Balcony Guarantee (?) Miracle

[JF4300]

1st time Carnival cruiser. I am looking at a good price for a balcony guarantee on the Miracle.

 

Anyone have experience with guarantees? Do they usually give you the lowest category?

 

Also do travel agents give discounts on Carnival cruises? I know the brick & mortar types don't on Royal Caribbean

 

Thanks for your comments

[heartofamerica]

1st time Carnival cruiser. I am looking at a good price for a balcony guarantee on the Miracle.

 

Anyone have experience with guarantees? Do they usually give you the lowest category?

 

Also do travel agents give discounts on Carnival cruises? I know the brick & mortar types don't on Royal Caribbean

 

Thanks for your comments

 

I thought that you could 'guarantee' a category...not whether or not it was a balcony...I know on HAL I bought a "guarantee" of the lowest end inside cabin, but ended up getting upgraded to the top grade inside cabin. My understanding is that a guarantee means you'll get something in at LEAST that category...so if you don't want on obstructed view balcony, get a guarantee for the next category up.

 

I'm also a first time Carnival cruiser...on the Miracle over Christmas/New Years. I've always wanted an aft (wake view) cabin...so I grabbed it when I saw it was still available.

[firefly333]

Iv seen some nice upgrades. You are guaranteed to get at least a 8A or higher with the guarantee. Sounds great to me. I wish I could get a military discount. Have fun, sounds lovely.

 

Yes, TAs are allowed to discount Carnival prices. I use one of those warehouses and they discounted my Carnival cruise(s) some.

[Ascott318]

If it were me ,I would book oceanview guarantee .The reason is miracle and legend have only Riviera deck of oceanviews and people book oceanview so you are almost guaranteed a balcony. I got upgraded to balcony on both. Good Luck!

[TYSMOM]

I booked a balcony guarantee and I got upgraded to a cat 11 suite- and I am sailing in 5 days!!! upgrades do happen!!!

1st time Carnival cruiser. I am looking at a good price for a balcony guarantee on the Miracle.

 

Anyone have experience with guarantees? Do they usually give you the lowest category?

 

Also do travel agents give discounts on Carnival cruises? I know the brick & mortar types don't on Royal Caribbean

 

Thanks for your comments

[robyn525600]

I booked a balcony guaruntee and I was upgraded to a handicapped balcony room which is twice the width of a regular balcony room. It was GREAT!! :D

[henepup]

Iv seen some nice upgrades. You are guaranteed to get at least a 8A or higher with the guarantee. Sounds great to me. I wish I could get a military discount. Have fun, sounds lovely.

 

Yes, TAs are allowed to discount Carnival prices. I use one of those warehouses and they discounted my Carnival cruise(s) some.

 

Are you saying that, if I booked a BL guar I will get at the very least an 8A cabin. The reason I ask is what about 7A's on the Miracle? Aren't they considered a balcony?

Thanks

[lvtotrvl1]

If it were me ,I would book oceanview guarantee .The reason is miracle and legend have only Riviera deck of oceanviews and people book oceanview so you are almost guaranteed a balcony. I got upgraded to balcony on both. Good Luck!

 

I would NEVER recommend this to someone else. It very rarely happens. You were one of the lucky ones. If the OP wants a balcony they need to book the balcony guarantee. What would you do if you were an agent that told a client this and they ended in an oceanview and not balcony? It's one thing to do it to yourself, quite another to recommend something that is very rare to someone else.

[Birdiegirl]

I would book the balcony guarantee. You don't want to be disappointed and not have a balcony if that is your expectation.

 

The difference in $$ is minimal if you look at the whole picture.

[firefly333]

Are you saying that, if I booked a BL guar I will get at the very least an 8A cabin. The reason I ask is what about 7A's on the Miracle? Aren't they considered a balcony?

Thanks

 

From everything I have been told NO you wouldnt get a 7A if you book a balcony guarantee. You will get at least a 8A

 

You also will not get a 5A if you book a OV guarantee, even though technically a 5A is considered windows with the port holes. You get a 6A and up with a OV guarantee.

[KAWS]

Are you saying that, if I booked a BL guar I will get at the very least an 8A cabin. The reason I ask is what about 7A's on the Miracle? Aren't they considered a balcony?

Thanks

 

The least you would get is an 8A if you booked a balcony guarantee. We booked one for my son and his gf on the Miracle last March and they wound up with a suite! March Break too! Go figure.

 

If you don't care where on the ship you are and just want a balcony (or better) then go for the guarantee. You'll save a ton of money and you could get a great upgrade.

[last_mango]

I got the opposite information from Carnival when I booked my Miracle cruise, and the TA confirmed. If you book a "BL" you can be put in the 7A rooms because they are considered to be in the balcony category. If you book an "8A" guarantee, then you can be assured no obstructed view. That's why there is a price difference between the "BL" guarantee and the "8A" guarantee. For my sailing the "BL" was $100 per person less than the "8A" guarantee.

[KAWS]

I got the opposite information from Carnival when I booked my Miracle cruise, and the TA confirmed. If you book a "BL" you can be put in the 7A rooms because they are considered to be in the balcony category. If you book an "8A" guarantee, then you can be assured no obstructed view. That's why there is a price difference between the "BL" guarantee and the "8A" guarantee. For my sailing the "BL" was $100 per person less than the "8A" guarantee.

 

I'll bet you bottoms to donuts you won't get a 7A if you book a balcony guarantee. Especially if you aren't booking last minute.

[henepup]

I found some pictures of a 7A, not to bad. DH is not happy with the lifeboats, so I guess I will call pvp to discuss what my options are. I don't mind the obstructed view.

Thanks for the info

[popsec]

I found some pictures of a 7A, not to bad. DH is not happy with the lifeboats, so I guess I will call pvp to discuss what my options are. I don't mind the obstructed view.

Thanks for the info

 

We booked 7A guarantee and just found out our cabin assignment for Nov 7th cruise....we were upgraded to 8F.....not bad at all!:D

[henepup]

Hi all, I just received an e-mail from my PVP about a BL guar:

 

When you book BL Guarantee "excludes" cat 7a which are the partially obstructed view balcony cabins ; )

Let me know if you need anything else.



So it looks like we will stick with what we have.

Thanks and have a great weekend!