Outside Guarantee Y and Obstructed Kat 8

[jkhneuber]

Hello, we were on Onward last year, booking an outside when price was same for guarantee and chosen one. Now there ist a big difference and I'm wondering if obstructed view cabins are assigned to guarantees where no statement about obstruction is found. 

The location dosn't matter to me, but i want to see something 😁

Thank you for your answer. 

[travelberlin]

1 hour ago, jkhneuber said:

Hello, we were on Onward last year, booking an outside when price was same for guarantee and chosen one. Now there ist a big difference and I'm wondering if obstructed view cabins are assigned to guarantees where no statement about obstruction is found. 

The location dosn't matter to me, but i want to see something 😁

Thank you for your answer. 

You could get any cabin outside even those with restricted views or a balcony cabin. 
The restricted views are the least desirable cabins for me. 
Once we took an inside guarantee and were allocated an ocean view restricted cabin. Friends of us in the same cruise booked an ocean view guarantee and received a balcony cabin. If you are lucky, this could happen to you. 
We could not stand the restricted cabin and upgraded at regular prices on board to a balcony cabin.

Ivi

[Travels with Lisa]

We've done a guarantee OV twice, once we are assigned an accessible cabin, once an obstructed view.  The obstructed view cabins are smaller, the accessible, although it had more room, had less furniture and at the time, nowhere to storage in the bathroom.  And I mean none, not even around the sink.  We knew this ahead of time and brought an over the door shoe bag to put things in.

[jkhneuber]

3 hours ago, Travels with Lisa said:

guarantee OV

You booked

Guarantee outside view cabin

Or

Guarantee obstructed view cabin? 

 

If first, why don't they state this on the Website that obstruction could be possible? I know cruiselines who include obstructed view in the Pool for inside guarantee. 

 

Perhaps we have to book the more expensive categories. 

[luv2travel90266]

Best to choose your cabin then leave it to chance. Same goes for bidding on upgrades where you might end up with a higher classification but inferior cabin to your original choice. 

[laurieb]

I agree, it's best to book a cabin you're going to be happy with.  Why take chances if location and view are important to you?

[travelberlin]

3 hours ago, jkhneuber said:

You booked

Guarantee outside view cabin

Or

Guarantee obstructed view cabin? 

 

If first, why don't they state this on the Website that obstruction could be possible? I know cruiselines who include obstructed view in the Pool for inside guarantee. 

 

Perhaps we have to book the more expensive categories. 

I have never heard of anyone booking a “guarantee restricted ocean view”. I do not think that is possible.

Usually when you book guarantee it is either guarantee inside, guarantee ocean view or guarantee balcony. 
“Guarantee” means that you will get a cabin in at least the category you booked. If location is not important, you could get a good deal. 
Ivi

[luv2travel90266]

Azamara has a bid process for passengers to upgrade cabins. It is likely they will prefer the  additional income in lieu of a free upgrade to you. The guarantee is you will get what is left in your category and the possibility of an upgrade .  You may find the views, vibrations or noise, or motion of the ship under way not acceptable to you. On the last cruise one couple in our party did get a category upgrade to a cabin they didn't  like and couldn't reject it and go back to the one of choice as that had been taken. Decide for yourself if it is worth the gamble for the savings. 

 

On the roll call you will find a link to a spreadsheet with reviews of the different cabins by room number which you might find helpful.  

[jkhneuberfee]

I know everything you told me. Normaly when on cheap cruiselines like MSC i book guarantee balkony because It don't matter to me where on the ship i am.

 

Here i want to book an outside because of the price. Again it don't matter to me where on the ship the cabin is but i want to see something. If not, i can book inside. 

 

Therefore im asking, because i know other curiselines who include Outside Obstructed view in the Inside Gurantee Category. 

 

The reason why i'm asking is the price difference: 30% on top, in one case nearly the price op a balcony guarantee. Much money i could better spend to excoursions 😉

 

Now i learned that i can get obstructed view when i book outside guarantee. So i can think about it

[Turangi!]

Azers,

 

In the old days, as a Loyalty perk you could bid to upgrade for a straight $400… we had a  Deck 6  Obstructed Oceanview… tiniest cabin (insides are bigger) with a view of the underbelly of the lifeboat… there are a few of the obstructed 6s that you can see ocean between the lifeboats…choose wisely… luckily the loyalty upgrade for us came through, but we knew what we were paying for and were amazed we got upgraded!  Now with the new system,    staight bidding and my unlucky karma, we book the cabin we want… waited for the Inside for Balcony annual offering deal which is a more expensive inside price (smoke and mirrors) as compared to the rest of the year price…  but a cheaper Balcony than usual promo for our next cruise to Norway…  so if you ever book a Oceanview make sure you get a full sized one and not the Obstructed ‘skinny’ cabins on Deck 6!

