Explain the guarantee thing.....booked with princess directly

[JWJs]

On the Princess website after final payment date, I "reserved" for the 24 hour period before you had to pay the full price, a guaranteed obstructed cabin at the lowest price. Before the 24 hour period as up, Princess sent me an email indicating that I had been upgraded to P216 which is an ocean view cabin. I was upgraded before I "paid" anything. Of course, with the upgrade from obstructed to ocean view, I bought the cruise.

Now, all of the ocean view cabins are sold out. Balcony cabins are still available and obstructed view cabins are still available.

I'm wondering why Princess made it a point to sell out all of the ocean view cabins, leaving balcony and obstructed view cabins available for sale.

 

By the way, we have had good results with booking guarantee cabins...mostly on HAL.

[Times Prince]

On the Princess website after final payment date, I "reserved" for the 24 hour period before you had to pay the full price, a guaranteed obstructed cabin at the lowest price. Before the 24 hour period as up, Princess sent me an email indicating that I had been upgraded to P216 which is an ocean view cabin. I was upgraded before I "paid" anything. Of course, with the upgrade from obstructed to ocean view, I bought the cruise.

We had a similar occurance once on a minimum balcony guarantee - we had a BA cabin assigned before we even paid a deposit. It was great, and a total surprise to our TA who had never seen this before.

 

The only time we've ever gotten exactly what we paid for was an OV/obstructed - nice midship location but really rotten view where we couldn't even see the weather outside. Now we know better and can ask for a different cabin in the same category - we were just hoping for an "upgrade" which never happened.

[JWJs]

The only time we've ever gotten exactly what we paid for was an OV/obstructed - nice midship location but really rotten view where we couldn't even see the weather outside. Now we know better and can ask for a different cabin in the same category - we were just hoping for an "upgrade" which never happened.

 

It is very important to know that you can ask for a differnt cabin in the same category! I could have /should have done it but it's too late now. However, I'm happy with what we got and how we got it!:)

[spender$]

I booked a BF balcony guarantee on our Jan cruise on the Sun Princess for my niece and her boyfriend, today they were allocated BA. They are happy!

[tacrum43]

No, you won't be in a lower category. If necessary, they will upgrade someone; it could be you or it could be someone already booked in an AD. To me, the AD's are preferable to an AA as they are on Emerald deck aft, quiet and very private, unlike the AA-AC categories.

 

Thanks for the advice! Your posts are always so informative. :)

 

I remember postings about this having generous, not minimal, compensation.

 

Well, to be fair, I don't remember what it was exactly that I read. I just remember thinking at the time that it wouldn't have made up for the disappointment to me. What is "generous" or "minimal" is a rather subjective thing.

[DougandEric]

In addition to what everyone else has said, pay attention to all the categories above what you select for the guarantee. For example, on the Golden (and others), Plaza deck as full ocean view cabins (EE and D). If you booked an EE guarantee, you could end up on Emerald deck in an obstructed view cabin (E) and that would be considered an upgrade. So, in addition to understanding you could get the category you guarantee, also pay attention to other cabins in the same class (inside, outside, balcony, etc) that you could end up in. It's far less likely you would book an inside and end up with a balcony or even an outside so don't plan on that! Also be aware that you could be assigned a disabled cabin as well if any are free.

 

We've booked many guarantees on many cruise lines and have always gotten upgraded by at least one category - once on HAL 9 categories! On the Golden, we booked a BF guarantee and ended up in a BB. Last time we got a BA. We've also usually gotten our assignments as early as a week after booking on Princess - and the cruise was at least 6 months out. HAL tends to assign guarantees much closer to sailing, usually with in 4 weeks or so. We once got our HAL cabin 4 days before sailing.

 

Doug

[robtulipe]

In addition to what everyone else has said, pay attention to all the categories above what you select for the guarantee. For example, on the Golden (and others), Plaza deck as full ocean view cabins (EE and D). If you booked an EE guarantee, you could end up on Emerald deck in an obstructed view cabin (E) and that would be considered an upgrade. So, in addition to understanding you could get the category you guarantee, also pay attention to other cabins in the same class (inside, outside, balcony, etc) that you could end up in. It's far less likely you would book an inside and end up with a balcony or even an outside so don't plan on that! Also be aware that you could be assigned a disabled cabin as well if any are free.

 

Doug

An EE regular OV cabin is a higher category than an E partially obstructed OV cabin so the latter category cabin can not or shouldn't be assigned to a Cat. EE gty. That would be a downgrade not an upgrade and if it did happen Princess would need to offer some compensation since it would be a move over situation.

