GTY Experiences for 1 family, 2 cabins

[Betsy82]

looking for personal experience of anyone who has booked 1 immediate family into 2 gty cabins.

we are booked in opposite hallways right now but same deck (our preferred deck). this is obviously not ideal but months of stalking and nothing has changed. Phone agent recommended we go gty. Disheartening was finding 2 rooms adjoining, preferred deck, but being told they were held for new bookings and they would not be released to us (even though it would free ours up). She called her supervisor and the revenue department and told me they refused.

my concern is we might go further apart than just different hallways if we go gty. We are weighing the risks and the benefits to try to decide what to do, or even to just cancel the sailing.

hoping people who have done this will share their experiences So we can get an idea of the likelihood, possibilities, etc.

thank you

 

[FreeTime]

What was their reasoning for not releasing the cabins to you? Did they have a higher max occupancy size than what you have now?

What are the ages of those that will be sleeping in the other cabin? Are they all of an age where you are okay with them being far away?

sorry, no personal experience on a gty as we always like to select our stateroom

 

[ajo]

FWIW, we have booked 1 family in 2 rooms with an OGT rate twice. Once we ended up with connecting rooms and the other time we were about 20 rooms apart.

 

[Weedy]

Call and see if you can change to a non GTY and book the connecting cabins. It will probably cost more but if it’s important to you it will be worth the money

 

[Betsy82]

Call and see if you can change to a non GTY and book the connecting cabins. It will probably cost more but if it’s important to you it will be worth the money

$1500 more = we’d cancel. We debated that option.

 

[Betsy82]

What was their reasoning for not releasing the cabins to you? Did they have a higher max occupancy size than what you have now?

What are the ages of those that will be sleeping in the other cabin? Are they all of an age where you are okay with them being far away?

sorry, no personal experience on a gty as we always like to select our stateroom

I was just told they were being held for new bookings and would not release the rooms into free inventory, which would be required to move us into them. She said they (revenue department) have their own inventory for gty assignments and various promotions but occasionally they become available for new bookings and if they refused to release them that was the end of it.

No on the occupancy as both rooms hold 4.

We have 4 kids 10 and under so. Young. We split 1 adult to 1 older and 1 younger child. One time they all bunked with the husband so I could stay up and pack but otherwise we stick with that setup.
We’ve never not been connecting or adjoining and there is a lot of quick back and forth typically, even if it’s just to borrow sunscreen or the others bathroom or check in to see what the plan is or make sure people are awake, etc.

 

[Betsy82]

Call and see if you can change to a non GTY and book the connecting cabins. It will probably cost more but if it’s important to you it will be worth the money

I read this wrong at first. We aren’t GTY, but that is DCLs suggestion to us. To move into a GTY category Vs keeping the rooms we have booked.

canceling and rebooking the rooms would have cost around $1500 more and is an option we didn’t need much time to reject. We decided we’d cancel the sailing if we don’t think rooms being this far apart would be ok, but still considering following the advice of the DCL agent to go into gty. Weighing options as we have lots of time right now to sit and discuss haha

 

[Betsy82]

It is not awful, but... just can’t decide

 

[FigmentSpark]

Another consideration - since you're in a different hallway, you'll be in different muster stations. Does that bother you?

 

[Betsy82]

Another consideration - since you're in a different hallway, you'll be in different muster stations. Does that bother you?

I hadn’t thought of that. And yes, it bothers me. Ahhhh!

 

[MomOTwins]

Is there anything connecting on another deck? Maybe you've looked but I just noticed the references to "preferred deck", and if it were me, I'd definitely trade a less-ideal location for a guarantee of connecting rooms.

 

[Betsy82]

Is there anything connecting on another deck? Maybe you've looked but I just noticed the references to "preferred deck", and if it were me, I'd definitely trade a less-ideal location for a guarantee of connecting rooms.

