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Guarantee Status


PoppyandNana
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Can't figure out why anyone would book a cruise under a guarantee status. We have 26 cruises and always chose a specific cabin. There are too many variables with cabin location, deck, public spaces above or below etc. to risk an expensive cruise by having someon else determine where I'm staying for the cruise.

 

Do people think their chances are better for an upgrade if they are under a guarantee status? Would have to imagine that the percentage of anyone, regardless of booking status, that are upgraded is a minicule percentage.

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Unfortunately not everyone can afford the difference between a guarantee and the next level. We have cruised every December for the last couple of years in AQ. This year our travel budget is not as big. We decided that we would rather be anywhere on the ship than not on the ship at all and did a balcony guarantee. Neither of us are light sleepers or very picky. Right now we are in a 2c on the Silhouette. The obstruction is not being able to look down at the water but we can look out. The difference between the guarantee and an unobstructed view pays for our port excursions. The nice thing is that everyone can choose what works for them and their budget. :D

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Redman1947,

In addition to Allygator14's response, not everyone has been as fortunate as you or I. We know the score after many cruises. A guarantee, at a lower price point, may be very attractive to a new cruiser who knows zilch about cabin selection. The same could hold true to a cruiser who may be booking late and just wants on a ship, even if their cabin of choice is not available. Lots of things to think about when cruising.

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Last year, I booked a 2C on Silhouette, figuring a partially obstructed balcony in the Med. was better than none. A few days later, there was a sale with a balcony gty same price as inside. I jumped on it. For a saving of $1200 I would be happy with any balcony, even a 2D. We ended up in a 2A on the hump. Great value. I book what I can afford, just to be on the ship. Insides, OV, balcony. Doesn't matter, as long as it is a bargain. EM

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I'm always hearing of people booking on the guarantee basis and then kicking up a big stink once their room has been allocated.

 

why oh why book on guarantee if the room location is so important to you!!

 

I guest that's people for you lol

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I've been on over 20 cruises with many of them being a guarantee rate. The reasons are simple:

 

1) The savings can be substantial (if not there is no point in booking a guarantee).

 

2) While people complain about bad cabins in reality there are only Good cabins and Better cabins. When considering a guarantee we research the worst cabins on board and while we rarely get them we decide beforehand that we would be OK if assigned one. We have never complained about a cabin assignment as we understand that is part of the deal.

 

3) The savings have allowed us to cruise more often than we otherwise would have as well as cruise to locations that many put off until retirement.

 

Ultimately to each their own. If a guarantee cabin is something people don't want to consider it is not a big deal.

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We just booked a veranda guarantee. It is cruise 67 for us so we've been in just about every "terrific" cabin/suite on a ship. If we can't get one of the sought after cabins, we are not picky. We like a specific category (it varies and can be a veranda, AQ or suite) but that is all that is really important to us.

 

The cruise we just booked is in 6 weeks and most all the cabins left are really not in the desirable locations, so what we will be assigned is likely not much better than what we would get if we booked a specific cabin at this late date.

 

We"ll book a guarantee if there is a significant savings. We NEVER expect a cabin category higher than our guarantee.

 

In our case, for our cruise in just 6 weeks, we will save $1050-$1650 by booking the guarantee

 

M

Edited by cruisegirl1
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Can't figure out why anyone would book a cruise under a guarantee status. We have 26 cruises and always chose a specific cabin. There are too many variables with cabin location, deck, public spaces above or below etc. to risk an expensive cruise by having someon else determine where I'm staying for the cruise.

 

Do people think their chances are better for an upgrade if they are under a guarantee status? Would have to imagine that the percentage of anyone, regardless of booking status, that are upgraded is a minicule percentage.

 

some people genuinely DO NOT care about where the cabin is.

 

Our very first cruise, our TA suggested we take a GTY cabin because it was slightly cheaper and her agency was offering a category upgrade( we paid for the lowest category balcony and was guaranteed a cabin in the highest category)

 

and yes I am sure some people take a gamble that paying for a GTY OV will land them a balcony.