[DougandEric]

You are absolutely right - bad example. On HAL ships, the double letter categories are less than the single letter categories. Point still holds though - make sure an upper level category you might end up in isn't something you'd want before booking a guarantee.

 

Doug

[robtulipe]

You are absolutely right - bad example. On HAL ships, the double letter categories are less than the single letter categories. Point still holds though - make sure an upper level category you might end up in isn't something you'd want before booking a guarantee.

 

Doug

I thought you may have had the categories confused.

I agree with you in this respect, especially concerning the Emerald deck obstructed OV cabins as you mentioned. We currently have a Cat. F OV for our upcoming Emerald cruise beside a section with the best OV, cat.DD, cabins are and it has a great view that is shown as the first shot below. I certainly wouldn't want to be upgraded to a cat. FF with a view in the middle of a shed or tender like the next two shots show.

 

 

 

[Bobed1927]

If a particular category is sold out can you always book a guarantee or does Princess have to specifically offer a guarantee in the category you want?

[paul929207]

If a particular category is sold out can you always book a guarantee or does Princess have to specifically offer a guarantee in the category you want?

Princess must offer a guarentee for you to book it.

[caribill]

If a particular category is sold out can you always book a guarantee or does Princess have to specifically offer a guarantee in the category you want?

 

Princess offers a GTY option for all catorgories except possible some of the suites.

 

If a particular category has no cabins listed, then a guarantee is the only option shown.

 

If guarantees are no longer availaileble in a category, then a waitlist may be possible.

 

However, if a category is marked as "sold out", then even a guarantee and a wait list are not available.

[nudave]

Quick question - You can book a guarantee in any category? (Balcony, oceanview, interior, etc)

 

How do I do this online? I did it on our last cruise in 2010, but cannot remember how? Just click on the lowest category available?

[shepp]

Quick question - You can book a guarantee in any category? (Balcony, oceanview, interior, etc)

 

How do I do this online? I did it on our last cruise in 2010, but cannot remember how? Just click on the lowest category available?

 

Simple. Once you get into a specific category, one of your choices, even if there are still specific cabins in that category, will be for a guarantee.

[Fat Bottom Gurl]

How did you make out re cabin assignment?

Did you get upgraded to another class of cabins or was it only a higher category in the same class of cabins?

Our early received upgrades, since we've always had a upgrade for the nine gty bookings we've done, never got great upgrades. The best upgrades for us, as into a higher class of cabins, were for the guarantees we had to wait until close to the cruise date for the assignment. Just checking out my theory re upgrades vs when received.

For our last cruise we got a midship balcony assigned four days prior to embarkation for our lowest category inside gty booking

 

I don't know if this fits your theory - but here is how I booked.

 

Booked on the Crown in July for the Feb 11th sailing to Western Carribean. Booked a BG guarantee - I believe the price was $899 pp. Final payment was not due until Nov 28th. We received our stateroom assignment 2 weeks ago and are in C715.

 

The last time I checked out the prices, all the balconies were sold out and the oceanview rooms and lower were going for well over a grand. I think we lucked out, or does that fit into your theory?

[MRF777]

Do they give priority for cabin assignments to the elite/platinum guests first?..or by the date you booked the cruise?

[robtulipe]

I don't know if this fits your theory - but here is how I booked.

 

Booked on the Crown in July for the Feb 11th sailing to Western Carribean. Booked a BG guarantee - I believe the price was $899 pp. Final payment was not due until Nov 28th. We received our stateroom assignment 2 weeks ago and are in C715.

 

The last time I checked out the prices, all the balconies were sold out and the oceanview rooms and lower were going for well over a grand. I think we lucked out, or does that fit into your theory?

You did well, being upgraded to a Caribe deck BB with an extra large balcony but that would be what I would expect with a fairly early assignment, an upgrade in the same class and not to the next class which would have been a mini-suite. The cruiseline offers guarantees in lower categories in a class of cabins with no or limited availability and assigns a higher category that has good availability without lowering the price of the higher categories in case someone was willing to pay the higher price to assure getting that category. The sold out balconies shows this strategy has worked.

[tacrum43]

No, you won't be in a lower category. If necessary, they will upgrade someone; it could be you or it could be someone already booked in an AD. To me, the AD's are preferable to an AA as they are on Emerald deck aft, quiet and very private, unlike the AA-AC categories.

 

I just wanted to check back in and say that Princess finally assigned my cabin, 73 days out from the cruise. It's an AD, exactly what I paid for. :p I was kind of hoping for an AC, AB or AA for more sunlight (something that is in short supply in Seattle where I live), but everyone seems to really like the ADs, so I'm sure it'll still be a great cabin. The aft location seems good for access to the restaurants on the decks above too.

[paul929207]

Glad you got an assignment