Guarantee booking experiences

[icat2000]

I know Princess generally does their guarantee allocation in the last week before sailing sometimes 48 prior.

 

On my cruise on Sunday, first time I gotten allocation straight after final payment.

 

I play the cabin lottery game. I have received some upgrades too.

[SunnyinDubai]

I know Princess generally does their guarantee allocation in the last week before sailing sometimes 48 prior.

 

On my cruise on Sunday, first time I gotten allocation straight after final payment.

 

I play the cabin lottery game. I have received some upgrades too.

 

Yeah from reading this thread, I am not expecting to see the allocation until at least 48 hours before sailing...I just thought that given they had only one triple cabin left, it would have been allocated to us once we made the final payment. Ah well, as long as they do not cancel on us, we will be happy with whatever cabin we get :p

[The_Big_M]

But doesn't that negate the idea of a guarantee?

Don't get me wrong, i think there is no reason not to be able to do it within the same category once allocated, however to add a charge would it not be similar to just paying what the going rate is?

 

Not really. The cruise lines sell these to give them flexibility in their bookings. They may well allocate them down to a few days out, although some do so earlier. If you select a cabin when you book you get to choose there and then what you want. By taking a guarantee, you're accepting the luck of the draw. If there is other availability when you are allocated, and you pay the fee, why not let you move to a cabin in the same category? There's no financial harm or disadvantage in it for the cruise line.

[bazzaw]

Not really. The cruise lines sell these to give them flexibility in their bookings. They may well allocate them down to a few days out, although some do so earlier. If you select a cabin when you book you get to choose there and then what you want. By taking a guarantee, you're accepting the luck of the draw. If there is other availability when you are allocated, and you pay the fee, why not let you move to a cabin in the same category? There's no financial harm or disadvantage in it for the cruise line.

 

I think that it is more a probability that the cruiselines (who do like guarantee fares for the flexibility they offer to the cruiselines :) ) - regard them as what they are - "guarantee fares" - and not "select what you want where you want" fares or even " reject what you don't like and ask for something else" fares !! It would be the tip of the iceberg if it became common knowledge that somebody who has purchased a guarantee fare has been allowed to select a specific cabin - or even to reject a cabin allocated to them. Says Barry - who is currently waiting for a cabin allocation for a 46 day cruise departing in 7 days time !! :)

 

Barry

[woodyren]

It would be the tip of the iceberg if it became common knowledge that somebody who has purchased a guarantee fare has been allowed to select a specific cabin - or even to reject a cabin allocated to them.

Barry

 

Not really. I book gty's in Australia knowing full well that the cabin I get is in almost every case the cabin I get but when I book with a USA TA as soon as my cabin is allocated I am onto my go to website, selecting the best available cabin in the category allocated and then straight on the blower to my TA to change my cabin.

 

While not entirely common knowledge I thing most experienced cruisers who book gty's know of this. In fact on our first cruise we booked a gty to take advantage of a great price and then I read on here that I could change and we ended up in a great balcony on the Reflection.

 

While it does not make a huge difference to us ( hence why we always book gty's if available) you might as well take any small advantage you can get.

[Bodogbodog]

We don't normally book Guarantee cabins but did for our upcoming Trans Pacific on Crystal Serenity - very happy today when we received our allocation - up from a C3 Stateroom with Ocean View to an A2 Stateroom with Verandah. That will be very nice thankyou upgrade fairy.

My TA tells me Crystal Serenity is a sell out on this first leg of the 2016 World Cruise

If we'd booked in this class it would have been another 40% on the fare we paid

Maybe we'll take the risk in future