GTY or Pick your room?

[floridagirl23]

I was just wondering if most people pick their own room or just let the cruise line decide. When shopping cruises, I found it a little confusing to decide which cabin was best and wanted to just opt for the GTY room but then I read the GTY horror stories thread and now I am doubting that idea. 

[rkacruiser]

If one chooses the GTY route for a cruise, one ought to be very certain that whatever cabin in whatever location that they are assigned will be satisfactory with them.

 

It is much better, in my experience, to carefully study the ship's deck plan and make your own choice.  A cabin with no public areas above you, cabins on both sides of you and, maybe across the corridor and on the deck below, are more likely to be a good cabin location. 

[SargassoPirate]

Book a GTY is you don't mind a cabin under the gym or pool deck, above the disco, or across the corridor from the room steward scullery.  There's a reason some of those cabins are unsold.

[crystalspin]

On 7/24/2022 at 10:48 AM, floridagirl23 said:

I was just wondering if most people pick their own room or just let the cruise line decide. When shopping cruises, I found it a little confusing to decide which cabin was best and wanted to just opt for the GTY room but then I read the GTY horror stories thread and now I am doubting that idea. 

Pick your room. Look for a room with cabins above and below. If you want to be nearer some certain area, choose the activity-area below you and not above -- noise and vibrations come through the ceiling a bit more than through the air and then the floor! Do not book under a pool; the deck chairs are dragged around at some very early time! Do not book under a galley; the laden carts are rolled around also all day and night. 

 

If you are new to cruising, it's often recommended to be low and mid-ship for a stable ride. However, it's amusing to see that the expensive suites are essentially all upper decks and many forward or aft!

 

There is a third-party site, CruiseDeckPlans.com that has pictures of many actual staterooms AND an app of sorts that lets you see what is above and below your potential cabin. (Called Cabin Check Tool, it is near the bottom of any deck plan in the Member View.) yes it is a membership site, I think you can see small thumbnails as a non-member and I do not know if or how Cabin Check Tool works if not a member. 

Edited July 31, 2022 by crystalspin