Info I got from Princess on Guarantee cabins

[sunviking90]

14 minutes ago, Buckeye10640 said:

Wish  Princess would put actual seating, like a loveseat, in balcony cabins like many other lines do. Thats all I want, dont need actual sleeping arrangements for 3.  Any chance they are doing this on the new Sun?

I agree. It would be nice not to have to get a deluxe to have this.

[DJ Cruisers]

It seems all the Deluxe Balconies have the capability of holding 3 or more people. This policy of making me book one as a guarantee because we are only 2 people just makes no sense.  If I were to book a guarantee (which I won't)  they are committing to giving me one eventually but annoying me by not letting me pick it out now when I see one I like.  So 3 people are given priority to be able choose a cabin they like now and I am supposed to be fine with whatever location they give me at some future point.

 

I too wish that all balconies had a sofa in them like some other cruise lines do.  And gosh, they aren't even called "Deluxe".

[sabookkeeper]

I was trying to book a deluxe cabin for a cruise in 2025 and none were available to book - only guarantees.  I contacted my TA and she was able to book one for me. 

 

I agree that this is a ridiculous way to do business.  Most people want to choose their own cabin.

[Dreamscaper]

We've been unable to select a specific stateroom on our booking, and booked a "guaranteed".  They then put us in a category a level *below* their guarantee (probably a couple of levels, they took us from mid ship to aft).  Trying to get it fixed turned it into an even bigger mess (there's a lengthy thread about my ongoing saga on these boards). 

 

From what I've read, TAs seem to have better luck booking specific staterooms.  Live and learn, we're novices with Princess.

[Steelers36]

I am not sure just where PCL would place a sofa in a regular Balcony cabin without a major re-design and not seeing how they would/could do that on legacy ships.

[DJ Cruisers]

42 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

I am not sure just where PCL would place a sofa in a regular Balcony cabin without a major re-design and not seeing how they would/could do that on legacy ships.

Agree they can't with the current ship design.   It appears they are committed to small balcony cabins with no place to sit inside except in a desk chair.  Now it is even difficult if impossible to pick out a "Deluxe" cabin to book if I want that little extra room and sofa.  I'm just not interested in doing guarantees and hoping we get a location we are OK with.  For me the small savings on an expensive overall trip isn't worth it.

[boeckli]

On 5/10/2023 at 12:19 AM, Cajuntraveler said:

 I have been able to see available cabins and prices on Regal Princess by selecting 3 passengers instead of 2.  After I get to the cabin listing page, I return to the number of passengers page and change it to 2.  The available cabins still appear and I am able to select the cabin I want. I have not completed a booking using this method, but at least I can see what is available and the price. BTW, I am looking at Reserve mini suite cabins - not the "lead in" category.

 

Was this on the Princess website?

[Cajuntraveler]

9 hours ago, boeckli said:

Was this on the Princess website?

Yes, I use this method on the Princess web site.  As others have noted, I have better results finding specific cabins by going through an online TA.

[susiefay]

I wanted to change an obstructed balcony to a deluxe obstructed balcony and the website and my CVP from Princess would not allow me to book a specific cabin for 2 people, only 3.  

My CVP connected me with headquarters in Arizona and the woman I spoke to was able to change it for me, no questions asked!  It is for my son and his fiancé who are joining us.  I am elite with Princess so maybe that made a difference, but always worth a try.  

[CruisinFinsUp]

I too am frustrated with these new booking rules. 

 

First....

We are looking at an upcoming cruise on a Royal Class ship - we want to book a Deluxe balcony for our daughter and her boyfriend.  He has back problems so we want the loveseat so they can sit somewhere other than the bed. I want the lowest deck, central, as its his first cruise and we want to minimize motion. So obstructed deluxe balcony, midship. Nope. Only 2 people so we can't book it.  Lots available if I put in "3".   Ridiculous!    

Why is this suddenly an issue?    If we go ahead, I'm going to book our son as well in their cabin then cancel him before final payment as he doesn't want to go.  If Princess wants to play games, I can play too.   I am so frustrated by this nonsense.  

 

Second...   Thanks OP for the info confirming the guarantee cabins mess. 

BUT what Princess has ignored are the Grand Class AFT ME Minisuites -- those cabins are amazing as far as we (and others!) are concerned.  Covered balconies.  The last cabins on Emerald deck have the fantastic huge balconies.   GUARANTEE ONLY!!!!   

We LOVE those cabins.  I've booked them many times and marked them "no upgrade". I've switched cabins when one of the far aft ones comes up.     

