To GTY or not

I've just put on hold a V1 cabin on the Quest for a 21-day cruise in June 2015 and been assigned cabin 515 which we're happy with. We are wondering if it would be a good idea or not to change this to a Veranda GTY - our travel agent said there is always a chance of an upgrade, particularly if you are a previous Seabourn customer (we have 35 days clocked up on Seabourn which would certainly not put us anywhere the top of any list).

I would prefer to keep our assigned cabin than to end up at the very front end where the balconies seem to be much smaller. On the other hand to be assigned a V3 or higher (V2 does not seem to offer much over our current cabin) would be nice but not absolutely wonderful.

We went with a V1 as on a previous cruise on Quest we chose a V5 which did not seem to be "great value for the additional money". (Owners suites etc are a bit out of our price range).

So what would you experts do - also keeping in mind that our cruise is in fact a 7-day baltic + a 14-day Norway one so each section is also sold separately which I presume impact cabin allocations.

As you seem happy with your assigned suite why take a chance on being assigned one not to your liking? Since you are on a back to back you may be assigned two different suites which would be a pain, even if Seabourn staff assisted you in the move.

I hope you used an experienced Seabourn TA who should be able to assist you with a back to back discount and/or perks.

Save the money and buy a special wine and massage!

I agree with Winner. You don't want to get put into a cabin right under the

pool deck (chance of noise from above) or a cabin with an interconnecting door (chance of loud talkers using their hair dryers all night).

Besides 515 is near the forward lifts which is convenient, especially for the beautiful Observation Bar.

Happy sailing!

Thanks for the responses - we'll stick with 515. I guess until final payment we can always decide to 'upgrade' to a V3 by paying the difference.

This is quite a common topic, personally we like GTY for 2 simple reasons, we do not think there are any BAD cabins, even under the patio. A further plus point it price, we are looking at a 32 day Sojourn trip in November, a GTY is £4000/$6800 cheaper than a V1 suite. Of course you may be allocated a better position FOC or even under the Patio.......

However on some trips a V1/2 are only marginally more so if that is the cabin you want it may be worth it, if I had a choice we actually like deck 5 as it is quick and easy for where we regularly go, Breakfast always in MDR, the rear pool is along the corridor and out the side goods, up to the Observation Bar etc.....to us the half glass balconies are fine.

However we know plenty who pick the exact cabin as that is a important to enjoying their vacation even more. It is each persons call......

We spent 21 days on the Quest earlier this year. We booked an A1 gty. About 3 weeks prior to departure, they listed a V1 gty for the exact same price. We upgraded to V1 gty. We ended up in a V4. Because of smoking on balconies, we refuse to pay for a balcony. If we get the free upgrade and can't use our balcony, it doesn't upset us. We are booked on Quest for 21 days next July. We booked the A1 gty and will watch the pricing. It has already gone down $600 each since we booked.

We spent 21 days on the Quest earlier this year. We booked an A1 gty. About 3 weeks prior to departure, they listed a V1 gty for the exact same price. We upgraded to V1 gty. We ended up in a V4. Because of smoking on balconies, we refuse to pay for a balcony. If we get the free upgrade and can't use our balcony, it doesn't upset us. We are booked on Quest for 21 days next July. We booked the A1 gty and will watch the pricing. It has already gone down $600 each since we booked.

We booked a VGTY twice. First time we got a V3 and this time we got a V4. Had we booked a V3 guarantee this time, we would have had to pay $2100 more a piece for the 2 weeks, which didn't seem worth it at booking once again, the VGTY worked out just fine although there is always a risk.

On a short cruise in smooth sailing waters why not GTY? However on a longer cruise or TA type passage Id rather know exactly where I was staying.

For those experts on here we too have decided to try a veranda GTY for our 28 day Singapore to Sydney cruise. We have done 70+ days in the last couple of years with Seabourn and wonder what role past cruises would play in our chances of being upgraded. We too believe there are no bad cabins on board and are heavy sleepers with no motion sickness issues. Can we expect a better chance of an upgrade due to our cruising history?

