Guaranteed cabins

[Normanville]

We are booked on the Christmas/New Year cruise on the Grand Princess. This was booked early last December and we could only book a guaranteed class of mini suite. This option is still available now. When I booked, it looked like "guaranteed" was the only choice available for all cabins. Now you can pick an inside, ocean view and a couple of balconies, but not much left. I find it a little hard to believe most mini suites were sold 12 months in advance, and there are still some available now..

These were not a "discounted price" to sell out.

Does anyone know how long out from the cruise Princess will let us know what cabin we have? This will be our 15th cruise with them but we have always chosen our cabin before.

Juls

[Aus Traveller]

You could find out your cabin a month or two prior to the cruise or virtually at the last minute.

[OzKiwiJJ]

27 minutes ago, Normanville said:

We are booked on the Christmas/New Year cruise on the Grand Princess. This was booked early last December and we could only book a guaranteed class of mini suite. This option is still available now. When I booked, it looked like "guaranteed" was the only choice available for all cabins. Now you can pick an inside, ocean view and a couple of balconies, but not much left. I find it a little hard to believe most mini suites were sold 12 months in advance, and there are still some available now..

These were not a "discounted price" to sell out.

Does anyone know how long out from the cruise Princess will let us know what cabin we have? This will be our 15th cruise with them but we have always chosen our cabin before.

Juls

Minisuites are very popular and often sell out quickly but then some people cancel so a few may come up for sale again. You could try contacting Princess to see if you can get one of the cabins currently showing as available. 

[Normanville]

1 minute ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Minisuites are very popular and often sell out quickly but then some people cancel so a few may come up for sale again. You could try contacting Princess to see if you can get one of the cabins currently showing as available. 

There has been no mini suites showing as available for at least the last 5 months but are still on sale. I don't think they have ever been available to choose, only sold on guarantee. I spend a lot of time on their site and have always found a cabin we were happy with. I have come across a few cruises, pre Covid, that were only sold on guarantee, then closer to sailing showed cabins available. We are booked through a travel agent and he can't find out any more info, so may just have to go with the flow.

Juls

[Ondine]

Last December Princess sneakily changed the booking process to be that all lead-in categories eg ME, BF etc were to be only guarantee and if you wanted to select a cabin you had to pay the extra charge/upgrade eg MD, BE etc.

 

I found this out when I was booking Diamond Princess last week.  I complained to my PP and explained that the only mini-suites on Diamond that were fully covered were the MEs on Emerald deck.  I did not want to go guarantee and run the risk of being given a ME on Dolphin or even an upgrade on Dolphin.  I wasn't asking for an upgrade or anything special but just to have a cabin on Emerald deck. 

 

He said to leave it to him and asked if I had a preference for a particular cabin so I just gave him E710 on Emerald.  He eventually called back and said he had been able to get that cabin allotted to me "because I am a good elite client !!!!!"  I don't believe him for a moment, bit of blarney, but I was allocated the cabin I requested.  Not sure how hard he had to argue with his superiors or not but I was allocated that cabin for all 3 bookings I made.  Two were b2b which was another reason we wanted to select our cabin.  Whether the cabin is ok I have no idea since I have not been on Diamond before.  At least it is covered.  I asked for E710 hoping it will not get too much noise from Fusion below.  Prefer E728 but on Grand it was terribly noisy when they decided to turn up the volume late at night in the Vista lounge.

 

Try calling Princess to get a specific cabin.  Nothing to lose.

 

I too noticed that the ME minis disappeared from the booking system or were sold out and I just thought it was a computer gremlin until I found a CC chat site, mainly US people who were complaining about this change in booking process, plus a few other changes.

 

I am rapidly falling out of love with Princess.  Still angry about the lack of coffee cards and a few other changes.  This is just another stab in the back to those of us who like to do things online or at least see what is available.   Good luck.

