesson learned, check the ship map first.

[framboesa]

It depends how do you value your cabin. We couldn't care less for our cabin(only to sleep and shower), that's why we always book guarantee, never had a bad cabin, normally have upgrades (from interior to balcony for instance). But if you give a big importance to the cabin, you should pick it ;)

Edited April 3, 2019 by framboesa

[framboesa]

14 hours ago, birdie16 said:

  The very sad truth is my husband and I have decided this will be our last cruise with Royal Caribbean.  

They do it on other cruise lines too (obstructed balconies). I keep reading about it on cruise lines  threads. Glad everything is ok now :)

[bar1068]

18 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

It would be nice on Quantum class if they separated the guarantees much like they do on Oasis having the neighbourhood or Oceanview guaranteee.  They could do an Oceanview or obstructed view guarantee obviously charging more for the unobstructed view. 

Hmmmm....Quantum class includes the Anthem of the Seas right? We're booked in a balcony guarantee on Anthem in May. They did offer an Obstructed Ocean View Balcony Guarantee as well as an Ocean View Balcony Guarantee at different fares. We're booked with an Ocean View Guarantee, which we "upgraded" to from an interior, for a lower cost so we're happy with that. I suppose we could end up with an obstructed balcony, but we're not as umm....particular about our cabin choices, and I also knew prior to booking the types of cabins we could possibly get booking a guarantee.

[Ourusualbeach]

31 minutes ago, bar1068 said:

Hmmmm....Quantum class includes the Anthem of the Seas right? We're booked in a balcony guarantee on Anthem in May. They did offer an Obstructed Ocean View Balcony Guarantee as well as an Ocean View Balcony Guarantee at different fares. We're booked with an Ocean View Guarantee, which we "upgraded" to from an interior, for a lower cost so we're happy with that. I suppose we could end up with an obstructed balcony, but we're not as umm....particular about our cabin choices, and I also knew prior to booking the types of cabins we could possibly get booking a guarantee.

That's great they offered that for your cruise however it would be nice if they offered that for all. 

[nelblu]

16 hours ago, helen haywood said:

Unless the cruise line you are booking with offers both a Balcony Guaranty and an Obstructed Balcony Guaranty (and I’ve never seen both offered) keep in mind that normally a guaranty may give you the worst cabin.  You must be happy with the savings to risk this possibility.  The OP did not know her ship had obstructed balconies but many ships do.  In addition you could be given a cabin extremely high up or very far forward or aft or far from elevators or a connecting cabin or one over a night club or under the galley or next to a crew door...  I would rather pay a bit more and choose my own cabin.

 

Royal gives you 3 options on their websites--see post #61.  Obstructed balcony guarantee is in black & white--no confusion.

[nelblu]

17 hours ago, AnnaNicole said:

11

Nights

Hawaii Cruise

02 MAY 2019 - 13 MAY 2019

Ship: Ovation of the Seas

PORTS OF CALL: Honolulu - Oahu - Hawaii  Honolulu - Oahu - Hawaii  Kilaeua Volcano- Evening Sail  Lahaina - Maui - Hawaii  Lahaina - Maui - Hawaii  Victoria - British Columbia Vancouver - British Columbia

Step 01:Stateroom Guests :

2 Adults

Change | 

Step 02:select the type of stateroom you would like : Balcony

Change | 

Step 03:select your specific stateroom

STATEROOM OPTIONS XB 2E 1E 2D 4D 8D 7D 6D 5D

XB

 

Guaranteed Balcony

OCCUPANCY: 2 ADULTS

£2,488.00

Staterooms may vary in size and configuration from those pictured.

A 'Guaranteed Balcony' means that you pay a low price for a Balcony category room. However, your room number won't be confirmed at the time of booking, but a little later on - this happens between full payment being made and before the sailing departs. ***NOTE THAT GUARANTEED ROOMS ARE EXCLUDED FROM THE EXISTING PROMOTION***

 

SELECT YOUR OFFER

£2,488.00

Lowest price

VIEW AVAILABLE STATEROOMS

2E

Obstructed Ocean View Balcony

OCCUPANCY: 2 ADULTS

£2,542.00

Staterooms may vary in size and configuration from those pictured.

Two twin beds that convert to Royal King, sitting area with sofa, full bathroom and private balcony. Stateroom: 198 sq. ft. Balcony: 55 sq. ft.

SELECT YOUR OFFER

£2,542.00

Lowest price : Discount MORE ABOUT THIS OFFER 

SELECT YOUR STATEROOM

We have selected a great stateroom for you, however, please feel free to select your own.

Stateroom no.

 All decks Deck 6 

 All Positions Midship Aft 

6222

Deck 6

Midship

VIEW THIS STATEROOM

6708

Deck 6

Aft

VIEW THIS STATEROOM

 

Not being a techie, how were you able to get this kind of snap shot.  Not  a simple copy/paste.

[AnnaNicole]

38 minutes ago, nelblu said:

 

Not being a techie, how were you able to get this kind of snap shot.  Not  a simple copy/paste.