 

Study the AZ deck plans…  it makes a big difference in what you choose… Friends had an inside on an upper deck…it was lovely, but I am spoiled and like natural daylight  and not a Bat Cave!

 

Turangi!

Edited February 12, 2023 by Turangi!
typo

[wjfan417]

10 hours ago, Turangi! said:

Azers,

 

In the old days, as a Loyalty perk you could bid to upgrade for a straight $400… we had a  Deck 6  Obstructed Oceanview… tiniest cabin (insides are bigger) with a view of the underbelly of the lifeboat… there are a few of the obstructed 6s that you can see ocean between the lifeboats…choose wisely… luckily the loyalty upgrade for us came through, but we knew what we were paying for and were amazed we got upgraded!  Now with the new system,    staight bidding and my unlucky karma, we book the cabin we want… waited for the Inside for Balcony annual offering deal which is a more expensive inside price (smoke and mirrors) as compared to the rest of the year price…  but a cheaper Balcony than usual promo for our next cruise to Norway…  so if you ever book a Oceanview make sure you get a full sized one and not the Obstructed ‘skinny’ cabins on Deck 6!

 

Study the AZ deck plans…  it makes a big difference in what you choose… Friends had an inside on an upper deck…it was lovely, but I am spoiled and like natural daylight  and not a Bat Cave!

 

Turangi!

On our first Azamara cruise in 2012, we took our adult children with us and booked an inside cabin for them and an outside cabin for us. The inside cabin was extremely dark! I’ll never book an inside cabin based on that experience.
 

 

[java spot]

I was in an obstructed view cabin once on a Sydney to Auckland trip.  It was shockingly small; even the bathroom was smaller than the normal cabins.  In addition to the lifeboat outside the window, they seem to need to light up the lifeboats, and the light made it through the alleged room darkening curtains.. They had to cover my window up with cardboard at night. In addition, there was a lot of noise  generated from the lifeboat  - possibly wind making it move about.  A day after disembarkation I flew to Sydney and was on a Seabourn  cruise from Sydney to Bali.  My bathroom on Seabourn was larger than my cabin on Azamara.  It took me several years to return to Azamara. 

[excitedofharpenden]

On 2/9/2023 at 1:31 PM, jkhneuberfee said:

I know everything you told me. Normaly when on cheap cruiselines like MSC i book guarantee balkony because It don't matter to me where on the ship i am.

 

Here i want to book an outside because of the price. Again it don't matter to me where on the ship the cabin is but i want to see something. If not, i can book inside. 

 

Therefore im asking, because i know other curiselines who include Outside Obstructed view in the Inside Gurantee Category. 

 

The reason why i'm asking is the price difference: 30% on top, in one case nearly the price op a balcony guarantee. Much money i could better spend to excoursions 😉

 

Now i learned that i can get obstructed view when i book outside guarantee. So i can think about it

I am pretty sure that if you book a Y guarantee and depending upon what's left you'll be assigned a category 6 up front on deck 4 or a category 5 (more midship and my preferred spot) in preference to a category 8 obstructed view. 

 

Just a word on those obstructed cabins. They are the smallest on the ship, but because they are sideways I think they are a good shape. The closets are much more accessible in the open for one thing. There's no sitting area however. Contrary to what the previous poster said the bathrooms are exactly the same size, from what I could tell at least. The four cabins at the corners of the category (6030, 6033, 6046, 6049) have less obstruction. You can see out. Particularly 6030 and 6033 because they look out to the zodiac boat that is smaller. Here's a view out of 6046 and other cabin views. 

 

Phil 

[excitedofharpenden]

[combine]

1 hour ago, excitedofharpenden said:

I am pretty sure that if you book a Y guarantee and depending upon what's left you'll be assigned a category 6 up front on deck 4 or a category 5 (more midship and my preferred spot) in preference to a category 8 obstructed view. 

 

Just a word on those obstructed cabins. They are the smallest on the ship, but because they are sideways I think they are a good shape. The closets are much more accessible in the open for one thing. There's no sitting area however. Contrary to what the previous poster said the bathrooms are exactly the same size, from what I could tell at least. The four cabins at the corners of the category (6030, 6033, 6046, 6049) have less obstruction. You can see out. Particularly 6030 and 6033 because they look out to the zodiac boat that is smaller. Here's a view out of 6046 and other cabin views. 

 

Phil 

Agree Phil. We've had an obstructed on a port intensive cruise. We weren't in the cabin much. Yes, there is  no sofa but that  didn't bother us as we've never orderded room service. The layout is better as you dont get hit by the bathroom door if you are by the wardrobe or the dressing table ! 😂. Great location and if need be ,we would choose again on the right itinerary and price.

Edited February 13, 2023 by combine

[jkhneuber]

We want to go on 2 btb cruises with no seadays so we have to think about your comments. Thank you for all Info. Now we have to look if price is worth the risk of getting an obstructed cabin.

