"Sailaway Balcony Suite" Booking

[Healthmark]

Has anyone ever booked a "Sailaway Balcony Suite" where you don't find out the location until right before sailing.

We are looking at a Breakaway Transatlantic sailing in April and wondering how this usually works out for people booking this cabin category.

 

Thanks for any information you could provide.

Don

[MeHeartCruising]

This is also called a "Guarantee" balcony.  Search for that on the forum and you'll find lots of discussions.  You may or may not get a great cabin.  You won't know when it will be assigned to you until it gets assigned to you.  It varies.  You may not even find out the exact cabin number until you arrive at the pier, although this is not common.  

 

NCL, and other cruise lines now have an automated "upgrade bidding" process.  So as that process takes place, cabins in the lower levels will open up as people pay to upgrade to a better class of cabin.  Once that settles down, it is a perfect time for them to assign the cabins to those who only paid for a Sailaway/Guarantee cabin.   But they also may assign them prior to the upgrade processing.  There is no way of knowing for sure.

[prov2727]

Yes, I have. I don't drink and am perfectly happy with the food and service in the dining rooms so I am happy to avoid the added free-at-sea costs. You still get the $50 off shore excursions.

 

Last year I was able to upgrade my sail-away balcony to a family balcony. This year, I got "upgraded" to an angled balcony 3-weeks out (I'd had a prior cabin assignment but it was changed) and oh my goodness! I may never be able to go back to a regular balcony!