Best/worst guarantee cabin ever received?

[geejay]

Princess used to have butlers for their suites and mini-suites. We had one the first time we booked a mini-suite and she was super nice - very helpful, always around, but definitely not necessary!

[2happywanderers]

Last year we booked a guaranteed inside cabin on the Dawn Princess for a seven week cruise and paid extra to have the highest category of inside cabin. We were expecting to be allocated this or better, and for six months we checked online daily, morning and night, for our allocation to be confirmed. A week before flying out to join the ship, we rang Princess to make inquiries about our booking, and they advised we may not be allocated a cabin until check in, but they reassured us it would be in the category we booked or better as per their terms and conditions.

 

However......we were VERY disappointed to find, at check in, that we had been DOWNGRADED three categories and found ourselves in a most undesirable section of the ship, right at the front and above the Princess Theatre. The noise from the theatre prevented us from resting quietly during the day and left us unable to sleep until the early hours of the morning when the noise finally stopped. And it was not what we had paid for!

 

Complaints to the front desk were unsuccessful as we were told the ship was full and there were no other cabins available. Basically the just wanted us to go away and forget about it, and insisted there was nothing they could do about it. After sixteen cruises with Princess we were very disillusioned to say the least. This is how they treat their loyal passengers?

 

Many emails and phone calls and later, and holiday time wasted trying to persuade Princess to provide us with what we had paid for, we finally had some success by appealing to the Customer Relations person on board. It took two weeks of sleepless days and nights and angst, but they eventually found us another cabin that was more suitable but still not in the highest category we had paid for.

 

Be warned....we will NEVER book a guaranteed cabin again after this experience....it really left a sour taste in our mouths.

 

2happywanderers (usually!)

[rkmw]

Last year we booked a guaranteed inside cabin on the Dawn Princess for a seven week cruise and paid extra to have the highest category of inside cabin. We were expecting to be allocated this or better, and for six months we checked online daily, morning and night, for our allocation to be confirmed. A week before flying out to join the ship, we rang Princess to make inquiries about our booking, and they advised we may not be allocated a cabin until check in, but they reassured us it would be in the category we booked or better as per their terms and conditions.

 

However......we were VERY disappointed to find, at check in, that we had been DOWNGRADED three categories and found ourselves in a most undesirable section of the ship, right at the front and above the Princess Theatre. The noise from the theatre prevented us from resting quietly during the day and left us unable to sleep until the early hours of the morning when the noise finally stopped. And it was not what we had paid for!

 

Complaints to the front desk were unsuccessful as we were told the ship was full and there were no other cabins available. Basically the just wanted us to go away and forget about it, and insisted there was nothing they could do about it. After sixteen cruises with Princess we were very disillusioned to say the least. This is how they treat their loyal passengers?

 

Many emails and phone calls and later, and holiday time wasted trying to persuade Princess to provide us with what we had paid for, we finally had some success by appealing to the Customer Relations person on board. It took two weeks of sleepless days and nights and angst, but they eventually found us another cabin that was more suitable but still not in the highest category we had paid for.

 

Be warned....we will NEVER book a guaranteed cabin again after this experience....it really left a sour taste in our mouths.

 

2happywanderers (usually!)

 

if you booked an inside guarantee and received an oceanview 3 decks below princess says they have given you an upgrade because its a lot dearer, they would not drop you 3 decks down with an inside cabin unless they gave you something like OBC in return

 

some people like the gte's because they are'nt fussed where they sleep

[cruisefreaks]

All these posts have me cracking up and remembering similar episodes.

 

Our worst cabin assignment was an inside guarantee and we wound up with #100 or something like that. First cabin, down low. the anchor chains and thrusters knocked us out of bed. It was hysterical. :eek: We have not done many guarantees since then.

 

This was when the ships were much smaller and you were a lot closer to the working actions of a ship. Anyone remember the old Royal Princess........loved that ship.

;):)

Edited August 15, 2014 by cruisefreaks

[Coral]

While not a guarantee - I booked a B2B on the Sun Princess in one specific cabin. I had been on the Sea Princess and had received a cabin very close and loved the location. My cabin on the Sea Princess was on the length of the ship.

 

The cabin I booked on the Sun Princess was on a horizontal hallway very close to the last cabin on a sister ship. Probably 2-3 cabins away.

 

Well, the cabin on the Sun Princess happened to be above the Wheelhouse band and my room vibrated from the band sound every night until about midnight. I spoke to the room steward and explained that I had been fine in a different cabin close by on a sister ship and the room steward pointed to the 4 cabins that were greatly affected by the band. All of these were in the horizontal hallway. He had been on the sister ships and said those ships also had the same problem.

 

I spoke with the hotel manager and they gave me a different cabin for my 2nd leg. I was so thankful I could sleep for the 2nd leg. Princess was very aware of this problem when I reported it.

