Is booking a guarantee balcony a good idea?

[thefog]

My son in law just booked this type of room room because he said it is a cheaper price.

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, thefog said:

My son in law just booked this type of room because he said it is a cheaper price.

That's the point - you give up the certainty of location for a lower price.

[taglovestocruise]

What ship. Oasis class can be ocean view or interior balcony. Quantum class can be a obstructed deck 6 balcony. GTY'S are best for those who would be happy with any location. If booked with a US travel agent it is possible to change cabins after you receive your cabin number. Would not be wort it for us to book a GTY for a balcony, we have done it for a Suite. 

[Cooper30]

Only the person booking a guaranteed cabin can say whether it’s a good idea to them or not. 
 

Guarantees are a good idea for us because we book them when we absolutely do not care where our cabin is located. 
 

[Another_Critic]

I've booked balcony guarantees many times.  I've always been satisfied with the assigned cabin.  YMMV.

[thefog]

23 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said:

What ship. Oasis class can be ocean view or interior balcony. Quantum class can be a obstructed deck 6 balcony. GTY'S are best for those who would be happy with any location. If booked with a US travel agent it is possible to change cabins after you receive your cabin number. Would not be wort it for us to book a GTY for a balcony, we have done it for a Suite. 

they will be on quantum of the seas.

[smokeybandit]

As long as you know and accept the rules and possible downsides of a GTY, there's no downside.

[orla56]

If there is a big difference in price and you don't mind where the cabin is I think it is.We booked a guarantee ceanview balcony on Oasis of the seas and were just assigned cabin 10186 which is fine but it is a connecting room.We have also had a cabin on Independance on deck 7 near everything and the lifts but you may end up with a cabin that is a long way from the lifts with a bad view.If you don't mind were you are as long as your on the ship and it's saving money its fine.

Edited March 24 by orla56

[Mum2Mercury]

We almost always book Inside Guarantees, and we've always been satisfied.  Specifics: 

- We don't really care where we are, and the savings are real. 

- We seem to land on Deck 6 most of the time.  It's not a particularly popular deck, but it's become our favorite.  We also seem to land mid-ship most of the time.  

- Several times we've scored a small bump up:  Paid for an Inside /got an Obstructed Ocean View.  Paid for an Inside /got a Promenade Room.  Paid for an Inside /got a Handicapped Room.  

- What drives me nuts is waiting to know my room number!  As the date draws nearer, I start checking multiple times each day.  It's worth it for the savings.  

[neverbeenhere]

Alaska - some say you “need” a balcony, we say; “Nope” 

 

most the time the balcony is too cold to use efficiently. Save where you, views are available up top. Think solarium! 

[OldCaver]

16 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

We almost always book Inside Guarantees, and we've always been satisfied.  Specifics: 

- We don't really care where we are, and the savings are real. 

- We seem to land on Deck 6 most of the time.  It's not a particularly popular deck, but it's become our favorite.  We also seem to land mid-ship most of the time.  

- Several times we've scored a small bump up:  Paid for an Inside /got an Obstructed Ocean View.  Paid for an Inside /got a Promenade Room.  Paid for an Inside /got a Handicapped Room.  

- What drives me nuts is waiting to know my room number!  As the date draws nearer, I start checking multiple times each day.  It's worth it for the savings.  

I could have posted this except for the one about bump ups. We've never gotten that, ever. We just this morning found out we're on deck 6, and we have no room number yet. Most of us who like GTYs think of the cabin as a place to sleep or shower, and that's it. And the savings will pay for more important extras.

[Nickles_1]

We just booked a Oceanview Balcony Guarantee (XB) on Utopia, as it was a $400 price difference. That can get us a some nice drinks and a couple of specialty dinners! 

[little britain]

17 hours ago, thefog said:

they will be on quantum of the seas.

Expect deck 6 with obstructed view- anything else will be a bonus. They can alway try and Up too 

[Beachin2]

I've always believed that with a guarantee you should expect to get the worst cabin in that class (noise, location, obstruction, etc.) and anything you get better that is a bonus.

[Another_Critic]

14 minutes ago, Beachin2 said:

I've always believed that with a guarantee you should expect to get the worst cabin in that class (noise, location, obstruction, etc.) and anything you get better that is a bonus.

The same applies to a Royal Up bid.

[PhillyFan33579]

17 hours ago, neverbeenhere said:

Alaska - some say you “need” a balcony, we say; “Nope” 

 

most the time the balcony is too cold to use efficiently. Save where you, views are available up top. Think solarium! 

Just personal preference, but to me having a balcony on an Alaska cruise is a must. 

[Mum2Mercury]

3 hours ago, OldCaver said:

I could have posted this except for the one about bump ups. We've never gotten that, ever. We just this morning found out we're on deck 6, and we have no room number yet. Most of us who like GTYs think of the cabin as a place to sleep or shower, and that's it. And the savings will pay for more important extras.

We're always happy when we see Deck 6 pop up on our boarding passes.  We enjoy being one staircase up from the Promenade /drinks and pizza.  We enjoy being close to the MDR.  Really, it's become our favorite deck.  

2 hours ago, Nickles_1 said:

We just booked a Oceanview Balcony Guarantee (XB) on Utopia, as it was a $400 price difference. That can get us a some nice drinks and a couple of specialty dinners! 

That's enough to make a difference.  As the above poster said, it's enough to pay for some important extras.

[sgmn]

21 hours ago, thefog said:

they will be on quantum of the seas.

We had a guarantee balcony on Spectrum. We knew on this class we would probably get a obstructive view on deck 6, which we did. But it was also a connecting cabin.  We did an Royal Up to a unobstructed balcony for £35 each and got a nice balcony on 8th floor, not connected.

[Starry Eyes]

23 hours ago, thefog said:

they will be on quantum of the seas.

Does your SIL understand there are a lot of obstructed balconies on that class of ship?  If one books a gty balcony on quantum class, one should expect to be assigned a cabin with a lifeboat to obstruct the view from the balcony when sitting, though an adult will have a view over the lifeboat when standing on the balcony.  Some people are lucky and get a less obstructed or nonobstructed assignment, but expect an obstruction.  Nonetheless, many people do book balcony gty as they can be good deals, one still gets fresh air and can look over the lifeboat.

Edited March 25 by Starry Eyes

[rmzlvacationers]

We did it once on Anthem and NEVER again.  Yes, it did save some $ but we learned that we are mid-ship cruisers! Even though we heard that some travel agents will move you if there is availability at the same cabin level, ours would not.

 

So we went where we were assigned....DD and BF were Deck 6 like second cabin from the front. One night the seas were so rough if felt like they were lifting up off the bed with each swell. They wound up leaving the room and staying up all night sitting in La Patisserie. Returned in the morning to a cabin with broken glasses that fell off the counter and many other items displaced. 

 

My DH and I had Deck 8 about 5 cabins from the Aft. We felt the motion but were ok. My problem was more the constant vibration feeling. Didn't make me sick or anything, just didn't care for it.

[LB_NJ]

There is a tiny chance that they will overbook and you will not sail.

 

Other than that if the discount is good enough go ahead and book guaranteed if you are willing to live with the worst possible cabin in that category.