Downgrade on a Guarantee Room

[3rdGenCunarder]

Well it is interesting that cabins that were once considered desirable by the cruise line are now considered less desirable. Obviously they looked at bookings and realized that they were booking similar cabins but on lower decks more easily but for lower fares. Guess it took awhile but somebody finally figured it out. After it was pointed out to me that HAL had indeed redesignated cabin categories I pulled up the Maasdam, which I'm familiar with, to see what had happened. I notice with interest the old A category cabins on the Navigation Deck are now in the B category. Golly gee whiz. Really? I thought everybody wanted a top deck cabin right under the Pool Deck/Lido Cafe and was willing to pay extra for that privilege. :rolleyes::D

 

I've watched Cunard flipflop on cabin grades on QM2 for years. Because of the way she is built, more as a liner than a cruise ship, her promenade deck is quite high, and there are three passenger decks below that. In order to maximize balconies, the designer gave her "hole in the hull" balconies, which they call sheltered balconies. Imagine that you're on a lower deck with an outer room that has a large picture window with no glass. Sounds strange, but for transatlantics, I love them because they do provide shelter while you're getting some fresh air.

 

Like many ships, QM2 also has obstructed cabins, with VERY ORANGE lifeboats outside. Those cabins have the typical more open balconies with glass fronts, and they're on a higher deck. Which is "better?" Initially, the obstructed cabins were a higher grade because of the more open balcony and higher location. But these obstructed balconies didn't sell well, so they became a lower grade. Of course, lower grade cabins often become part of promotions, so then the obstructed balconies started selling well. Hey! These are desirable, let's reclassify them--and they became a higher grade. Than they stopped selling well, and now they're a lower grade again. And long may they stay that way, because I can book a sheltered balcony and not have to fear being "upgraded" to the land of the orange glow.

Edited December 2, 2015 by 3rdGenCunarder

[Randyk47]

I've watched Cunard flipflop on cabin grades on QM2 for years. Because of the way she is built, more as a liner than a cruise ship, her promenade deck is quite high, and there are three passenger decks below that. In order to maximize balconies, the designer gave her "hole in the hull" balconies, which they call sheltered balconies. Imagine that you're on a lower deck with an outer room that has a large picture window with no glass. Sounds strange, but for transatlantics, I love them because they do provide shelter while you're getting some fresh air.

 

Like many ships, QM2 also has obstructed cabins, with VERY ORANGE lifeboats outside. Those cabins have the typical more open balconies with glass fronts, and they're on a higher deck. Which is "better?" Initially, the obstructed cabins were a higher grade because of the more open balcony and higher location. But these obstructed balconies didn't sell well, so they became a lower grade. Of course, lower grade cabins often become part of promotions, so then the obstructed balconies started selling well. Hey! These are desirable, let's reclassify them--and they became a higher grade. Than they stopped selling well, and now they're a lower grade again. And long may they stay that way, because I can book a sheltered balcony and not have to fear being "upgraded" to the land of the orange glow.

 

I would imagine you might see the same kind of reshuffle of the shuffle down the road with HAL. Certainly it's not beyond comprehension that the B's, once A's, the Navigation Deck will start selling better because they're less expensive than the A's, once B's, on a lower deck. Hey what's in a name or in this case a category. Change some signs, recode the computer, and away we go. :) Of course I'm being a bit sarcastic but I'm still recovering from the big announcement a few weeks ago that featured the change in the HAL catch line. That reminded me of the old "let's paint the office a different color to show them we really care" approach to improving employee morale.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I would imagine you might see the same kind of reshuffle of the shuffle down the road with HAL. Certainly it's not beyond comprehension that the B's, once A's, the Navigation Deck will start selling better because they're less expensive than the A's, once B's, on a lower deck. Hey what's in a name or in this case a category. Change some signs, recode the computer, and away we go. :) Of course I'm being a bit sarcastic but I'm still recovering from the big announcement a few weeks ago that featured the change in the HAL catch line. That reminded me of the old "let's paint the office a different color to show them we really care" approach to improving employee morale.

 

Off topic, but in response to this comment, I have to share a friend's work experience. An insurance company, maybe NY Life, was turning 100. There was talk of "something big" to celebrate. People were thinking bonuses, extra time off, something that would improve morale. It finally was announced that they were re-gilding the roof of the building. This did NOT inspire warm fuzzy feelings in the building.

