Guarantee or Better Booking

[motherofthebride]

When the travel agent booked our double cabins, she did not have a cabin number assigned. It was booked as "Guarantee H or better oceanview." Supposedly that leaves open the possibility of being assigned a "better" cabin. My question, would it be better to complete the on-line check in sooner or later to increase the possibility of getting a better cabin. During the on-line check in it goes ahead and assigns a cabin number. Would waiting until closer to the sail date increase the chances of getting an unassigned better cabin?

[smrtypnts]

Actually, on most lines you won't be assigned a cabin # until after you're paid in full. Sooo, if you have already paid in full or would like to pay early, if that's the case, then go for it. It truly is luck of the draw with a guarantee. A lot depends on the availability of other cabins and how full the ship is. Even if you pay early and are assigned a cabin, you MAY get lucky and get an upgrade if they sell out of your category. In other words, i.e. they have 100 cabins in your category. they sell all 100 but have some junior suites available, you may get one of those because you paid early, then again, maybe you're assigned one in your category and someone else comes along, pays ontime or late if they book late and THEY get the jr. suite. As some refer to it, it's up to the upgrade fairy. I personally wouldn't want a guarantee for fear I'd be above the disco or near the sewage area, but some people feel the savings is worth the risk and have been very happy!

[motherofthebride]

The TA led me to believe that the "guarantee" was the only way of possibly getting an upgrade. She said if she booked it outright and had a cabin assigned that it would eliminate any chance to change. This is our first cruise, so we really have no clue what any of the processes/procedures are. We were hoping to at least get an upgrade for my daughter since the wedding will take place on board before departure. I'll live with whatever they give me, as long as I have a window. I'm a little clastrophic and was afraid to not have at least a small window. I don't plan on spending much time in the cabin ... it'll be a different story for the newlyweds.

[caribbean dreams]

the sooner you book a guarantee on Carnival the better chance you have to be upgraded, its the luck of the draw, sometimes your upgrade could be very big and sometimes not at all, they can keep up grading your cabin up to the time you check in at the dock, we have had an inside a1 guarantee and have been bumped up 4 decks to an outside. If you book an assigned room that will be your room when you board the ship. I don't like to take those chances of getting bumped up anymore so i just always assign myself the room i want when booking. I don't think signing in online any sooner will help, when you booked with Carnival is what counts so if you booked early and the demand for your room type is great than you have a better chance of being bumped up. Confusing for your first cruise "YES" but you will get to understand it, i would go ahead and have your TA show you the deck plan and pick the room of your chioce to be be assigned to that way you know you will be happy.

Have fun on your first cruise.

[smrtypnts]

I can't speak for all lines, I've only cruised 3 of them. I always booked a specific cabin. On our Disney cruise, for some unknown reason, I was given an upgrade. We booked an inside lower level cabin and were upgraded to an outside/window cabin. We had never cruised with Disney before, nor did we use Disney points indicating that we are frequent Disney visitors, so I have no idea why we were chosen over someone else, other than we paid in full VERY early..........maybe as much as 18 months out.

 

It really is the luck of the draw, although some lines may have certain policies in place that most of us are not aware of.

 

Soooooooo, what I'm saying is, that choosing a guarantee is NOT the only way to receive an upgrade.

 

Good luck!!!;)

[motherofthebride]

Thanks for all the input. I went ahead and completed the on-line registration and they assigned us cabins. We have paid in advance and maybe luck will smile on us as far as upgrades. I'll be happy to have what I get, first cruise and I'm SOOOO excited. Would like to see my daughter and future son-in-law get upgraded. They get married on board prior to departure and this will be their honeymoon. We'll see. We're not whiners ... we'll all be grateful to just be there. Never hurts though to ask about bumping things up a notch. :p

[Roz]

Why do newlyweds need a window? Don't they have better things to do on their honeymoon than look out a window? ;)

 

Roz

[motherofthebride]

LOL!!! Know that I would, but in this case I'm trying to stay away from those visuals ... that's my baby girl.:eek:

[cherylandtk]

Each cruiseline does their upgrading slightly differently..which line are you on?

[motherofthebride]

We're on Royal Caribbean.

[wrp96]

To dispel a notion, Royal Caribbean does not assign guarantee cabins when you do the online check-in. Sometimes they immediately assign them once you book or sometimes they wait until sailing. Also, even with guarantees they very rarely upgrade. And usually, once you are assigned a cabin, it stays the same. So if you have been assigned a cabin, most likely that is your cabin for when you sail.

