Balcony guaranteed, who decides? TA or Carnival?

[mdxter]

Booked a balcony guaranteed on the Valor and was wondering who decides which room you would get? The travel agent or Carnival? Do they give preference to past cruisers as to the better the balcony? I am excited about the upcoming cruise and it will be our first balcony.

 

Thanks All

[Froufie]

I would presume the cruiseline would deterine who gets which cabin assignment. And it all depends on how full the ship is, availability, etc. If you booked a balcony guarantee I believe the lowest category would be an 8a. The rooms are of course all the same just moving up in deck levels as you go from 8b and on.... Where the cabin is located on a specific deck (forward/midship/aft) is just a toss of the dice!

 

We booked a 8A balcony guarantee on our recent Victory sailing and ended up in an 8D on the Lido deck - it was a bit more 'forward' than I would have picked for myself, but frankly it didn't make a smidge of a difference - we had smooth sailing the whole way - and a great view!

 

Good luck!

[S.S.Oceanlover]

definitely it's up to the cruiseline. It doesn't matter if you've never cruised before or if you've cruised 10 times before. Like stated by Froufie it just depends on what cabins are still available when it's getting close to sailing time.

 

Bill

[Thamsey]

I talked to someone at Carnival who told me it is the agency I booked with who will decide what cabin I will get. I guess they buy up blocks of cabins and then assign what they have. So that was from the horses mouth.

[jcanino]

I talked to someone at Carnival who told me it is the agency I booked with who will decide what cabin I will get. I guess they buy up blocks of cabins and then assign what they have. So that was from the horses mouth.

 

I hate to tell you this, but the horse was wrong, or didn't understand what you were asking. If you book a BL or Balcony Guarantee, the cruise line assigns the cabin. Travel agencies do not buy blocks of cabins. The may reserve group space which is normally held as Guaranteed Assignments. The cruise line still tells the TA what cabins the group clients are going into.

[silentbob007]

Froufie ... that's funny, my 8A turned int a Lido cabin that was a little bit forward. I have to say, didn't mind staying on Lido at all ... though my waistline may beg to differ .... ;)

 

OP, it is Carnival that makes the decision, and it is a bit of a mystery about how it is done. Some people book way in advance and get what they paid for, while others get not only floor upgrades, but actual cabin-type upgrades.

[Thamsey]

I will phone another horse and see what they say.

[MrLee]

I will phone another horse and see what they say.

 

 

LOL...and this time make sure it's his MOUTH he's talking out of! ;)

[mabgab]

We book with carnival and while on the phone with Melissa, our rep, I pull up the deck plans from the web site and we review the room options together. Have never had a bad room.

[mdxter]

We are scheduled for Sept. 17, on the Valor, about when will i find out where they will put me? I booked my cruise early March. Does it matter how early you book and how often you have cruised with them? I would imagine they take into account all of that and rewards those who booked early and often with them.

[GoinCruisin]

We are scheduled for Sept. 17, on the Valor, about when will i find out where they will put me? I booked my cruise early March. Does it matter how early you book and how often you have cruised with them? I would imagine they take into account all of that and rewards those who booked early and often with them.

 

We generally book nearly 2 years out and I've never had a fabulous upgrade. There is no rhyme or reason as to how they give out upgrades... some say they think it is based on who paid the most, but that theory gets dashed too. Even those that have cruised over 20 times with Carnival don't always get upgraded.

 

As for your docs... you should see them about 2-4 weeks before the cruise, although I have gotten them 5 days before the cruise in the past.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I would think that it's in their best interest to upgrade the newbies. They will then be head over heels thinking it will happen every cruise and be back to book again.

If you booked 20 times with CCL they know they already have you hooked. It would be nice to throw the frequent cruiser a bone once in awhile though.:)

 

Bill