Guaranteed Stateroom Not So Guaranteed?

[Dreamscaper]

4 hours ago, Dreamscaper said:

Got a call back from George's supervisor, Edwina.  She made some calls and said she'd have George call me back.  I did end up getting a call back from Daniel and he's making all the right noises and promised another call back, which I'm waiting on.  I haven't given up hope entirely just yet, though my faith is still shaken pretty hard.

He estimated 45 minutes for his call back.  This was about 2 hours prior to the office closing.  Of course the time came and went and no call back, not even to apologize and say he simply needed more time, which I could understand - I just need some assurance right now!  I'll see what tomorrow brings. 

 

(note I'm posting a lot of updates just to keep them sorted and straight for myself as well - these calls and days and hours are starting to blur in my own mind at this point, and if I have to start emailing corporate or something it's good to have it all written down).  Thanks for indulging me folks!

Edited June 3, 2023 by Dreamscaper
typos, always typos!

[Cruise till you drop]

10 hours ago, Dreamscaper said:

He estimated 45 minutes for his call back.  This was about 2 hours prior to the office closing.  Of course the time came and went and no call back, not even to apologize and say he simply needed more time, which I could understand - I just need some assurance right now!  I'll see what tomorrow brings. 

 

(note I'm posting a lot of updates just to keep them sorted and straight for myself as well - these calls and days and hours are starting to blur in my own mind at this point, and if I have to start emailing corporate or something it's good to have it all written down).  Thanks for indulging me folks!

Glad you didn’t hold your breath.  We had a similar situation as we had someone say they were bringing in their boss only to wait an hour and then get hung up on.  Then we called back and got someone else who eventually hung up on us.  Person #3 was just useless but we ended up on the phone for over 2 hours only to discover they couldn’t do anything and would not escalate it within Princess

[PescadoAmarillo]

On 6/1/2023 at 6:22 AM, Buckeye10640 said:

OP booked a 'guarantee' cabin which is not a specific cabin but is a cabin guaranteed to be in the same or better class as the booking. Princess can assign any cabin that meets that criteria. 

But if this is the case, Princess shouldn’t be charging different fares for guarantee cabins in different parts of the ship, which I *think* they are doing. 

[Dreamscaper]

47 minutes ago, Cruise till you drop said:

Glad you didn’t hold your breath.  We had a similar situation as we had someone say they were bringing in their boss only to wait an hour and then get hung up on.  Then we called back and got someone else who eventually hung up on us.  Person #3 was just useless but we ended up on the phone for over 2 hours only to discover they couldn’t do anything and would not escalate it within Princess

I have lost count of how many people who have told me they can't do anything for us!

[Dreamscaper]

25 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

But if this is the case, Princess shouldn’t be charging different fares for guarantee cabins in different parts of the ship, which I *think* they are doing. 

I think @PescadoAmarillo is correct.  Edwina tried to tell me that they can put you *anywhere* on the ship, which is a garbage reply as they DO charge you higher prices for the better "guaranteed" categories.  Perhaps that was a breakdown in communication and she meant  or didn't realize that it meant they could put you in any category you book or HIGHER (at the same price you initially booked at).  From what I've seen in another thread here, it's possible to book and request no upgrades though.

 

In our situation they booked us into a LOWER category stateroom, and thus began our saga!

[startedwithamouse]

 

They can put you anywhere on the ship, it's always been this way. They are hoping customers click the guaranteed in a certain section of the ship, as it brings more revenue in. Our TA advised us if we book guarantee, always choose the cheapest rate.

 

We always book all the way forward (cheapest) guarantee. Only once have we ended up in a forward cabin, and it wasn't on deck 5 or 15, i.e., cabins above and below us. We usually don't book sailings which are full to capacity.

 

Guaranteed means your cabin TYPE is guaranteed, as stated below, but not the location. Princess can put you anywhere on the ship. 

 

 

Edited June 3, 2023 by startedwithamouse

[suzyed]

On 5/30/2023 at 3:45 PM, Dreamscaper said:

Just for reference in case anyone was wondering, the stateroom we were assigned was R702 - literally ten cabins from the very rear of the ship - I can't imagine any way that would be considered comparable.  My sister in law was correctly assigned her balcony right mid-ship by the panoramic lifts

We like that location! But maybe you will get one more to your liking in August.

