What's the 'hitch' on getting a guarantee cabin?

[gsocruisers]

My husband & I usually book balcony rooms. Then we started to see people taking 2 & 3 cruises a year & looked into it. Some said they take some 'mini' cruises twice a year & 1 big one.

 

So we wanted to try a short cruise at the cheapest rate, inside, guarantee, etc. I looked for hours last night trying to find something like this. Do these rooms get booked the minute the new brochures come out? How do we snag one of these?

 

We live a few hours from Galveston so thought we'd try it out of there so we don't have to worry about air fare anywhere.

 

So what's the catch? When do I need to look for these?

 

Thanks in advance

[TikiTom]

I guess the hitch is getting placed in a cabin completely forward or aft...RCI will determine your cabin but for a short cruise interior/guarantee is the way to go. I booked 2 interior/guarantee cabins for next week's Sovereign cruise and originally paid $199 PP...did this about 2 months ago. I believe it was right after final payments had to be made..usually 60 days out from sailing. I noticed about a week after I booked the price dropped to $189 PP. I called and they adjusted the price and I received a refund on my debit card fo 40 bucks. This may be coincidence but the price dropped shortly after all final payments had to be made...perhaps there were cancellations before the penalty and RCI needed to generate last-minute bookings by dropping prices.

 

The original reservation said cabin-guarantee-interior but about a week after I was assigned 2 cabins on deck 5 but they were apart. I called to see if I could get adjacent cabins and RCI accomodated me. Great service and no problems.

 

If you check RCI 2-3 times a week you'll probable see price changes within the same category. Just lock in and if it drops request an adjustment. It's worked for me and I've cruised 8 times in the last 5 years.

[duckman715]

My husband & I usually book balcony rooms. Then we started to see people taking 2 & 3 cruises a year & looked into it. Some said they take some 'mini' cruises twice a year & 1 big one.

 

So we wanted to try a short cruise at the cheapest rate, inside, guarantee, etc. I looked for hours last night trying to find something like this. Do these rooms get booked the minute the new brochures come out? How do we snag one of these?

 

We live a few hours from Galveston so thought we'd try it out of there so we don't have to worry about air fare anywhere.

 

So what's the catch? When do I need to look for these?

 

Thanks in advance

"Guarantee" cabins are usually shown along with all other available cabin / categories and are listed at the same time. I do not know why it would be different in this particular case. I can only suggest you keep looking from time to time or call RCI direct and request a guarantee reservation price vs a specific cabin price. We have had good luck with guarantees but you are trading a known quantity (cabin) for a bit of a dice roll in exchange for a lower price. Don't go into it thinking you are sure to get a cabin you will be happy with. A noisy night club or scraping dining chairs early in the morning on the deck right above you could possibly diminish your cruise enjoyment

[Sue L]

The "hitch" is that you have no say in what cabin you get. You could end up over a band lounge or very far forward or very far back as the midship usually sell out first. It is a game to see where you will be. If you have no problems with location on the ship then go for it. Anything for a extra cruise or two a year!

 

Balcony guarantees are listed as category X, oceanviews category Y and interiors category Z. You might want to call Rccl directly to see what is available on what sailings for the guarantees.

[Merion_Mom]

My husband & I usually book balcony rooms. Then we started to see people taking 2 & 3 cruises a year & looked into it. Some said they take some 'mini' cruises twice a year & 1 big one.

 

So we wanted to try a short cruise at the cheapest rate, inside, guarantee, etc. I looked for hours last night trying to find something like this. Do these rooms get booked the minute the new brochures come out? How do we snag one of these?

 

We live a few hours from Galveston so thought we'd try it out of there so we don't have to worry about air fare anywhere.

 

So what's the catch? When do I need to look for these?

 

Thanks in advance

Peggy, I think that the other responders didn't "see" what you were asking.

 

You want to know why the "guarantee" category didn't come up when you tried to book a cruise, yes?

 

Not every sailing of a ship HAS the guarantee category available. The computers and wizards at RC have parameters for tracking how a particular cruise and how a particular category of cabins is selling, and that determines whether sales need a shove or not.

 

I usually sail at high-demand times, like summer vacation and New Year's Eve, and I don't see guarantee cabins available on them.

 

All you can do is keep checking RC's website for any sailing that would work for you, and hope that guarantee cabins at an attractive price become available.

 

Good luck!

[NY City Girl]

I have the best luck with getting great rates (regardless of guarantee) by doing a last minute booking (less than a month before the cruise), if you are already at a port and are flexible with times you can travel, you might want to check into it.

 

The guarantee part of the reservation just allows for the potential of getting upgraded, but in exchange, you have no say over where you cabin is. And as Merion Mom pointed out, they are not always available on all sailings or all categories.

[brn2crz]

Not necessarily a hitch..But a good rule of thumb is to never book lower than you are willing to accept..If you would not want an inside..do not book a inside guarantee..There is no guarantee you will get a better room..They will only gaurantee an inside..I know,seems simple enough...But some folks think they will always get something better..

 

I agree...I very rarely see them when I am looking...For years,I did not even know RCI did them....

 

(now if we could could get them to do a 50 dollar deposit) :eek: :D