Cabin Assignment?

[MLP12]

To save money, we booked an inside guarantee. We have paid in full, but have not yet received a cabin assignment. When does the cruise line usually do this? Also, when booking an inside guarantee, can you be upgraded to another level, such as an outside, etc.?:D

[Michael&Nikki]

We did the same thing, booked an inside guarantee on the Monarch of the Seas for May 8th sailing.

After we paid in full, it was about 5 days and we check on Royal Caribbean's website to find they had assigned us an L class cabin on deck 4. I'm ok with it but when I get to the pier at check in I will ask about upgrades & what it may cost to move to an oceanview.

[Merry_Sea_Witch]

Sometimes you don't even find out until you are checking in! Upgrades will be granted based upon how well the ship has or has not been selling. Sometimes they will post signs at check in telling you the ship is sold out so they will not grant any upgrades. Good luck!:)

[beachchick]

Just to clarify the pier upgrades, I think the word "grant" implies "give" (as in free). RCI charges a reduced rate for pier upgrades when they are available. They are not free. Merry Sea Witch is absolutely right that most of the time the ships are sold out and no pier upgrades are available.

 

For a guarantee, you may be upgraded, but it's most often to a higher category within the same type of cabin (inside to better inside). Once in a while, RCI will upgrade guarantees to a different type (oceanview to balcony, for example). These upgrades from guarantee bookings are pretty rare. Often posters will talk about how they were given a good upgrade--and that is wonderful. However, the thing to keep in mind is that CC members represent a small part of the cruising public. For the most part, a guarantee will be assigned either in the exact category booked or a somewhat higher category of the same type.

 

Keep checking your reservation, once a cabin is assigned it will be listed there.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

beachchick

[cb at sea]

Rule of thumb: Book the cabin you will be happy in!

[designermillion]

We just tried the balcony stateroom guarantee & got the sh*ttiest room on the Explorer. They stuck us in the VERY front of the ship on the right hand side. I'd heard such good things about the stateroom guarantee on here, that we decided to give it a try, never thinking we'd get stuck there. Luckily, Crown & Anchor changed cabins for us, to something closer to the back of the ship. I get very sea sick & didn't want to spend 7 days stuck in my cabin. We saved about $500 using the guarantee & got upgraded from to a D3 category, but I wasn't happy with the cabin assignment. Next time we'll just pick what we want. We got our cabin assignment about a week after we paid. I kept checking online & finally it just showed up. We just got our cruise documents, and we're a month away from sailing. They put the old cabin # on them, so I have to call them to have them resent. The luggage tags are for the old cabin # & I don't want my luggage to get lost.

 

Hope you have better luck than we did!

[BarbaraM]

I booked an X once, and was upgraded to an OV. I'm not sure how they do this now, but a few years ago -- guarantees were assigned first within their category, the earliest bookings got the top cabins in that class, then it goes down to what is available -- meaning you always get the best cabin available within that class -- Then they assigned the X and Y class, which were not restricted to inside or outside class. Two times I've booked an X or Y and have gotten an OV upgrade, two times I've booked inside guarantee and have gotten high level insides -- I have also upgraded before the ship sailed, -- and tried to upgrade at check in. I've never been quoted a decent price at the pier -- I have at times been quoted minimal upgrade before sailing.

 

There might be better cabins ahead of you when you get closer to sailing, even if you book a guarantee that has been assigned, because someone cancelled or changed their own cabin class -- so if you aren't happy with your assignment, your TA might be able to change your cabin. But, as the previous poster said -- you have to be happy with the minimum of your guarantee -- because if the ship is full you might get assigned that minimum cabin. I personally book guarantees -- the $$ I save just goes to my next cruise! Alot of people book guarantees on the hope it might put them in a higher cabin class -- ie balcony to suite -- which does happen, but never to me! It just depends on how flexible you are -- time you are sailing, etc. Don't expect category upgrades when the ship might be sailing full as in holiday and summer periods :)