[Aus Traveller]

removed

Edited April 13, 2023 by Aus Traveller

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, Ondine said:

Last December Princess sneakily changed the booking process to be that all lead-in categories eg ME, BF etc were to be only guarantee and if you wanted to select a cabin you had to pay the extra charge/upgrade eg MD, BE etc.

 

I found this out when I was booking Diamond Princess last week.  I complained to my PP and explained that the only mini-suites on Diamond that were fully covered were the MEs on Emerald deck.  I did not want to go guarantee and run the risk of being given a ME on Dolphin or even an upgrade on Dolphin.  I wasn't asking for an upgrade or anything special but just to have a cabin on Emerald deck. 

 

He said to leave it to him and asked if I had a preference for a particular cabin so I just gave him E710 on Emerald.  He eventually called back and said he had been able to get that cabin allotted to me "because I am a good elite client !!!!!"  I don't believe him for a moment, bit of blarney, but I was allocated the cabin I requested.  Not sure how hard he had to argue with his superiors or not but I was allocated that cabin for all 3 bookings I made.  Two were b2b which was another reason we wanted to select our cabin.  Whether the cabin is ok I have no idea since I have not been on Diamond before.  At least it is covered.  I asked for E710 hoping it will not get too much noise from Fusion below.  Prefer E728 but on Grand it was terribly noisy when they decided to turn up the volume late at night in the Vista lounge.

 

Try calling Princess to get a specific cabin.  Nothing to lose.

 

I too noticed that the ME minis disappeared from the booking system or were sold out and I just thought it was a computer gremlin until I found a CC chat site, mainly US people who were complaining about this change in booking process, plus a few other changes.

 

I am rapidly falling out of love with Princess.  Still angry about the lack of coffee cards and a few other changes.  This is just another stab in the back to those of us who like to do things online or at least see what is available.   Good luck.

Thanks for explaining what has happened with the change to the booking process. I've been trying to figure out what the heck they were doing. Very annoying for people like you who specifically want a cabin in the now unselectable categories.

 

I have to agree that Princess has been making some very bad decisions lately. We're starting to get annoyed with them as they seem to be devaluing their product in silly little ways. And don't get me started on the crappy wines by the glass ...

 

[rkmw]

1 hour ago, Ondine said:

Last December Princess sneakily changed the booking process to be that all lead-in categories eg ME, BF etc were to be only guarantee and if you wanted to select a cabin you had to pay the extra charge/upgrade eg MD, BE etc.

 

I found this out when I was booking Diamond Princess last week.  I complained to my PP and explained that the only mini-suites on Diamond that were fully covered were the MEs on Emerald deck.  I did not want to go guarantee and run the risk of being given a ME on Dolphin or even an upgrade on Dolphin.  I wasn't asking for an upgrade or anything special but just to have a cabin on Emerald deck. 

 

He said to leave it to him and asked if I had a preference for a particular cabin so I just gave him E710 on Emerald.  He eventually called back and said he had been able to get that cabin allotted to me "because I am a good elite client !!!!!"  I don't believe him for a moment, bit of blarney, but I was allocated the cabin I requested.  Not sure how hard he had to argue with his superiors or not but I was allocated that cabin for all 3 bookings I made.  Two were b2b which was another reason we wanted to select our cabin.  Whether the cabin is ok I have no idea since I have not been on Diamond before.  At least it is covered.  I asked for E710 hoping it will not get too much noise from Fusion below.  Prefer E728 but on Grand it was terribly noisy when they decided to turn up the volume late at night in the Vista lounge.

 

Try calling Princess to get a specific cabin.  Nothing to lose.

 

I too noticed that the ME minis disappeared from the booking system or were sold out and I just thought it was a computer gremlin until I found a CC chat site, mainly US people who were complaining about this change in booking process, plus a few other changes.

 

I am rapidly falling out of love with Princess.  Still angry about the lack of coffee cards and a few other changes.  This is just another stab in the back to those of us who like to do things online or at least see what is available.   Good luck.

