OK ... If you booked a GUARANTEE CABIN ... share the news of what you got!!

[captaincrash]

OK...

Now I know this question has been asked before (since time eternal, no doubt) and I DID a search of the forum - and the last significant thread I found was started back in August of 2005 - with the last response in December of 2005... so it seemed reasonable to pose this question again with emphasis on those who have booked a guarantee catagory (12-7?) and sailed in 2006. If your experience predates 2006 - please feel free to share your experiences(s) too - however - we are looking for folks who have sailed on a GUARANTEE BASIS in 2006 in particular.

In an attempt to achieve maximum usefulness from the info... please state 1) What guarantee catagory you booked (most should be 12 Grnty - a few might be 9 or 7 though); and 2nd) How many were in your party?; 3rd) When did you book?; 4th) what was your sailing? 3-4-7-or 10-11-14? Plus - if you don't mind...5th) let us know if you're a repeat Disney cruise Castaway Club member... and 6th) whether you felt your cabin assignment was in a good position on the ship .... IE ... were you near the front where lots of ships motion is encounterest - or did you have an extra noisey cabin... or other problem with the assigned cabin?

Some of me questions are reflected in the poll for quick unaudited tallies at a glance.

And ... I'm waiting for my cabin assignment in a 12 guarantee - our 1st booking like this - so we're sincerely interested in finding out what currently seems to be going on with these kind of reservations.

In past threads - from what I can tell - parties of 4 are more likely to see catagory 11 or better since it seems catagory 12 has no cabins that take 4 pax. And very few (if any) get better than a catagory 9 from a 12 guarantee. Plus - there was no measurement of how Castaway Club patrons fared versus New patrons.... or whether the length of sailing made any difference.... or whether it made any difference who you booked through.

Remember - if your experience was BEFORE 2006 - please feel welcome to respond and share your story here. However - if your experience with a guarantee was in 2006 - then please do post what came of your booking!

Thanks in advance to those who reply or post with constructive interest.

 

[HLAuburn]

Interested to see the results, but I'm glad I never booked a guarantee, 'cause this is too confusing for me!

 

[yearbook50]

I'm interested in these results too.
I have a cat 12 gty for my upcoming trip.

 

[jns]

I'm interested in these results too.
I have a cat 12 gty for my upcoming trip.

same here

Please Post

 

[captaincrash]

So...

Please note - that even though most folks with experience booking a guarantee catagory did not post a reply (yet) ... many have VOTED their data into the poll. So - for those of us who have not voted yet (myself included) because we have not received our cabin assignments yet.... so we can gain some insight by looking at the POLL VOTING RESULTS without voting. And, of course, once you've voted you cannot vote again. So check it out. SO far after having had 98 visitors to the thread - we have no one indicating they started with a 12 guarantee and got a 12. One party each has indicated they got either an 11 or a 10 inside cabin. And one got a 9 window while 2 got an 8 window. No one received a veranda... yet. So, aside from that - it looks almost 50/50 as to whether they booked with a TA or DCL directly. And only 2 stated they were repeat cruising Castaway Club members. What is not clear is whether the length of cruise has any bearing ... or whether the number of pax in a cabin influences the result. And beyond that - anyone with an opinion states their cabin assignment was in a good or OK location. No one complained of a bad cabin assignment.... yet.

Thanks for your POLL replies so far. Anyone having any further remarks are welcome to write a little something here too! Keep them coming!!!

 

[nextcruz]

We booked a GTY12, sailing next week, were assigned a 10. I'll let you know when we returned how the room was...

I also saw a thread recently that asked the same question...

Here it is, was started 7/15/2006 with 32 replies.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1166353

 

[GenerationK-er]

I am sailing on the 4 nite Wonder August 6, 2006 and booked a GTY Cat12 on June14, 2006. My Cruise docs arrived this week and I was assigned room 2515 which is a category 12. This may have happened because I called and spoke to a Disney agent to get my confirmation # to complete online check-in and make ressies, ect. Well, while I had the agent on the phone I asked what room I had been assigned to--SILLY ME! . He explained that I had booked a GTY status and I did not have an assignment yet. I didn't understand why not, so I think I he got aggravated in trying to explain this to me(should have been reading about this on DIS) and just assigned me a room during the call. He told me the Cat12 rooms are the ones in the forward part of the ship on Deck 2, and assigned me 2512 on the spot. Passisive-agressiveness--maybe, but I couldn't tell he was very polite and seemed as though he was trying to be helpful . Then, I read somewhere that this was one of the noisy rooms. I called on yesterday and requested a different room. I was told that all of the Cat12 rooms were sold, so if I wanted a different one I would have to upgrade to a Cat 11. The upgrade cost $60 total and I now have been assigned to room 6539. I was happy to pay and be moved.
I am traveling on my maiden Disney voyage with my DD,13 and my DS 21months. Booked through Disney.
I hope this helps.

