Guarantee assignment...how late for you??

[SakeDad]

OK...many of us chose guarantee cabins for one reason or another, what is the latest you got your cabin assignment?? One or two weeks before sailing? How many have actually not been assigned until you checked-in at the pier? I have a GTY for May 20 and am actually enjoying the waiting game of cabin assignment! OK OK....so maybe I AM hoping the Upgrade Fairy visits, but even if not I kind of like not knowing what cabin I have so I have SOMETHING I can't plan ahead!:p

Hope this is a fun topic/question for you.

[bob brown]

I usually don't book a cruise until within thirty days of departure in an effort to get a last minute bargain which worked for my last cruise (Oct on the Noordam), but didn't help on my next (May4 on the Maasdam). On my last, I was told that I would receive my assignment at the pier, but when I did a recheck of the online immigration from about 6 days prior to sailing, I found my cabin number on the form. This was helpful so that I could fill out the bag tags in advance, and study the deck plan so I knew where I was going. I was also delighted to find that I was upgraded to one of those large stem-to-stern oriented inside rooms.:)

[TravelAddiction]

We got our cabin assignment on April 10th for the April 21st sailing. We had booked at the lowest inside cabin, were put on a guarantee for K, and were assigned an obstructed view outside cabin on the upper promenade deck. We were happy with that, since we found we really did not use our verandah much while in the Caribbean, and for $1600.00 USD to upgrade to a verandah, we are doing a whole bunch of other stuff instead.

Connie

[LEtue]

So, it sounds like about 10 days out is the answer? I have been checking daily but it is early yet. Docs arrived only 11 days after booking!

[grannynurse]

We got our cabin assignment for the Westerdam about 10 days out. We had an SZ guarantee and were upgraded to an SC aft corner suite. I've been told that the longer the wait the better the chance for an upgrade. It worked for us; it was the only time we ever booked a guarantee.

Good luck, I hope the upgrade fairy visits you.

GN

[cndycruiser]

we got ours for our June 3 sailing about a week ago. Might have been sooner, but just checked then. Also, my docs still say guarantee tho--

[Broon]

In Dec '06, we booked a cat J (inside, lower promenade) guarantee on the MAASDAM for the Feb 23 '07 sailing. We got our cabin assigned to us seven days prior to sailing and with it came a very nice upgrade to cat C (outside unobstructed, lower promenade).

 

This was our first experience with the guarantee process and we were very pleased with the outcome.

[jtl513]

17 days to 11 days out. The closer ones were the better ones! :)

[mysticalblues]

Our TA called HAL when our docs came in and got our room numbers. She crossed out the GG on the documents and wrote in the room numbers. When we checked in at the port, our room numbers had changed. We had actually been upgraded! We went from an obstructed view to a balcony. We got room 4002. Now some may not consider this an upgrade, as it was the very first room at the front of the ship and it had the metal railing instead of glass, but to me, it was a balcony with a great view of what was in front of us. Oh and it was an extended balcony!

[PsychDoc]

The two times I've booked a guarantee cabin, we did not get notification until we were handing over our luggage at the pier and asked to see a manifest so that we could put the appropriate tags on to get our luggage to our cabin! I had called during the week before the cruise but was told the cabins had not been assigned yet. Both times were inside guarantees and extremely good deals, on HAL we got a huge inside room (a configuration I've never seen before) and we loved it, and on Carnival, we got an inside room, but up several decks, which was okay. Last year, on a somewhat last-minute booking on Carnival, we never got any documents in the mail at all. We drove to Miami with a copy of an email only (worrying about getting through port security, too), and once again, they found us on the manifest and simply pulled us out of the line into a little room to provide us with our documents. We experienced some anxiety, but it worked out great, and in some ways the suprise was part of the adventure.

[SWeaster]

We booked an SY guarantee for the Saturday March 3rd sailing of the Oosterdam last November. Our cabin assignment didn't show up online until Wednesday, February 28.

 

We were on pins and needles waiting for a cabin assignment but it paid off. Our SY got bumped up to an SB at no extra cost.

