There seems to be a lot
of misinformation about how ‘Guarantee’ cabins work, so today I thought I would
provide a bit of an explanation, which will hopefully clear things up.
In some cases, a Guarantee cabin is an excellent way to save a few bucks and/or be first in line for an upgrade. Other times it is very clearly the wrong choice.
Here are two client stories, which illustrate the difference.
Client #1 was one of those people who considers their stateroom to be simply a “place to sleep”, and is honestly not that bothered as to where it is on the ship.
This client didn’t find out her cabin assignment until she boarded, and was thrilled to discover the cruise line had booked her into a Balcony cabin – not bad considering she had asked for a Guaranteed Inside!
Client #2 had trouble getting his head around the idea of a Guarantee cabin from the outset.
“Why won’t they just tell me what room I’m in?” he asked.
I explained to him that the cruise lines offer guarantee cabins for a lower price than assigned cabins so that they have flexibility in how they fill the ship.
With a Guarantee cabin, you pay a lower price and are guaranteed a cabin in a specific category or higher.
In return for this lower price, you agree to accept whatever stateroom the cruise line assigns you (in that category or higher), and the cabin number may not be known until immediately prior to embarkation.
I suggested to this particular client that if he was uncomfortable waiting (potentially up until the sail date) for his cabin assignment, that perhaps we should book a specific (“assigned”) cabin for him, and that it would cost him only about $30 more for the week.
He preferred to save the $30.
He got his cabin assignment a week before departure, and he hated it – it was right beside the elevator and he was very worried about noise. He asked me to do something (anything!) to get his cabin re-assigned. By this time, the ship was sold out, and there was nothing I could do to change his stateroom.
At this point, he would be wise to get a set of earplugs. We use them all the time, and they really work.
Guarantee cabins are a great way to save a few bucks, and are one of the best ways to get an upgrade.
However, Guarantee cabins are NOT a good choice for you if you are travelling with people in another cabin and want to be close to them.
When booking a
‘Guarantee’ cabin, be sure that you understand what you’re getting into, and
that the trade-off is worth it.
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