Quick Guarantee Cabin Assignment

[Bruin Steve]

I know many here are curious as to when Celebrity assigns cabins on "Guarantee" bookings. From my experience, there's no hard and fast rule--it likely depends on how many cabins they have available in different categories and how marketing is doing.  That said, I'll report on this one.

 

We booked a December 1, 2023 cruise on Eclipse (San Diego and Cabo 6 nights) this immediately past Sunday afternoon (July 30)--so, just over 4 months out....and less than 48 hours ago.  We booked a "Veranda Guarantee" rate, cruise only, knowing that we could have been assigned the worst Veranda cabin on the ship--and there are a large number of "obstructed view" veranda cabins, mostly on Deck 6, though, at the time of booking, very few of them appeared to be unassigned.  My thought was they want to keep at least one or two that way so they can continue to market a "choose your cabin" obstructed view at a lower rate.

 

Well, early this morning--within 40 hours or so of booking the cruise--I checked my account on the Celebrity website and it no longer said "Guarantee".  That has been replaced with a cabin number--#8320, a "V2" veranda (formerly 1C) on Deck 8, unobstructed though fairly close to the aft of the ship, Starboard side...other passenger cabins both above and below.  Overall, not a bad cabin assignment.

 

My first instinct was to see about getting it moved to another open V2 closer to midship (though the cabins AT midship are V1 and the other available V2 cabins closer to midship are eithe adjoining cabins, sleep 3 or 4 with a sofa bed--and aren't that much clser to midship, maybe 6-7 cabins closer...or a move down to Deck 7-which is closer to the lifeboats-just a deck below)...so I think I've decided not to mess with it...We'll just do a little more walking onboard--which is probably good for us.

 

In any event, by booking the guarantee we saved $780 ($429 vs, $819 pp) off the price of booking the same category with choice of cabins--and, as noted, the choices would not have been that much better.  So, for that $780 discount, we "suffered" through about a day and a half of concern over getting stuck with an obstructed view...and, frankly, had we been assigned an obstructed view, for $780, I'd find a way to make the best of it.  Heck the Veranda Guarantee rate was $226 less per person than choosing your own inside cabin!

[cbfb]

2 minutes ago, Bruin Steve said:

I know many here are curious as to when Celebrity assigns cabins on "Guarantee" bookings. From my experience, there's no hard and fast rule--it likely depends on how many cabins they have available in different categories and how marketing is doing.  That said, I'll report on this one.

 

We booked a December 1, 2023 cruise on Eclipse (San Diego and Cabo 6 nights) this immediately past Sunday afternoon (July 30)--so, just over 4 months out....and less than 48 hours ago.  We booked a "Veranda Guarantee" rate, cruise only, knowing that we could have been assigned the worst Veranda cabin on the ship--and there are a large number of "obstructed view" veranda cabins, mostly on Deck 6, though, at the time of booking, very few of them appeared to be unassigned.  My thought was they want to keep at least one or two that way so they can continue to market a "choose your cabin" obstructed view at a lower rate.

 

Well, early this morning--within 40 hours or so of booking the cruise--I checked my account on the Celebrity website and it no longer said "Guarantee".  That has been replaced with a cabin number--#8320, a "V2" veranda (formerly 1C) on Deck 8, unobstructed though fairly close to the aft of the ship, Starboard side...other passenger cabins both above and below.  Overall, not a bad cabin assignment.

 

My first instinct was to see about getting it moved to another open V2 closer to midship (though the cabins AT midship are V1 and the other available V2 cabins closer to midship are eithe adjoining cabins, sleep 3 or 4 with a sofa bed--and aren't that much clser to midship, maybe 6-7 cabins closer...or a move down to Deck 7-which is closer to the lifeboats-just a deck below)...so I think I've decided not to mess with it...We'll just do a little more walking onboard--which is probably good for us.

 

In any event, by booking the guarantee we saved $780 ($429 vs, $819 pp) off the price of booking the same category with choice of cabins--and, as noted, the choices would not have been that much better.  So, for that $780 discount, we "suffered" through about a day and a half of concern over getting stuck with an obstructed view...and, frankly, had we been assigned an obstructed view, for $780, I'd find a way to make the best of it.  Heck the Veranda Guarantee rate was $226 less per person than choosing your own inside cabin!

