"GTY" stateroom reservations: why?

[Jayandar]

Been booking Celebrity for over fifteen years. For the first time, now in a suite category, received this GTY stateroom assignment. Why is this done instead of allowing a specific stateroom selection. at booking, as I am used to? What is the reasoning? I have read that an assignment could be made by Celebrity at any time. By the way, this is for a 2021 cruise.

[jelayne]

They have been offering Guarantee cabins & Suites from time to time for at least 7 years.  The reason to book would be because the Guarantee rates are lower than the rates to select your stateroom. 
 

Offering a Guarantee gives Celebrity flexibility in assigning staterooms like those accessible staterooms that didn’t sell, staterooms in undesirable locations or with obstructed views. 

 

[Hlitner]

The increased flexibility (for the cruise line) makes their life easier when processing reservations for longer cruises (back to backs and back to back to backs, etc).  When we book a long cruise it might consist of many shorter segments (cruises) and we seek to get the same cabin for the entire voyage.  Having guarantees on the shorter cruises/segments means that the cruise line can usually have available cabins for those of us who want to stay on that ship for a month or two.

 

Hank

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Guarantees are usually at a lower price and offered much closer to departure.  Have never heard of a guarantee a year + out.  I would check with Celebrity or your TA to see what is going on.  If you used a TA, which we have not done in 20 years, maybe that is the contract they have with Celebrity.

[Jayandar]

Booked onboard a cruise, without an assigned TA. Just think it's strange and not good for someone booking so early.

[helen haywood]

I’m confused.  You should have been offered an opportunity to select your cabin...or book a GTY.  If you selected a GTY I’m assuming it was less expensive.  If you want to choose a cabin just change your booking.

[jagoffee]

Perhaps there are no cabins available.  

[upwarduk]

The only time that we booked Guarantee was a a group booking. Unbeknown to us, they had reserved some mid ships hump cabins, so we were really lucky with the location.

Before the recent web site change, there was a variety of cabins available, starting price was Guarantee, then rising through 2D, 2C,2B etc.

There is a German site that Scans the Seas where this is still the case.

[Lolou127]

We booked a GTY SS2 on the Connie for next August, booked this September, there were no numbered SS2 cabins available, it was explained on booking that we would get at least an SS2 or maybe an upgrade and that it could be an accessible SS2 and that is what we’ve been assigned, we were notified a month after booking.

[VikingRob]

We booked a GTY SS2 also, I don’t remember when but it was at least a year ago for our Feb 2020 cruise. We were assigned an accessible SS2 almost right away. We just made final payment and saw that the cabin had changed to an aft which is what we were hoping to get. Not sure if it will change again.       

[Lolou127]

That’s interesting Viking Rob, I wonder if it’s because they needed the accessible cabin for someone else? I did wonder what would happen in that circumstance, also maybe after PIF they get an occasional cancellation?

[sound_guy0918]

The first time we sailed on X we booked a GTY...it was the same price as if you selected a one of the lowest-tier balcony staterooms (meaning the "worst" locations on the ship...far forward or aft locations on lower decks...not obstructed view), but you would be placed in any balcony stateroom from that tier up.  So basically for the same price we had a chance of getting a better location on the ship.  We ended up getting a significant upgrade and were placed amidships on a higher deck.  The cruise line does this because there are customers who will pay more to book the premium locations as well as customers who will purposefully select cabins in the "worst" locations because they want a stateroom number when they book.

 

On our Carnival cruise we booked a balcony GTY and ended up scoring an aft-facing cabin with a huge balcony.  In that case the GTY was $20pp cheaper than the lowest-tier balcony.

[fragilek]

In the UK we seem to only have GTY for many cats for some sailings (in fact more recently for most sailings).  This happens even for sailing at over a year out it's very annoying and sometimes forces us to book through a US  TA where we can choose cabins for the same sailings. 

[Saab4444]

Hotels let you book a guaranteed category room as well and allocate a specific room later.

[villauk]

12 hours ago, fragilek said:

In the UK we seem to only have GTY for many cats for some sailings (in fact more recently for most sailings).  This happens even for sailing at over a year out it's very annoying and sometimes forces us to book through a US  TA where we can choose cabins for the same sailings. 

 

 

I wouldn’t book a GTY over here anyway as you are unable to change the allocation to a cabin in the same category like you can when booking in the US.

[Miaminice]

On 11/27/2019 at 4:07 AM, Jayandar said:

Booked onboard a cruise, without an assigned TA. Just think it's strange and not good for someone booking so early.

Well, you are not forced to book a GTY! You can choose a specific stateroom and simply pay more. 

[C-Dragons]

On 11/27/2019 at 12:05 AM, jagoffee said:

Perhaps there are no cabins available.  

Yes, probably no cabins available in the Suite category he chose. 

[Miaminice]

2 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

Yes, probably no cabins available in the Suite category he chose. 

on a cruise in 2021... unlikely!

 

[C-Dragons]

5 minutes ago, Miaminice said:

on a cruise in 2021... unlikely!

 

It's more likely than you think. I've seen Sky suite categories, S1 and S2, sold out already for “popular” itineraries in 2021.

[Miaminice]

12 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

It's more likely than you think. I've seen Sky suite categories, S1 and S2, sold out already for “popular” itineraries in 2021.

We booked a cruise for 2021 (Med on Edge) last week and the GTYs were the first to go.

Many people seem to prefer the lower price over a specific stateroom...

[brigantine444]

Just disembarked from the Edge. Don’t accept a guarantee sky suite on 12 floor.. we were stuck under the magic carpet.  There were smells of garbage for two days which they ‘apologized’ for,, the tanks needed cleaning, but every night between midnight and 1 am, loud banging could be heard. The upper staff knew about it and actually gave us $$$ credit towards a future cruise.  Otherwise, the ship, food and service were fabulous! 

[Lolou127]

7 hours ago, villauk said:

 

 

I wouldn’t book a GTY over here anyway as you are unable to change the allocation to a cabin in the same category like you can when booking in the US.

We booked a GTY cabin, when we were allocated they placed us right by the lifts, I called and asked to be moved to another in the same category (SS2) and it was done for us no issue at all x

[Jim_Iain]

On 11/26/2019 at 1:44 PM, Jayandar said:

Been booking Celebrity for over fifteen years. For the first time, now in a suite category, received this GTY stateroom assignment. Why is this done instead of allowing a specific stateroom selection. at booking, as I am used to? What is the reasoning? I have read that an assignment could be made by Celebrity at any time. By the way, this is for a 2021 cruise.

Celebrity often may be out of a certain room classification and sell a guarantee in a certain classification knowing that rooms will open up due to cancellations, upgrades both paid and by bidding.     Your guarantee is a guarantee of at least that classification and if none are available you will be given a room in a higher category.  

 

I recently had a guarantee Aqua and never had a cabin assigned.    When they sent me a move up bid I bid on a RS for a very low price and was shocked when I was won the bid and was assigned a RS. 

[NMTraveller]

I had a GTY inside cabin upgraded to a balcony at boarding time.  I loved that upgrade.  

 

I also had a cabin upgraded to handicapped once.  It was a bigger cabin.

 

I am more particular now about cabins so I don't do GTY any more.  But there were some upgrades involved.

Edited December 1, 2019 by NMTraveller

[villauk]

1 hour ago, Lolou127 said:

We booked a GTY cabin, when we were allocated they placed us right by the lifts, I called and asked to be moved to another in the same category (SS2) and it was done for us no issue at all x

 

 

You were very lucky as this is not standard practice over here, usually you have to accept the allocation wherever they put you.