Unreasonable Expectation?

I’m looking for opinions from you good folks. I booked a mid-ship guarantee balcony (BA) for our cruise on the Dawn on February 8th. I paid slightly more for this category than the BX guarantee balcony. I’m 69 years old so the convenience of a mid-ship location was important to me.

Yesterday NCL assigned us cabin 8032 (B3 category) in the front of the ship. When we called NCL to complain about not being assigned mid-ship they said the cabin they gave us was an upgrade. I’m sure my knees would dispute that claim, we are now a lot farther away from the main dining room and also the Aqua dining room. The customer service rep told us that once they assign a cabin to a guarantee category they can’t change it. I guess the word guarantee doesn’t have the same meaning that it used to have. At this point I’m not a happy cruiser.

 

So what is your opinion? Am I being unreasonable expecting to be moved to a mid-ship balcony?

I’m looking for opinions from you good folks. I booked a mid-ship guarantee balcony (BA) for our cruise on the Dawn on February 8th. I paid slightly more for this category than the BX guarantee balcony. I’m 69 years old so the convenience of a mid-ship location was important to me.

Yesterday NCL assigned us cabin 8032 (B3 category) in the front of the ship. When we called NCL to complain about not being assigned mid-ship they said the cabin they gave us was an upgrade. I’m sure my knees would dispute that claim, we are now a lot farther away from the main dining room and also the Aqua dining room. The customer service rep told us that once they assign a cabin to a guarantee category they can’t change it. I guess the word guarantee doesn’t have the same meaning that it used to have. At this point I’m not a happy cruiser.

 

So what is your opinion? Am I being unreasonable expecting to be moved to a mid-ship balcony?

 

You should get what you booked. If you booked mid ship, mid ship it should be. I don't know what you can do at this point, maybe post your complaint to their Facebook page or get someone to tweet them repeatedly until they give you what you paid for. I don't buy the upgrade explanation either.

You should get what you booked. If you booked mid ship, mid ship it should be. I don't know what you can do at this point, maybe post your complaint to their Facebook page or get someone to tweet them repeatedly until they give you what you paid for. I don't buy the upgrade explanation either.

 

This is an on-going issue with booking guarantee. You booked a BA guarantee. That means you will get a BA or higher. Like you said, the B3 is considered a higher category. What one person considers to be better isn't the same as another's. So you did in fact get what you paid for. Perhaps you can have the same success as other's have had with making demands on social media for what you WANT. The squeaky wheel does get the oil.

I’m looking for opinions from you good folks. I booked a mid-ship guarantee balcony (BA) for our cruise on the Dawn on February 8th. I paid slightly more for this category than the BX guarantee balcony. I’m 69 years old so the convenience of a mid-ship location was important to me.

Yesterday NCL assigned us cabin 8032 (B3 category) in the front of the ship. When we called NCL to complain about not being assigned mid-ship they said the cabin they gave us was an upgrade. I’m sure my knees would dispute that claim, we are now a lot farther away from the main dining room and also the Aqua dining room. The customer service rep told us that once they assign a cabin to a guarantee category they can’t change it. I guess the word guarantee doesn’t have the same meaning that it used to have. At this point I’m not a happy cruiser.

 

So what is your opinion? Am I being unreasonable expecting to be moved to a mid-ship balcony?

 

 

You should get what you paid for and if they don't have it then you should still get mid-ship location of the next higher category. I would definitely complain.

When you book a guarantee the "guarantee" is that you will be put into the category you book or into a higher one. Since you were given a higher category cabin you have received what you paid for. This close to the sailing it is unlikely that anything can be done but you can always call again and find out if anything has opened up. (And the lesson learned of course is if you want a mid-ship cabin because only a mid-ship cabin will do then you should book a mid-ship cabin.) Good luck!

Edited January 18, 2015 by sparks1093

Your expectations are unreasonable, in my opinion.

 

You cannot, as far as I know, book a guarantee BA category. I don't think you can book a mid-ship guarantee at all on NCL. (I think you may be able to on Princess.) You book a BX. Which means you end up with a Balcony category cabin or better.

 

Your situation is one of the risks of booking a GTY cabin. When cabin location and selection are as important as they seem to be for you, one should choose their cabin specifically when booking.