[cherylandtk]

Mother--On RCI they don't give out free upgrades just because they have unsold cabins, but they will sell them to you at the port at a deeply discounted price. If you can get to the port early, you might be able to buy a cheap upgrade for your daughter. As for the assignment, I believe Wrona is correct. Your TA might not fully understand how upgrades work on RCI; they are different on every line. On Carnival they mostly go to GTY bookings, on Princess they are random among everyone.

 

Just curious, was your assigned cabin in the same or different category that you booked?

[motherofthebride]

We were assigned a cabin in the same category booked. With the exception of the quad we booked for 4 young adults, the cabin numbers were not assigned until we completed the on-line check-in. We do have priority boarding due to the wedding being performed prior to departure. We have to be at the ship to start the boarding process at 10:30 a.m. Should I ask then about an upgrade? Due to the reception hall going out of business 4 months prior to her wedding, we had to throw this alternate plan together quickly and tried to do it economically for family members that wanted to go with us. None of us have ever been on a cruise. I'm sure the category we are in is probably one of the lowest. We really didn't have time to shop around and explore this site for information before we booked. Next time around ... we'll be a little more educated.

[cherylandtk]

Mother--Your booking is going according to SOP on RCI. Your assignment is what you booked. The whole 'wait until later to maybe get an upgrade' thing is urban legend as far as I can tell. If your ship is not sold out (you can keep checking online to see what rooms are still left) then YES, when you get to the port, ask about buying an upgrade. It just depends on how many cabins and what category are left unsold, but if there are more than average, you can score a great deal. Usually this is done at one end of the line of check-in desks, look around for it or ask before you actually go through the check-in process.

[debbymark]

can you please tell me how to find the cabins that are fill on the RCI site. i am going on the Brilliance in Sept. This will be my first cruise. I enjoy this board and I have been lurking for some weeks now.

[LonW]

I personally wouldn't want a guarantee for fear I'd be above the disco or near the sewage area, but some people feel the savings is worth the risk and have been very happy!

 

I agree, I like to know where my cabin is.

I don't think there is any difference in the price though.

[smrtypnts]

I agree, I like to know where my cabin is.

I don't think there is any difference in the price though.

 

Because of the "risk" a guarantee is a less expensive category than a every other category. You can purchase an inside guarantee or a outside guarantee or a balcony guarantee and maybe even a jr. suite guarantee, but I'm not sure about that one.

[cherylandtk]

Because of the "risk" a guarantee is a less expensive category than a every other category.

Just to clarify for everyone, it depends on the cruiseline. Some lines do not sell inside guarantees for a lower price than the lowest inside category guarantee; some do.

[smrtypnts]

Just to clarify for everyone, it depends on the cruiseline. Some lines do not sell inside guarantees for a lower price than the lowest inside category guarantee; some do.

 

Thank you. I actually didn't realize that and I hope I didn't mislead anyone.

[9327]

We sailed Royal Carb in Feb - my cabin opted to book a for sure room # at mid ship & a balcony (for fun) as we were fearful of seasickness & knew mid ship was probably a better choice....the others decided to book guarantee in hopes of an upgrade........they really regret that now. They were stuck as far forward as possible "in the bowels of the ship" on the lowest deck. Bad weather hit one day and they were sick as dogs could be..... they will always now book their own room # and "rest in peace".

 

You can always call your TA back and request a certain room for your daughter if you at least want them to have a "for sure" good room location.

 

Enjoy your first cruise!!

[motherofthebride]

Thanks for the info. Part of my problem is that I really don't know what decks/cabins/etc. are best. And I don't know how the pricing options work. Do you pay more for certain decks? We have oceanview rooms, guaranteed to be unobstructed views. Are those types of rooms the same price for a number of decks or is there a price difference for each deck?:confused:

[9327]

If you are guaranteed an unobstructive view then that is a point in your favor! Usually the higher up decks are a tad more expensive. I would suggest you calling your TA and asking these questions and making a firm decision now before all the better cabins are actually booked -- unless you are ok with taking the risk......then there is no reason to call the TA.

 

You can go online to the cruise you booked and pretend like you are booking another one and see what categories are still available and the prices -- just for information on the possiblities.

 

No matter what, you will have a ball!