[cruisefreaks]

My husband & I usually have NO luck. Once at a Christmas party we sat with 10 other people. There were over 100 prizes drawn that night, and we were the ONLY 2 people at our table that won NOTHING. Some at our table had 2 or 3 prizes. This is normal for us.

 

We booked inside guarantee on the Disney Wonder because that was all we could afford. Our travel companions booked an Outside cabin. When we checked in at the pier we were BOTH upgraded to side by side balconies. I will NEVER forget the unbelievable thrill that day. Was way up there with one of the best days of my life!

 

 

Great luck on the Disney Cruise!

 

We were on a Cunard holiday cruise and as they drew names, several people in a row won a free cruise. :) They called my name, I ran up to the table and I won..................a set of coasters. :rolleyes: just my luck. it's still a BIG joke with my famiy. :)

[KruzPrincess]

When I was much younger I would book GTY's and I was OK with whatever I got. We wanted to cruise more, so we booked the cheapest GTY on the ship. I truly didn't mind insides. Usually, on Princess, I got some upgrade. Most often the upgrades were to other insides, obstructed OV or OV. Once, we got upgraded from the lowest inside to the highest OV. My single cruise on HAL, I booked the lowest inside GTY and I got the actual worst cabin on the ship. It was the lowest deck, most forward cabin, next to the service door to the crew steps. That was my worst. My best upgrade, though not a GTY, was last year from an mini to a full suite on the Star Princess. I used to dream it would happen to me and it finally did! Thanks Princess. I had an awesome time.

[caribill]

However......we were VERY disappointed to find, at check in, that we had been DOWNGRADED three categories

 

Somebody at Princess dropped the ball there.

 

You should have been contacted before the cruise and asked if you would accept a lower category in exchange for $xxx refund as OBC that could be refunded if not used.

 

I am surprised that after the cruise Princess did not respond with at least a partial refund either with a check or for use on a future cruise.

[minikiss]

We're on the Emerald in just over 4 weeks times and we picked our inside cabin with instructions no upgrade. I have no wish to be moved to a room with those on the wall bunks. I may be missing a chance of a good upgrade but the fear of a bad one put me off. This will be our 3 cruise with Princess and to be honest the first one was flaged as upgrade and we never got one. the 2nd a mini cruise we did as a Gty and again never got one so we thought the chances were slim to none. Plus i think ours sailing is now full.

 

 

We were almost on the Diamond along with my parents but the price got stupid for a inside compared to there Balcony so we said no to it.

Now wondering if we made a mistake. They booked a Gty Balcony and still don't have a allocation and it's been booked since June.

I'm half wondering if the fairy will wave her wand and they get a mini or a suite instead. This is their first time on Princess so I'll kick myself with jealousy if they do get a good upgrade.

 

Julia

[Austcruiser84]

My first cruise was with Princess in 2006. I booked the lowest inside fare and was upgraded to the best inside fare in a really good location.

 

On a recent Cunard voyage I booked a guaranteed Q6 suite (Queens Grill) and was upgraded twice: first to a Q5 suite and then ended up in one of the two, 2,249 square foot grand duplex apartments (Q1).

 

I suspect that I've now run my course of luck with upgrades at sea. That said, I seem to get upgrades all the time - from hotels, to town cars, to cabin class on flights.

 

Perhaps being a solo traveller helps?

[azdmelani]

Any cabin which has 3rd/4th berths hanging from the sides of the walls.

 

Yes, am always terrified that I will sit up and hit my head one night!

 

 

I think our best uprgrade was on the Alaska cruise in 2011. We booked the lowest category balcony guarantee and ended up with a huge balcony on the Caribe deck. Was amazing to run outside and take pictures of Glacier Bay. That was the only time I've ever cruised with a balcony on Princess.

Edited August 15, 2014 by azdmelani
spelling

[boone2]

Our best was from a balcony to a full suite aft. It was glorious and quite spoilt us we had our 2 young adult kids with us so having the extra room was fantastic and we enjoyed the perks. We had just received a 3 category upgrade on our upcoming TA on the regal from the cabin we usually book. It was underneath the skywalk. Didn't really fancy that even though it was slightly larger so we managed to get our original cabin back which I'm pleased about

Terry

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[julie3fan]

I wish I could add to this discussion, but I have my first ever Gty booked for our Alaska cruise just 4 days from now and still have no cabin assignment! (DH is starting to wonder if we'll even get to go.) I don't know if it's a GOOD sign or BAD sign that our inside gty will be a decent room, or maybe even an upgrade. I wish I could print my luggage tags!

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

Our worst assigned cabin was on the Emerald Princess in Nov 2013 - cabins E327 & E330 have virtually no air conditioning and there was nothing that could be done about it. :mad: We finally got moved to a acceptable "normal" cabin on the other end of the deck. From the way the cooling problem was explained to me there was no immediate fix and I doubt if the problem has yet to be solved. They just assume that people who are assigned to those cabins are accustomed to having little or no AC. :(

[RNGALNG]

Three stories.

