Guarantee Balcony question

[emen822]

I booked a balcony guarantee cabin for my June sailing on the Wonder. (I’ve never done this before.)  And today after making final payment I noticed on my invoice it says “stateroom obstructed: pending”. I never noticed that before so I went and looked at a previous invoice for the same cruise and it says “stateroom obstructed:  0%”. Has anyone seen this before and is it something I should make a call about?  I know the chance I took booking a guarantee but I’m just wondering if that is the norm. 
 

thanks in advance. 
Mary

[Denversail]

I don’t understand why you would waste your time calling. That is a possibility you sign up for when booking a guarantee. It is a roll of the dice.

[Starry Eyes]

My guess: they probably updated the format of invoices for unassigned gty cabins.

Perviously it said obstructed: 0% with a note lower on the invoice that the  % obstructed would be updated when the cabin was assigned.  Of course, some people likely did not read or did not process that note. 
If the unassigned gty now says obstructed: pending, that’s better, as people don’t have to find/read a note elsewhere on the invoice.

 

Unlike Quamtum class balconies are not as big an issue on Wonder and her sister ships.  Personally I don’t really worry about obstructed balconies when I book gty on Oasis class.

 

Did you go with the lowest priced balcony gty which would be an XN, a neighborhood balcony gty or did you specify the more expensive XB oceanview balcony gty?

[emen822]

9 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

My guess: they probably updated the format of invoices for unassigned gty cabins.

Perviously it said obstructed: 0% with a note lower on the invoice that the  % obstructed would be updated when the cabin was assigned.  Of course, some people likely did not read or did not process that note. 
If the unassigned gty now says obstructed: pending, that’s better, as people don’t have to find/read a note elsewhere on the invoice.

 

Unlike Quamtum class balconies are not as big an issue on Wonder and her sister ships.  Personally I don’t really worry about obstructed balconies when I book gty on Oasis class.

 

Did you go with the lowest priced balcony gty which would be an XN, a neighborhood balcony gty or did you specify the more expensive XB oceanview balcony gty?

There was only one guarantee balcony type when I booked so I’m not sure if it would be XN or XB. They did tell me I could get a neighborhood or oceanview which I was fine with. I just noticed this today and wondered if anyone else had seen that on their invoices. I’ve had so many issues with this one reservation. 🥴

[Starry Eyes]

1 hour ago, emen822 said:

There was only one guarantee balcony type when I booked so I’m not sure if it would be XN or XB. They did tell me I could get a neighborhood or oceanview which I was fine with. I just noticed this today and wondered if anyone else had seen that on their invoices. I’ve had so many issues with this one reservation. 🥴

If they said you could get a neighborhood balcony, then it is an XN.

[Sigyn]

I just booked my cruise 13 days ago and made final payment the same day and my invoice said stateroom obstructed: 0%. I booked a neighborhood balcony guarantee. I received my stateroom assignment yesterday and was given a Central Park balcony. no obstruction. 

[livingonthebeach]

It's a crapshoot when you book GTY.  I was extremely lucky on Odyssey -- when I saw I got 

deck six I nearly freaked out -- that's where all the obstructed balconies are due to the tenders being there. I got a cabin way up toward the bow and had a perfectly unobstructed view --- YMMV

[TomC21]

I recently booked a guarantee balcony on the Independence of the Seas sailing next month. When I printed the invoice it said “obstructed” on it. We were within the final payment window, paid in full, and called it a day. We checked in on the app and it generated a set sail pass with a bar code on the bottom. The Set Sail Pass gave us Deck 8 GTY. No cabin assignment yet. On another cruise forum I read to download a free bar code scanner to see if the cabin number shows up after you scan it. Mine did. It showed a cabin number after a bunch of numbers. It was separated from the other numbers. Something you might consider if you haven’t received an updated cabin assignment. When I inquired if that’s a reliable indicator of your cabin, they agreed. Let us know if you see your assigned cabin with scanning the bar code. If I end up with the assigned GTY cabin, it is not obstructed, and actually a larger superior balcony near the forward elevators. Not a big deal, we’ve had cabins near elevators before.

Edited March 9, 2023 by TomC21

[TomC21]

I used the TeaCapps bar code scanner from the Apple App Store. There is a free version part within the app.

Edited March 9, 2023 by TomC21

[Starry Eyes]

1 hour ago, TomC21 said:

I recently booked a guarantee balcony on the Independence of the Seas sailing next month. When I printed the invoice it said “obstructed” on it. We were within the final payment window, paid in full, and called it a day. We checked in on the app and it generated a set sail pass with a bar code on the bottom. The Set Sail Pass gave us Deck 8 GTY. No cabin assignment yet. On another cruise forum I read to download a free bar code scanner to see if the cabin number shows up after you scan it. Mine did. It showed a cabin number after a bunch of numbers. It was separated from the other numbers. Something you might consider if you haven’t received an updated cabin assignment. When I inquired if that’s a reliable indicator of your cabin, they agreed. Let us know if you see your assigned cabin with scanning the bar code. If I end up with the assigned GTY cabin, it is not obstructed, and actually a larger superior balcony near the forward elevators. Not a big deal, we’ve had cabins near elevators before.