 

I understand your frustration with this booking, but, as they say... them's the breaks with guarantee bookings.

You should get what you booked. If you booked mid ship, mid ship it should be. I don't know what you can do at this point, maybe post your complaint to their Facebook page or get someone to tweet them repeatedly until they give you what you paid for. I don't buy the upgrade explanation either.

 

You should get what you paid for and if they don't have it then you should still get mid-ship location of the next higher category. I would definitely complain.

 

The OP did get what she paid for since she was given a higher category cabin. Where it is located is a moot point. That's not to say she should give up because sometimes calling in again can reap benefits, but complaining about it likely won't achieve the desired result.

Booking a "guarantee" doesn't guarantee you any particular cabin. It simply guarantees an "equal or better" cabin, with "better" being in the opinion of the cruise line.

 

So if you have specific cabin requirements, it is best (in my opinion) to avoid GTY bookings.

Edited January 18, 2015 by mtwingcpa

I’m 69 years old so the convenience of a mid-ship location was important to me.

In that case it would have been better for you to book a specific mid-ship cabin. A guarantee booking does not guarantee a particular location, or a particular category. It means that you let the cruise line put you wherever they want, not where you want. The only guarantee is that you will get a cabin in the initial category or higher. That is what "guarantee" has always meant (as far as I know) for cruise bookings.

You cannot, as far as I know, book a guarantee BA category.

Sure you can. At the moment, you can book one on the OP's cruise (Feb 8 Dawn) on the NCL US site ($809 BA GTY, $779 BX GTY). Edited January 18, 2015 by hawkeyetlse

The OP did get what she paid for since she was given a higher category cabin. Where it is located is a moot point. That's not to say she should give up because sometimes calling in again can reap benefits, but complaining about it likely won't achieve the desired result.

 

 

I understand your point. I wouldn't book any of the guarantees if I truly had a preference on where it's located.

I've never understood the thought process behind booking a guarantee cabin. Unlike hotels and restaurants, where they stick you where they want, the cruise ship is one of the few places in life where they let you decide. They provide maps of each deck and you get to pick if want to be close to the elevator or tucked away in a corner. If you have specific thoughts on where you want to be on the ship make that choice. Don't let the cruise line make the choice.

 

I believe the guarantee bookings usually read that they have the ability to place you in a BA or higher category. With all of the levels of Balcony cabins, who knows where you will end up.

 

What I have found is that each shift has a different manager or set of managers and each handles problems or upset customers differently. If you call in enough times to request a different cabin location, eventually you will have some success. They want to have happy cruisers, but have an idea of where you would want to end up.

I understand your point. I wouldn't book any of the guarantees if I truly had a preference on where it's located.

 

Yep. We did it once and never again (and the cabin we received wasn't that bad really, it's just not one we would have chosen). We much prefer picking our cabin and knowing exactly where we'll be.

If you want a mid-ship cabin book a mid-ship cabin. Booking a GTY means you my get a mid-ship or you may get a higher category. You may not think a B3 is an upgrade but according to NCL's cabin hierarchy you got a better cabin than what you paid for.

You have no valid complaint, live and learn. Sorry....

Yes.

 

Lesson learned.

It looks like there are many available B3s on Deck 9 whose location may be more convenient for you. Call NCL and ask if they would be willing to switch you to one of those cabins. Ask nicely, because NCL has not done anything wrong and you are not actually entitled to any changes.

Edited January 18, 2015 by hawkeyetlse

Bottom line is you are not getting what you paid for. All this talk of upgrade is nonsense.

 

 

 

 

 

From NCL.com questions and answers:

 

A GTY or guarentee cabin means that you are not choosing your cabin number at the time of booking. We would assign the cabin number for you, By booking a GTY cabin guarentees the guests the ship, the voyage, the fare, and a cabin in the category they paid for or possibly higher. A guarentee cabin does NOT guarentee the guests: deck or location, specific bedding, specific cabin number, upgrade or unobstructed view/ enclosed balcony. Once the cabin has been assigned there would be no changes.

