Gty assignment- I am livid

[canadianbear]

I booked a gurantee hoping They would be able to place me near my parents who were also in a guarantee which was the only thing available fully aware that they may not be able to accommodate that.

 

 

 

The supervisor not only put me in a balcony at a very very reasonable price he said he would have signed both mine and my parents cabins so we would be beside each other and gave me a couple options to choose from. I am definitely a loyal customer and really appreciate that he went above and beyond to fixed my issue

 

 

 

This is fantastic news! Congratulations for not only being persistent but getting a balcony by your parents. Will be a wonderful cruise now. Have fun!

[OlsSalt]

I booked a gurantee hoping They would be able to place me near my parents who were also in a guarantee which was the only thing available fully aware that they may not be able to accommodate that.

 

The supervisor not only put me in a balcony at a very very reasonable price he said he would have signed both mine and my parents cabins so we would be beside each other and gave me a couple options to choose from. I am definitely a loyal customer and really appreciate that he went above and beyond to fixed my issue

 

I still don't understand why you did not book the cabins you wanted in the first place, unless you were trying to win the guaranty lottery which seems like a real stretch since you were trying to coordinate two separate bookings .. under the guarantee option. You don't save that much money booking guarantees, but you take a huge risk when you in the end wanted to have two cabins close to each other, using this option. HAL was extremely generous with you, since you set all of this in motion yourself to your own detriment upfront.

[OlsSalt]

This is fantastic news! Congratulations for not only being persistent but getting a balcony by your parents. Will be a wonderful cruise now. Have fun!

 

How is this "persistent" to get a bargain upgrade just by making a fuss over a complicated demand guaranty booking in the first place. We should all try this.

[sail7seas]

What is the going rate for the single cabin? I know that sometimes the single cabins are priced much more (per person) than a double.

 

 

This is what I was thinking.

 

 

If it is the K'dam, those solo cabins are in the blow..... Bad location, IMO., however, if one books a guarantee.. they get what they get..

[cruisemom42]

I still don't understand why you did not book the cabins you wanted in the first place, unless you were trying to win the guaranty lottery which seems like a real stretch since you were trying to coordinate two separate bookings .. under the guarantee option. You don't save that much money booking guarantees, but you take a huge risk when you in the end wanted to have two cabins close to each other, using this option. HAL was extremely generous with you, since you set all of this in motion yourself to your own detriment upfront.

 

That's pretty unkind and I don't think you read the OP's explanation carefully.

 

She says "I booked a gurantee hoping They would be able to place me near my parents who were also in a guarantee which was the only thing available fully aware that they may not be able to accommodate that."

 

It sounds like she was only hoping (not expecting) that she might get near her parents and guarantees were booked as no other options were available.

 

As a solo, I too can understand not being happy if I paid the supplement for a regular cabin and was placed in a solo cabin. I think that was what upset the OP, not that she didn't "win the lottery" and get a balcony near her parents to start with. The latter is just the end result.

 

So in a sense, yes, she got a little lucky. But she also got very UNlucky. If a solo room is an upgrade, then I'd like to see them put two adults who booked a guarantee inside in a "lower" category into one of them. :confused:

[TiogaCruiser]

I booked a gurantee hoping They would be able to place me near my parents who were also in a guarantee which was the only thing available fully aware that they may not be able to accommodate that.

 

The supervisor not only put me in a balcony at a very very reasonable price he said he would have signed both mine and my parents cabins so we would be beside each other and gave me a couple options to choose from. I am definitely a loyal customer and really appreciate that he went above and beyond to fixed my issue

So glad for you this worked out. I totally got what you were getting at and was shocked they would still charge the single supplement still and put you in a single room.

[OlsSalt]

That's pretty unkind and I don't think you read the OP's explanation carefully.

 

She says "I booked a gurantee hoping They would be able to place me near my parents who were also in a guarantee which was the only thing available fully aware that they may not be able to accommodate that."

 

It sounds like she was only hoping (not expecting) that she might get near her parents and guarantees were booked as no other options were available.

 

As a solo, I too can understand not being happy if I paid the supplement for a regular cabin and was placed in a solo cabin. I think that was what upset the OP, not that she didn't "win the lottery" and get a balcony near her parents to start with. The latter is just the end result.