[Cruizer Bill]

CoasterBill, We were burnt FAR WORSE than you by the Upgrade Fairy! We booked a Category H Oceanview Cabin on the Volendam for a cruise from Sydney around New Zealand and return (14 night cruise). We were assigned Cabin G2500, all the way up in the bow. It is a tiny (about 165 sq feet), handicapped room with two portholes that have to look through a 3 to 4 foot bulkhead to ever see the light of day. When we left Sydney Harbor, we hit 18 foot waves and our room was tossed around so badly that I became very seasick, for the first and only time ever.

 

When we complained how small the room was - no sofa, half the normal cabinets, and no room to get out of bed by the side - we had to slide all the way down the bed to get our of bed. The room should have been classified as a single person room. Anyway, they said we were upgraded and the ship was full, so live with it. It really did hurt our cruise! Lesson learned - do not book a Guaranteed Cabin if there is one at your level OR HIGHER that is unacceptable to you!

Good luck next time! Keep on cruising!

[OceanTraveller4ever]

We booked an SY cabin a full year ahead on a prior cruise thinking that we would get a choice assignment.

That was to be our third cruise, and we were still learning the ropes.

The prior two we had SS class, and always middle of the ship.

That preference was ignored, and they stuck us in SY 5002 !!!!

That cabin is right at the front where the ship bobs the most, and the wind is full force with no buffeting. I enjoy the mid SY/SS rooms as they are shielded from the brunt of the oncoming winds.

The 5002 cabin is large, but most of that space is used for an oversized washroom where one can shower while sitting in a wheelchair. There is no whirlpool bath, and is just not the best SY choice for able body passengers IMO.

 

This cabin assignment only came about 2 weeks before sail-off date which left little time to rectify. We called HAL direct, and threatened to never sail with them again if they did nor fix this shortchanged arrangement. Problem fixed, and we have been happy ever since.

 

Lesson learned. Guaranteed cabins is for folks who do not know better.

 

We now have the most delightful, and helpful HAL PCC, and always book the most specific cabin that we can get.

[Boytjie]

Lesson learned. Guaranteed cabins is for folks who do not know better..

 

Or maybe they are OK with what they get and know what they are getting themselves into.

[sail7seas]

The Neptune Suites on the "S" Class ships have steel on the bottom beneath the rail on the verandahs. It doesn't bother me at all. If sitting in a chair at the table, I have all the view I need. :)

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

The Neptune Suites on the "S" Class ships have steel on the bottom beneath the rail on the verandahs. It doesn't bother me at all. If sitting in a chair at the table, I have all the view I need. :)

 

 

Now that you mention it, I realized that the Vista suites do, too. It never bothered me on Maasdam or Veendam.

[jtl513]

The Neptune Suites on the "S" Class ships have steel on the bottom beneath the rail on the verandahs. It doesn't bother me at all. If sitting in a chair at the table, I have all the view I need. :)

 

Now that you mention it, I realized that the Vista suites do, too. It never bothered me on Maasdam or Veendam.

That is probably because there is about an 8 inch gap between the wood rail and the the steel panel which you can see through while seated. That is not the case on the Vista/Sig ships where you must be tall and sit very upright in order to see over the wood rail.

.

Edited December 3, 2015 by jtl513

[jtl513]

That is probably because there is about an 8 inch gap ...

After looking at some pictures, I think the gap may be more like 1 foot.

[jtl513]

After looking at some pictures, I think the gap may be more like 1 foot.

This is the Veendam:

 

[cruz chic]

We booked an SY cabin a full year ahead on a prior cruise thinking that we would get a choice assignment.

That was to be our third cruise, and we were still learning the ropes.

The prior two we had SS class, and always middle of the ship.

That preference was ignored, and they stuck us in SY 5002 !!!!

That cabin is right at the front where the ship bobs the most, and the wind is full force with no buffeting. I enjoy the mid SY/SS rooms as they are shielded from the brunt of the oncoming winds.

The 5002 cabin is large, but most of that space is used for an oversized washroom where one can shower while sitting in a wheelchair. There is no whirlpool bath, and is just not the best SY choice for able body passengers IMO.

 

This cabin assignment only came about 2 weeks before sail-off date which left little time to rectify. We called HAL direct, and threatened to never sail with them again if they did nor fix this shortchanged arrangement. Problem fixed, and we have been happy ever since.

 

Lesson learned. Guaranteed cabins is for folks who do not know better.

 

We now have the most delightful, and helpful HAL PCC, and always book the most specific cabin that we can get.