We love the very aft of the ship. So quiet. Enjoy! 

[drakes2]

3 minutes ago, cbfb said:

We love the very aft of the ship. So quiet. Enjoy! 

Whenever there's a GTY rate I always book it regardless of the cruiseline. Twice this year booked a GTY inside and was upgraded to a veranda. Saved a ton of money. Neither have been obstructed views. 

[mauimary]

We too booked a guarantee for $429 for Nov 11. We just did this today. Hope we have your luck on a non obstructed view. We are SV cruisers so  this is definitely a change for us.  We also booked it CRUISE ONLY figuring we can buy all the coffee and drinks we need. We’re still only elite so the elite breakfast and HH drinks works for us. 
 

[m8zenblue]

We did the same type of "guarantee" veranda, on the Equinox, hoping for the best, didnt really care, just wanted to cruise.

Paid the next day.

The following day we were surprised with our cabin assignment !

Deck 10, Concierge, mid-ship !

[drakes2]

3 minutes ago, m8zenblue said:

We did the same type of "guarantee" veranda, on the Equinox, hoping for the best, didnt really care, just wanted to cruise.

Paid the next day.

The following day we were surprised with our cabin assignment !

Deck 10, Concierge, mid-ship !

Well done. Congratulations

 

[Bruin Steve]

UPDATE:  Since people are still visiting this thread, I thought I'd complete the loop:

 

When we originally booked, there was a wide price margin between a Veranda Guarantee and a Concierge booking.  So, we took the Veranda Guarantee...got quickly assigned...and that is when I posted the original comment in this thread.

 

But, soon after that, they dropped the price of that Concierge Guarantee...So, I called my TA and we grabbed it.  Gave up that V2 and went back into the unassigned pool....and, this time, we waited 15 days...

...and remainded unassigned for a bit longer after that, but 15 days later, I logged on to find us assigned to #1660--a C1, but even closer to the very rear of the ship.

 

So, I checked availability...and called my TA and had them call Celebrity...and we got moved.

 

NOW, we are in #1243--IMHO, one of the best cabins on the ship...on the "slant"...with a balcony almost three times the size of a standard balcony...and conveniently just off the aft elevators.

 

Still, 15 days for an assignment is not too bad!

[Georgia_Peaches]

Congratulations on the great cabin!  We booked a guarantee SS on Ascent for November. I fully expected to be assigned a magic carpet suite but we were immediately assigned an S1 midship. Was a very nice surprise. Again, no rhyme or reason. 

[Harborgirl246]

On 8/1/2023 at 3:15 PM, drakes2 said:

Well done. Congratulations

 

 

On 8/1/2023 at 12:16 PM, Bruin Steve said:

I know many here are curious as to when Celebrity assigns cabins on "Guarantee" bookings. From my experience, there's no hard and fast rule--it likely depends on how many cabins they have available in different categories and how marketing is doing.  That said, I'll report on this one.

 

We booked a December 1, 2023 cruise on Eclipse (San Diego and Cabo 6 nights) this immediately past Sunday afternoon (July 30)--so, just over 4 months out....and less than 48 hours ago.  We booked a "Veranda Guarantee" rate, cruise only, knowing that we could have been assigned the worst Veranda cabin on the ship--and there are a large number of "obstructed view" veranda cabins, mostly on Deck 6, though, at the time of booking, very few of them appeared to be unassigned.  My thought was they want to keep at least one or two that way so they can continue to market a "choose your cabin" obstructed view at a lower rate.

 

Well, early this morning--within 40 hours or so of booking the cruise--I checked my account on the Celebrity website and it no longer said "Guarantee".  That has been replaced with a cabin number--#8320, a "V2" veranda (formerly 1C) on Deck 8, unobstructed though fairly close to the aft of the ship, Starboard side...other passenger cabins both above and below.  Overall, not a bad cabin assignment.