Copy and paste.  LOL

[travelplus]

My motto is if your not happy pay up or shut up and enjoy the cruise. 😁

[CruisingSince1982]

21 hours ago, birdie16 said:

My husband and I booked a balcony cabin guarantee.  I made the big mistake of not looking at the ship maps first.  On the Ovation of the Seas there are so many bad balcony cabins! I figured we would be perfectly safe booking a balcony, right?  They are usually up above all the obstruction crap.  Not so on this ship.  So, not only have they taken away a port (Kona) and a cruise along the Napoli Coast, I am going to be spending several days at sea in a ship with a view of the side of a lifeboat.  Lesson learned, never book a guarantee cabin.  At this point we would almost rather walk away from the cruise and take our loss.  I find myself feeling like I would rather stay home.  For those of you that want to know, our cabin assignment is 6222, fully obstructed.  I have a call in to my travel agent to see if it can be changed, however, at this time the person at the Loyalty Desk said there is nothing else available in that category.  

 

I agree - never book a guarantee! The gamble is just not worth the savings.

[topcruiser16]

18 hours ago, birdie16 said:

Actually, at the time I booked only a guarantee was available.  When I started this thread I even said it was my mistake, lesson learned.  My point was, I wrongly assumed a guarantee balcony would guarantee a balcony, not an obstructed balcony.  I was only trying to warn other people before they made the same mistake I did.  

 

Edited to add...The part about RCCL getting the blame is another subject.  Our itinerary was changed too late for a refund, many of us feel it was poor planning on RCCL.  It was also the way they handled that situation, totally unrelated to this cabin issue.

I for one am glad you made this post.  I didn't realize how obstructed an ovation balcony could be.  My hubby and I have never sailed this class before.  We are on the TA from Sydney to Vancouver and were previously booked on the explorer TA.  

You are correct there have been many changes that should have been planned for.  It was all very irritating.  This is not Royal's first time cruising.  That being said, we have decided to just enjoy the cruise and go with the flow.  I hope that somehow you can find a way to do the same.  Enjoy your upgraded balcony.   Maybe we will see you around the ship.  

[birdie16]

7 minutes ago, topcruiser16 said:

I for one am glad you made this post.  I didn't realize how obstructed an ovation balcony could be.  My hubby and I have never sailed this class before.  We are on the TA from Sydney to Vancouver and were previously booked on the explorer TA.  

You are correct there have been many changes that should have been planned for.  It was all very irritating.  This is not Royal's first time cruising.  That being said, we have decided to just enjoy the cruise and go with the flow.  I hope that somehow you can find a way to do the same.  Enjoy your upgraded balcony.   Maybe we will see you around the ship.  

Thank you for your understanding.  Yes, we will make the best of our cruise vacation, we will be more careful in the future.  Hope to see you on board!

[birdie16]

56 minutes ago, travelplus said:

My motto is if your not happy pay up or shut up and enjoy the cruise. 😁

I paid up, I won't shut up if I can help someone else avoid the same mistake.  Yes, we will do our best to enjoy our cruise.

[birdie16]

49 minutes ago, CruisingSince1982 said:

 

I agree - never book a guarantee! The gamble is just not worth the savings.

It would have been worth the savings, if they had two guarantee balcony categories, "Obstructed Balcony Guarantee" and Unobstructed Balcony Guarantee".  On the ships we have cruised the balcony cabins were free of obstructions.

[birdie16]

1 hour ago, AnnaNicole said:

Copy and paste.  LOL

You can also do a screen shot and crop it.

[birdie16]

2 hours ago, nelblu said:

 

Royal gives you 3 options on their websites--see post #61.  Obstructed balcony guarantee is in black & white--no confusion.

Not with my travel agent.  Choice at the time we booked was Guarantee Balcony only.

[birdie16]

5 hours ago, framboesa said:

It depends how do you value your cabin. We couldn't care less for our cabin(only to sleep and shower), that's why we always book guarantee, never had a bad cabin, normally have upgrades (from interior to balcony for instance). But if you give a big importance to the cabin, you should pick it 😉

I used to think like that but the older I get the more I appreciate just sitting on my balcony reading or enjoying a glass of wine.

[birdie16]

8 hours ago, copter said:

I don't often use travel agents as I enjoy making my own bookings and doing my own research, but based on the information posted, I would put more blame with your TA than RCCL.  You pay the TA to provide you with a service and part of the service is providing you with pertinent information related to your booking. If you were not warned of the possibility of a GTY resulting in an obstructed view, then I don't believe they did their job.  Just my 2 cents worth and I really hope you enjoy your cruise.

Agreed.  I even asked her when I booked, "This means we will have a balcony with a clear view, right?"  She said yes, the thing we were taking a chance on is the location on the ship not being as favorable.  My husband and I rarely take the elevator and could care less how far away the stairs are.  Part of the blame should be put on my TA, I don't think she was even aware of the number of obstructions on this ship when I booked.  

[reallyitsmema]

18 minutes ago, birdie16 said:

It would have been worth the savings, if they had two guarantee balcony categories, "Obstructed Balcony Guarantee" and Unobstructed Balcony Guarantee".  On the ships we have cruised the balcony cabins were free of obstructions.