 

I do guarantees often. It's not a matter of not knowing better. If you have a laundry list of wants it's not the thing for you. This post is insulting

[catl331]

Lesson learned. Guaranteed cabins is for folks who do not know better.

Guarantees are for people who DO know better than you did what the possibilities are. :rolleyes:

 

We have friends who stayed in 5002 and liked it very much.

Edited December 3, 2015 by catl331

[3rdGenCunarder]

(some text deleted)

This cabin assignment only came about 2 weeks before sail-off date which left little time to rectify. We called HAL direct, and threatened to never sail with them again if they did nor fix this shortchanged arrangement. Problem fixed, and we have been happy ever since.

 

Lesson learned. Guaranteed cabins is for folks who do not know better.

 

We now have the most delightful, and helpful HAL PCC, and always book the most specific cabin that we can get.

 

Guarantees are for people who DO know better than you did what the possibilities are. :rolleyes:

 

We have friends who stayed in 5002 and liked it very much.

 

Guarantees are for HAL's convenience and for passengers who are willing to accept the cabin they get in return for a good price.

 

Guarantees allow HAL to sell "bad" cabins that many other cruisers wouldn't choose. But what's "bad?" One person hated 5002, another was happy there. Yes, there are some cabins we'd all call "bad." But if the price is right...

 

Guarantees allow HAL to sell the same cabin at two prices. Choose your cabin, or just choose a grade for a lot less. So they can extract extra money from those of use who know what and where we want. But they can discount the same cabin to improve sales. I prefer to choose my cabin. If I were to complain that the guarantee passengers were getting the same thing for less money, HAL would point out that the extra money I spent gave me the right to choose.

 

Guarantees allow HAL to manage inventory. They can get the money from the bookings without committing to specifics. This keeps some cabins in flux until very late in the booking process. Maybe three weeks out, a family will want three rooms together. With lots of unassigned cabins, this can be done without having to move people who've chosen specific cabins. 5002 sounds like a HC cabin. Those are usually booked early because there aren't many of them. HAL is going to hold back an unbooked HC cabins in case someone needs it. But at some point, they have to put someone in there, or it goes unused and they don't get any money for it. Guarantees allow HAL to fill cancellations. Sometimes guarantees turn out to be lottery wins and HAL gets a grateful customer. People know this can happen--it's the "carrot" that they dangle to encourage you to book a guarantee. (Or lure you in, if you prefer to look at it that way.)

[sail7seas]

After looking at some pictures, I think the gap may be more like 1 foot.

 

:) I definitely never measured space between rail and steel.

 

What I do know is I have sailed Statendam, Maasdam, Ryndam and Veendam a total of no less than 45 cruises in Neptune Suites and the steel never bothered me. I'm only speaking for myself.

 

[Randyk47]

As far as I know a guarantee "saves" you nothing unless you get a higher category cabin when HAL finally assigns one. Unless something has changed HAL doesn't, or at least in the past didn't, discount the category booked just because it was booked as a guarantee. While we don't book guarantees I'm not against them, at least not in the sense that I criticize those who do decide to go that path. Obviously there are going to be "woohoo" assignments and unfortunately there are going to be some "oh no" assignments. Make an informed choice.

[Randyk47]

:) I definitely never measured space between rail and steel.

 

What I do know is I have sailed Statendam, Maasdam, Ryndam and Veendam a total of no less than 45 cruises in Neptune Suites and the steel never bothered me. I'm only speaking for myself.

 

 

Me neither. In fact, I've really never given it much of any thought until it came up here. For us the Neptune Suite verandas are fantastic, certainly the best and biggest of any line we've cruised on in a comparable cabin category. :)

[jtl513]

:) I definitely never measured space between rail and steel.

 

What I do know is I have sailed Statendam, Maasdam, Ryndam and Veendam a total of no less than 45 cruises in Neptune Suites and the steel never bothered me. I'm only speaking for myself.

I presume you've never had a steel-walled railing on a Vista or Sig ship, which are very different from those on the S class. Those might bother you.

[igraf]

The first part of this thread is very dated in that more recent guaranteed room assignments usually start at the bottom category of a room type. In other words, one can only go up with most guaranteed room assignments.

 

The savings are usually substantial and there is never a downgrade or loss when starting at the bottom of a category. Having said that, guaranteed room assignments are best for those who are not too picky about their cabin location or view.

