SZ guarantee?

[drcandon]

Need some info on this guarantee stuff for a criuse on the Westerdam in April, please..I know it is a topic that has been talked about before...thanks in advanvce.

 

We wanted to book the SZ cat ( only 2 rooms), we delayed a couple of days thinking about it. By the time we got back the SZ cats instead of being a direct room book, they were a guarantee. So we booked them anyways. The SZ rooms normally are considerably more expensive then the SY or SS rooms. I now know from reading the threads that we might get the SZ room or maybe upgraded.

 

What I am concerned about is getting dollar downgraded to the SY or SS rooms, which as I mentioned was much cheaper.

 

Does anyone have any experience with this scenario. I am going to check back in a week or so to see what is going on.

 

Thanks

[dakrewser]

Where are you getting your pricing info? The SZ is the lowest priced of the "SS"-class cabins.

[jh602]

I booked an SZ room just like you for a trip on the "O". We were given a SS class room when we got our cabin assignment. This was about a $600 savings for the two of us. The SZ are cheaper and you will get a SY or SS room. When you look at the layout of the ship you see the SS rooms are closer to the middle which is more desirable location. I wouldn't worry about the SZ guarentee. But that is just me because it worked out best for me. Good Luck.:)

[drcandon]

Hi darkrewser

 

I am pretty sure I was not imagining things when we laid down the cash last night, but take a look at the 18 day Spring Panama criuse on the Westerdam, the SZ category is almost $2000 more ( in Canuck bucks) than the SS and SY...of course I am refering to using Holland America site for reference..the SZ cat is 8,868.71, while the SS ans SY are in the $6000 mark..I just pulled up the site again to make sure...now I am really confused..

 

I took at look at the one we are going on ( western april 9) and you are right the SZ are back down in price below the SS and SY..but I am sure that they were more than the SA..unless I was imagining things..

 

thanks..really confused

[VegasRealtor]

:confused: I am also slightly confused. We are taking the April 16th Panama Canal on the W'dam. We are currently booked into a VC and are watching like a hawk for any price reductions so we can possibly upgrade.

 

On this particular cruise compared to some others (namely 7 days Carribean), the pricing structure for SS, SY and SZ cats along with the S cat suites on 2 of the most popular internet sites seems almost backward form 7 day Carribean cruises on the same ship.

 

Anybody know what gives with that? Also, has anyone been in a similar position with watching for a price reduction? April 16th is getting closer and there appears to be quite a few SS and S cat rooms still available.

 

Just wondering (and hoping).:p

[dakrewser]

Looks like a problem on HAL's web site's pricing engine (certainly not the first time for that!). You might want to call to verify the pricing structure. An SZ should definitely be less than an SY.

 

For what it's worth, my TA isn't listing any of the SS/SX/SY/SZ as available - only the "guarantee" (listed as a category ST-G) at US$4709.

[geoherb]

A lot of times prices are not logical. Lower categories of cabins will frequently be listed at higher prices because the cruise lines, for some reason, want people to book the higher categories at that time. I see it all the time with all types of categories--inside cabins, outside, balconies, and suites.

 

If a lower category of cabin costs more, I'd go with the higher category unless there's a reason you want a particular cabin. When it comes to a guarantee, there is no reason that you would choose a higher priced lower category.

[grannynurse]

When a cabin category sells out HAL raises the brochure rate to reflect this. Did the online site have a "closed" designation for this category? It is possible that this is the case, or it could be a posting error on HAL's part.

There are so few SZ cabins that they may have been sold out for a period of time. This is just a guess.

GN

[ocngypz]

Sometimes certain categories are available on one fare code.. and others are not.

 

Sometimes a guarantee will be priced higher than a couple of categories above it because revenue knows two things... people like to gamble.. and the spread of categories those gty's could wind up in would still be a savings versus bookingthe higher categories directly.

 

For actual pricing your best bet is always to call. Sometimes I can't get the best rates out of any reservation system.. and I have to call. It's frustrating as heck... but do it I must. I detest sitting on hold!

[Shirley Hensley]

We also booked a SZ (guarantee) but on the Alaskan cruise on June 4.

Was surprised that it was priced way below just the balcony catagories.

I noticed that there were only a few of these SZ, but when I asked if this would be available if we have friends that want this cat. She said yes.

So do you think they will be upgrading to the next cat? Would this probably be to a ss or what?