We would, too, but there is nothing. Oceanview is our cap, verandahs make us too nervous with how much we do go back and forth and our youngest being a climber. Another gty concern not that Id expect to get a verandah but you never know.

at this point there are only 2 rooms total in any category to select yourself. They are not adjoining, closer than ours are to each other but allllll the way forward on deck 1.

 

[MomOTwins]

We would, too, but there is nothing. Oceanview is our cap, verandahs make us too nervous with how much we do go back and forth and our youngest being a climber. Another gty concern not that Id expect to get a verandah but you never know.

at this point there are only 2 rooms total in any category to select yourself. They are not adjoining, closer than ours are to each other but allllll the way forward on deck 1.

Wow, that’s nuts—is it a special itinerary? I feel like most cruises are half empty these days due to the virus. I guess if nothing open s up I would stick with what you have. If rooms are that scarce, GTY could get you rooms even further apart.

The verandah doors do have an up high locking bolt, in case that helps.

 

[Betsy82]

Wow, that’s nuts—is it a special itinerary? I feel like most cruises are half empty these days due to the virus. I guess if nothing open s up I would stick with what you have. If rooms are that scarce, GTY could get you rooms even further apart.

The verandah doors do have an up high locking bolt, in case that helps.

We’ve sailed in a verandah before when we all fit but just both agree it’s not for us with this last kid. He is insane. We looked at across the hall options and everything when we booked months and months ago but there wasn’t anything like that either.

it’s a PC sailing so yes, special itinerary. And the length makes it even more worrisome to be so far apart. It’s filled up so quickly in the last month, which coupled with our ability to actually take time to sit and talk now has us trying to make a decision before it fills even more. Except your question prompted to look again last night and discover there are only the 2 non gty rooms available at all now so that conversation is moot

I think we’re leaning keeping what we have and reevaluating before PIF since i‘m sure some people will drop out (maybe us!)

 

[MomOTwins]

We’ve sailed in a verandah before when we all fit but just both agree it’s not for us with this last kid. He is insane. We looked at across the hall options and everything when we booked months and months ago but there wasn’t anything like that either.

it’s a PC sailing so yes, special itinerary. And the length makes it even more worrisome to be so far apart. It’s filled up so quickly in the last month, which coupled with our ability to actually take time to sit and talk now has us trying to make a decision before it fills even more. Except your question prompted to look again last night and discover there are only the 2 non gty rooms available at all now so that conversation is moot

I think we’re leaning keeping what we have and reevaluating before PIF since i‘m sure some people will drop out (maybe us!)

Yep. You can also change rooms after PIF as well, and a lot of people drop off around then.

 

[DisMommyTX]

We booked VGT on our last Fantasy sailing, so we paid a lot of attention as rooms were assigned to others. In our FB group, those with multiple cabins received their *GT cabin assignments two days before the rest of us. All were assigned to connecting or neighboring cabins for larger family groups. We didn't have many GTY bookings because the IGT/OGT/VGT rates were plentiful. Our assigned room was less than ideal, so we upgraded at the port (cost more than I expected but still $1k less than the room would have cost originally)--may be an option if you are not happy with your assigned rooms.

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

I have sailed nothing but GTY rates. Each time they have given us rooms that were decently close together. the farthest away we ever were from traveling companions was 2 rooms in between us. Later we found out they were accessible rooms and it made since why we weren't in connecting rooms. Each Accessible room connected to one regular room. It was interesting.

We just make sure to have them connect as travel withs and have been in pretty good shape. One time we had one Inside and two Verandas GTY'd and they put the Verandah's in Connecting rooms and the Inside stateroom right across the hall which worked out great.

The CM's on the phone reasoned it as "We know families are traveling together. When they assign the rooms they keep this in mind because we have such a large amount of families traveling."

Now that I have said all this, the truth of the matter is that you know what is best for your family for traveling. Especially on something like the PC sailing of 14 days, having the right rooms is important. Personal experience has been overwhelmingly positive for me with GTY rooms. I also never travel with children so I don't factor in that component either as much as you would.

I hoped this information helps!