 

answered 7 months ago by

NCLSTAFF85

- MIAMI

Edited January 18, 2015 by ColinIllinois

I like BA cabins and book them. If you also like BA cabins would it not have made sense to actually book one?:)

So if they can put me in any higher category anywhere on the ship, isn’t that the same as the BX category? I paid extra for the BA category. I personally feel that an upgrade from the mid-ship guarantee would be an upgrade within the mid-ship category. Why call it a mid-ship guarantee if it is really nothing more than a guarantee of a balcony anywhere on the ship? Isn’t that the same as a BX category. Again, I paid extra for the BA guarantee.

It probably won’t do any good but I will be calling NCL again.

I do appreciate the opinions so please keep them coming.

Again, there is no such thing as a mid ship BA guarantee on NCL. You were either misinformed, misled, or you misunderstood.

 

You booked a BX.

Edited January 18, 2015 by triptolemus

 

A GTY cabin is a crapshoot, as others have said. If location is important, GTY is not the way to go. It is unfortunate that the OP did not realize this, and perhaps someone at NCL will help him out.

 

 

GTY is not appropriate for many and this seems like that case. Will NCL let you spend some $$$ to get a room located where you require? Lesson learned and move on.

 

We have done GTY a few times. Outside of saving some $$$, didn't work out well for us and we learned our lesson. Found out that we value the location of our cabin more than the $$$ we saved. The money saved was not that much in our cases.

Again, there is no such thing as a mid ship BA guarantee on NCL.

There is such a thing as a BA guarantee. No such thing as a mid-ship guarantee, because "mid-ship" is not a category.

So if they can put me in any higher category anywhere on the ship, isn’t that the same as the BX category? I paid extra for the BA category.

It's not the same, since BX is a lower category than BA. With a BA guarantee, they cannot put you in a BX, BB, BC, or BD cabin. It has to be BA or higher. If you book a BX guarantee, you are accepting all of these categories, from BX up.

So if they can put me in any higher category anywhere on the ship, isn’t that the same as the BX category?

 

No, it's not. A BX could land you in ANY of the lowest level of balcony categories or higher, including BD, BC, and BB, whereas with your GTY, the lowest category of cabin you could get would be a BA. [in other words, they could not put you in BD, BC, or BB.]

 

I paid extra for the BA category. I personally feel that an upgrade from the mid-ship guarantee would be an upgrade within the mid-ship category. Why call it a mid-ship guarantee if it is really nothing more than a guarantee of a balcony anywhere on the ship? Isn’t that the same as a BX category. Again, I paid extra for the BA guarantee.

It probably won’t do any good but I will be calling NCL again.

I do appreciate the opinions so please keep them coming.

 

You are focused on the "location" description of the BA cabin, whereas it's the category that governs when you book a GTY. As the terms I quoted in my post above say, NCL can assign you to a higher CATEGORY of cabin when you book at GTY. If all you wanted was a BA cabin, why didn't you just book one?

 

Unfortunately, it seems you did not understand the nature of booking a GTY. It's a hard way to learn that lesson, not getting what you thought you'd have. I would try to make lemonades here. The cabin they have given you is near the forward elevators....

 

I think your best bet here is another polite call to NCL and hope you find some nice and sympathetic person. Fall on their mercy, say you truly didn't understand that they could assign you something that was not midship.

 

You may be out of luck, though, since there don't seem to be any BAs right now for them to assign. Before calling, I'd try to have something in mind that you'd find more acceptable.

Edited January 18, 2015 by Turtles06

Again, there is no such thing as a mid ship BA guarantee on NCL. You were either misinformed, misled, or you misunderstood.

 

You booked a BX.

 

Sorry, you are incorrect. You can book a BA GTY right now on the OP's cruise; I just checked. But I think the reason for that is there are NO open BA cabins to assign. Booking this GTY now will like get you a higher category of cabin (unless a BA opens up).

 

You can also book a BX GTY on the OP's cruise right now for a lower fare than the BA GTY.

I’m not understanding why some of you are saying there is no “mid-ship” guarantee. There is indeed a mid-ship balcony guarantee (BA) which costs more than the balcony guarantee (BX). The OP paid more money for the mid-ship guarantee which is why he is not happy with the forward cabin. If he had paid less money for the BX category, an “upgrade” to the family balcony (B3) category would be acceptable. The main point of contention is the location of the room. If one pays for a mid-ship location, a mid-ship location should be delivered.

All I know is when I booked my cabin(a specific one) it was booked as a MID SHIP cabin. That is the way they are listed, so I am sure that is what OP thought they would get.