 

[luvmykids]

I am booked a guaranteed room in december for a category 10. Do I have a chance of being upgraded or do I have a better chance if I release the room....Does anyone know?

 

[captaincrash]

I am booked a guaranteed room in december for a category 10. Do I have a chance of being upgraded or do I have a better chance if I release the room....Does anyone know?

As mentioned before - if you have 4 pax in your cabin then you are assured of a catagory 11 or better (as it seems there are NO catagory 12 QUAD cabins).

And judging initially from the 17 responses on the poll so far - it seems about 4 of 17 get a catagory 12.... 3 of 17 get an 11.... 4 of 17 got a catagory 10..... ONE of 17 got a VERANDA.... and the rest got windows.

SO - it seems as if you have a 29% chance for a window cabin; a 64% chance for an inside cabin; which also translates into a 41% chance for an inside cabin that is better than a catagory 12; which a 23% chance for a catagory 12; and apparently a 6% chance for a veranda.

Note - we don't have enough responses to have real statistical significance. As normally we would probably throw out the single veranda result as insignificant (statistically). That is, unless we had another one or two step forward who received a veranda from a catagory 12 guarantee.

Off hand - I would NOT give up your catagory 12 guarantee as the worst you could do is get a catagory 12! And the guaranteed 12 should have been slightly cheaper than a assigned catagory 12. The difference being you could SELECT the precise location on the ship/deck. Some folks dislike noisey cabins - or cabins towards the far front or rear of a ship. This positions represent long walks to activities and - in the case of the far front - ships motion can be extreme in rough seas. This can trigger sea sickness in some.

NOw - what am I doing with MY catagory 12 guarantee? Well... I have 4 pax in our cabin - so I already expect a catagory 11 or better. As such, that alone saves me near $1100 against the current fares. And if we applied the on board rebooking discount that my reservation is carrying - then my savings diminishes to $750. That kind of savings is enough to pay for most if not all of my cabin tab! And ... if I get BETTER then a catagory 11... then I'll gain the split bath and possibly a window too! That sort of "savings" translates into $1300 or $2000-2400 saved (adjusting for our on board rebooking discount... the savings is $930 for a catagory 10 or $1600-2000!). I do not dare think what I'd save with my guarantee 12 booking IF I got a veranda... but just for giggles ... the minimum savings with todays fares from DCL would be $3500 ... or after discount adjustment ... $2800!!!!

I would hold out with the guarantee and plan for a 12 but hope for an improvement of some sort. The simplisticly estimated odds are about 77% in favor of getting better than a catagory 12!

And these "estimates" could change by tomorrow morning as we get more "votes" to our data base of responses.

For what its' worth... if you get an undesirable cabin - then go purchased shift - or hope for a free change BEFORE you sail... or try buying a change at the pier... or bring earplugs and or all the anti-seasickness remedies you can lay your hands on. We have 3 of those electric relief bands!

My spouse actually does NOT tolerate sea sickness motion very well. So if we get a bad cabin assignment - we are likely to try to "buy" a switch either in advance of sailing OR at the pier.

That's how we see it. If you have a serious aversion to cabins with some noise - or if you're vulnerable to sea sickness - then you should reconsider a cabin assignment.

Makes sense????

 

[jdybnsn]

Ooops sorry !! I voted but didn't see the other questions below in the poll !!

We had a cat12 gty for this Feb (booked March 2005 through DU) for our first cruise - we were assigned a cat 10, 1 month before sail date, but this turned out to be below the nightclub and classified as noisy -

We were definitely UNHAPPY with our assignment.

I could not bear the thought of paying all that money, and coming all the way to Florida from the UK , and possibly having our trip ruined by not being able to sleep. I had never thought of this being an issue before I booked and read so much stuff on this board.

We ended up paying and extra $600 (reduced slightly by a DU on board credit) to upgrade to a cat 9 room 2514 (same room as you Captaincrash I believe !). We did not regret it !
I have wondered since if we would have paid substantially less for our Cat 9 if we'd booked it in March 2005 ??

Next cruise planned in Feb 2008 ..... I will definitely be booking a specific cat9 cabin

 

[captaincrash]

Ooops sorry !! I voted but didn't see the other questions below in the poll !!

We had a cat12 gty for this Feb (booked March 2005 through DU) for our first cruise - we were assigned a cat 10, 1 month before sail date, but this turned out to be below the nightclub and classified as noisy -

We were definitely UNHAPPY with our assignment.

I could not bear the thought of paying all that money, and coming all the way to Florida from the UK , and possibly having our trip ruined by not being able to sleep. I had never thought of this being an issue before I booked and read so much stuff on this board.

We ended up paying and extra $600 (reduced slightly by a DU on board credit) to upgrade to a cat 9 room 2514 (same room as you Captaincrash I believe !). We did not regret it !
I have wondered since if we would have paid substantially less for our Cat 9 if we'd booked it in March 2005 ??