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It's all about price for us; we will book a guarantee if it is significantly cheaper than picking a specific room. We are not doing it for an upgrade, though we usually do get a room in a slightly higher category.

 

So far, we've been satisfied with our assigned guarantee room and have sometimes saved $1000 or more for the two of us. Since we don't really care where we are on the ship, except that we want a balcony, we always look at guarantees.

 

People who are booking guarantees and expecting a big upgrade are just naive; yes, it happens, but it is rare.

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Face it--once you are on the ship, you are entitled to every amenity there is: food, entertainment, bars, pools, etc. If you're like us, the cabin is just a place to sleep and keep your stuff. We are not "cabin dwellers"--we like to be out and about on the ship. So if I have a balcony so I can get some fresh air, I am happy.

 

The other thing the OP, who is from the US, is not taking into consideration is that once assigned, you can generally move to any other open cabin in your category. I have done this successfully.

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For me, I also like a little surprise... so far it never disappoint.

 

On the upcoming Transpacific in May 2014, I did make a specific cabin reservation, as it is a Sweet Sixteen cabin on the Millie. I can't pass up on that and I paid the same price as the veranda guarantee.

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The other thing the OP, who is from the US, is not taking into consideration is that once assigned, you can generally move to any other open cabin in your category. I have done this successfully.

 

They have always been happy to let us move if we want and we still save $1,000.

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I used to think like you. Always carefully selected the best cabin in the best location with the biggest balcony in our price range. For our upcoming cruise, got a 1A balcony on the hump. Cost of cruise: $2900.

 

Then I logged in to check for price drops and saw this: Balcony guarantee for $799. Wow, almost half price. I jumped on it. Friends of ours cruising with us chose to keep their 1A on the hump.

 

My thought process was: cabin exactly the same, and even the worst 2D cabin still has a balcony! And savings of over $1,000 will pay for our airfare, shore excursions, and even some drinks.

 

After 3 week we were assigned a 2D cabin, we'll be on deck six with some lifeboats blocking our view down to the water. Right now it doesn't feel like a big deal, and I doubt I'll let that ruin the cruise once i'm there!

Edited by micmacmissy
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micmacmissy, it is a 2C balcony cabin on S class ships with a lifeboat in front and that's what you previously mentioned as what you were assigned for your gty. A 2D has the higher tender, up to the railing level, so the view outwards is obstructed when sitting.

We booked an Concierge XC gty for our upcoming cruise and that saved us $800 over picking the C1 we were assigned. If we didn't have senior pricing selecting a C1 would have cost us $1200 more.

Originally we had been assigned a more forward, near front elevators/stairs, connecting cabin which was the best option when assigned but a few weeks back a slightly aft of the mid-ship elevators/stairs non-connecting C1 became available. An email to our TA got us that better cabin. Previously we've also have been able to change our gty assigned cabin for another available in the same category of cabin with out difficulties.;)

Edited by robtulipe
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Almost half of my cruises have been solo - and for them I always book an inside guarantee cabin. Twice I wound up with OV; and never have I had a "bad" cabin.

 

When I cruise with my husband, he insists on a balcony, so I always get a balcony guarantee. Again, never been disappointed in what was assigned.

 

The rest of the times I have cruised with a friend or acquaintance, and then normally let her decide on the type of cabin. About half of the reservations have been guarantees, the rest for specific cabins. The only ones that presented any problems at all were among the selected cabins, and both times it was for a strange, very loud, very random occurring but repeated noise during the night. On one of the cruises it sounded like someone beating on the hull with a large wrench, and lasted for three nights. The hotel manager apologized, sent wine and chocolate-covered strawberries, and gave us a free specialty restaurant meal. On the other it sounded like a heavy door being slammed shut and lasted just one night.