Try calling Princess to get a specific cabin.  Nothing to lose.
 

you have everything to lose because Princess won’t and can’t talk to you about your booking so you need to get the TA to do the talking for you 

[Normanville]

Thanks Ondine,

Sneaky thing to do ! Yes I booked an ME as we like Emerald minis as well but would settle for Dolphin as long as I could see a number. There were NO minis available in any class showing in December

[OzKiwiJJ]

48 minutes ago, rkmw said:

Try calling Princess to get a specific cabin.  Nothing to lose.
 

you have everything to lose because Princess won’t and can’t talk to you about your booking so you need to get the TA to do the talking for you 

If you booked directly with Princess, not through a TA, then they will and do help you out with booking issues/changes. 

[colourbird]

My TA has just attempted to reserve the cabin we prefer, which is located near the front of deck 12 on the Diamond Princess and all we are offered is a guaranteed cabin, despite a number of calls to Princess. The cruise is two years away and has just become available for booking, but from day one most cabins on decks 10 to 12 are only available as guaranteed cabins.

 

When we check the Princess website to choose a cabin, cabins on lower decks are not even listed as options.

 

I am unable to understand the benefit that Princess gains from this practice, and it is discouraging me from booking with them again in the future.

 

[Jean C]

Hi, I see you are from Australia. We had an experience well before covid where we wanted to book the forward section of Aloha deck (our favourite area) for a lengthy cruise, soon after release, but from Auckland return only guaranteed cabins were showing.  However to book Sydney return, you could choose a cabin. We felt so strongly about not taking pot luck that we considered adding an airfare so we could choose our own cabin. We had a very good TA at the time and she worked her magic and got us a specific cabin number we were very happy with, Auckland return. I suggest you contact your TA or Princess direct, if you booked with them  to see what they can do 🙂

Edited April 13, 2023 by Jean C

[Jean C]

PS,  I wouldn't book a guaranteed cabin unless it was a super cheap bargain cruise, there are too many areas on a ship where you could be under a walking track, under the pool area, above or below the theatre or late bars, or at the rear of the ship where there could be engine noise or vibration 🛳

[rkmw]

I’ve noticed on the Princess site if you pick a cabin over a guarantee they charge extra and how long has this been in for 

 

with RC they’ve been doing this for quite awhile but something new for Princess 

[Jean C]

9 minutes ago, rkmw said:

I’ve noticed on the Princess site if you pick a cabin over a guarantee they charge extra and how long has this been in for 

 

with RC they’ve been doing this for quite awhile but something new for Princess 

Hahaha, no reflection on you but being a Doubting Thomas I had to check for myself - and you're absolutely right.  When they started showing the Princess Choose or You Choose options, with the Princess one showing first, I suspected they might go this way, it must be more convenient for them. Shame, pay a premium just to select your own cabin - grrrr 🥴

[colourbird]

14 minutes ago, Jean C said:

Hi, I see you are from Australia. We had an experience well before covid where we wanted to book the forward section of Aloha deck (our favourite area) for a lengthy cruise, soon after release, but from Auckland return only guaranteed cabins were showing.  However to book Sydney return, you could choose a cabin. We felt so strongly about not taking pot luck that we considered adding an airfare so we could choose our own cabin. We had a very good TA at the time and she worked her magic and got us a specific cabin number we were very happy with, Auckland return. I suggest you contact your TA or Princess direct, if you booked with them  to see what they can do 🙂

 

That's interesting. I just had a look at a shorter segment of the cruise and none of the cabins are coming up as guaranteed and hardly any are sold, but deck 12 forward is not available.

 

I also prefer the front of Aloha deck as it is extremely quiet with cabins above. My TA has tried a few times already and they won't budge and allocate us a room, however now they are saying we are guaranteed a cabin at the front. We were hoping to have two cabins next to each other as we have friends travelling too. They say they don't guarantee the two cabins will be near each other. I'm not sure what decks they will be on though.