 

Bill

[nevarez]

I booked a VH guarantee ( on the Oosterdam) on Feb 15th for a May 12th sailing to Alaska. I got my cabin assignment on April 5th (I found out via the HAL website). I received cabin VD4175. It's the second to the last cabin starboard side. Last year, I booked a VH guarantee( for DH and me) a month out for a Mexican Riviera during spring break along with an assigned inside( I-6081 ) for my kids. HAL gave us VB6091 two weeks before sailing.:)

[caribbean girl]

We sailed on Noordam in Feb. and didn't know which cabin we were in until we boarded. It was a little of both...scary but fun!! It all worked out nicely...no upgrade but we were still on board a tremendous ship, which was wonderful. Hope the fairy comes your way!!:)

 

P.S. It's a Green Apple Cosmo...and hot tea in a beer glass!! Now you have to bring us back a cd, though!

[Gonzo70]

I have booked guarantees twice. For my upcoming May 13th Noordam cruise I booked the cruise back in February and had an assignment within a week. Last year when I did a Caribbean Cruise on RCI I also had an assignment several weeks before the cruise.

 

Note that once you are assigned a room it still can be changed if you booked a Guarantee. With my RCI cruise I booked an inside guarantee and my first assignment was an upgrade to an outdoor cabin. A couple of weeks after that a was re-assigned to an outdoor with a balcony. Wound up being an incredible deal!

 

Good luck with the visit from the Upgrade Fairy and enjoy your cruise.

[billsrobb]

I have been on 5 cruises and always picked out my cabin. This ucoming cruise on the Volendam in Nov I decided to take a chance and booked a ff guarentee. Naturally I am hoping for an upgrade. we will see.

Robb

[x lindsay x]

My first guarantee assignment came about 2 weeks before sailing. It showed up late one Sunday night. I am currently waiting for my second guarantee assignment for my May 13th trip. I've been trying not to check everyday but it's inevitable.

[mfanderso]

I just got my assignment today for the May 13th Noordam. We had an SC guarantee and got assigned to an SA right across from the Neptune Lounge.

[x lindsay x]

I just got my assignment today for the May 13th Noordam. We had an SC guarantee and got assigned to an SA right across from the Neptune Lounge.

 

Ok now I'm really jealous since I'm on the May 13th Ryndam. My daily checking will now kick up to twice daily!

[LadyLeo84]

I'm jealous, too! We're on the Oosterdam May 12th sailing with a SZ guarantee and have not gotten our cabin assignment either. A poster on another thread who's on the same ship and has the same sailing date received their cabin assignment almost 2 weeks ago!:confused: GRRRRRRR. I keep checking, too on HAL's website to see if the GUAR has changed to a number.

[bob brown]

All above sound interesting. I'm wondering if Mariner number of days status has any bearing of when and where guarantees are assigned?

[SakeDad]

I just got my assignment today for the May 13th Noordam. We had an SC guarantee and got assigned to an SA right across from the Neptune Lounge.

Really praying that as they move the SC to SB and SB to SA that those of us in SS get moved to SC.....please, please, please:o I am MORE than willing to wait to get that news on the dock!! I'm a very patient person....REALLY!:p

[pog27]

On the Westerdam last November I booked a VH guarantee and was upgraded to a VA (which I later was able to switch to an aft VA with a HUGE balcony at no additional charge) and found out my assignment 3 weeks out. I'm now waiting on my cabin assignment for the Rotterdam, less than a month until sailing. Booked an oceanview guarantee (HH) and keep checking and checking but no luck yet. The cruise has been completely sold out for over a week and I was hoping that meant all the cabins would be assigned...but apparently thats not how they do it. I do like the suspense, but checking their website to find out my cabin is becoming an obsession, I'm not sure how much longer I can take it. :eek:

[SakeDad]

I do like the suspense, but checking their website to find out my cabin is becoming an obsession, I'm not sure how much longer I can take it. :eek:

 

I'm LOVING the an-ti-ci-pa-tion:D as one of my favorite movies says!!!:rolleyes: I'm torn everyday about checking....so far I've been able to wait about a day & a half between checking:o but this could get ALOT more frequent as the sailing gets closer...<biting nails>:p

[jtl513]

I'm wondering if Mariner number of days status has any bearing of when and where guarantees are assigned?

Zero! Nada! Zilch! :D

 

On all four of our HAL cruises we've done guarantees and been upgraded, but many long-time cruisers have never been. But no one outside of HAL knows exactly how the Upgrade Fairy makes her decisions! :)

[PatsyAnne]

Zero! Nada! Zilch! :D

 

On all four of our HAL cruises we've done guarantees and been upgraded, but many long-time cruisers have never been. But no one outside of HAL knows exactly how the Upgrade Fairy makes her decisions! :)

Maybe if I leave a travel kit under my pillow for the Upgrade Fairy... or maybe not.