[Dreamscaper]

6 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

 

They can put you anywhere on the ship, it's always been this way. They are hoping customers click the guaranteed in a certain section of the ship, as it brings more revenue in. Our TA advised us if we book guarantee, always choose the cheapest rate.

 

We always book all the way forward (cheapest) guarantee. Only once have we ended up in a forward cabin, and it wasn't on deck 5 or 15, i.e., cabins above and below us. We usually don't book sailings which are full to capacity.

 

Guaranteed means your cabin TYPE is guaranteed, as stated below, but not the location. Princess can put you anywhere on the ship. 

 

 

Interesting... although I would not think a stateroom ten cabins away from the very back of the ship is "comparable" to mid-ship.

 

I will certainly never book a cruise again (on ANY cruiseline) without a guarantee of a specific cabin!

[Dreamscaper]

4 minutes ago, suzyed said:

We like that location! But maybe you will get one more to your liking in August.

I've seen a few people say that they like the aft!  Good to know for future as it's a lower price category than the one we booked in at. Of course, they've since moved us (and billed us after guest services denied the initial offer for the free upgrade) to a mini suite, so we're trying to get out of that now.

 

I was concerned about ship movement and long walks on such a big ship, which is why I booked mid ship, but with the knowledge I have *now* I might have considered staying in the afk stateroom but with the expectation of a bit of compensation (i.e. the price difference in the category and maybe some OBC or something), but they weren't offering anything at all.

[memoak]

We love aft suites and they are the only ones we book. Love the motion. We bender ever book a guarantee stateroom as they can move you at will. We were forward about 20 years ago and it was horrible sounds of the anchor every port woke us up. Don’t like midship locations because in most cases the balconies are smaller. We were in a midship suite on the Majestic and could barely move around the furniture

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, Dreamscaper said:

Interesting... although I would not think a stateroom ten cabins away from the very back of the ship is "comparable" to mid-ship.

 

I will certainly never book a cruise again (on ANY cruiseline) without a guarantee of a specific cabin!

A learning  experience

[blizzard44ca]

1 hour ago, Dreamscaper said:

I've seen a few people say that they like the aft!  Good to know for future as it's a lower price category than the one we booked in at. Of course, they've since moved us (and billed us after guest services denied the initial offer for the free upgrade) to a mini suite, so we're trying to get out of that now.

 

I was concerned about ship movement and long walks on such a big ship, which is why I booked mid ship, but with the knowledge I have *now* I might have considered staying in the afk stateroom but with the expectation of a bit of compensation (i.e. the price difference in the category and maybe some OBC or something), but they weren't offering anything at all.

Just be very clear that you booked a guaranteed BA cabin, and they assigned you a BD cabin.  Don’t get too hung up on telling them it was guaranteed mid-ship, as they don’t understand that - they think in terms of category only. 

[Nicole&Pete]

Just now, startedwithamouse said:

 

They can put you anywhere on the ship, it's always been this way. They are hoping customers click the guaranteed in a certain section of the ship, as it brings more revenue in. Our TA advised us if we book guarantee, always choose the cheapest rate.

 

We always book all the way forward (cheapest) guarantee. Only once have we ended up in a forward cabin, and it wasn't on deck 5 or 15, i.e., cabins above and below us. We usually don't book sailings which are full to capacity.

 

Guaranteed means your cabin TYPE is guaranteed, as stated below, but not the location. Princess can put you anywhere on the ship. 

 

 

When I book through an agents website you pick the type and sub category of cabin like BA for example and under that you have a choice of rooms one of which is guarantee. If you have booked guarantee surely that is guarantee for a BA at least.

 

Doesn’t guarantee a location but does guarantee a category I thought?

[Dreamscaper]

3 hours ago, blizzard44ca said:

Just be very clear that you booked a guaranteed BA cabin, and they assigned you a BD cabin.  Don’t get too hung up on telling them it was guaranteed mid-ship, as they don’t understand that - they think in terms of category only. 

Thank you, will do!

[Dreamscaper]

2 hours ago, Nicole&Pete said:

When I book through an agents website you pick the type and sub category of cabin like BA for example and under that you have a choice of rooms one of which is guarantee. If you have booked guarantee surely that is guarantee for a BA at least.

 

Doesn’t guarantee a location but does guarantee a category I thought?

That was my thought as well.  My sister in law made the booking, we thought we had a guaranteed category (as reflected in our booking confirmation).  I knew we didn't have the *exact* stateroom booked, but definitely expected an assignment within our agreed and payed for category.