 

In this case, yes, she got a little lucky. But she also got very UNlucky. If a solo room is an upgrade, then I'd like to see them put two adults who booked a guarantee inside in a "lower" category into one of them. :confused:

 

Pretty sure I read it right. She booked a guaranty, after that there are no promises. But perhaps a lot of unmet expectations are placed in risk. Guaranty means one is now at the whim and call of the cruise line who gets to juggle things round to their advantage, pretty randomly at the cruise line's end.

 

Sometimes you win and sometimes you don't. That is the way I always assumed guarantys worked out. And after our last losing hand with a guaranty, we will never use them again either. Nor does booking a specific cabin take one out of the last minute upsell lottery either. So other than willing to gamble, what is the point of a gauranty anyway.

 

In this case the passenger gave up her own right to get what you specifically wanted, for a promise she may or may not get this. I think it is expecting a lot to think a guarantee can provide coordination between two sets of passengers on top of this. Good grief, just book the specific cabins upfront, instead of playing roulette with the "system" and hoping two sets of passenger both draw the exact winning hand. That is where I lost the thread.

 

But she got ultimately more than she had going into this, so all's well that ends well from her perspective. Sorry she was so "livid" about what in fact was her own choices to risk this roulette spin upfront. Unless I am totally misunderstanding what a guaranty actually means.

[bennybear]

Sometimes all that is available in a category is a guarantee. The O P may not have had a choice.

 

I too only choose a specific cabin, but have seen at times when only guarantees are available.

[canadianbear]

How is this "persistent" to get a bargain upgrade just by making a fuss over a complicated demand guaranty booking in the first place. We should all try this.

 

 

 

You're sure grumpy.

[madera1]

Happy it worked out for you.

 

 

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[Belle]

Some of you don't understand. It's not like she wanted a better location. Was just

hoping to be my her parents.

 

It's that she was solo and had to pay for two and then given a cabin that held only one.

Was not right! Solo's have to pay for two people, so give us a room that holds two!

 

I'm glad it worked out for you even though you had to pay extra and got closer to youir

parents.

[stickey_mouse]

There are many angles to look at this. I'll play devil's advocate for a moment.

 

I, for one, consider a solo cabin an upgrade from an inside cabin. I'll take the window any day (unless there are some that are insides?). But, without knowing the pricing of either, it's impossible to determine if the selection was economically advantageous or disadvantageous to the poster. I suspect the two are closer in price than you'd think, even with the single supplement.

 

And I'm confused as to why the poster did not book non-guarantee, if being close to family was such a priority. Someone suggested that guarantee was all that was left, but I thought the poster also pointed out that he/she knew there was a lot of inventory still available.

 

I consider a guarantee booking to be a roll of the dice. You win some, you lose some. And to my first point, its still unclear if this was even a win or a loss.

 

In the end, I'm glad the poster got what he/she wanted.

 

 

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[kazu]

There are many angles to look at this. I'll play devil's advocate for a moment.

 

I, for one, consider a solo cabin an upgrade from an inside cabin. I'll take the window any day (unless there are some that are insides?). But, without knowing the pricing of either, it's impossible to determine if the selection was economically advantageous or disadvantageous to the poster. I suspect the two are closer in price than you'd think, even with the single supplement.

 

And I'm confused as to why the poster did not book non-guarantee, if being close to family was such a priority. Someone suggested that guarantee was all that was left, but I thought the poster also pointed out that he/she knew there was a lot of inventory still available.

 

I consider a guarantee booking to be a roll of the dice. You win some, you lose some. And to my first point, its still unclear if this was even a win or a loss.

 

In the end, I'm glad the poster got what he/she wanted.

 

 

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Bolding is mine. Just because there is inventory doesn't mean that you can always book a specific cabin. Sometimes you have to book a guarantee. ie., if you are on a segment of a Grand or World cruise, a guarantee is all that is available (or, at least that is the way it has been). Only those on the entire voyage get to choose their room normally. I have seen the same thing on some of the repositioning segments (Pacific Coastals) which are at the end/beginning of longer cruises in the Pacific.

[puppycanducruise]

OP: Glad it worked out for you.

Hope you and your parents have a wonderful cruise.

[iancal]

GREAT customer service. An inexpensive way for HAL to secure a loyal customer by doing the right thing. Reminds me of when I worked for a company whose policy was to do the right thing for the customer.

