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My Guarantee Assignment

GulfShoresCruiser

By GulfShoresCruiser,
in Princess Cruises

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GulfShoresCruiser

GulfShoresCruiser

Posted
Posted

First time on Princess (24th cruise, mostly Holland America).

 

We booked a Guarantee Balcony cabin for the 3/12 TA on the Sky.

We were assigned a Balcony cabin obstructed view today.....7 days from departure.

Cabin assigned is the minimum level for the guarantee).

 

We are perfectly fine with the cabin but I'm surprised this was where we landed.  When I try a mock booking, I see tons of availability for all levels of balcony cabins.  And from the rock bottom price of this cruise and the fact that it is a TA, I would think there are lots of cabins going vacant. 

 

We've always booked guarantees on other lines (never been in a bad cabin) and the final assignment is always above the minimum.  Also, Holland America has an upsell area you can call right up to sailing and they can quote you a category upgrade costs if you are so inclined....Sometimes at a good price, sometimes not.  

 

Questions for the Princess veterans:

 

  • Is my experience similar to your experience regarding guarantees?
  • Is there an upsell area at Princess that I can contact to inquire about upsells?

 

I want to say this again so that folks do not start judging me about guarantees.....WE ARE PERFECTLY CONTENT WITH OUR OBSTRUCTED VIEW BALCONY.....I'm just learning about how Princess rolls with this and what my options are for upsells. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Cruise Raider Great Review Rare

Cruise Raider

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, GulfShoresCruiser said:

First time on Princess (24th cruise, mostly Holland America).

 

We booked a Guarantee Balcony cabin for the 3/12 TA on the Sky.

We were assigned a Balcony cabin obstructed view today.....7 days from departure.

Cabin assigned is the minimum level for the guarantee).

 

We are perfectly fine with the cabin but I'm surprised this was where we landed.  When I try a mock booking, I see tons of availability for all levels of balcony cabins.  And from the rock bottom price of this cruise and the fact that it is a TA, I would think there are lots of cabins going vacant. 

 

We've always booked guarantees on other lines (never been in a bad cabin) and the final assignment is always above the minimum.  Also, Holland America has an upsell area you can call right up to sailing and they can quote you a category upgrade costs if you are so inclined....Sometimes at a good price, sometimes not.  

 

Questions for the Princess veterans:

 

  • Is my experience similar to your experience regarding guarantees?
  • Is there an upsell area at Princess that I can contact to inquire about upsells?

 

I want to say this again so that folks do not start judging me about guarantees.....WE ARE PERFECTLY CONTENT WITH OUR OBSTRUCTED VIEW BALCONY.....I'm just learning about how Princess rolls with this and what my options are for upsells. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


We’ve cruises on Princess a lot and used to go for the guaranteed cabins if nothing else was available and never really been given a very desirable room.  But one good thing is, if there are other rooms in the same category that are more to your liking, you can call and asked to be moved to that cabin.  There are some really nice obstructed balconies midship on the Royal class ships.  
Also, in terms of upsells, they may send you an offer to upgrade but if you aren’t on their list, there has been no magical way of getting that offer.  Some travel agents don’t pass those offers along and I finally started getting these when I booked directly through Princess.  
Your last option is to see what types of upgrades or upsells are offered once you are onboard.  With the ships sailing at lower capacity, there might be something that you would be interested in.  
They may charge you, they may not.  But, it never hurts to ask.  

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jwattle Holiday Sharing Rare

jwattle

Posted
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You can also wait until one month before your cruise (if you do it sooner you'll get an email saying to wait until one month before) and email upgradeoffer@princesscruises.com

😊

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Eglesbrech "Live from...." Rare

Eglesbrech

Posted
Posted
27 minutes ago, jwattle said:

You can also wait until one month before your cruise (if you do it sooner you'll get an email saying to wait until one month before) and email upgradeoffer@princesscruises.com

😊

So how does that work? Do you just say what you are prepared to pay to upgrade to?

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jwattle Holiday Sharing Rare

jwattle

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

So how does that work? Do you just say what you are prepared to pay to upgrade to?

No, you ask if there are any upgrades available for your sailing and they let you know what is available for your sailing and the cost 🙂

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Eglesbrech "Live from...." Rare

Eglesbrech

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2 minutes ago, jwattle said:

No, you ask if there are any upgrades available for your sailing and they let you know what is available for your sailing and the cost 🙂

Many thanks. I was not aware Princess did this, I’ve done bid ups on Celebrity and RCI but not Princess.

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Ombud

Ombud

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Posted
23 hours ago, GulfShoresCruiser said:

First time on Princess (24th cruise, mostly Holland America).

 

We booked a Guarantee Balcony cabin for the 3/12 TA on the Sky.

We were assigned a Balcony cabin obstructed view today.....7 days from departure.

Cabin assigned is the minimum level for the guarantee).

