Booking a guarantee? Can you move within the category they put you in?

[CruisinDawn]

On our upcoming sailing they are offering a inside & outside guarantee cabins. We have another person looking at booking a guarantee but I want to be sure I understand them. What I do know is your cabin can be anywhere within the guarantee category your booking or better. The ship appears to be VERY empty. My question is if you book a guarantee and they put you in say a H cabin category, can you ask to move to a different H thats location may suit you better or are you stuck where ever they put you? This gal is traveling solo so she is already paying for two including taxes since they won't offer a guarantee for a single so we are just trying to keep the cost down but not have her in the bow of the ship.

BonVoyage
Dawna

[cb at sea]

You can request to be moved to another area, as long as it remains in the catagory they gave you. Many times, they will oblige. Sometimes, they won't....that's the only real "downside" to a gty. booking....

[CruisinDawn]

I had the feeling that was the case. I myself have never booked one but it seems like the right move for this single gal. It's only 3 nights after all, not a transatlantic, hehe. Thanks!

BonVoyage
Dawna

[robtulipe]

Originally Posted by CruisinDawn

On our upcoming sailing they are offering a inside & outside guarantee cabins. We have another person looking at booking a guarantee but I want to be sure I understand them. What I do know is your cabin can be anywhere within the guarantee category your booking or better. The ship appears to be VERY empty. My question is if you book a guarantee and they put you in say a H cabin category, can you ask to move to a different H thats location may suit you better or are you stuck where ever they put you? This gal is traveling solo so she is already paying for two including taxes since they won't offer a guarantee for a single so we are just trying to keep the cost down but not have her in the bow of the ship.

BonVoyage
Dawna

I read here that you can get a guarantee single booking by calling RC directly or having your TA do so. This would save your friend from paying double the port charges and tax.
In the past I have been able to change my guarantee assigned cabin within the same category that I had booked directly by calling and requesting this from one of RC agents. Most will do this for you but they aren't obliged to do so.

[ridgecrest]

Not to hijack this thread but can someone explain the benefits of a gaurantee booking?

Thanks

[yogimax]

I asked this very question today since I was just assigned a cabin. The RCCL agent said that he could do it within the category.

[SliderNc]

For the most part, the only benefit I've seen is that the price will probably be lower than what it would be is you chose the cabin category you wanted. Other than that, it's a crap shoot as to what cabin you get and where you are placed.

[hooked-on-travel]

We've had cheap inside gty net us a window, a higher deck inside, and exactly what we paid for. Have been pleased with all.

[robtulipe]

Originally Posted by ridgecrest

Not to hijack this thread but can someone explain the benefits of a guarantee booking?

Thanks

On our last cruise we booked an E1 gty for $100 each less than booking a regular E1 (where you select your cabin). You are also more likely to receive an upgrade because RC knows that they can easily upgrade you because you haven't specifically selected your cabin. Sometimes when they upgrade regular bookings they run into flack because paxs have selected a particular cabin and often don't want it changed even for an upgrade. We got an D1 cabin assigned for the E1 gty.

[yogimax]

Actually, we just had our best experience. We had originally booked a "Q" on Liberty. When they offered an inside guarantee for the same price, I changed the reservation and was pleasantly surprised yesterday when we were assigned a Royal Promenade cabin!

[ridgecrest]

Originally Posted by robtulipe

On our last cruise we booked an E1 gty for $100 each less than booking a regular E1 (where you select your cabin). You are also more likely to receive an upgrade because RC knows that they can easily upgrade you because you haven't specifically selected your cabin. Sometimes when they upgrade regular bookings they run into flack because paxs have selected a particular cabin and often don't want it changed even for an upgrade. We got an D1 cabin assigned for the E1 gty.

So if you don't care about a specific room and you can deal with some uncertainty, doing a gty booking has some upside. Thanks for the explanation.

[stephanie1]

I booked a balcony guarantee on my last cruise. I was assigned an E2 balcony and was not too pleased with the location. I called and they gave me a hump cabin on deck 7. Aside from the fact that during a Sales Event the D1 cabins were cheaper than the guarantee, I was actually very happy with my guarantee.

Would I do it again??? No. It is a crap shoot and you could get a
forward cabin and hate it or be all the way in the back. I was lucky.

I have heard of people paying for inside guarantees and getting a
balcony. This must be very rare.

The positive aspect of booking a guarantee is that you usuallly get a
better cabin that the minumum category you pay for. I would not
try it on a holiday sailing as the chances of a good upgrade is decreased
by the fact that the ships are usually filled.

Good luck.

[CruisinDawn]

Originally Posted by robtulipe

I read here that you can get a guarantee single booking by calling RC directly or having your TA do so. This would save your friend from paying double the port charges and tax.
In the past I have been able to change my guarantee assigned cabin within the same category that I had booked directly by calling and requesting this from one of RC agents. Most will do this for you but they aren't obliged to do so.

I did call, agent said the only way to get the guarantee was to book a double then just have the second party not show.

Thanks for all the responses. Since this ship is so empty I don't see how one can go wrong with a guarantee.

BonVoyage
Dawna

[silentbob007]

Depending on when you sail, the guarantee may not be assigned for a while so the ship may fill a bit before you receive an assignment.

I typically try to guarantees if I can. Rarely I've been upgraded to a new "class" of cabin. Typically my "upgrade" means same cabin, higher deck. I have no problem doing a guarantee, but then again, it really doesn't matter if I'm middle, forward or aft ... I really couldn't care less as I don't feel "extra" motion and am able/don't mind walking (those far cabins sometimes are quieter).

Your solo friend can keep watching bookings ... though rare, I have booked multiple guarantees as a single passenger ... they sometimes appear when the ship is having trouble selling.