I was wondering if it is worth it to risk getting the guarented cabin fare. I know that upgrades are a possibility, but there has to be a risk of getting an undesireable cabin. Is it worth it?

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This message has been edited. Last edited by: IslandCruz,

Welcome to cruise chat.
I think your chances are very good on getting a good upgrade. What is an undesirable cabin? To some getting a cabin in the front of the ship might be undesirable. To me it wouldn't bother me at all. I always do guarantees.

Welcome to Cruise-Chat!

I agree with Cruise Fanatic about the chances of getting an upgrade. Most upgrades are of the same cabin type though, just on a higher deck. If that is a priority then a guarantee is the way to go. I have done it several times when it didn't matter to me about the location, and have always been upgraded. It isn't guaranteed though.

If you are a Past Guest, you qualify for the Past Guest rates available on many sailings. They are often the same price, or less than the guarantees, and you can pick your cabin. Since I like mid-ship cabins for the convenience on the bigger ships, I have been choosing that option the last few years. They often have automatic upgrades included.

Dwayne

jcain,

First, welcome to cruise-chat! Some people like to choose their location and will pay more for their cabin to have the location they want. I like guarantees fine, in fact on my next cruise I'm booked in a guarantee. I don't really care where they put me. I like the part about being guaranteed what I paid for with the posibility of something better without the add'l cost if I get lucky. If you do get under an activity deck or dining room, you're stuck with it. If you don't like that posibility and are willing to pay to be sure it doesn't happen, pay the difference and pick your spot.

Cheers, Neil

We usually book guarantee inside cabins. You pay to be on the bottom (fourth) floor but usually get higher up. The only time we stayed on the fourth floor, we were given an oceanview cabin instead of the inside we booked. We have also been front, middle and back of ship and noticed no difference, except the last cruise near the front you could hear the anchor banging throughout the one night when it was rough.

Thank You all for the great advice. Sounds like a guarentee is the way to go for us.

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except the last cruise near the front you could hear the anchor banging throughout the one night when it was rough.

Jill, I've been in cabins where anchor noise was an issue too. With my most memorable experience it wasn't during at sea time. We stopped at Grand Cayman and they dropped anchor when we arrived very early in the morning. My cabin must have been directly beside the anchor, when they droped it, it sounded like the ship had crashed! I sprang bolt upright in my bed from a dead sleep and it took me a minute or two to realize what that awful noise was. Took me the rest of the day to get over the jitters, scared me half to death. Thankfully that was the only tender port and the only time during that cruise that it happened. I've heard the anchors drop or be raised since but never as loud or alarming as that first time.

Cheers, Neil

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My cabin must have been directly beside the anchor, when they droped it, it sounded like the ship had crashed!

I can relate to this. I was in one of the porthole cabins in the main front once visiting Grand Cayman. It woke me up fast. My reaction was "what the heck was that?", or something along that line. I had asked for an early wake up call, since this is an early and short port visit. The call came shortly after. I politely said thank you, but something already woke me up. Without missing a beat, or hesitation, she replied "Aww, you must have heard anchor drop."

Anyway, it worked out great for me. I was on the first tender that day.

Dwayne

I do all my bookings on Celebrity's website, and even when they release the 2010 cruise the guaranteed cabins always say "Sold Out" how does one get one?

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I do all my bookings on Celebrity's website, and even when they release the 2010 cruise the guaranteed cabins always say "Sold Out" how does one get one?

Hey janfred, Do you mean on Carnival?

Dwayne

Hi janfred, Some lines offer more guarantees than others. The lines all have different ways of regulating their inventory. On Carnival they're almost always available from the time they release bookings until the ship sails in multiple categories, they even have categories specially set up, typically at lower rates than assignable cabin Cats. IS is for Inside guarantee, OV for oceanview guar, BL for balcony guar and ST for suites. When they sell these categories out they open more in specific Cats that are normally assignable, 4A guar or some other.

NCL is well known for having their lowest priced categories in guar as well. With HAL the go to guarantee for promotions late, when the ships are getting full and they have scattered cabins in scattered categories, they'll lump them all together in the lowest category if inside or oceanview or whatever and offer the special rates only if you'll take a random assignment for the promotion.

Celebrity and RCCL and some others usually offer cabin assignments and don't often open guarantee offers. Their promotions are typically based on the cabin and category they still have open cabins in. When they sell those cabins they don't leave the Cat open and sell it as a guarantee often, they lower the price on the next higher category. You will sometimes see RCCL leave Cat Q inside open for guarantee but usually close to the sailing date when they're about out of cabins.

Princess often has a great promotion that is not based on a guarantee. They have been going at things different than the other lines lately. When they get low and have scattered cabins in various categories they open them all up and and sell everthing left at the same rate. So it becomes first come, first serve on whats left. That amounts to free upgrades inside a group of cabins. All inside cabins left for $___.__ or all oceanview at $___.__. These promos are great, you get the lowest price and can choose the best cabin, not gamble on what will be assigned.

Since they all do things different, there is really no way to know what promotions are affecting what sailings until you choose your ship and sailing date and make the call. At that point it's easy for your agent or the cruiseline to find the promotion that will best suit you and what you want.

Cheers, Neil

To summarize, it's called Yield Management based on supply and demand. There will be different offers at different times based on the demand of the sailing and how quickly it is selling. The key...book early. If prices fall get it adjusted.