 

We are perfectly fine with the cabin but I'm surprised this was where we landed.  When I try a mock booking, I see tons of availability for all levels of balcony cabins.  And from the rock bottom price of this cruise and the fact that it is a TA, I would think there are lots of cabins going vacant. 

 

We've always booked guarantees on other lines (never been in a bad cabin) and the final assignment is always above the minimum.  Also, Holland America has an upsell area you can call right up to sailing and they can quote you a category upgrade costs if you are so inclined....Sometimes at a good price, sometimes not.  

 

Questions for the Princess veterans:

 

  • Is my experience similar to your experience regarding guarantees?
  • Is there an upsell area at Princess that I can contact to inquire about upsells?

 

I want to say this again so that folks do not start judging me about guarantees.....WE ARE PERFECTLY CONTENT WITH OUR OBSTRUCTED VIEW BALCONY.....I'm just learning about how Princess rolls with this and what my options are for upsells.

E405-E425 are not obstructed unless looking down. You night have just snagged one of the best kept secrets. Larger balcony, closer to 5/6/7 activities, my go-to rooms of choice (I missed E425 but got E421 so had it marked NO UPGRADE). 

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Cruise Raider Great Review Rare

Cruise Raider

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1 hour ago, Eglesbrech said:

Many thanks. I was not aware Princess did this, I’ve done bid ups on Celebrity and RCI but not Princess.

 

But just be aware, out of the 3 dozen cruises I've sailed on with Princess, I've only received an upsell offer twice.  I took advantage of one and turned the other one down.  I'm not sure how they pick who gets these offers except you may be in a room or room category that someone else wants or is easily booked.  

I have received a few upgrade offers, though.  

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GulfShoresCruiser

GulfShoresCruiser

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2 hours ago, jwattle said:

You can also wait until one month before your cruise (if you do it sooner you'll get an email saying to wait until one month before) and email upgradeoffer@princesscruises.com

😊

 

Thanks for passing this along!

 

Just sent an email......for whatever is may be worth......We are sailing T minus 6 days!

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Steelers36

Steelers36

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8 hours ago, Ombud said:

E405-E425 are not obstructed unless looking down. You night have just snagged one of the best kept secrets. Larger balcony, closer to 5/6/7 activities, my go-to rooms of choice (I missed E425 but got E421 so had it marked NO UPGRADE). 

Don't forget the Port side!

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honeyb2

honeyb2

Posted
Posted

This is your first Princess cruise and you are disappointed that you didn't get an upgrade. You could look at it this way, you've never put a penny in Princess' pocket and you got what you paid for. If you had sailed on Princess 33 times like we have, then you might look for an upgrade and be grateful if you got one.

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GulfShoresCruiser

GulfShoresCruiser

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24 minutes ago, honeyb2 said:

This is your first Princess cruise and you are disappointed that you didn't get an upgrade.

 

Not disappointed at all! Very excited for our obstructed view balcony.  That's what we paid for and what we got.  All good!!!  Just surprised based on previous experience on another line.  Again, not disapointed!

 

(Tried to be very specific about that in my post so that I would not get the wrath...LOL)

 

We are new to Princess and the experience was different for us so just trying to understand more about how Princess works with this.  

 

 

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GulfShoresCruiser

GulfShoresCruiser

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On 3/6/2022 at 2:20 PM, GulfShoresCruiser said:

 

Thanks for passing this along!

 

Just sent an email......for whatever is may be worth......We are sailing T minus 6 days!

 

Got a reply.....that was fast....Interesting that no upsells available but when I do a mock booking I see lots of possibilities....

 

Here is the email reply......T minus 5 days!

 

Hello,

 
Currently there are no upsells available for your cruise. Please keep an eye on your email and junk/spam folder. If an upsell becomes available, you will receive and email with offer and details. 
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jimmieg

jimmieg

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Posted
On 3/5/2022 at 10:08 AM, GulfShoresCruiser said:

First time on Princess (24th cruise, mostly Holland America).

 

We booked a Guarantee Balcony cabin for the 3/12 TA on the Sky.

We were assigned a Balcony cabin obstructed view today.....7 days from departure.

Cabin assigned is the minimum level for the guarantee).

 

We are perfectly fine with the cabin but I'm surprised this was where we landed.  When I try a mock booking, I see tons of availability for all levels of balcony cabins.  And from the rock bottom price of this cruise and the fact that it is a TA, I would think there are lots of cabins going vacant. 

 

We've always booked guarantees on other lines (never been in a bad cabin) and the final assignment is always above the minimum.  Also, Holland America has an upsell area you can call right up to sailing and they can quote you a category upgrade costs if you are so inclined....Sometimes at a good price, sometimes not.  

 

Questions for the Princess veterans:

 

  • Is my experience similar to your experience regarding guarantees?
  • Is there an upsell area at Princess that I can contact to inquire about upsells?

