Guarantee Balcony question

[cruisebabe50]

We usually pick our room but this time we opted for the Balcony Guarantee.  Just curious, to those who have done this before, as to when we will be told what room we were assigned.  

Thanks!

[Mdta]

I’m 10 days out and still haven’t been assigned a cabin.

[tropical83]

I'm 52 days out from my Symphony sailing and don't have my room yet.

 

A few years ago on the Harmony, I got my room 5 days after booking which was about 3 months prior to sailing. 

 

My last cruise on the Allure I think it was about a month before sailing when I was assigned my cabin.

 

 

[Nantes]

H

30 minutes ago, cruisebabe50 said:

We usually pick our room but this time we opted for the Balcony Guarantee.  Just curious, to those who have done this before, as to when we will be told what room we were assigned.  

Thanks!

I got my room assigned 3 weeks before the scheduled date for my cruise. 

[flamingos]

I got one that was assigned a few days later, but I booked it only 2 months out.

[coaster]

Varies.... 7 days before on our Serenade cruise back in December. 

[DukeASUGirl]

Question -- does "Balcony Guarantee" mean literally any balcony, so it could potentially be a Boardwalk balcony or Central Park balcony? Or is there a way to ensure it would be an ocean-view balcony? I could care less WHERE the ocean-view balcony is on the ship - but I know my mom would want the balcony to view the ocean.

 

Do they differentiate between types of balcony in the guarantee? Do they offer an OV Balcony Guarantee and a Neighborhood Balcony Guarantee? Or is it just all balconies go into this pool?

[Kalousdi]

If you booked online it could be anything.  If you have a travel agent on an Oasis you need to have an Ocean View guarantee to be guaranteed an Ocean View.  Otherwise they call them a neighborhood guarantee which would be either Central Park or Boardwalk.  I would either reach out to Royal or your Travel Agent to confirm so that you get what you want.  You can always upgrade if you do not like the room once assigned.

[gumshoe958]

5 minutes ago, DukeASUGirl said:

Question -- does "Balcony Guarantee" mean literally any balcony, so it could potentially be a Boardwalk balcony or Central Park balcony? Or is there a way to ensure it would be an ocean-view balcony? I could care less WHERE the ocean-view balcony is on the ship - but I know my mom would want the balcony to view the ocean.

 

Do they differentiate between types of balcony in the guarantee? Do they offer an OV Balcony Guarantee and a Neighborhood Balcony Guarantee? Or is it just all balconies go into this pool?

The UK website allows you to choose an OV Balcony guarantee or a Neighbourhood Balcony guarantee.

 

The US site, apparently, does not.

[Biker19]

Just now, gumshoe958 said:

The US site, apparently, does not.

Markets outside of the US tend to offer more GTY offerings, including individual category GTYs. They do happen in the US as well, just less often.

[leaveitallbehind]

GTY's - when offered - typically are specified by general category such as Neighborhood (which would include both Central Park and Boardwalk) and Oceanview, which is all outside facing staterooms. Your assignment will be within the selected category.  I've not seen where there was a generic GTY category offered to include all balconies.  You will be notified anytime from when you book your selection up to boarding day.  Typically in our experience it has been about 10 - 14 days prior to boarding.

Edited March 16, 2022 by leaveitallbehind

[leaveitallbehind]

18 minutes ago, gumshoe958 said:

The US site, apparently, does not.

It does when they are offered.  As mentioned in my previous post it typically is either, or both, categories and in our experience has been specified as such, with the assignment given only within the selected category.  If only one is showing, then that is the only category offering the GTY, and will be the only one assigned.  If none is showing, then obviously a GTY is not being offered.  

 

We have booked balcony (and other category) GTY's a number of times in the US and that has always been the case in our experience.

 

With Suite GTY's typically the JS category is the primary one assigned, however higher categories can be assigned as well.  We have had that happen before where we had a GS assigned via a GTY, which in that case was priced just below the lowest JS category level.

 

Once a GTY is assigned you also have the option to switch staterooms if desired to any other available stateroom remaining in the assigned category.  Have done that before as well.

