Guarantee Room Frustration!

[sunbird21]

Hi,

 

I just want to get feedback from anyone who has had a guarantee cabin in the past. I have only done this once (on Carnival) and been assigned a cabin about 6 weeks prior. As of now, I'm 26 days out, edocs are ready, and STILL no assigned room. I've been in contact with my PCC several times, who tried to stall me by saying that they may be doing upsell calls(I'm in an oceanview OC category). However, now the ship is completely sold out, so the likelihood of an upsell is gone, but still no room.

 

I called again tonight, and even spoke to a supervisor(politely) and verbalized my concerns of the ship being overbooked and either not getting a room or getting downgraded. I know, it seems unlikely, but call me paranoid-I read the horror story of someone on an Alaskan cruise whom they had no record of, and everything was screwed up.

 

The supervisor did reassure me that I would get a cabin, and would be an unobstructed oceanview. I asked about how luggage would get to the right cabin if the cabin was to be "assigned at the pier", and she danced around it for a minute but finally said that we would have to cart the bags INSIDE the terminal with us to check in, then BACK outside once we got the assignment.

 

Has anyone ever done this?? At Seattle?? I'm traveling with my elderly mother, who isn't frail, but still don't want her to have to haul her bag all around the terminal b/c they are taking their time assigning cabins!!! Any suggestions on how to make this process easier? Is she able to wait outside with luggage while I check us in to get the cabin?(still a pain, but at least we avoid hauling the bags around).

 

Thanks for any feedback. Believe me, I will never go guarantee again-too much stress, but this cruise was already a hefty ticket price, and I figured booking it 5 mos in advance that I would certainly get a cabin assigned well before the cruise!

 

Stacey

[MrsK]

Patience might pay off in this case.

 

We booked very last minute in January on the Breakaway, about 4 days ahead of sailing.

 

We booked a guaranteed inside and it took forever (hahaha, forever when we only booked 4 days before sailing) to get a cabin assignment. Actually it came about 2 hours before we were going out of the door to catch our very early in the morning flight on the same day as the cruise.

 

We were well rewarded for our patience though because we got assigned a very nice balcony cabin for the price of our last minute guaranteed inside cabin.

Edited August 17, 2016 by MrsK

[NMLady]

Don't worry. Even if your cabin isn't assigned until you get to the pier your cabin assignment will be on the manifest and the porters will have it on their list and will put it on luggage tags for you. Just give your luggage to the porter and ask him to look up your cabin number.

[SLRoth]

We lucked out on our last carnival cruise. We booked an inside stateroom and we're upgraded to a spa suite. We didn't find out till we were at the port and we'd booked 8 months in advance. Don't panic all will be fine. The porters will take your bags and will be able to look u up. It's part of the adventure when u book a guarantee. We travel the getaway in November and are awaiting our balcony guarantee assignment. Good luck and happy cruising.

[mking8288]

OP, just relax - you have 20+ days before your Alaska sailing and with NCL's GTY stateroom assignments, you can be given your specific cabins on the day of embarkation when checking-in at the pier, if they are still playing with upsell and musical stateroom shuffling. You will NOT be downgraded to an inside unless something terribly gone wrong.

 

Last year, we booked an Oceanview GTY on the Breakaway, and wait for weeks before we got our assignment - turned out to be Balcony, Category BC on Deck 10 Fwd - only downside to it, a long walk from the elevator & stairs.

 

You have until 24 hours before sailing to finalize & print your eDocs and luggage tags, what's the hurry - even if you are flying into SEA/YVR, etc. ahead - in fact, you can check-in with just your confirmation # - the paper printout just making it a little easier for pier security screening & the port's agent doing the paperwork.

 

In the unlikely event that you still do not have your stateroom assignment on the morning of embarkation, just report to the terminal/pier - porters will still check you in and take your heavier luggage, you do NOT have to walk around with all the bags, unless you want to. Just keep your valuables, electronics, medications and passport/wallets (and, for good measures - a change of clothes & some toiletry items, etc. with you at all times) as hand luggage & proceed to board the ship after completing check-in. Cross-pack your clothing & items if there are 2 bags for 2 of you, so that in case one is delayed in getting to your stateroom - the other would be delivered sooner.