Next cruise planned in Feb 2008 ..... I will definitely be booking a specific cat9 cabin

Well now... what luck!!! Here are a few pix from our Sept 3rd 2005 Eastern sailing! Is the cabin just as you left it?

jdybnsn: We should consider ourselves lucky our cabin 2514 did not have openings in the outer wall for OARs to be worked - or benches with fittings for chains! And alternatively - our loo did not have a coal shovel - a good sign considering the money we saved versus a "luxurious POSH" cabin, eh?

 

[fran99999]

I booked 40 days out and was lucky enough to get a GTY 12. When I looked online I booked into Room 2588, Cat 9 OV.

The room had a view of the docks at PC. We left and when we reached Nassau I was on the dock side again so I got to SEE the port. When I looked out the window (with much head turning) I could see Atlantis in the distance. I would post the pic but am apparently computer challenged.

On CC we were on the dock side but back enough that the view was great still.

The cruise was great the CM that took care of us were outstanding!! I gave triple the $$ tip that was suggested for the 2 of us. I was rewarded with a hat from the kids club for my DS from ?????. I also brought onboard some Salt water Taffy from Rhode Island in a nice basket with Chocolate for the kids club staff as there is no way to really tip them. There should be envelopes for the kids club. The get much cudos from me taking care of all those kids all day long so we parents can rest ( LOL ya rest right).

All in all the whole trip was so great I have just booked my DS and me on the Carnival Fantasy for Aug 06. Anyone that wants an update on this trip I can send and email as I have no idea of where to put it. I will use the kids club as it will be DS7 and myself again.

 

[captaincrash]

OK... here we are after about a day - we've had 498 "visits" to the thread... and 24 responses to the cabin assignment poll.

The apparent percentage chance for getting the following are as follows:

From 12 to a 12 = 16.6% or 1 in 6 chance
From 12 to an 11 = 16.6% or 1 in 6 chance
From 12 to a 10 = 25% or a 1 in 4 chance for an inside double bath
From 12 to a 9 = 20.8% or roughly a 1 in 5 chance for a window
From 12 to an 8 = 12.5% or 1 in 8 chance for a window
From 12 to a 7 = 4.2% or a 1 in 24 chance for a veranda
From 12 to a 6 or better = 4.2% or a 1 in 24 chance.

Simplisticly summarized as - there seems to be an
8.3% chance for veranda or better
33.3% chance for a window
41.7% chance for an inside better than a catagory 12
16.6% chance for no improvement over a catagory 12 - and maybe a LOSS with an adverse position on the ship.

Aside from this - it seems as if being a CC member is of no benefit when it comes to Guarantee assignments as neither of the veranda recipients appear to be CC members. And only 1 of 3 who got a catagory 8 window were CC patrons. That is a little disappointing as I used to think that repeat customers were APPRECIATED by an ongoing concern. I guess being a CC member only results in a free cabin gift when rebooking! OR... the best benefit is the 10% rebooking break and cabin credit for those rebooking while embarked. And if booking a guaranteed cabin - it MIGHT be better to NOT remind DCL that you're a CC member!!!!

Also, among those responding - it seems evenly divided as to whether the better assignments go to those booking with DCL or an independent TA. IE... it makes no difference among those obtaining a catagory 8 or better.

AND PLEASE NOTE... Verandas may not actually be given away - as the way the poll was worded - those who started with BETTER than a catagory 12 guarantee might have gotten a higher upgrade. IE, some might have booked a catory 9 guarantee and received a +5 or aq +6 upgrade to a ... (gasp)... catagory 4 or 3 cabin???? OR... maybe someone booked a catagory 7 guarantee and obtained a +5 or +6 assignment to a catagory 2 or... 1!!!?!? Hmmm..... .... Nawww.....!

Also, it seems as if no one responding to the poll indicated they received a bad cabin - however, a couple of folks posting explained their story of how their assignments were questionable as they were assigned cabins with a "noisey" warning from prior cabin reports. So - we (or at least ..."I") expect that there must be a higher likelihood of getting a less desirable cabin location no matter what catagory you're awarded. IE, if not noise then perhaps an obstruction to the view or a far foreward location which is subject to ships' motion.

OK... anyone else having any recent experiences in 2006 with guarantee cabins - please post? Otherwise - if you EVER booked a guaranteed cabin - then share the news of what you got - and whether it was good, how you booked (DCL or not) and whether you're a CC member.

 

[jdybnsn]

Thank you Captaincrash for sharing your images of 'our' cabin - I was thrilled to see them
......sorry if I'm going off topic everyone
..but these are mine in Feb 2006;

This is a really useful thread - I'm really interested to see how it turns out !!!