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

As far as I know a guarantee "saves" you nothing unless you get a higher category cabin when HAL finally assigns one. Unless something has changed HAL doesn't, or at least in the past didn't, discount the category booked just because it was booked as a guarantee. While we don't book guarantees I'm not against them, at least not in the sense that I criticize those who do decide to go that path. Obviously there are going to be "woohoo" assignments and unfortunately there are going to be some "oh no" assignments. Make an informed choice.

Edited December 3, 2015 by igraf

[jtl513]

The first part of this thread is very dated in that more recent guaranteed room assignments usually start at the bottom category of a room type. In other words, one can only go up with most guaranteed room assignments. The savings are usually substantial and there is never a downgrade or loss when starting at the bottom of a category.

You can do a guarantee at any level. We have several times done VE or VD guarantees, and have always paid the same price as if we had chosen a specific VE or VD at the time. In your second sentence you need not say "most". You can never go down in category with a Gty.

 

[Randyk47]

You can do a guarantee at any level. We have several times done VE or VD guarantees, and have always paid the same price as if we had chosen a specific VE or VD at the time. In your second sentence you need not say "most". You can never go down in category with a Gty.

 

 

After I posted I wondered if HAL had started offering some kind of incentive like a fare discount if you book a guarantee. Using the VE category mentioned above I looked at a couple of cruises, though obviously not all, and indeed the guarantee fare is the same as booking a specific cabin by number in that category. The worse case scenario is that you get the category you paid for and the best is that you're assigned a good cabin in a higher category. Obviously that chance is worth it to many.

[jtl513]

The worse case scenario is that you get the category you paid for and the best is that you're assigned a good cabin in a higher category. Obviously that chance is worth it to many.

We've done 9 gty's and received what HAL considers an upgrade every time. Only once was I slightly unhappy with our assignment, and DW was fine with it.

 

Our best case was reserving a partially obstructed G, getting assigned a Main deck C 10 days out, and being reassigned 3 days out to a deck 8 veranda! I think we may have been the beneficiaries of a late cancellation. :D However, now that they have set it so that any veranda gty can end up in a deck 5 mid-ship cabin we no longer do gty.

[CowPrincess]

After I posted I wondered if HAL had started offering some kind of incentive like a fare discount if you book a guarantee. Using the VE category mentioned above I looked at a couple of cruises, though obviously not all, and indeed the guarantee fare is the same as booking a specific cabin by number in that category. The worse case scenario is that you get the category you paid for and the best is that you're assigned a good cabin in a higher category. Obviously that chance is worth it to many.

 

The only time I ever see a gty cheaper than a specific cabin is close to sailing date if the ship isn't selling out. And those are usually the "entry level" cabins in each category, e.g., MM/NN or HH or (sometimes) BCs. And at the time that the gty is cheaper, there are no specific cabins available for booking in those entry level categories.

 

I had a specific HH booked last year, took an upsell, and then very close to sailing, the HH cabins became available at about $400/person cheaper than what I had paid.

 

But other than in that and similar cases (like you) I have never seen a gty cheaper than selecting a specific cabin.

[Randyk47]

The only time I ever see a gty cheaper than a specific cabin is close to sailing date if the ship isn't selling out. And those are usually the "entry level" cabins in each category, e.g., MM/NN or HH or (sometimes) BCs. And at the time that the gty is cheaper, there are no specific cabins available for booking in those entry level categories.

 

I had a specific HH booked last year, took an upsell, and then very close to sailing, the HH cabins became available at about $400/person cheaper than what I had paid.

 

But other than in that and similar cases (like you) I have never seen a gty cheaper than selecting a specific cabin.

 

I kind of dismissed sales as all sorts of incentives are offered and I don't consider those typical or standard bookings. Certainly people who have the flexibility to book close to or at the last minute before a cruise have an advantage. Because we're forced to plan ahead we rarely get to take advantage of sales so while I check in case I can get some concession from the line I try not to get too concerned about the what if and maybe.

[iancal]

You never know.

 

We downgraded from an assigned balcony on another cruise line to a balcony gty. We saved just over $600 on our 12 day cruise.

 

When we got our gty assignment, we ended up in a better category than our original booking, a better location, and a large, extended balcony.

 

You take your chances. Ask your TA to get HAL to put you back into the gty pool so that you can have another kick at the cat. A number of other cruise lines do this so I expect that HAL may also accommodate you in this manner.

Edited December 3, 2015 by iancal