 

There's no need to panic or get paranoid, stressing yourself - I would worry about the wet & sometimes chilly September weather in Alaska and pack accordingly for it.

 

Meanwhile, check MyNCL dot com daily to see for the assignment - and, have the deck maps handy so that you can quickly find out your location, etc.

 

Just because the online portal is showing the entire ship sold out does NOT, really, necessary, meant that you will be sleeping on deck 00 next to the engine room - could be just a temporary HOLD on cabin assignment and sale with a block of rooms being reserved by a group.

[drvalo]

They get assigned when they get assigned. Sometimes, it really is at the very last minute. That's one of the chances you take with a gty. We have usually had a good outcome, though, so, as hard as it is, just be patient. If it gets assigned at the dock, the porters will know where you are going and you can get luggage tags with your cabin number there.

 

You will need to print out your edocs though, even without a cabin number, if it comes to that.

 

Try not to stress about it....it's just part of the anticipation!!!!!

[SeagoingMom]

Never sailed on NCL but we did not know our guarantee cabin assignment until we boarded our HAL cruise. Our cabin was so "newly assigned" that we had someone else's name on the cabin stationery and kept getting the other passengers' messages and reservation confirmations in our cabin! (along with our own)

[MikeBTN]

Relax. You have almost 4 weeks until you sail. Your PCC was correct - they're doing upsells, assigning cabins, etc. You got a great, reduced price and in return you get what rooms they have available. They may not know exactly what those available cabins are until the day of sailing. As others have mentioned, you will not have to carry your luggage on board. Stop stressing yourself out about something you have no control over.

[cruiseelady]

I have done a guarantee room many times. There is nothing you can do but wait. They can very easily assign your room 2 days before sailing or right at the pier. Yes, right at the pier. That has been my experience a few times with NCL.

[All-ready2cruise]

Sometimes, people just shouldn't do GTY. Sorry, you bought into the lower price but having done GTY once, we prefer to pay a bit more and know our cabin number from the get-go. Just sayin'...

 

Good luck... hope it turns out well for you OP.

[sunbird21]

Thank you guys for the quick replies!

 

I know that there is still time, again, I am comparing this to my experience on another cruise line, which is probably unfair, but it is what it is. I appreciate the feedback from those who said they have gotten late assignments and had everything be ok. I am glad to hear that no one has had the experience of being "bumped" out of the cruise or to a lower category, so to speak.

 

 

Again, my (new) main concern was having to drag our larger luggage inside the terminal, which is what the supervisor from NCL was telling me-it sounds like no one has had that experience, which is making me feel better. I thought that seemed a bit ridiculous.

 

 

To the person who replied about who should/shouldn't book guarantees, I thank you for your feedback. I agree, that this is not something I will do in the future, as I stated in my OP. I am not picky on cabin location-I stated my concerns with situation above and the reason that I booked guarantee. But I thank you for validating my statement with your remark to ensure that the point was driven home. All I can say is, we learn with experience.

 

So I will continue to await and hopefully you will not be reading a ranting post in three weeks time!

 

Stacey

 

Stacey

[tinkr2]

Hey relax. It is still really early. They do all their upsells in this period of time.If they have lots of better cabins left, you will get a better , more awesome , cabin. You will not have to carry your luggage. That is absolute nonsense. i am over 30 cruises and about half are at a guarantee. You will be fine. They will probably assign you within a week of sailing but if not the porters will still have your number at the dock. Post back and let us know when you get a great balcony:p

Edited August 17, 2016 by tinkr2

[BirdTravels]

If the ship is full, as you say, then they won't do the GTY assignments until late in the process. About 5 days to sailing, they will do the final upsell push and fill the available GTY cabins. While you will probably get a great room, I don't think that reservations can state, with 100% certainty, that you won't get an obstructed ocean view.