 

1. Our friends who also cruise Princess always book a balcony. She has an 'eeyore' :( type personality and has some physical limitations she still will not admit to having. (She should use a cane or better yet, rent a wheelchair when cruising) He is her helper, friend, caregiver. . .They booked a 10 day cruise. A week before going, they were offered a cash deal to a mini suite for about $100/person. They take it. When they get to check in, they find out they have been upgraded to a full suite! So, I ask upon their return how it was living up in the fancy rooms. She said because it was an aft suite, she had to walk too far to get to the dining room! They did go for the free dinner on the first night but never used the laundry service or any of the other perks -like having dinner in the suite! They arrive home from their last trip sometime today. Can't wait to see what eeyore has to say about a 12 night British Isles trip!:rolleyes:

 

2. One of our first cruises landed us an upgraded balcony on Aloha deck. Hubby had no problems but I heard what I was sure were grand piano races every night up and down the Lido deck! It turned out to be the deck hands washing down and moving all the deck chairs around. Lesson learned.

 

3. Another guaranteed mini-suite on a 14 day trip. Again on the Aloha deck on the Coral. Saw we were over the carpeted indoor pool area so a sigh of relief, thinking I would get some sleep this time. Again, the rock, my DH, who can sleep through anything as opposed to my 'mommy radar' style, heard nothing. Every morning, the carts that all the stewards use came out of the room directly across the hall. The metal carts would hit the metal doors, go over the bump from in their place to the hall, and then over the metal strip where the emergency doors were located, right next to the other. :mad:So, I never had to use my alarm for 14 days, as they would wake me at 6:00 each day. In the evenings, the cushions on the deck loungers were stored - guess where? :rolleyes:Yup, in the room across form our door. And when is the MUTS movie over??? :D

 

We have learned now to pick and choose our rooms and ask for no upgrade. We get to become 'one' with our choice and have no one to blame but me (I do the picking) for what sort of room we have. So far, I have chosen wisely, grasshoppers! :D

[julie3fan]

I wish I could add to this discussion, but I have my first ever Gty booked for our Alaska cruise just 4 days from now and still have no cabin assignment! (DH is starting to wonder if we'll even get to go.) I don't know if it's a GOOD sign or BAD sign that our inside gty will be a decent room, or maybe even an upgrade. I wish I could print my luggage tags!

 

Just got our cabin assigned. An obstructed OV. We sailed on this exact ship, same deck, last April and loved it! So we are happy campers!!

[SissyG]

The one and only time we booked a guarantee was in 2010 on a holy land cruise on the Pacific Princess, we booked a BE balcony guarantee or better. We didn't get our cabin assignment until a few days before boarding, I had been checking the balcony inventory and also the mini suite inventory hoping for a pleasant surprise...when we got our cabin assignment it was a front facing balcony which is considered a higher category but NOT a good balcony. We were never able to actually use the balcony because when the ship was moving it was so windy you could not even open the door to the balcony, we were so disappointed because we usually spend a lot of time on our balcony...so that was the first and last time ever for us, from now on we book the cabin we want and won't accept an upgrade.

Edited August 15, 2014 by SissyG

[Thrak]

Three stories.

 

1. Our friends who also cruise Princess always book a balcony. She has an 'eeyore' :( type personality and has some physical limitations she still will not admit to having. (She should use a cane or better yet, rent a wheelchair when cruising) He is her helper, friend, caregiver. . .They booked a 10 day cruise. A week before going, they were offered a cash deal to a mini suite for about $100/person. They take it. When they get to check in, they find out they have been upgraded to a full suite! So, I ask upon their return how it was living up in the fancy rooms. She said because it was an aft suite, she had to walk too far to get to the dining room! They did go for the free dinner on the first night but never used the laundry service or any of the other perks -like having dinner in the suite! They arrive home from their last trip sometime today. Can't wait to see what eeyore has to say about a 12 night British Isles trip!:rolleyes:

 

2. One of our first cruises landed us an upgraded balcony on Aloha deck. Hubby had no problems but I heard what I was sure were grand piano races every night up and down the Lido deck! It turned out to be the deck hands washing down and moving all the deck chairs around. Lesson learned.

