Hi All,

I think I have seen this mentioned here on LCT, but just what does it mean to have a guaranteed suite? For out Baltic cruise in July my nieces cabin is still guaranteed.

Thanks for your help.

Beth, just means that you are guaranteed a price in whatever category you are guaranteed. For example, on 007, my son and his wife have a G category Gty. They may get their cabin assigned at anytime up to boarding, and it may be on a higher deck than their gty. I have done this many times, and it has almost always worked out that I got on a higher deck. Sometimes I have inquired at reception if I could get a little further "down" as I don't like the upper decks for stability. I have always been happy with the result.

Olivia: Also true if you are not happy with your cabin assignment you can change to better cabin for 50% less than normal rate??? Joanna

Thanks Olivia, It would be just like "the girls" to get on another deck then the rest of us. I think their's are Gs. Our other two cabins are on deck 7. Is there any rhyme or reason why some cabins are guaranteed and some assigned at booking?

Beth: I don't get this either - but much like Olivia it has always worked out for me I have ended up with great cabins on high decks (which we like) - - I know Ngaire has explained it to me a thousand times - and I don't plan to pay the extra $$ for another cabin assignemnet but nice to know you can - Joanna

Beth, here's the way I see it works. You book for a Gty, and if it is a pretty full ship, you will not know cabin number until just before the cruise..either when you get your docs or upon embarcation, and it may be on a deck way higher than you paid for. My son and wife are a gty for 007 and I have told them to expect anything. As I remember, deck 9 is the highest I have ended up getting. Don't know what price level that is. Have to say that on my gty cruises, I have been given my cabin numbers with the docs as I remember. I prefer the lower decks for less time on the elevators.

Hi Beth,

For NINJA, by the time we decided to book the options were either a specific cabin assignment in category D or C( can't remember) or an H guaranty( pay lowest price and wait for cabin assignment as described by Olivia). We opted for H guaranty since it would have been price prohibitive for us to book the other available categories.

Right around the time for final payment we were informed that they had assigned a category H cabin to us. I was a little disappointed since I was hoping for an upgrade. BUT, considering I might have been "upgraded" to a cabin in the back of Navigator( with all the vibration) I consider myself lucky.
So, it seems the guaranty sometimes works in your favor ( you're upgraded) and sometimes you get what you pay for.

Thanks for all your help. I think I get it now. It would just the girls' luck to get a higher suite assignment then our other two, but with it being the Baltic on July 2nd, I imagine the Voyager to be booked full.

There were worried that they would be stow-aways!!!

Since Ngaire is cruising, I'll put in my two cents here. RSSC changed the procedure on cabin guarantees last year. Previously, you didn't get a cabin assignment until very late in the game( sometimes you didn't know your cabin # until a day or two before the cruise and folks had even not known until they got to the ship ). Now, when a cabin in your guarantee cat becomes available it's assigned to the first person on the list and they just work down the guarantee list. You may get a good stateroom and/or an upgrade and you may not. It's not the good deal that it used to be and Ngaire doesn't seem to like the guarantee system as it is now.

I'm not too unhappy with how it worked out for us. We did an H guarantee, and as all H cabins are in the aft where there is vibration, I was hoping we would get a different category. Sure enough we got moved to a class E, which was deck 9 at the front of the ship. I liked being at the top -- I spent a lot of time on deck 11, so it was nice to just use the staircase.

We've usually been on the lower decks and had no problems with them. For us, being closer to the dining room has been fine especially with mom (she'll be 85 next month) slowing down some. Our cruise was booked last August or September, I think. I know mom, sis and I asked for a specific area 3-in-a-cabin suite due to the vibration problem on the Voyager. But my brother & sister-in-law got an assigned cabin, just the girls are sitting without an assignment. They would love to be off from us, I'm sure!!

Beth: So the nieces are waiting for their assignment? We really had good luck on VJ7 and WC with a guarantee - as Ngaire explained to me "it is like Vegas a roll of the dice" I love deck 9 so hoping we'll have similar luck with Oct 15 and 22 - Joanna

My nieces will be happy with any cabin, Joanna. We all love cruising together. It's our family reunion each summer.

What a great family reunion!! Joanna

I have had a guarantee work just once for me. I still book a guarantee from time to time, but since the change, as Doug mentioned, it just hasn't panned out for me.

How it did work out was like this...I paid for an H. I was upgraded to a D. I wanted a C penthouse. A C was available. I only had to pay 50% of the difference between the D and the C, about $250 for the week. This was a far cry for what I would have paid for a C.

Funny how our preferences are so different! Our very favorite deck on the Voyager is Deck 6, Category G (midship). We just spent almost 4 months on deck 7 (#733) midship and this was fine too but our preference is MIDSHIP and LOW. To me it's always so smooth and a better, close up view of things. I always love watching the passengers gettting on and off the gangway. We also use the stairs a lot more when we're lower since most of the time we're going to/from deck 4 or 5. For the WC I was so happy we had the starboard side of the ship....about 65%-70% of the time it was the better side to be on. (thanks to Ngaire for that advice!) though I know this can change depending upon each itinerary and I'm sure there will be times when we'll want port side. For the 2006 WC itinerary, the starboard side was selling out much faster (2 to 1) compared to the port side.

No right or wrong, just different strokes for different folks!

Marcie, It always seems to be more fun on the starboard side of the ship. We have enjoyed a Russian band welcoming us to St. Petersburg and a high school drum and bagpipe team at sail away in Scotland both on starboard. If I remember correctly, in Saigon as we were sailing away, the farewell dancers were on the port side. Starboard does have its advantages.

My SE and I just had an H guarantee on the Mariner and did not know which cabin. After we boarded we were given a D on Deck 10 which is my least favorite cabin on the Mariner. We had noise overhead from food carts moving about in the wee hours of the morning.

We were very lucky on our Mariner cruise last year. We had booked a G guarantee and they put us in a Cat. C (beautiful cabin), but I do think, and Ngaire said, this was an unusual upgrade. I have no idea why or how those things work. We did not know our cabin assignment, until we were on the ship.

Betty

I agree with Marcie, that on the Voyager I prefer deck 6 in the middle. Last year we did the Grand Pacific Circle on the Mariner, and they moved us up to Penthouse C when they wanted to work on the seventh floor. We had that Penthouse from Tokyo all the way to LA without spending a penny. That was a good deal. Lucky us.

Actually this last trip was only our third on the Voyager. We have travelled Europe on land trips as well as on the Mariner, so the Voyager itineries are not as interesting for us.
M.

Mom,sis and I are on Deck 7 starboard in the middle. We hope it is a good location. Brother & sis-in-law are forward on the port side. My niece is anxious to find out where she and her cousin will be. Oddly enough, she wants to be close to us on Deck 7. At 28, she is still a homebody. Her favorite locale is near the laundrette.

Beth, We were in #733 for almost 4 months and very happy with the central location. It's not as close to the Laundry room as I've been before but it worked out fine. It was one of the best cabins on the ship for people watching...no life boats to look around (Olivia was in #729 and her view was a bit obstructed by a life boat).

Marcie, I was wondering if the life boat might obstruct some of the view in 737, too. We can only wait and see. I'm not so worried about being close to the laundry, but the girls love using it. For a 7 day cruise, I ususally take more than enough clothes.

Beth, you'll need to see. It may be a bit obstructed but I'm not sure. I was on my next door neighbor's balcony (#735) but never #737 so not sure.

For anyone who is into people watching as I am....go for #733 I'm very familiar with the great view there.