 

My first instinct was to see about getting it moved to another open V2 closer to midship (though the cabins AT midship are V1 and the other available V2 cabins closer to midship are eithe adjoining cabins, sleep 3 or 4 with a sofa bed--and aren't that much clser to midship, maybe 6-7 cabins closer...or a move down to Deck 7-which is closer to the lifeboats-just a deck below)...so I think I've decided not to mess with it...We'll just do a little more walking onboard--which is probably good for us.

 

In any event, by booking the guarantee we saved $780 ($429 vs, $819 pp) off the price of booking the same category with choice of cabins--and, as noted, the choices would not have been that much better.  So, for that $780 discount, we "suffered" through about a day and a half of concern over getting stuck with an obstructed view...and, frankly, had we been assigned an obstructed view, for $780, I'd find a way to make the best of it.  Heck the Veranda Guarantee rate was $226 less per person than choosing your own inside cabin!

I called Celebrity by phone and booked a guarantee veranda on the Equinox. I was quoted a good price and pleasant conversation.  Within minutes of call, my  app showed us in a concierge cabin on deck 8! Very happy.

[AMediator]

1 hour ago, Bruin Steve said:

UPDATE:  Since people are still visiting this thread, I thought I'd complete the loop:

 

When we originally booked, there was a wide price margin between a Veranda Guarantee and a Concierge booking.  So, we took the Veranda Guarantee...got quickly assigned...and that is when I posted the original comment in this thread.

 

But, soon after that, they dropped the price of that Concierge Guarantee...So, I called my TA and we grabbed it.  Gave up that V2 and went back into the unassigned pool....and, this time, we waited 15 days...

...and remainded unassigned for a bit longer after that, but 15 days later, I logged on to find us assigned to #1660--a C1, but even closer to the very rear of the ship.

 

So, I checked availability...and called my TA and had them call Celebrity...and we got moved.

 

NOW, we are in #1243--IMHO, one of the best cabins on the ship...on the "slant"...with a balcony almost three times the size of a standard balcony...and conveniently just off the aft elevators.

 

Still, 15 days for an assignment is not too bad!

I was curious about this.  I am also in a Concierge Guaranty on your cruise - as it was hard to pass up.  It has only been 2-3 days but we have not seen an assignment.  Hoping for a good one - we really wanted to try for the Sunset Veranda.  Stay tuned.  

[AMediator]

1 hour ago, AMediator said:

I was curious about this.  I am also in a Concierge Guaranty on your cruise - as it was hard to pass up.  It has only been 2-3 days but we have not seen an assignment.  Hoping for a good one - we really wanted to try for the Sunset Veranda.  Stay tuned.  

 

3 hours ago, Bruin Steve said:

UPDATE:  Since people are still visiting this thread, I thought I'd complete the loop:

 

When we originally booked, there was a wide price margin between a Veranda Guarantee and a Concierge booking.  So, we took the Veranda Guarantee...got quickly assigned...and that is when I posted the original comment in this thread.

 

But, soon after that, they dropped the price of that Concierge Guarantee...So, I called my TA and we grabbed it.  Gave up that V2 and went back into the unassigned pool....and, this time, we waited 15 days...

...and remainded unassigned for a bit longer after that, but 15 days later, I logged on to find us assigned to #1660--a C1, but even closer to the very rear of the ship.

 

So, I checked availability...and called my TA and had them call Celebrity...and we got moved.

 

NOW, we are in #1243--IMHO, one of the best cabins on the ship...on the "slant"...with a balcony almost three times the size of a standard balcony...and conveniently just off the aft elevators.

 

Still, 15 days for an assignment is not too bad!

Take it back - Assigned #9302 C2 Panorama near aft.   Seems pretty good to me

 

Assigned in less than 3 days. 

[MandL]

Good move Steve!  We also booked a GTY balcony just days ago coming back from Italy on the Beyond.  Couldn't resist coming back to the U.S. this way.  Checking off two bucket list items (Transatlantic & The Beyond).  We were a bit nervous booking a GTY on this type of cruise.  So surprised......our stateroom was assigned the next night.  It's unobstructed, but quite a distance back.  There's no open cabins in our category to make a switch.  After reading your update, I might watch for some price drops on concierge.  Have a great cruise.  See you in Japan Steve!