Now I cannot book them at all.  

I read that someone on a recent cruise on Emerald Princess got the aft big balcony minisuite cabin as a GUARANTEE.  Seriously????

 

Clearly someone at Princess who has never actually set foot in one of those cabins made this decision.    I am really not happy about this one either.   

 

 

I'm hoping that my travel agent can bypass these issues somehow when we are ready to book next.  I appreciate the OP's post because now I have something to send to my TA that she can work with.  

 

Any thoughts on how we convince Princess to reverse these decisions??  

[Steelers36]

On 6/5/2023 at 10:04 AM, Cajuntraveler said:

Yes, I use this method on the Princess web site.  As others have noted, I have better results finding specific cabins by going through an online TA.

I am now wondering if there is a bug in the booking process related to the change to make lowest lead-in categories both non-refundable deposit and no cabin selection.  Your workaround appears to beat the system and also aligns with 3rd-party booking engines that do show available cabins when booking with two persons.

[Steelers36]

32 minutes ago, CruisinFinsUp said:

Any thoughts on how we convince Princess to reverse these decisions??  

In your corner 110%.

[Steelers36]

On 6/5/2023 at 10:04 AM, Cajuntraveler said:

Yes, I use this method on the Princess web site.  As others have noted, I have better results finding specific cabins by going through an online TA.

 

31 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

I am now wondering if there is a bug in the booking process related to the change to make lowest lead-in categories both non-refundable deposit and no cabin selection.  Your workaround appears to beat the system and also aligns with 3rd-party booking engines that do show available cabins when booking with two persons.

 

Actually, I am wondering how exactly you  are accomplishing this.  When I reverse course and back out from the cabin selection all the way to number of passengers and change from 3 to 2, then go forward, the cabin selection is gone again and back to GTY only.  (I was doing a test and not actually looking to book a cruise).

 

Seems like the easiest/best way would be to book a 3rd person and then cancel them out after deposit paid.  The other option is have an agent book or use a 3rd party booking engine if using an agency and they have a self-serve option.  I can book two people in a Deluxe on same voyage using my agency booking page rather than Princess.com, for example.

 

 

ETA UPDATE:  Hmm.. something has changed more recently than I first thought.  I just tried 3rd party booking engine that is used by multiple agency websites and I got GTY only when attempting to book Deluxe Balcony on a sample Caribbean voyage next Winter.  Switched to 3 passengers and loads of cabins appeared in the list to choose from.  Tried to change back to 2 and they went away.  Princess is playing games or has a bug in POLAR.  I totally agree that something is wrong when a couple cannot book and choose a specific Deluxe.  It will be interesting to read if someone gets a confession from Princess that something is wrong in their system.  Looks like we just have to strike back for time being and book an extra person.  Is this same issue for regular Balcony cabins?

 

Edited June 6, 2023 by Steelers36

[mrstmaxx96]

I think the only thing we can do is flood Princess with complaints although I don't think it will make any difference.  Go to Instagram and Twitter and complain so others will see the probem.   Send DMs to them.  Again, I don't think they give a crap (can I say that word here?😁)  they didn't respond after my first 'complaint' but it didn't stop me from complaining more.   But yes, my TA was able to get the cabins booked we wanted so hopefully people will reach out to a TA.  

[Cajuntraveler]

2 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Is this same issue for regular Balcony cabins?

I had the same issue when looking at Reserve Mini Suites.  When I tried it a few weeks ago on Princess, I could put 3 passengers, get the list of available cabins, go back and change to 2 people and still see the cabin list/price. That method is not working now.  Today I used a popular online TA system and can get a list of M1 cabins available for 2 people. (I didn't complete the booking, so can't be sure that I could actually make the reservation through the TA system.)  

[sammywolffox]

Forgive me but this is funny. My wife and I love being forward on the upper decks of Princess Royal class ships. We always try to book BF on decks16 or 17. The first time we were unable to book anything but guaranteed BF we thought we would be just fine. We were assigned a cabin on a much lower deck near the laundry. When I checked I was told it was an upgrade. I have the same problem on an upcoming cruise. I have called twice. The first time I was told that "no upgrade" cannot be noted on my booking. The second time I was told that 'no upgrade" can be noted but is in no way binding. What a conundrum when you want what Princess considers to lowest grade balcony cabin and the company will not promise you they won't upgrade to something you don't want. Princess states a corporate goal is "To deliver unforgettable happiness to our guests by providing extraordinary cruise vacations..."  They are getting the unforgettable but the happiness needs a little work.