Edited August 17, 2016 by BirdTravels

[pterp]

We are 16 days out and still waiting for our assignment (gty ov). However, in the past couple of days the inventory had gone down to only porthole rooms on fl 4. I know hope to not see an assignment until those are gone lol. I am getting closer to the date when I can call upsell (can't afford haven, so waiting until closer when other categories may open up).

[biker@sea]

Thank you guys for the quick replies!

 

I know that there is still time, again, I am comparing this to my experience on another cruise line, which is probably unfair, but it is what it is. I appreciate the feedback from those who said they have gotten late assignments and had everything be ok. I am glad to hear that no one has had the experience of being "bumped" out of the cruise or to a lower category, so to speak.

 

 

Again, my (new) main concern was having to drag our larger luggage inside the terminal, which is what the supervisor from NCL was telling me-it sounds like no one has had that experience, which is making me feel better. I thought that seemed a bit ridiculous.

 

 

To the person who replied about who should/shouldn't book guarantees, I thank you for your feedback. I agree, that this is not something I will do in the future, as I stated in my OP. I am not picky on cabin location-I stated my concerns with situation above and the reason that I booked guarantee. But I thank you for validating my statement with your remark to ensure that the point was driven home. All I can say is, we learn with experience.

 

So I will continue to await and hopefully you will not be reading a ranting post in three weeks time!

 

Stacey

 

Stacey

 

We booked the night before a cruise.

 

Got to the terminal, was NOT ON the Porter's list.

 

Not A problem. they took us to the porters stand , called upstairs, Got the Assignment.

They tagged our bag's.

We tipped and went on our merry way. :)

 

P.S. we have done a dozen GTY's . You always get at least the category you paid.

 

.

Edited August 17, 2016 by biker@sea

[hawkeyetlse]

We are 16 days out and still waiting for our assignment (gty ov). However, in the past couple of days the inventory had gone down to only porthole rooms on fl 4. I know hope to not see an assignment until those are gone lol. I am getting closer to the date when I can call upsell (can't afford haven, so waiting until closer when other categories may open up).

Unfortunately, those porthole rooms are very unpopular, so when they disappear from inventory, chances are it will be because they put you and other GTY bookers in them :( Good luck! And let us know how it turns out.

[Son of a son of a ...]

Another experience ... we did GTY once and received the lowest category in our class. It is a gamble and your results may vary. Nonetheless, we booked another GTY for October and we have our fingers crossed. We do enjoy the $$ savings and don't really spend a lot of time in the cabin other than sleeping or showering.

[mscdivina2016]

Hi,

 

I just want to get feedback from anyone who has had a guarantee cabin in the past. I have only done this once (on Carnival) and been assigned a cabin about 6 weeks prior. As of now, I'm 26 days out, edocs are ready, and STILL no assigned room. I've been in contact with my PCC several times, who tried to stall me by saying that they may be doing upsell calls(I'm in an oceanview OC category). However, now the ship is completely sold out, so the likelihood of an upsell is gone, but still no room.

 

I called again tonight, and even spoke to a supervisor(politely) and verbalized my concerns of the ship being overbooked and either not getting a room or getting downgraded. I know, it seems unlikely, but call me paranoid-I read the horror story of someone on an Alaskan cruise whom they had no record of, and everything was screwed up.

 

The supervisor did reassure me that I would get a cabin, and would be an unobstructed oceanview. I asked about how luggage would get to the right cabin if the cabin was to be "assigned at the pier", and she danced around it for a minute but finally said that we would have to cart the bags INSIDE the terminal with us to check in, then BACK outside once we got the assignment.

 

Has anyone ever done this?? At Seattle?? I'm traveling with my elderly mother, who isn't frail, but still don't want her to have to haul her bag all around the terminal b/c they are taking their time assigning cabins!!! Any suggestions on how to make this process easier? Is she able to wait outside with luggage while I check us in to get the cabin?(still a pain, but at least we avoid hauling the bags around).

