Suite Guarantee Question

Soooo.....since my fantastic travel agent is out of the office this weekend, I thought you all could act as my travel agent until Monday =)

I just made my final payment on my Silhouette cruise for June in an AQ room. Our total payment was $6404. Now I see that the Suite Guarantee is available for $6598. I'm a bit confused about the Suite Guarantee.....will they assign us whatever suite is available at the time of sailing? So could it be a lowest category suite or the highest category?

Does this seem like a good deal if we don't care what the location is of our suite? We've only done AQ on all our Celebrity cruises and think this might be a good way to try a suite out.

Michael

Without looking up the number, you accumulate more points with a suite. Factor in the two complimentary specialty restaurant dinners (I'm assuming your cruise is longer than a week) that come with a suite, and the price difference is a wash. You can also eat in Blu on a space-A basis and most folks are successful. Celebrity will assign you a suite, usually within a few days. Worst case would be a Sky Suite which are pretty nice. I know folks who have gotten Royal Suites recently, too, but it doesn't happen often. I especially enjoy in-cabin dining at a regular height table (coffee table raises up) after a particularly long shore excursion when we're too pooped to participate. I did a suite guarantee for an upcoming cruise and got a very nice upgrade. I'd go for it.

Without looking up the number, you accumulate more points with a suite. Factor in the two complimentary specialty restaurant dinners (I'm assuming your cruise is longer than a week) that come with a suite, and the price difference is a wash. You can also eat in Blu on a space-A basis and most folks are successful. Celebrity will assign you a suite, usually within a few days. Worst case would be a Sky Suite which are pretty nice. I know folks who have gotten Royal Suites recently, too, but it doesn't happen often. I especially enjoy in-cabin dining at a regular height table (coffee table raises up) after a particularly long shore excursion when we're too pooped to participate. I did a suite guarantee for an upcoming cruise and got a very nice upgrade. I'd go for it.

Thanks for the information! I was really worried about Blu, but according to you (and other research I've done), we still have a good shot at eating there. And it's kind of exciting to see which category suite they'll give us. Hopefully the rate will stay the same until our TA is back at work on Monday.... =)

Michael

My sister recently changed her concierge cabin for a suite guarantee and was told she would be assigned a cabin the week before the cruise via email.

The next day, she was given an S1 cabin, right next to ours! :)

Hope it all works out great for you!

Gail :)

If the deal is still there tomorrow(Sunday), would people recommend the OP place a 24 hour hold on the suite gty then call the TA Monday morning?

If the deal is still there tomorrow(Sunday), would people recommend the OP place a 24 hour hold on the suite gty then call the TA Monday morning?

That's the main reason I will never again use a TA who takes weekends off or doesn't have a rep on the weekends to attend to issues like this.

We took a Suite GTY once, and the only way we found out that we got a room assigned was to keep checking "My Celebrity" every day. TA never called me.

I love AQ but with such a negligible price difference wouldn't hesitate to upgrade. We've never sailed in a Celebrity suite either but I know if presented with an opportunity like this would def go for it.

I would go for the Suite GTY. We were assigned S2 cabin about 2 weeks before the cruise. These cabins are under the Café and can have noise all night long. I am a light sleeper so it was a problem for me. Also a large overhang so if sun is important to you this might not be the best. As long as you are happy with S2 go for it.

Thanks for all of the replies! We will definitely go for the Suite Guarantee...as long as the fare is still available on Monday. Fingers crossed! =)

Michael

That's the main reason I will never again use a TA who takes weekends off or doesn't have a rep on the weekends to attend to issues like this.

 

We took a Suite GTY once, and the only way we found out that we got a room assigned was to keep checking "My Celebrity" every day. TA never called me.

I don't get your point. Celebrity isn't going to call you either when your cabin is assigned. I've never been informed by any TA or cruiseline when the cabin has been assigned after a gty booking. I have to check my booking on their website to find out. I don't see the connection to booking with or without a TA.

I don't get your point. Celebrity isn't going to call you either when your cabin is assigned. I've never been informed by any TA or cruiseline when the cabin has been assigned after a gty booking. I have to check my booking on their website to find out. I don't see the connection to booking with or without a TA.

Well, if you go back and read the thread, I was referring to one of the posters who said they couldn't get in touch with their TA because it was a weekend, and couldn't reserve the GTY. That's my point. If Celebrity offers a GTY on Friday evening, and you can't get in touch with your TA until Monday morning, they may all be gone -- all the GTY's taken by folks who have a TA that works on weekends. Finding out what cabin you have been assigned was just an FYI for those folks who may not be aware of it.

That's my point, and I'm sticking to it. :rolleyes:

Well, if you go back and read the thread, I was referring to one of the posters who said they couldn't get in touch with their TA because it was a weekend, and couldn't reserve the GTY. That's my point. If Celebrity offers a GTY on Friday evening, and you can't get in touch with your TA until Monday morning, they may all be gone -- all the GTY's taken by folks who have a TA that works on weekends. Finding out what cabin you have been assigned was just an FYI for those folks who may not be aware of it.