[SilvertoGold]

GREAT customer service. An inexpensive way for HAL to secure a loyal customer by doing the right thing. Reminds me of when I worked for a company whose policy was to do the right thing for the customer.

 

 

Excellent. My first thought.

 

Shows you must go to a supervisor. They appear to be some of the few with the authority to actually do anything.

 

A TA's rep also seems to have this authority and there is the added benefit of HAL wanting to keep the TAs happy since they bring in the vast majority of HAL's business.

[cruzingnut]

Good for you! Glad you got it worked out to your satisfaction.

 

 

A gty cabin is a crap shoot....I know you realize this but for other people who don't understand this: Fact is, a cabin was paid for for 2 people. There is NO way anyone should be moved to a room that is a single; regardless of it's location. If the OP wanted that, then they would have paid for a single room gty (if that is even an option, but is a moot point).

 

Linda R.

 

 

 

 

I booked a gurantee hoping They would be able to place me near my parents who were also in a guarantee which was the only thing available fully aware that they may not be able to accommodate that.

 

The supervisor not only put me in a balcony at a very very reasonable price he said he would have signed both mine and my parents cabins so we would be beside each other and gave me a couple options to choose from. I am definitely a loyal customer and really appreciate that he went above and beyond to fixed my issue

[RMLincoln]

I have had bookings where we could only book a guarantee. Once we took an amazing flash fare but we had to take a guarantee booking to get that rate; once we took a very good priced upsell, but from a specific inside cabin (K) to a VH balcony guarantee. Guarantees give the cruise line flexibility, and for that the cruise line usually will give the customer an advantage in exchange - could be price or could be category/location. Looks like HAL wasn't selling out the singles rooms so they used that for a guarantee customer... who didn't think it was an advantage, others might have. It's nice that HAL worked it out with the customer(s).

One time we made a double booking, for us and a family-member couple, both rooms on guarantees; we didn't request to be co-located but we were assigned rooms next to each other... we would have preferred not to be so close! :) m--

[Freespir8]

That's pretty unkind and I don't think you read the OP's explanation carefully.

 

 

 

She says "I booked a gurantee hoping They would be able to place me near my parents who were also in a guarantee which was the only thing available fully aware that they may not be able to accommodate that."

 

 

 

It sounds like she was only hoping (not expecting) that she might get near her parents and guarantees were booked as no other options were available.

 

 

 

As a solo, I too can understand not being happy if I paid the supplement for a regular cabin and was placed in a solo cabin. I think that was what upset the OP, not that she didn't "win the lottery" and get a balcony near her parents to start with. The latter is just the end result.

 

 

 

So in a sense, yes, she got a little lucky. But she also got very UNlucky. If a solo room is an upgrade, then I'd like to see them put two adults who booked a guarantee inside in a "lower" category into one of them. :confused:

 

 

 

This exactly. Nicely said. :)

 

Congratulations OP on getting it all taken care of and enjoy your cruise!

 

 

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[hamrag]

....after our last losing hand with a guaranty, we will never use them again either....

 

Initially I could not understand why you resented so much the outcome which the OP achieved by her persistence, but now I see clearly the reason!!;)

 

Congratulations Jenp, and enjoy your cruise.

[KroozNut]

Nor does booking a specific cabin take one out of the last minute upsell lottery either.

 

Except that one can choose to decline an 'upsale'. It is because of some of the other points you make that we always select the cabin we want and book it. We put a 'do not upgrade' caveat on our reservation, and we have yet to accept an upsale offer after 25+ sailings.

[iancal]

I would estimate that we have booked at least ten balcony gty on a number of cruise lines. We have never been disappointed. The reverse is true.

 

It seems to me from a number of comments over the years that the risk of a gty cabin turning out to be a dud increases with insides and outsides. The trade off appears to be some of the incredible inside gty prices that we have seen over the years.

[CHOPPERTESTER]

So now we know. Good to know. That is why we participate in these forums.

 

If you go solo on Kdam or Pdam, knowing you have to pay 2 x for being solo, trying to get the cheapest guarantee fare, don't want to get assigned a solo room, then book a fictitious friend and just not have her show up.

 

Or is it the solo supplement is not 2 x and you want to save more to get a room for two but pay less than two? I believe the solo supplement is not just about the size of the room but also the potential in lost revenue for not having two customers in the room.