[Oslo Dutch]

Thanks for your input, we have been allocated 6033 for the Rome - Athens. This was a last-minute Easter break decision and we were lucky to get the cabin with the best view in the category :-).

 

Considering the cabin might not be 100% ideal, however, it's still with a top cruise line with great service and food. Overall 1000 x better experience than  Costa/MSC etc.

[excitedofharpenden]

2 hours ago, Oslo Dutch said:

Thanks for your input, we have been allocated 6033 for the Rome - Athens. This was a last-minute Easter break decision and we were lucky to get the cabin with the best view in the category :-).

 

Considering the cabin might not be 100% ideal, however, it's still with a top cruise line with great service and food. Overall 1000 x better experience than  Costa/MSC etc.

Good for you. I had 6046 as it was the only cabin left when I was on the ship and decided to do the following cruise. I didn't regret the decision. It was a quiet cabin in a good location. Down one flight of stairs to Mosaic Cafe and dining room. Enjoy your cruise. 

 

Phil 

[jkhneuber]

Just a warning to everyone booking Guarantee Cabins. Unlike other cruiselines it seems to me that Azamara uses Quarantee only to sell their worsest cabins. I booked a btb and immediately after booking i got 2 obstructed cabins. I know it would be a gamble and and i know it can happen in this way. But assigning direct after booking it seems that it is no gamble anymore and not a nice start in a btb.

 

It seems that they want to sell their cabins without saying it is an obstructed view and that's no Quarantee, thats missleading. I just want everyone to know this business case.

[combine]

2 hours ago, jkhneuber said:

Just a warning to everyone booking Guarantee Cabins. Unlike other cruiselines it seems to me that Azamara uses Quarantee only to sell their worsest cabins. I booked a btb and immediately after booking i got 2 obstructed cabins. I know it would be a gamble and and i know it can happen in this way. But assigning direct after booking it seems that it is no gamble anymore and not a nice start in a btb.

 

It seems that they want to sell their cabins without saying it is an obstructed view and that's no Quarantee, thats missleading. I just want everyone to know this business case.

You mentioned previously  that you would look to see if the price was worth the risk of getting an obstructed cabin. I do not think any part of the allocation was misleading. It was a chance  you were willing to take. Do you have the same cabin for both cruises? 

On the positive side are no sea days on your b2b and hopefully you will be off enjoying the ports and not sitting in the cabin . You may be fortunate that one of the lifeboats immediately outside your cabin may  be used for tendering which will allow more light in , if you return after lunch.

Really  hope you enjoy the cruise and live with the obstructed view.
 

[jkhneuber]

2 hours ago, combine said:

You mentioned previously  that you would look to see if the price was worth the risk of getting an obstructed cabin. I do not think any part of the allocation was misleading. It was a chance  you were willing to take. Do you have the same cabin for both cruises? 

 

No, 2 different Cabins. For me it's ok, i took the risk and now i have the result.

 

But when allocation is already on the first booking confirmation it seems i booked no gty with a chance for another cabin but a fixed Obstrtucted GTY.

 

I will remember this next booking. Too bad that we will not get an upgrade email, last time we didn't either.

Edited February 16, 2023 by jkhneuber

[combine]

@jkhneuber I wonder if anyone has any experience of being allocated a different guarantee cabin nearer the cruise date, after their initial allocation ? 

[travelberlin]

On 2/12/2023 at 9:20 AM, wjfan417 said:

On our first Azamara cruise in 2012, we took our adult children with us and booked an inside cabin for them and an outside cabin for us. The inside cabin was extremely dark! I’ll never book an inside cabin based on that experience.
 

 

Of course the inside cabin in all ships is extremely dark unless you turn the lights on 😉

Ivi

[Host Jazzbeau]

9 hours ago, jkhneuber said:

 

No, 2 different Cabins. For me it's ok, i took the risk and now i have the result.

 

But when allocation is already on the first booking confirmation it seems i booked no gty with a chance for another cabin but a fixed Obstrtucted GTY.

 

I will remember this next booking. Too bad that we will not get an upgrade email, last time we didn't either.

Was your Guarantee fare lower than booking an Obstructed Cabin and choosing the exact cabin would have been?

[jkhneuber]

4 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Was your Guarantee fare lower than booking an Obstructed Cabin and choosing the exact cabin would have been?

 

In Germany yes, so here there was no way for the chosen Outside 06, to much price difference for OBC I do not need.

 

The decision was between booking a gty in germany or a 06 05 or 04 in UK where difference is not so insane high. 

 

Before brexit I would't think twice and book in UK. But now I was not sure. If I had known, that gty is no gamble but fixed booking an obstructed I would have done so. Why don't they lower the price for 08 instead of the gty? Because nearly no one would book it if he know what he get. 

 

One more point. Selling a oceanview with not much ocean view without a notice is against the law. Normally cruise companys have to pay about 15% back in germany. But you have to go to court, that's nothing I want