 

That's my point, and I'm sticking to it. :rolleyes:

I like your point - thank you :)

Michael

Well, if you go back and read the thread, I was referring to one of the posters who said they couldn't get in touch with their TA because it was a weekend, and couldn't reserve the GTY. That's my point. If Celebrity offers a GTY on Friday evening, and you can't get in touch with your TA until Monday morning, they may all be gone -- all the GTY's taken by folks who have a TA that works on weekends. Finding out what cabin you have been assigned was just an FYI for those folks who may not be aware of it.

 

That's my point, and I'm sticking to it. :rolleyes:

Point understood.:) And it's why I only use a TA that works weekends.

I don't get your point. Celebrity isn't going to call you either when your cabin is assigned. I've never been informed by any TA or cruiseline when the cabin has been assigned after a gty booking. I have to check my booking on their website to find out. I don't see the connection to booking with or without a TA.

This has been my experience as well, whether I booked through Celebrity or with a travel agent.

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If by chance the OP has one of the free drink package promotions booked with his AQ category, are those benefits compatible if switching to a Category W guarantee?

Also, to the OP, I would go on line on Celebrity's website and grab the cat W on your sailing and do a 24-hour courtesy hold. At least that holds it for you until very late Sunday night, which is a lot closer to Monday morning than it is as I write this!

And it's kind of exciting to see which category suite they'll give us. Hopefully the rate will stay the same until our TA is back at work on Monday.... =)

 

 

 

Michael

The price for a suite guaranty on our upcoming Reflection cruise is only a little more than what we paid for AQ. But I was under the impression that we would lose our beverage package, and that would probably make it not worthwhile for us. The guaranty offer is listed as an Exciting Deal. Does anyone know if this is correct reasoning?

Just booked a suite guarantee at the rock-bottom price of $1499/per person on our upcoming Bermuda cruise May 11th on Summit. Ended up getting the higher end Sky Suite cabin that without the suite guarantee was running $200 more per person. Win-Win. It comes down to how often you sail with Celebrity, your CC status level, and how often you book higher-end cabins vs. just insides to save money, as I'm accustomed to doing. You get more points as well. The cruise I'm going on will net me 56 points(8 pts times 7nights)vs 2 pts per night in an inside/outside cabin. If it's not too much more money to upgrade from AQ(aqua class cabin?) to suite go for it!

I agree that the upgrade is a good deal, as long as you don't lose any perks, but I don't think placing a courtesy hold will help much for a guarantee cabin.

Enjoy your cruise, and the "suite" life.

Thanks for all of the replies! We will definitely go for the Suite Guarantee...as long as the fare is still available on Monday. Fingers crossed! =)

 

 

 

Michael

if the deal is still there today, place a 24 hour hold. That way the price and availability will be locked in until your TA is available tomorrow.

I agree that the upgrade is a good deal, as long as you don't lose any perks, but I don't think placing a courtesy hold will help much for a guarantee cabin.

Enjoy your cruise, and the "suite" life.

On our last cruise I notice a quaranteed suite cabin was available for a bit more then we paid for Aqua Class. Called travel agent and a day latter we got the guaranteed room. Our actiual room assignment was made maybe 2-3 days before before the cruise and we got a fan tail Sky suite. Really nice. We were able to eat in Blue and never had any trouble with dinner times. We ate in Quisne and Lawn Club (highly recommend) on our free specialty dinners. After this experience I have become a hawk looking at our upcoming cruises for price drops or guarantee suite offerings. We enjoyed the extra room in the cabin. We have a few longer cruises coming up. On one we booked straight up the Sky suite (priced competitive with AQ cabin) and the other 2 I am watching like a hawk. Depending where you are in the Captains club ranking the extra points for a suite are nice but if you are at elite plus (like us) there is a long way to go to get to next level. We seriously doubt we will get to the next level. So we focus on comfort and quality experience.

I don't think placing a courtesy hold will help much for a guarantee cabin.

If there was only 1 cat W vacancy, it certainly would help guard against someone else coming along and picking it up while the OP waits for Monday morning to come around....

if the deal is still there today, place a 24 hour hold. That way the price and availability will be locked in until your TA is available tomorrow.

Agreed.

Then you have my TA; she tells me I can upgrade to a suite for $225. I ask her to do it and she leaves the office before doing it, and won't return until Tuesday. so, even if the TA's are working on the weekend, doesn't mean they will actually upgrade you. That was my experience!:eek:

Then you have my TA; she tells me I can upgrade to a suite for $225. I ask her to do it and she leaves the office before doing it, and won't return until Tuesday. so, even if the TA's are working on the weekend, doesn't mean they will actually upgrade you. That was my experience!:eek:

Time for a new TA. :rolleyes:

Then you have my TA; she tells me I can upgrade to a suite for $225. I ask her to do it and she leaves the office before doing it, and won't return until Tuesday. so, even if the TA's are working on the weekend, doesn't mean they will actually upgrade you. That was my experience!:eek:

Since you know the ins and outs why are you giving up control of your reservation? Sometimes the OBC you get from a TA is negated by the loss of a fare reduction or upgrade.