Balcony Guarantee Question

[GTO-Girl]

In trying to book a balcony guarantee for the Freedom in May of '09 the catagory for that is X'ed out.

 

My question is....does that mean I cannot book a balcony guarantee or does it mean I have to call directly to get the price?

 

Sorry I have never booked a guarantee before so I'm confused why it's blocked out.

 

Dianne

[Gonzo70]

Most likely it is not available. Guaranteed staterooms are not sold for all sailings and even on sailings where they are sold, they are not available for all classes of staterooms. You can try calling to see if there is something available not listed online, but most likely they are simply not being sold at this time for the cruise you are looking at. It is possible that at a later date guaranteed staterooms may be sold for that cruise, so you may want to keep your eye out and keep checking periodically.

[MsDolly]

Now I can't speak directly to Carnival because it's been a number of years since I cruised with them but when I book a guarantee cabin I choose the lowest cabin category within the type of cabin (ie. balcony) I'd be happy with and then ask my travel agent to book it as a guarantee and not an assigned cabin. Works the same and your not suck down lower then you really want to be.

 

Bel

[wrp96]

If it's not showing as available on the website then it isn't available. RCCL does not offer guarantees on every sailing in every category. And balcony guarantees are less common than inside or oceanview guarantees. Typically they only offer guarantees in categories that are not selling well or for cruises that are not selling well.

 

One other note, RCCL only offers guarantees for bookings of 2 people. They cannot be booked for 3 or more people. If you are booking as a single, sometimes you can get them to book you in a guarantee category if you call, but it is not possible to do that through the website.

[Jimbo]

RCL.....will never sell a Guarantee Cabin Category this far out.

 

You will only see them offered about 90 days before the sail date.

 

Jimbo:)

[amybear912]

RCL.....will never sell a Guarantee Cabin Category this far out.

 

You will only see them offered about 90 days before the sail date.

 

Jimbo:)

 

What Jimbo said...:)

 

It's a bit early to look for a guarantee for that sailing, they tend to become available as the cruise draws closer and categories aren't selling well.

 

For example... we are cruising on Enchantment on 8/23/08... and interior guarantees just became available to book within the last week... there are no guarantees available for any of the higher categories... the ship is apparently sailing pretty full... If they can sell them at the going rate, there's no incentive to offer guarantees...

[wrp96]

RCL.....will never sell a Guarantee Cabin Category this far out.

 

You will only see them offered about 90 days before the sail date.

 

Jimbo:)

 

Not true, for my May Rhapsody cruise, they were offering guarantees last September when I booked.

[Jimbo]

Not true, for my May Rhapsody cruise, they were offering guarantees last September when I booked.

 

Have seen it for the real expensive suites from time to time but never for just a plain Balcony Cabin.

 

Jimbo:)

[PhoenixCruiser]

Now I can't speak directly to Carnival because it's been a number of years since I cruised with them but when I book a guarantee cabin I choose the lowest cabin category within the type of cabin (ie. balcony) I'd be happy with and then ask my travel agent to book it as a guarantee and not an assigned cabin. Works the same and your not suck down lower then you really want to be.

 

Bel

 

Royal Caribbean also has a "Freedom" ship :)

 

###

[jensue1]

Excuse my ignorance :o , but what does a 'balcony guarantee cabin' mean? I thought when you booked, you booke a cabin number and that was that?

[Merion_Mom]

Excuse my ignorance :o , but what does a 'balcony guarantee cabin' mean? I thought when you booked, you booke a cabin number and that was that?

 

You *can* do that, jensue1, but sometimes the cruiseline offers a "guarantee" category, and you can book that. As stated above, that entitles you to "at least" the worst cabin in that category.

 

For example, an interior guarantee could get you the first cabin all the way forward on Deck 2, where the anchor goes up and down when the ship arrives and leaves.

[Cuizer2]

Excuse my ignorance :o , but what does a 'balcony guarantee cabin' mean? I thought when you booked, you booke a cabin number and that was that?

 

A guarantee cabin means that for a slight discount you are letting the cruise line pick the cabin for you. You have guaranteed a cabin no lower than the category you booked, but you might get upgraded to a higher category.

 

So you could book an ocean view guarantee. You would get a slight discount. You would get an ocean view cabin or better (you would not get an inside for example - but you might get upgraded to a balcony) but the cruise line, not you, gets to pick the cabin.

[wrp96]

Have seen it for the real expensive suites from time to time but never for just a plain Balcony Cabin.

 

Jimbo:)

 

 

When I booked they were offering inside, oceanview, balcony, and suite guarantees.