 

Looking at your signature, most of those ships also have obstructed view balconies.  The deck plans do show which cabins are obstructed.  We just recently booked a JS on Freedom and paid the higher rate to choose our cabin because we did not want to get stuck with one of the center aft facing JS on deck 7.  Those cabins are behind a larger open area and are set way back in the superstructure of Freedom class ships.  You say you like to look down at the water, this would not be possible from those cabins.  We also have an obstructed JS booked on Serenade, but we looked online at videos and can deal with the obstruction.

 

Just make sure you check deck plans before you roll the dice on guaranty cabins in the future, whatever cruise line you end up sailing.  🙂 

 

edit to add link to what we didn't want assigned to us on Freedom

 

 

 

Edited April 3, 2019 by reallyitsmema

[mayleeman]

3 minutes ago, birdie16 said:

Agreed.  I even asked her when I booked, "This means we will have a balcony with a clear view, right?"  She said yes, the thing we were taking a chance on is the location on the ship not being as favorable.  My husband and I rarely take the elevator and could care less how far away the stairs are.  Part of the blame should be put on my TA, I don't think she was even aware of the number of obstructions on this ship when I booked.  

I was shocked that only one post has suggested any blame for the travel agent, who was inexcusably wrong. This is why I do it all myself--just like most things, I know I care a lot more about what happens to me. And I only have our trips to worry about, not dozens of others, so I can research like crazy.

 

I am also surprised at the number of people who seem to think that it is the cabin selection causing you to stop RCI cruises. You clearly stated it is the itinerary change timing. Question for you and others: Is that something other lines don't do?

[birdie16]

4 minutes ago, mayleeman said:

 

 

I am also surprised at the number of people who seem to think that it is the cabin selection causing you to stop RCI cruises. You clearly stated it is the itinerary change timing. Question for you and others: Is that something other lines don't do?

It was the way they did it.  There was an entire thread about it.  In a nut shell, RCCL knew they would have to have inspections done when they brought the ship to the US for the first time.  They failed to allow time without cruisers to do these 3 day inspections.  It appears that they put together an attractive Hawaii cruise and waited until the ship was pretty much booked and the penalty to change/cancel was at 75%, almost to the day, to announce the change that would turn it into a less than favorable itinerary.  Several of us wrote letters and were given what some of us feel was canned lip service.  Again, this is a very quick description of what happened on this cruise and it is my opinion only.

[birdie16]

Again, I want to remind people the intent of this thread was to warn people before they decide to book a guarantee balcony cabin.  The warning is simple, do your research and see if the ship you are looking at has obstructed balcony cabins and decide for yourself if it is worth the risk.  I admit I did not research the ship properly or I would never have booked a guarantee balcony on this ship because virtually all of the cabins on the 6th floor and some on the 7th have some kind of obstruction, that is a lot of obstructed balconies.  Buyer beware.  

 

Thank you everyone for allowing a good discussion on this thread.  My husband and I are what you would call "seasoned" cruisers, we are Diamond and I was still taken by surprise.  We will still enjoy our cruise and look forward to the nice long sea days in our new "upgraded" balcony cabin.

[birdie16]

23 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

Looking at your signature, most of those ships also have obstructed view balconies.  The deck plans do show which cabins are obstructed.  We just recently booked a JS on Freedom and paid the higher rate to choose our cabin because we did not want to get stuck with one of the center aft facing JS on deck 7.  Those cabins are behind a larger open area and are set way back in the superstructure of Freedom class ships.  You say you like to look down at the water, this would not be possible from those cabins.  We also have an obstructed JS booked on Serenade, but we looked online at videos and can deal with the obstruction.

 

Just make sure you check deck plans before you roll the dice on guaranty cabins in the future, whatever cruise line you end up sailing.  🙂 

 

edit to add link to what we didn't want assigned to us on Freedom

 

 

 

I guess this proves everyone is looking for something different, I would have been happy with that view.

[birdie16]

OMG!  I am LMAO, I just check my emails and after spending $1,000 to upgrade our cabin to the only unobstructed balcony cabin  left on the ship they are now sending me the "Royal Up"  offer to submit a bid.  Let me tell you...that is not going to happen.  Sorry...I just had to share it with you all.

[Clarea]

5 minutes ago, birdie16 said:

OMG!  I am LMAO, I just check my emails and after spending $1,000 to upgrade our cabin to the only unobstructed balcony cabin  left on the ship they are now sending me the "Royal Up"  offer to submit a bid.  Let me tell you...that is not going to happen.  Sorry...I just had to share it with you all.

 

Unfortunately, not surprising.

[nanowerx]

Is the 'obstructed balcony' issue confined mostly to Quantum ships? Or do all ships have a few bad balconies?

 

Going on the Harmony in June. Currently have inside room, but was hoping I got a Royal Up offer for a OV balcony. Now I am questioning that (considering they pick the room), I can deal with a little obstruction, but the one this post is about is abysmal and I would not even want to chance getting a room like that.

 

However, rooms like the Aft Balcony on the Freedom (showing in the video above) would be perfectly fine with me, that is an 'obstructed view' that I could get down with.