 

Thanks for any feedback. Believe me, I will never go guarantee again-too much stress, but this cruise was already a hefty ticket price, and I figured booking it 5 mos in advance that I would certainly get a cabin assigned well before the cruise!

 

Stacey

 

I personally saw at San Juan many years ago with CCL, a couple get denied boarding because there were no rooms left and on the same cruise, another couple who booked a Balcony ended up in an inside.

But with today's software I don't know if it could happen again, that there could be no cabins left.

Don't worry about it and hope you get a nice upgrade. We have done GTYs many times and we do not look at the deck plan or print tags,so we are surprised. We see the porter, they tag us and we board. Best upgrade, was inside to obstructed Balcony on Bermuda cruise.

 

Steve

[cruiseelady]

I personally saw at San Juan many years ago with CCL, a couple get denied boarding because there were no rooms left and on the same cruise, another couple who booked a Balcony ended up in an inside.

But with today's software I don't know if it could happen again, that there could be no cabins left.

Don't worry about it and hope you get a nice upgrade. We have done GTYs many times and we do not look at the deck plan or print tags,so we are surprised. We see the porter, they tag us and we board. Best upgrade, was inside to obstructed Balcony on Bermuda cruise.

 

Steve

 

My best upgrade was last year on Breakaway, I paid for balcony guarantee and when my room was assigned a day before sailing I found out they gave me a family mini suite with balcony and I was sailing solo. So that was a great surprise. However my last guarantee room was nightmare. I had done about 10-12 guarantee rooms and every one of them was fine except the last one. So I will continue with guarantee cabins.

[SeagoingMom]

Unfortunately, those porthole rooms are very unpopular, so when they disappear from inventory, chances are it will be because they put you and other GTY bookers in them :( Good luck! And let us know how it turns out.

But this would happen only if OP booked the lowest possible OV category, right? If he paid for a window guarantee, he'd get that cat or above. Does NCL not make a distinction between OV-window and OV-porthole categories for gty? If not, that would be unfortunate...

[hawkeyetlse]

But this would happen only if OP booked the lowest possible OV category, right? If he paid for a window guarantee, he'd get that cat or above. Does NCL not make a distinction between OV-window and OV-porthole categories for gty? If not, that would be unfortunate...

Unfortunately, portholes are windows according to NCL (and I guess according to the dictionary, too). They are category OF/OG, which is higher than OX/OK (all of these are in the same oceanview meta-category). So if pterp booked OX or OK GTY, a porthole cabin would be a free upgrade.

[pterp]

Unfortunately, those porthole rooms are very unpopular, so when they disappear from inventory, chances are it will be because they put you and other GTY bookers in them :( Good luck! And let us know how it turns out.

 

Yea, I knew the risk is always there to get one of those. Ironically, they aren't on the lowest category b/c they are "mid-ship", so they were a middle category within OV. There are lots of BALC and MS still left, so we are keeping our fingers crossed. I will definitely let you know what happens :).

 

But this would happen only if OP booked the lowest possible OV category, right? If he paid for a window guarantee, he'd get that cat or above. Does NCL not make a distinction between OV-window and OV-porthole categories for gty? If not, that would be unfortunate...

 

I think NCL only has a single GTY option within each category. As long as you get an OV of some sort, they have fulfilled their end of the contract.

[hawkeyetlse]

I think NCL only has a single GTY option within each category. As long as you get an OV of some sort, they have fulfilled their end of the contract.

Actually any specific category can potentially be booked GTY (depending on availability), so for example sometimes it is possible to book an OA GTY or an OB GTY, and in that case they could not assign you a porthole. Your Vacation Summary should indicate the exact category you booked. But I think in most cases it is the lowest category, i.e. OX.

[Talus731]

I was assigned the Wednesday before a Sunday sail away and was assigned a suite. I know your frustration but it worked out well in the end for us.

[spanishguy1970]

On our last cruise we went from Ocean view to an upgraded Balcony guarantee for free. We were nervous at first but hey who will say no to a free upgrade? We did not worry about it at the end we got a great Balcony in a great location. I think patience is the name of the game.:)