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We did not plan on cruising next year until the Thanksgiving special came out. We booked a 5 nt. cruise with a 2b class room at what we thought was a good price which fit in our time limits. After further investigating we found a 7 nt. cruise for less in a veranda gtee. class. Checked our res. today and we are in a 1a bump out cabin. We are particular on rooms when we travel with a group but when we travel alone we just roll the dice and hope for the best. The end result is we are cruising!!!!!:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

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Early on I booked inside GTY and always got upgraded to outside.

 

then one day get on ship (they assigned cabin at pier) and had an inside. I was bummed.

 

The I found out that insides are so dark, you dont know what time it is. you dont know where you are and you dont care.

 

This will sound strange, but for many of us, you can't pay us to take an outside cabin.

 

So why book inside GTY? get price and if you wind up w/ OV and want to downgrade, no one will say no.

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We enjoy the bigger suites on Celebrity. Sometimes we pay sometimes we do a guarantee if available. Recently we took a CS Guarantee and was awarded a Royal Suite as the CS's were all sold out. That was GREAT! Savings of over $10,000. Only happened once though.....the stars aligned. Room was assigned 7 days out....surprise.

 

Cheers and good travels to all!

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Early on I booked inside GTY and always got upgraded to outside.

 

then one day get on ship (they assigned cabin at pier) and had an inside. I was bummed.

 

The I found out that insides are so dark, you don't know what time it is. you don't know where you are and you dont care.

 

This will sound strange, but for many of us, you can't pay us to take an outside cabin.

 

So why book inside GTY? get price and if you wind up w/ OV and want to downgrade, no one will say no.

 

We've never been able to nor have I have read here on CC others who have been able to downgrade or change an assigned cabin category for an gty booking without paying the difference in cost of the current price of the new category. Typically on X and RC to book a selected cabin costs more than booking a guaranty in that class of cabins. For example we booked after the final payment date a XC gty at $1499 each for our next cruise and got assigned a C1. At that time a C2 was priced at $1849 each. Today a C1 is $2099 as there is only one cabin available and a few days ago a C2 was $2049 but is no longer available. To downgrade to a C2 cabin would have cost us $700 when our C1 was assigned. The only way I could see this being possible without costing extra is if the price of the inside category were the same or went lower than what you paid for your inside guaranty booking. This is unlikely as guaranty prices tend to be offered close to or after the final payment date at the lowest pricing to sell out a cruise and they usually work in that respect. Our cruise still has some OV availability and the price of Y OV gty has dropped slightly, by $94, to $1105 but to book the lowest actual OV category, an 8, is $494 more or $1595 and that gets you a gty where you can't select your cabin so one doing a new booking would be better off doing the lower cost Y gty. The lowest OV category you can actually select a cabin in is a cat.5 priced at $1721 each.:confused:

Edited by robtulipe
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I've also always taken GTY cabin and have never been disappointed. Always have been assigned the category I chose (inside or balcony.) Truth is, I just don't care that much about where I am on the ship.

 

In fact, my favorite GTY I ever had was an inside on deck 2 in the back on an RCC ship. We had to hike up about 9 flights and walk the length of the ship to get to the buffet. Lost 1 lb on that trip. :p

 

I also use a bidding site for hotels all the time. There's something exciting about playing hotel roulette, especially on the occasions when you do score a great deal.

 

On the other hand, I fly a lot for my job, and I'm super-picky about what type of plane and what seat I'm in. I will change seat assignments multiple times if a preferred seat opens up for me. Maybe it's weird, but I'm waaaay more concerned about a bad plane seat for 8 or 12 hours than I am about having a "bad" cabin for a days, LOL.

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Just booked a cabin for our daughter and boyfriend on Monday, a guarantee. My husband just text me and we already got a cabin placement. She got upgraded to a 1B from guarantee veranda to deck 9. It is a little forward but still very good. We also got her waitlisted dinner time confirmed so we can all eat together! Yeah, way to go Celebrity.

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