[SCX22]

I sympathize with your frustration.

 

I almost always book guarantee and have always been assigned a stateroom in the meta/location category that I booked or better.  It's great when the meta upgrade goes through.

 

Not sure why on the Princess website, the guarantee selection reads as "Selecting this option will guarantee a stateroom assignment in this location or a comparable location...."  This to me reads, once the guarantee location category no longer has available staterooms to assign, then the booking is only eligible for meta upgrades in the same location.  In your example, you booked a BA, so you would only be eligible for an upgrade to DA, MA, M1; none of the suites are mid-ship so, 

 

Regardless, you got a downgrade, which defeats the purpose of booking a guarantee room. 

 

Would you have been willing to accept an upgrade even if it was was in a different location?  Like a Deluxe Balcony located forward?  (It's the next category up from BA.)

 

 

[Dreamscaper]

12 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

I sympathize with your frustration.

 

I almost always book guarantee and have always been assigned a stateroom in the meta/location category that I booked or better.  It's great when the meta upgrade goes through.

 

Not sure why on the Princess website, the guarantee selection reads as "Selecting this option will guarantee a stateroom assignment in this location or a comparable location...."  This to me reads, once the guarantee location category no longer has available staterooms to assign, then the booking is only eligible for meta upgrades in the same location.  In your example, you booked a BA, so you would only be eligible for an upgrade to DA, MA, M1; none of the suites are mid-ship so, 

 

Regardless, you got a downgrade, which defeats the purpose of booking a guarantee room. 

 

Would you have been willing to accept an upgrade even if it was was in a different location?  Like a Deluxe Balcony located forward?  (It's the next category up from BA.)

 

 

I'd be hesitant about a totally forward deluxe balcony, concerned about movement - but I would *understand* as it would be an upgrade (rather than the downgrade as you stated).  I may have asked if it was possible to go back to what we had booked, but I'd totally understand if they weren't able to do it.

 

[odd this post has to be approved by a moderator for reasons I don't know!]

Edited June 3, 2023 by Dreamscaper

[Cruise till you drop]

I appreciate all the comments but still unclear on

1) can I get a guaranteed cabin on Princess or is it just guaranteed category ?

 

2) If yes to guaranteed cabin, how do you book this as I’ve never seen that asked on Princess website (if booking directly)

[SCX22]

Yes you can book a guaranteed cabin.  But the verdict is still out whether or not this means that means you can book a guarantee which guarantees location.

 

Online, if you choose the "Princess Chooses Your Stateroom," you will be in the lowest location category (if interior, IF; if balcony, BF, etc.) and sometimes reflects a lower price, but almost always has a non-refundable deposit..  If you choose, "Reserve a Guaranteed Stateroom" after choosing "You Choose Your Stateroom," you can choose a location category within a meta category as guarantee (if Mid-Ship for example, IA, BA, DA, MA). 

 

If you want to book guarantee in a specific category other than the lowest in a meta category, it's best to book with a live person or on a travel agency's website so that the guarantee category and location are clear.  The Princess website is not longer transparent until confirmation of what location category is booked.  

 

Some people always book an A location category because this means that there is no higher location category to upgrade to, and if upgraded, they would be bumped to the next meta category.  My friends have noticed that this doesn't work as often with the Bid to Upgrade in place.

 

 

[Haljo1935]

4 hours ago, Dreamscaper said:

That was my thought as well.  My sister in law made the booking, we thought we had a guaranteed category (as reflected in our booking confirmation).  I knew we didn't have the *exact* stateroom booked, but definitely expected an assignment within our agreed and payed for category.

Hi @Dreamscaper may I am why you didn't just book the 2 cabins you wanted rather than a guarantee?

[Dreamscaper]

1 hour ago, Haljo1935 said:

Hi @Dreamscaper may I am why you didn't just book the 2 cabins you wanted rather than a guarantee?

There wasn't an option to book a specific cabin - just the guaranteed "Princess will assign your stateroom prior to sailing.  Selecting this option will guarantee a stateroom assignment in this location or a comparable location prior to sailing".  We fully trusted the stated promise that we would receive a cabin in our booking contract category (or comparable - a downgrade is not "comparable" in my book. They even use the word GUARANTEE in their wording. I'm not fussy about a *specific* stateroom, I just wanted to be in that general mid ship area where we booked (and paid for).

