Balcony State Guaranteed

[madawa6]

Sorry....this should have said "Balcony Stateroom Guaranteed".

 

I have never booked a cruise going this route. Do you usually get a nice room or the worst of them? We are looking to book on either the Jewel of the Seas or the Adventure of the Seas. I can save a couple hundred dollars going this route but seems this is our first time booking a balcony I don't want to be disappointed by getting a view that is obstructed. Also, is there a better side of the ship to be on?

Edited September 22, 2015 by madawa6
word spelled wrong

[All That Jazz]

It's a roll of the dice. You can get ANY stateroom that is in the exact category you book - or ANY stateroom in a higher category. Ironically, sometimes the "higher" category can result in a less desirable stateroom and/or location.

 

It's up to you to study the deck plans and categories. If you are not willing to take the least desirable stateroom in your category, then don't book a guarantee. Whether someone has been lucky or unlucky with a guarantee will have zero influence on your stateroom assignment.

 

Port or starboard? Usually not a significant difference. On some crossings it can be a choice between morning sun or afternoon sun.

Edited September 22, 2015 by All That Jazz

[CruiserBruce]

As commonly discussed here, when you book a Guarantee (GTY) you will get, at minimum, the level cabin you book the GTY at, or perhaps better. That is the chance you take. I can't think of too many "bad" balcony cabins, but I suppose somebody will document a couple. I have never heard of an "obstructed" balcony cabin, but I haven't been on every ship.

 

 

Side of the ship very rarely matters- like 1% of the time.

[Keith1010]

The big risk you take is location on the deck. If you are prone to getting seasick that would be something to think about.

 

Keith

[MCC retired]

The easy answer is :

Can you accept any cabin in the category that is Guaranteed, should it happen?

Are you getting a break on the current balcony cruise rate?

 

If yes, go for it .

We booked 30+ cruises as Category Guarantee's and never once received that category . Always an upgrade, even if only 1 category upgrade.

[paul929207]

I would only book a guarantee if I would be happy with every cabin in the category I booked and every higher category.