If you read the OP’s post, they cruise in June.  That means they do not yet have a set sail pass, so they do not have a barcode to scan.  That is the reason nobody else on this thread suggests the barcode trick to the OP; it is too soon for the OP.  If the OP is waiting for their assignment after check in (45 days out), they can try the bar code trick.

 

 

[Starry Eyes]

1 hour ago, TomC21 said:

I used the TeaCapps bar code scanner from the Apple App Store. There is a free version part within the app.

iPhone users generally just put their set sail pass into their apple wallet.  The numbers are below the barcode in the wallet.  No app other app is needed with iOS.  Android user do need a bar code reader for the barcode trick.

Edited March 9, 2023 by Starry Eyes

[luvtotravelgirl]

I have an interior guarantee booked and when I made my final payment recently, my new invoice said pending on the obstruction. So, I'm guessing, like someone said above, they've changed their format.

[Candleonwater]

On 3/10/2023 at 3:48 AM, luvtotravelgirl said:

I have an interior guarantee booked and when I made my final payment recently, my new invoice said pending on the obstruction. So, I'm guessing, like someone said above, they've changed their format.

That's my feeling as well. I booked my daughter into an interior guarantee for our cruise in 3 weeks.  All of her invoices say "Pending".

 

Out of curiosity - anyone have any luck with getting their assignments in advance? The last time I booked a guarantee (a while ago because I'm a control freak), I didn't know until less than 24 hours before sailing.

[Biker19]

16 minutes ago, Candleonwater said:

Out of curiosity - anyone have any luck with getting their assignments in advance? The last time I booked a guarantee (a while ago because I'm a control freak), I didn't know until less than 24 hours before sailing.

That is likely the exception - most folks find out the real assignment (besides the known assignment via the barcode trick) much further out than one day out.

[suesnake2002]

I have booked a few balcony and suite gty. The sooner you pay it off, the sooner you will be assigned your room. Gone are the days of being assigned room at 30 days out or less. 

 The big upside to this is that you can switch your room for no fee as long as it is in same catagory. The rooms have codes, like 4d,2c, etc. 

I paid off a cruise for anthem. Got assigned a balcony on deck 12. On anthem since things are inside i prefer deck 7. 2 decks down to all the action. Only need elevator for jammer and pools. I had a wide choice of rooms and drcks since we are still far out. 

[steveru621]

32 minutes ago, suesnake2002 said:

I have booked a few balcony and suite gty. The sooner you pay it off, the sooner you will be assigned your room. Gone are the days of being assigned room at 30 days out or less. 

 The big upside to this is that you can switch your room for no fee as long as it is in same catagory. The rooms have codes, like 4d,2c, etc. 

I paid off a cruise for anthem. Got assigned a balcony on deck 12. On anthem since things are inside i prefer deck 7. 2 decks down to all the action. Only need elevator for jammer and pools. I had a wide choice of rooms and drcks since we are still far out. 

 

That's not true at all.  You can still be assigned your cabin on boarding day.

[jemsjens]

we are sailing Oct 15 and were assigned a cabin Friday march 10th.....

we have only paid the deposit.

 

[Starry Eyes]

45 minutes ago, suesnake2002 said:

I have booked a few balcony and suite gty. The sooner you pay it off, the sooner you will be assigned your room. Gone are the days of being assigned room at 30 days out or less. 

 The big upside to this is that you can switch your room for no fee as long as it is in same catagory. The rooms have codes, like 4d,2c, etc. 

I paid off a cruise for anthem. Got assigned a balcony on deck 12. On anthem since things are inside i prefer deck 7. 2 decks down to all the action. Only need elevator for jammer and pools. I had a wide choice of rooms and drcks since we are still far out. 

You were fortunate to get your assignment early; I am happy for you.  Your experience does not generalize to everyone; it is one isolated experience.  Paying off our cruise balances has not resulted in an assignment multiple times.  Despite being long since paid, of our assignments in the last six months have come as late as 5 days before the cruise.  
 

An assignment on the first leg of a b2b on odyssey came at 30 days; there were no remaining cabins in our category or any other…sold out.  The second leg is now also sold out; it is 33 days away and we do not have our assignment officially (we have seen the bar code).  Pay early, no switches, cabins will be just fine anyway.

[Sigyn]

2 hours ago, Candleonwater said:

Out of curiosity - anyone have any luck with getting their assignments in advance? The last time I booked a guarantee (a while ago because I'm a control freak), I didn't know until less than 24 hours before sailing.

I received my stateroom assignment for my GTY balcony on March 6 and we sail on April 1. 

[Fldw126]

I got an updated receipt 2 Fridays ago, I had already paid final payment about a month prior. I sail in Sept. My friend on same cruise got same update that day also and she has not paid off. Both ours said same as yours from 0% to pending. I’m not really worried. Take a look at what balconies are obstructed on your cruise and then search YouTube or cruise deck plans for pics or videos.