Edited March 16, 2022 by leaveitallbehind

[Shar27]

28 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

GTY's - when offered - typically are specified by general category such as Neighborhood (which would include both Central Park and Boardwalk) and Oceanview, which is all outside facing staterooms. Your assignment will be within the selected category.  I've not seen where there was a generic GTY category offered to include all balconies.  You will be notified anytime from when you book your selection up to boarding day.  Typically in our experience it has been about 10 - 14 days prior to boarding.

I have a balcony guarantee on Oasis booked right now and apparently it's generic.  Can be any balcony.

[jean87510]

We have a guaranteed balcony on upcoming Alaska May Radiance that we upgraded from an inside to during black Friday sales.  We still aren't assigned.  We even have a Royal Up bid for the Spacious and JS but probably will know where we will be when we get to the port.  

[leaveitallbehind]

1 hour ago, Shar27 said:

I have a balcony guarantee on Oasis booked right now and apparently it's generic.  Can be any balcony.

Which sailing - June 10?  If so they are showing both XN (neighborhood) and XB (OV) balcony GTY's offered on that itinerary - not "generic".  If that is your sailing you should be booked in one or the other and will be assigned as such.  Check your booking confirmation to see what the category code is for your GTY.

 

(Actually they are also showing GTY's available for all stateroom categories on that sailing).

Edited March 16, 2022 by leaveitallbehind

[ONECRUISER]

Been Assigned right after Booking, Couple Months before Sailing and once learned day I Boarded Ship

[flamingos]

There is one trick - if you have your e-docs available, or your set-sail pass, you can scan the bar code with a QR reader. The last digits are your room assignment.

[leaveitallbehind]

1 hour ago, jean87510 said:

We have a guaranteed balcony on upcoming Alaska May Radiance that we upgraded from an inside to during black Friday sales.  We still aren't assigned.  We even have a Royal Up bid for the Spacious and JS but probably will know where we will be when we get to the port.  

The RU bids typically are confirmed a few days before departure.  Your GTY can be assigned anytime between now and boarding, but will be changed if one of your bids is successful.  So based on that, it is very possible that you may not know your final assigned stateroom - either way - from a few days before departure to day of boarding.

[smplybcause]

Royal has added a generic balcony gty for Oasis class that isn't neighborhood or ocean view specific. Which means it could be any balcony and very likely will be a neighborhood one. 

 

When I was looking at one sailing royal only offered the generic one that was cheaper than a neighborhood balcony. A TA website offered the specific gty options, but I didn't actually book to verify if the TA actually could book it or not. 

[leaveitallbehind]

1 minute ago, smplybcause said:

A TA website offered the specific gty options, but I didn't actually book to verify if the TA actually could book it or not. 

I can confirm that they can.  

Edited March 16, 2022 by leaveitallbehind

[twinmommy08]

I cruise on the 26th and no assignment yet. I have RoyalUp bids in too. 

[Mdta]

50 minutes ago, flamingos said:

There is one trick - if you have your e-docs available, or your set-sail pass, you can scan the bar code with a QR reader. The last digits are your room assignment.

This theory doesn’t work for me. My sister and I are sharing a cabin and we have different numbers.

[flamingos]

5 minutes ago, Mdta said:

This theory doesn’t work for me. My sister and I are sharing a cabin and we have different numbers.

Pick the one that has the better location and hope for that one.  🙂

 

[jean87510]

1 hour ago, leaveitallbehind said:

The RU bids typically are confirmed a few days before departure.  Your GTY can be assigned anytime between now and boarding, but will be changed if one of your bids is successful.  So based on that, it is very possible that you may not know your final assigned stateroom - either way - from a few days before departure to day of boarding.

which is exactly what I said.

[leaveitallbehind]

1 hour ago, smplybcause said:

Royal has added a generic balcony gty for Oasis class that isn't neighborhood or ocean view specific. Which means it could be any balcony and very likely will be a neighborhood one. 

I thought at one time you could differentiate which balcony GTY you wanted on line, but apparently that option no longer exists.  (Or is buried somewhere not obvious to find).

 

That to me is a negative because I am pretty sure if they would issue any balcony off the GTY that the pricing may not be as attractive as "one size fits all "as it would be with options for the two basic categories.  I would also agree that I think that it would be more likely that the neighborhood balconies would be assigned before the OV's.

 

That would be one reason IMO to use a TA as they can access the neighborhood options and pricing.