[Jean C]

3 minutes ago, colourbird said:

 

We were hoping to have two cabins next to each other as we have friends travelling too. They say they don't guarantee the two cabins will be near each other. I'm not sure what decks they will be on though.

That could put some people off. I am cruising later this year with family. For comfort and to accommodate all of us, I  booked 3 x 4 berth mini suites. Because of the way cabins are configured, we had to be next door but one to each other.  Not all balconies have full cover though, I wouldn't want to risk being in an uncovered one as the sun gets too hot for me. In future I'd have to grit teeth and pay the extra to choose 🙁

[colourbird]

6 minutes ago, Jean C said:

That could put some people off. I am cruising later this year with family. For comfort and to accommodate all of us, I  booked 3 x 4 berth mini suites. Because of the way cabins are configured, we had to be next door but one to each other.  Not all balconies have full cover though, I wouldn't want to risk being in an uncovered one as the sun gets too hot for me. In future I'd have to grit teeth and pay the extra to choose 🙁

 

I wouldn't mind paying extra to choose, but that's not even an option on the cruise we are booking.

[Jean C]

That's a shame. Keep your eye on the particular cruise as someone may have block booked those cabins, and as cancellations start happening, odd ones do pop up from time to time. Good luck 🤞 🧚‍♀️ 

[MMDown Under]

19 minutes ago, colourbird said:

 

I wouldn't mind paying extra to choose, but that's not even an option on the cruise we are booking.

Why?  Have you spoken to the cruise line?  I have found you need to phone twice sometimes to get the answer you want.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, rkmw said:

I’ve noticed on the Princess site if you pick a cabin over a guarantee they charge extra and how long has this been in for 

 

with RC they’ve been doing this for quite awhile but something new for Princess 

Actually they aren't really charging extra it's just that the lowest available cabin category you can select is not actually the lowest cabin category. There has always been a fare difference between categories, except when Princess is offering one of its special promos. What you see as the guarantee fare is the lowest category fare which is no longer available for selection. The lowest selection fare is a higher category ie guarantee may be a BF but selection category may be a BD.

 

It's a very silly decision on the part of Princess as it does make it look like you pay extra to select a cabin which will definitely annoy quite a few regulars. It also blocks out cabins that some people might wish to select. 

Edited April 14, 2023 by OzKiwiJJ

[colourbird]

57 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

Why?  Have you spoken to the cruise line?  I have found you need to phone twice sometimes to get the answer you want.

My TA has just called again and spoke to another person, but we still have the same outcome. I'll have to remember all this drama for our post cruise survey in a couple of years time.

[colourbird]

4 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

What you see as the guarantee fare is the lowest category fare which is no longer available for selection. The lowest selection fare is a higher category ie guarantee may be a BF but selection category may be a BD.

 

We checked out this cruise the day it went on sale. It started with guaranteed cabins, so it wasn't even due to lowest fares already being sold out.

 

I've seen this before when i've booked on other cruise lines where the cabins are guaranteed once you get closer to sailing, but two years out is weird.

[MMDown Under]

I usually book after final payment.  The best guarantee cabin I was allocated was big with a huge balcony with loungers. celebrity NZ cruise.  prior to that inside cabins!!  

[Normanville]

Thankyou all, Now I understand a bit of the reason for this unreasonable situation. I think our cruise must have been one of the first impacted by this "guaranteed"  fiasco. I had no trouble with our October cruise and no trouble booking on board for a March '24 cruise, but now understand why a lot of cabins on that one were guarantee, as they were the entry level. I thought I was smart booking the Christmas cruise early December so we got the Plus fare at the old rate, wish I had made my mind up a few weeks earlier! Two years out is plain ridiculous.

I am still going to get my TA to ring Princess and use the "ELITE" card.

Juls