 

I don't know why sometimes you can select a specific stateroom and sometimes you can only select a category when you book, but we relied on that.. well... guarantee!

Edited June 4, 2023 by Dreamscaper

[Haljo1935]

Thanks @Dreamscaper and sorry for your experience and frustration. while I'm familiar w/Guarantees, I haven't seen them as the only option. I have always had the choice between selecting a specific cabin or letting Princess assign as a Guarantee. 

Perhaps the ship is near capacity so that was all they were offering. Just a thought.

Again, sorry your experience is not off to a good start. I hope you get it straightened out and have a fabulous cruise.

FWIW, we love the aft cabins - the wake views are amazing and we've been blessed to some pretty incredible wildlife shows.

Safe travels and do let us know the final outcome - a lot of people here are rooting for you!

[DallasGuy75219]

11 hours ago, startedwithamouse said:

 

They can put you anywhere on the ship, it's always been this way. They are hoping customers click the guaranteed in a certain section of the ship, as it brings more revenue in. Our TA advised us if we book guarantee, always choose the cheapest rate.

 

We always book all the way forward (cheapest) guarantee. Only once have we ended up in a forward cabin, and it wasn't on deck 5 or 15, i.e., cabins above and below us. We usually don't book sailings which are full to capacity.

 

Guaranteed means your cabin TYPE is guaranteed, as stated below, but not the location. Princess can put you anywhere on the ship. 

 

 

OP had a BA guarantee, just like I have an IA guarantee for Island later this month.  While a "midship" guarantee might be a bit nebulous (although it could probably be proven out that all rooms sold as midship interiors or balconies on a particular ship are in fact IA or BA, respectively), BA and IA by definition reflect a midship location, not "anywhere on the ship". 

 

If Princess doesn't assign OP in a BA or better, there's a valid claim for breach of contract, regardless of whether Princess' practice is to ignore the guaranteed category when assigning guarantee cabins.

[Dreamscaper]

Update:  I finally managed to reach Daniel and he got us back into the originally assigned stateroom in the aft at the original booking price for the aft category.  So we did not get our guaranteed BA, but we are no longer being charged an extra $1,100 for that mini suite either.  Our invoice price *has* gone down from the original booking price by $258 (note this is all in Canadian dollars, not American), which I imagine is the price difference in the categories at the time we originally booked. 

 

There is NO offer of any compensation for all this time, stress, and breaking of our original contract - you'd think they'd give us some OBC or a specialty dining credit or *something* - it would cost them very little and show us that they actually cared about what they've put us through LOL.  Instead he made it sound like he was doing us this huge favour, telling us how much work he put into getting us to this point.

 

He also repeated what Edwina had claimed, that this guaranteed location was not an actual guarantee.  I pointed out that it said Guar / BA on our booking contract, and he was kind of "oh" .  I'm not sure if that meant he realized he was mistaken, or if it was just an "oh well".  This might be a question I put to Princess via Twitter as I think it's a very important thing to know for anyone paying extra for those guaranteed categories if they won't honour them.

 

He said his hands were tied from here and offered to put me through to customer service again if I wished.  I'm taking a breather, not sure if it's worth any further stress over this anymore.  While I'm glad we're no longer stuck with that extra charge, I am disappointed in how this has all gone down, and I'm sure I'll be writing to corporate at some point to let them know what Princess has put me through.

Edited June 5, 2023 by Dreamscaper
clarification

[Guest ldtr]

On 6/3/2023 at 8:31 PM, Dreamscaper said:

There wasn't an option to book a specific cabin - just the guaranteed "Princess will assign your stateroom prior to sailing.  Selecting this option will guarantee a stateroom assignment in this location or a comparable location prior to sailing".  We fully trusted the stated promise that we would receive a cabin in our booking contract category (or comparable - a downgrade is not "comparable" in my book. They even use the word GUARANTEE in their wording. I'm not fussy about a *specific* stateroom, I just wanted to be in that general mid ship area where we booked (and paid for).

 

I don't know why sometimes you can select a specific stateroom and sometimes you can only select a category when you book, but we relied on that.. well... guarantee!

Problem is that when they reach that point there are very few or no rooms available and you are basically on a wait list for the fairly few rooms that are in that area at the best of time.   Guess they could have come back and merely said no BA rooms available in that area, canceled your cruise and given you a refund as an alternative to booking you in a different location.