Thread: Cabin guarantee

Originally Posted by Cruise Planner

With guarantee cabins you take your chance; sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don't. You could end up with an upgrade or in a very good location. Or you could end up in a lousy location, like in the very front of the ship or under a noisey area like a nightclub.

The good thing is the price is usually less and in some cases can be quite a difference, but the bad thing is you don't know where you're end up on the ship.

It all depends on whether you want to save money and take a chance, or do you prefer to spend a bit more and get a cabin assignment.

That fact makes me wonder why they are called guarantees. As far as I am concerned, the only thing that counts as a guarantee in my book is getting the specific cabin I ask for. So for me, it looks backwards to say I don't have a guarantee by requesting (for example) E711. I may just ask for a range, like 711-721 or something like that, depending on the ship. But I'm going to name a cabin number and say no guarantees, please!

Originally Posted by Smart Traveler

That fact makes me wonder why they are called guarantees. As far as I am concerned, the only thing that counts as a guarantee in my book is getting the specific cabin I ask for. So for me, it looks backwards to say I don't have a guarantee by requesting (for example) E711. I may just ask for a range, like 711-721 or something like that, depending on the ship. But I'm going to name a cabin number and say no guarantees, please!

A guarantee only guarantees you a particular cabin category and does not permit you to choose your cabin. Guarantees are usually a little cheaper than booking a particular cabin. You take a chance on getting a lousy cabin location or possibly an upgrade to a higher category...it's a crap shoot.

If you know you want a particular cabin be sure to specify that cabin at time of booking.

Guarantees, sometimes cost extra, for instance with Carnival's early saver rate, you pick your cabin, but have a lot of small print terms. ES is the cheapest rate and almost for sure costs more than guarantees.

I personally LOVE guarantees. I have not done that well with Carnival, but RCL it is a great way to book. Lets say you booked a balcony guarantee, and got upgraded to a D balcony .. they allow you to call up and pick another D balcony .. which to me defeats the purpose, but they have been very good about allowing this.

My last two Inside cabin guarantees with RCL, got a Oceanview and a PR cabin (one that looks into the promenade and exactly what we wanted), and we loved it as expected). People do guarantees because of the chance of free upgrades. Its like Christmas waiting on your assignment.

Before ruling them out ... I would do a little more digging as they can be huge bargains. A lot of us just love them.

Originally Posted by flowers

Before ruling them out, I would do a little more digging as they can be huge bargains. A lot of us just love them.

Agree to disagree here, but I am the kind of person who wants to choose a range of cabins and know the cabin number when I book it. For example, if I got a guarantee for AD cabins, I could get E728, which is directly over the stage in Club Fusion and at the stern. Whenever I book my AD cabin, I want to know it is on the starboard side and farther from the stern so noise will not be a problem. Think of it this way: Do you make sure flight times are not awful, even though the better flights cost more?

Originally Posted by Smart Traveler

Think of it this way: Do you make sure flight times are not awful, even though the better flights cost more?

Actually I am flying in at 10 pm the night before my next Oasis cruise so I wouldnt see much of the really nice hotel my roomie booked. .. just to save some bucks. I also never pay extra to pick my airline seat. Nope, I dont pay extra to fly a better time, unless its like $20 or some small amount difference.

I want more cruises for less money, not just a few select cruises at a higher rate. If I save money on each one by cutting corners, its just more cruises I can take. I usually cruise cheap cheap cheap .. but treat myself now and again. Depends on the deal.

Iv been able to cruise 6 to 8 cruises a year that way, vs you are planning and plotting over just one. If you put too many eggs into one basket, you can wind up dissapointed if you have a kid who is running up and down your hallway or a drunk or a fighting couple next door or a quad of teens across from that mini suite you so carefully are picking. I ran into a lady who had a lady singing at the top of her voice all night and no cabins her category empty the pursers desk could move her to. She wound up sleeping in a inside cabin at night.

I would have just had the purser's desk tell the woman that she was disturbing other people on the ship!

We usually splurge on the seat assignments since my wife has fibermyalgia and too much time in a cramped seat can make the entire cruise uncomfortable for her. The extra few inches in the exit rows makes a world of difference.

Originally Posted by nealberk

I would have just had the purser's desk tell the woman that she was disturbing other people on the ship! .

So, they told her first three nights, and English is her 2nd language and she keeps on singing all night long. Do you put her off the ship? She also was said to be "swearing" at the cabin steward. This was a 14 day cruise.

I know guarantees are not for everyone. If you think you might get seasick, they are not for you. If you are booking 2 cabins, that need to be together, they are not for you. Just to name a few reasons why they may not be for you.

Not for everyone for sure. I was just saying I love them. Its the roll of the dice I cant resist.

Flowers, you do bring up a great point about saving money for future cruises. However, my attitude is you spend thosands of dollars just to have fun and get away from stress, so you should be willing to splurge a little bit. Not on stuff like the beauty salon or casino, but a few extras you love and can't get at home. For example, I absolutely love Italian food, so a fee to get in can't keep me out of Sabatini's. If I was going to let money dictate my vacation, no way would I dream about Hawaiian, transatlantic, and Mediterranean cruises, whicdh are all longer and more expensive than Los Angeles to Vancouver.

Make no mistake, however: I am not talking about spending money on everything or buying expensive items that can't be had for less. This is not Silversea or Crystal I am talking about either. And I certainly will look at the prices when I book airline tickets, hotel rooms, and the shore excursions in ports.

I too dream of bigger and better cruises. I did live in Hawaii for 10 years, and would love to go back, though maybe not as a cruise. .. but Id like to cruise to Australia. I have a lot of friends doing the Carnival Spirit repo from canada to australia via Hawaii and Im so jealous.

My reason for not cruising on longer cruises further away right now is my parents are elderly and they dont want to travel with me, so if Im gone, they cant go anywhere since I drive them everywhere and do all their running around errands. I dont think Im related to my mom who hates being in anything that moves.

Originally Posted by flowers

I too dream of bigger and better cruises. I did live in Hawaii for 10 years, and would love to go back, though maybe not as a cruise. .. but Id like to cruise to Australia. I have a lot of friends doing the Carnival Spirit repo from canada to australia via Hawaii and Im so jealous.

My reason for not cruising on longer cruises further away right now is my parents are elderly and they dont want to travel with me, so if Im gone, they cant go anywhere since I drive them everywhere and do all their running around errands. I dont think Im related to my mom who hates being in anything that moves.

In my case, Mom just thinks 15 nights is too long and 8 is too many sea days, so she just did not want to take a Hawaii cruise unless it is Honolulu round trip. When I can afford to cruise alone and feel confident I can do that, I certainly will try it. But with her I am limited to short (7 nights or less) and Mediterranean cruises. Fortunately by being 30 years younger I have plenty of time to fulfill my Hawaii and transatlantic dreams.