I almost always go for a GTY as I agree there are no inferior suites. I have, however, been upgraded every time. (Have 250 days with SB, not sure if that has anything to do with it)

I almost always go for a GTY as I agree there are no inferior suites. I have, however, been upgraded every time. (Have 250 days with SB, not sure if that has anything to do with it)

Obviously cannot prove it, but I do think (as my TA suggested) that if you have a lot of days onboard you are likely to be given a higher grade when you book guarantee than a newcomer. However, if a guarantee is cheaper you are still likely to get a better financial deal than choosing your suite. There are not really any inferior suites, though I personally would prefer not to be right at the bow end, or actually in a high grade suite but under the pool deck - or, I now think, in a Spa Penthouse, one of the more expensive choices.

Obviously cannot prove it, but I do think (as my TA suggested) that if you have a lot of days onboard you are likely to be given a higher grade when you book guarantee than a newcomer. However, if a guarantee is cheaper you are still likely to get a better financial deal than choosing your suite. There are not really any inferior suites, though I personally would prefer not to be right at the bow end, or actually in a high grade suite but under the pool deck - or, I now think, in a Spa Penthouse, one of the more expensive choices.

So when all is said and done a guarantee is not a good choice for those that know what they want,or know what they do not want.

I have had good luck booking a Veranda guarantee on my first two Seabourn cruises.

On my first cruise we were a GTY and had several upgrade offers up to sail-away. Each offer got progressively lower. The final offer was for $99 per person and we were able to select a cabin on Deck 8 on Sojourn just three doors down from the pool. I was ecstatic to have such a great room on a Caribbean cruise, others may have found this room as a detractor, but I loved it. It was great to be steps away from the pool deck since we had 4 sea days which meant lots of pool time.

On the Black Sea cruise I received several upgrade offers, but none seemed to appeal so I took the risk on the random GTY. Ended up on Deck 7. Can't remember the exact number, but I think it was 739. Deck 7 was great as it allowed easy access to Seabourn Square.

The best advice for GTY is decide if you were assigned the "worst" balcony would your vacation be ruined. I was willing to risk it, but when the upgrade offer was minimal it was worth the small upcharge to upgrade.

I do not understand why, if you were in a guarantee, there was a charge for the suite upgrade.

I do not understand why, if you were in a guarantee, there was a charge for the suite upgrade.

Its a charge for upgrading from, lets say, a V1 GTY to a V6 confirmed suite. This has been the norm since HAL took over.

I almost always go for a GTY as I agree there are no inferior suites. I have, however, been upgraded every time. (Have 250 days with SB, not sure if that has anything to do with it)

What are the chances your GTYs are always upgraded due to you being a CC host?

What are the chances your GTYs are always upgraded due to you being a CC host?

I received upgrades way before I was a CC Host. :D

Its a charge for upgrading from, lets say, a V1 GTY to a V6 confirmed suite. This has been the norm since HAL took over.

Ok. Now i get it.

First SB cruise we booked a veranda guarantee suite and got a V5.

Second cruise we booked an A suite, very early and watched the prices. When the price of a V4 dropped to what we had paid we got upgraded to a V4.

Next cruise is a long one with a long TA section (9 consecutive sea days) so we decided to be a bit pickier and booked a veranda guarantee. Not too worried about where it is, all the suites are at least acceptable from what I've seen and the half=balcony doesn't bother us too much either. But if I had specific needs of my suite I would book a specific suite.

But if I had specific needs of my suite I would book a specific suite.

:confused:

Sorry, that was a touch tautologous (my mother rang while I was tying, I'm very easily distracted!)

What I meant was that if I specifically wanted a mid-ship suite / one in a higher deck / accessible suite or whatever I would take care to choose a particular suite and not risk an upgrade. As I'm sure I'll be happy enough in whatever veranda suite SB care to allocate I'll go with the GTY this time.