 

3. Another guaranteed mini-suite on a 14 day trip. Again on the Aloha deck on the Coral. Saw we were over the carpeted indoor pool area so a sigh of relief, thinking I would get some sleep this time. Again, the rock, my DH, who can sleep through anything as opposed to my 'mommy radar' style, heard nothing. Every morning, the carts that all the stewards use came out of the room directly across the hall. The metal carts would hit the metal doors, go over the bump from in their place to the hall, and then over the metal strip where the emergency doors were located, right next to the other. :mad:So, I never had to use my alarm for 14 days, as they would wake me at 6:00 each day. In the evenings, the cushions on the deck loungers were stored - guess where? :rolleyes:Yup, in the room across form our door. And when is the MUTS movie over??? :D

 

We have learned now to pick and choose our rooms and ask for no upgrade. We get to become 'one' with our choice and have no one to blame but me (I do the picking) for what sort of room we have. So far, I have chosen wisely, grasshoppers! :D

 

It's so weird how people end up with different experiences. When were upgraded to an Aloha balcony we heard maybe one or two small scrapes from furniture being moved and never heard MUTS in our cabin at all. It's not as if we weren't under the pool area because we were. I guess we were just lucky.

[cjpj]

My DH was doing a solo cruise in Australia. He booked the cheapest balcony and was upgraded to a mini. Nice!

[Shadow205]

We booked a GTY Balcony on the Grand in 2001. The week before our cruise we received a call asking if we would change our date. We switched to the following week. Princess upgraded us to an AFT Owners Suite with all of the amenities. Yes, we did have a Butler. They also gave us $500 OBC, a photo package and several other things that I don't remember. The suite was fantastic with a huge balcony.

We have an inside GTY booked for our 20 days 01/28/2015. We have not been assigned yet.

[RNGALNG]

It's so weird how people end up with different experiences. When were upgraded to an Aloha balcony we heard maybe one or two small scrapes from furniture being moved and never heard MUTS in our cabin at all. It's not as if we weren't under the pool area because we were. I guess we were just lucky.

 

I think my issues are with myself! I have that 'mommy radar' thing imbedded in my brain and I wake to any small noise! One of the hazards of being a parent, I think!

[Cruise Raider]

we've booked a guarantee cabin a few times and don't really try it anymore as we've always been placed in the garbage rooms. You know the ones....the ones nobody else will book. We've since then found Cruise Critic ... we usually just book the cabin we want unless there is a deal we cannot pass up.

The worst one was on the Crown and we got the room right under the Trident Grill....OMG...it was 24/7 nonstop footsteps overhead. Then, because of the fire on the Star Princess, they started replacing the balcony dividers at 7 AM. Worst cruise ever....lack of sleep caused me to not be able to fight off a cold that obviously came from our dining room waiter. He was sick the whole time. Well, live and learn.

The other bad one, but not nearly as bad as this one was on the CB. We were given a room right under the pools on the Aloha deck. It was midship so we thought, great. Well, not so much. It wasn't 24/7 ...but there was a pump that was right behind the wall of your headboard. They used it to fill the pools on the deck above. When they turned it on, it would literally shake the entire headboard of our bed. Once we gave them our schedule, they worked around it so it wasn't as bad as that one they could do nothing about.

I finally got a decent upgrade from an inside to an unobstructed oceanview room on the Plaza deck for an upcoming December cruise. My DH couldn't miss this football game he had tickets to so had me change it to the following week. I lost out on the only true upgrade I have ever received. argh....well, at least we will be on a cruise.

[Musky Ike]

Worst: We got what we paid for. ;)

 

Best: 2 OV cabins to great connected balconies.

 

Just got our next assignment: Obstructed balcony to unobstructed. works for me.

[friend of Eeyore]

Booked a BD, and got a BD.

 

Caribbean Princess, A6xx

 

Never again, getting a room in that location. We were forward of the aft elevators, and ended up mustering in lines in the photo area, because Wheelhouse filled up. Never have I had to stand in lines 6 deep and 50 wide.

 

Then, we smelled sewage all week. Asked about it once, and was told that it would be mentioned. It went away - but came back over and over again.

 

Bad shower (got fixed), bad toilet (got fixed). (Granted, that's not due to room location, but still - neither was something we had done, AFAIK.)

 

We prefer to be further back, and we'll book our own cabin next time. At least in Club Fusion you find a seat, or sit on the dance floor for Muster.

 

Great steward, and nice balcony (though we'd prefer Baja or Caribe).

 

But, you get what you ask for when booking a cruise with a guarantee.

[lrm]

We've only gambled a couple of times and took a guarantee. The worst was the last cruise this past Feb. Booked a low cat OV and got P201 at the VERY front of Plaza deck right by the doors the crew uses to enter their area. Felt like we were cut off from the world up there. Only good thing was our proximity to the IC and dining room.

Best was the year prior but it wasn't a guarantee, we left the "upgrade" on and went from a BE to a nice mid ship balcony on caribe deck. Loved that balcony.

 

We won our first cruise at a travel show raffle and had the P201 cabin on the Golden. It was the best because the cruise was free--and the worst because the crew played dice in the middle of the night (lots of yelling) and when the anchor was dropped it startled us out of bed!:eek: