Cat 12 GTY

[chriserbell]

We are thinking of booking our first cruise EVER and of course we want disney! Now we are trying to be budget conscious and really don't want to break the bank too much on this trip. At first we thought of Cat 11, but then from reading i noticed that there are very few cat 12 rooms on the ship and that most get upgrades...is it better to book at cat 12 in hopes for an upgrade and then if no upgrade try to upgrade after we find out the room...also I would love feedback about Cat 12 rooms. Oh and it's only myself DH and DD17 traveling so space isn't going to be an issue

 

[CraftyMouse]

We are thinking of booking our first cruise EVER and of course we want disney! Now we are trying to be budget conscious and really don't want to break the bank too much on this trip. At first we thought of Cat 11, but then from reading i noticed that there are very few cat 12 rooms on the ship and that most get upgrades...is it better to book at cat 12 in hopes for an upgrade and then if no upgrade try to upgrade after we find out the room...also I would love feedback about Cat 12 rooms. Oh and it's only myself DH and DD17 traveling so space isn't going to be an issue

Book the lowest category cabin that you'd be happy with. Yes, there are few 12s but those 12s are used. Not everyone who books a 12GTY gets upgraded so you need to make sure you'd be happy if you ended up with a 12.

We haven't stayed in a 12 but we have stayed right across the hall from them (cabin 2002). We LOVED the location and will book the same cabin whenever possible. The 12s are the same size as an 11 so you're not really getting anything extra with an 11. The only difference is the deck location and Deck 2 is great. After staying on Decks 2, 5, 6 & 7 we have decided that we like Deck 2 the best.

 

[mommasita]

I have never sailed in a cat. 12, but have a few times in a cat. 11. I don't think there is much of a difference, not enough IMHO...

I would book whatever category I am happy with. Only 4 in a cat 12 Guarantees an upgrade, because they are only made to sleep 3. I see you are only 3, so you may end up with a 12 if you book it.

My advice may not help you, but here it is; Book the category you will be happy with, and all will go well. There is nothing worse than reading people wishing for an upgrade, and almost counting on it, and it never happened. There really are very few upgrades (free anyway). Even the ones you pay for at the port, are a rarity. DCL almost always sails full.

 

[kristenrice]

Newbie here also! I am a little confused... If I am travelling with a party of 4 and book a Cat 12 which only sleeps 3, I will automatically be upgraded to a Category 11? Why would I be allowed to book a cabin that is too small to accomodate my party size in the first place? I am totally new to the cruise stuff so please excuse my ignorance. This just isn't making sense to me!

The reason I ask is because I am thinking about taking my 2 DD's (ages 3 and 5) on a Disney cruise in November while DH goes out west to do some big game hunting. I was considering bringing a friend of mine along and offering to cover her part of her fare. Since my kiddos are fairly young (and small) me and the 2 of them would easily fit in a queen bed and my friend could take the sofa. What is our cheapest option? Since we are doing a family WDW trip in a few weeks, DH doesn't want me spending too much on a second vacation this year. (BTW, his trip is paid for with $$$ bequeathed to him by his father who died in July. DFiL was a very avid outdoorsman and DH and DBiL are taking a "tribute hunt".)

I was planning on booking a Cat 11 since that's what we'd need to fit 4 people, but there's no sense in it if I can pay for a Cat 12 and get a Cat 11 instead, right?

 

[tmli]

This past August we booked a 12 and were upgraded to a 9. For my upcoming cruise we booked a 12 and got....a 12!

We will ask at the port if there is an upgrade available for a charge, if not we will enjoy our 12 and have a great cruise! I would NOT have booked a 12 if I couldn't be happy with a 12.

 

[CraftyMouse]

Newbie here also! I am a little confused... If I am travelling with a party of 4 and book a Cat 12 which only sleeps 3, I will automatically be upgraded to a Category 11? Why would I be allowed to book a cabin that is too small to accomodate my party size in the first place? I am totally new to the cruise stuff so please excuse my ignorance. This just isn't making sense to me!

From time to time, when the ship still has a lot of availability, DCL will open up Cat. 12 GTY cabins. They oversell the 12s, knowing that many will need to be upgraded, to generate bookings for the cruise. This option isn't always available, however. When it is it allows DCL to keep the prices of the upper categories steady while only discounting the lowest category. They know that some will not risk having an inside cabin and will pay full price for the category they want. They also know that some will take the risk of ending up with the 12 just to get a great deal on the cruise. It's a win/win for DCL and anyone who takes the offer. DCL gets a full ship and many who book the 12 GTYs end up in higher cabins for a great price. Even ending up in a 12 for the offered price is a great deal. They still get all of the services that the Cat. 4-11s get for a lot less money.

 

[WiseMan]

I think that it really depends on how much time you plan to spend in your cabin. During my last two cruises, I booked a porthole one time and verandah the next. We didn't spend much time in our cabin with a family of 4 on either the 4 day or 7 day, so this time DW and I decided to try a CAT 12 GTY and save money since we now have added a daughter to our family who will be 1 when we cruise next.

Instead of booking a CAT 4 for 5 people, we booked to (2) CAT 12 GTY cabins and invited a adult family friend to cruise with us at our expense and still saved over $2000. We will miss the view of the ocean before going to sleep at night, but decided we will risk not getting an upgrade to save some money.

We looked at booking adjoining CAT 10 cabins but it would have been about $700 more a room. We have linked the two reservations so we should be near each other. Guess we will have to see.