 

I want to say this again so that folks do not start judging me about guarantees.....WE ARE PERFECTLY CONTENT WITH OUR OBSTRUCTED VIEW BALCONY.....I'm just learning about how Princess rolls with this and what my options are for upsells. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On 3/5/2022 at 10:08 AM, GulfShoresCruiser said:

First time on Princess (24th cruise, mostly Holland America).

 

We booked a Guarantee Balcony cabin for the 3/12 TA on the Sky.

We were assigned a Balcony cabin obstructed view today.....7 days from departure.

Cabin assigned is the minimum level for the guarantee).

 

We are perfectly fine with the cabin but I'm surprised this was where we landed.  When I try a mock booking, I see tons of availability for all levels of balcony cabins.  And from the rock bottom price of this cruise and the fact that it is a TA, I would think there are lots of cabins going vacant. 

 

We've always booked guarantees on other lines (never been in a bad cabin) and the final assignment is always above the minimum.  Also, Holland America has an upsell area you can call right up to sailing and they can quote you a category upgrade costs if you are so inclined....Sometimes at a good price, sometimes not.  

 

Questions for the Princess veterans:

 

  • Is my experience similar to your experience regarding guarantees?
  • Is there an upsell area at Princess that I can contact to inquire about upsells?

 

I want to say this again so that folks do not start judging me about guarantees.....WE ARE PERFECTLY CONTENT WITH OUR OBSTRUCTED VIEW BALCONY.....I'm just learning about how Princess rolls with this and what my options are for upsells. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Likely the Category you booked was "obstructed." That is what you got. Sometimes you are upgraded, sometimes not.

Always book the minimum category you would be happy with.  Better yet, pick your specific cabin. Having once been beneath the buffet galley where carts start rolling early, I always pick my cabin.

You can always ask once aboard. Some have reported success.

 

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Cruise Raider Great Review Rare

Cruise Raider

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16 hours ago, GulfShoresCruiser said:

 

Got a reply.....that was fast....Interesting that no upsells available but when I do a mock booking I see lots of possibilities....

 

Here is the email reply......T minus 5 days!

 

Hello,

 
Currently there are no upsells available for your cruise. Please keep an eye on your email and junk/spam folder. If an upsell becomes available, you will receive and email with offer and details. 


Princess actually lost a lot of their staff during CoVid.  We’ve cruised 7 times since the restart and have 5 more bookings for the near future.  The only one sailing where I was offered an upsell was the first sailing out of the US on the Majestic Princess.  We never responded as we loved our cabin.  Since then, I haven’t even seen another upsell offer.  Early on, they were giving complimentary upgrades on the ship.  We turned one down as we were happy in the room we had.  For most, it would have been a very nice upgrade .. a balcony to a (non club class) midship mini suite.  
We had one bad room and asked to be moved and if we wanted to upgrade, we’d pay another $30 per day to upgrade so, I think the freebie upgrades may be over.  We decided to just move to another comparable balcony and it was perfect!  
Like @jimmiegmentioned, always book the least category you’d be willing to stay in.  If the cabin is horrible, hopefully there will be a good substitute onboard due to the reduced capacity.  
 

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WAvoyager

WAvoyager

Posted
Posted (edited)

To the OP - there are a lot of people lacking reading comprehension skills on this board.  It was pretty clear you weren’t disappointed with your assignment, or expecting better than you paid for.  
 

I find it surprising that they aren’t offering more upgrades, but in the case of the Guarantee Assignment rooms, it makes sense that they might limit it.  


If you book a specific class/room assignment, the cruise line has an incentive to give you a better room  when available - you might really enjoy the upgrade and decide to book at a higher rate the next time.  

 

on the other hand, if you book a Guarantee Assignment room, and get something better than the lowest expected level, on your next booking you might think “I got a better cabin than I paid for last time - I think I’ll try that again!”

 

just guessing, but most hospitality companies attempt to keep their customers happy and to upsell services.

Edited by WAvoyager
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GulfShoresCruiser

GulfShoresCruiser

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15 minutes ago, WAvoyager said:

To the OP - there are a lot of people lacking reading comprehension skills on this board.  It was pretty clear you weren’t disappointed with your assignment, or expecting better than you paid for.

 

Thank you!

 

I tried hard this time to make that very clear but alas, I should not have bothered because even with my disclaimer, I still got the wrath!  It's all good!

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GulfShoresCruiser

GulfShoresCruiser

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1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

Like @jimmiegmentioned, always book the least category you’d be willing to stay in.  

 

I'm the OP and I agree.  That's the way we roll.  Totally fine with our obstructed view balcony.  Just curious about how how it all works with Princess and what their upsell opportunities look like.  

 

Find it interesting that Princess has no upgrades for a sailing that we know has lots of empty cabins also.  

 

We have yet to find a bad cabin on any ship!

 

Appreciate the guidance and experience from the Princess vets!

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