 

[DisneyGirlTinkerbell]

I have a gty.12 booked for the 10-Night in Sept. I haven't received my room assignment yet, but let's keep this poll near the top.

 

[off to neverland]

Thanks so much for posting this, Captain Crash! What a great poll, and I plan on watching it over time.

We took the plunge and booked a GTY for our December 06 cruise. After travelling last Jan in a CAT 11 on the 3 day -- and being VERY pleasantly surprised at how well it accomodated us --we decided to throw caution to the wind and go for a 12 this time.

I'd rather spend the saved money on a cruise to Hawaii (still trying to decide which cruise line).

I can't wait to see what we end up with, and if it's really terrible, well then...... I'll just spend more time eating, and less time in the room.

It's a win-win situation!!!

Anyway, thanks again for the great poll.

 

[captaincrash]

OK...

At this point we have 930 visits to this page... and 33 "votes" reporting something about the sort of cabins that were given off a guaranteed reservation. We assume that most of these were "guaranteed catagory 12" even though 9 and 7 guarantee reservations have been seen.

So what are the odds - in a totally non-scientific - uncertified - and statistically insignificant way?

Well - so far - if you start in a 12 then the odds of getting a catagory ....

12 = 18%
11 = 18%
10 = 24%
9 = 21%
8 = 18%
7 = 6%
6+= 3%

Put another way ... the odds for a veranda or better are 9%; and for a window = 39%; and for an inside cabin that is above a 12 = 42%. It looks like it is an 82% chance for something better than a catagory 12 -or- a catagory EQUAL to the level at which you reserved. IE - you reserve a catagory 9 guarantee and GET a "9".

In addition to that - if you're a cast-Away club repeat cruiser - then I think it might look discouraging. Only 1 in 3 of those with a veranda upgrade were CC members. And only 4 of 13 receiving a window were CC members. Of course, 9 of 20 receiving an inside cabin assignment were CC members. So - overall - 14 of 33 reporting were Castaway Club members anyways.... which is 42.4%. SO ... having 1 in 3 get a veranda is like having a 33% chance for a V-upgrade if you're a CC member. ANd getting a window is a 30.8% probability IF you're a CC member. AND ... if you're a CC member than your ABOVE AVERAGE EXPECTION is for an INSIDE cabin at 45%... the overall average is 42.4%. Does this make any sense to you?

I guess inventory control has decided NOT to reward repeat clientle with better upgrades - instead they are focusing subtly on trying to "WOW" a 1st time patron with a slightly better cabin - specificly a window or VERANDA.

I am mildly disappointed even though I have NOT received my cabin assignment yet. Of course - there remains an ESTIMATED 9% chance for a veranda - adjusted by a factor of roughly 21% (42-33 divided by 42) for being a CC member - and the specific adjustment is unique to verandas - this makes the 9% really a 7.1% expectation for a veranda as a CC member.

Conversely, as a 1st time DCL patron - there is a 10.9% chance for a veranda.

For a window - I could do the unscientific math - but my threshold for "wow" is a veranda when paying for a 12. A window is very nice - and appreciated.

SO... aside from all that .... I remain hopeful for a veranda - as the odds are slightly worse then hitting a 3 number combination bet on a roullette wheel (7.89%) ... or put another way since we're talking about gambling.... how many of you have played 21 in Vegas? Well... the single deck odds for the dealer to draw to 21 is 7.36% That is about equal to my adjusted odds for a CC member to get a veranda cabin. So - how often does this happen to you in Vegas where the dealer draws to 21? Well... I'd say the ratio of payoff is BETTER on VEGAS roulette then on DCL for a Veranda given the ratio of payoff. IE... the Vegas payoff is 11:1 while Disney amounts to about 2:1. SO - gamble more at VEgas - and reserve what YOU WANT on DCL... especially if you're a CC member. Of course.... with Disney if you lose the veranda you are assured of getting something with an 84% for a "win" to some degree. And at Vegas when you lose (92.64% of the time with a 3 number combination) you walk away with nothing but the moments of brief excitement.

Maybe the catagory 12 guarantee "bet" with DCL is not so bad after all - as we always have a fantastic time no matter which catagory we've had in the past!!!! BEsides - we DO get decent CC member cabin gifts too as a spiff. That's actually more of a "trophy" then a simple souveneer towel or shoulder bag, eh!!!!

 

[S.S.Oceanlover]

we are booked in cat 12 guarantee for the 4 day Wonder 8/27/06. We are a family of 3. We got our assignment the other day. We are in a cat 11 on deck 7 in a handicapped room all the way at the back of the ship 7131.

We have another family of 4 going with us that also booked a cat 12 guarantee and were assigned a cat 11 on deck 6 midship 6099.

Hope this helps.

Bill

 

[captaincrash]

we are booked in cat 12 guarantee for the 4 day Wonder 8/27/06. We are a family of 3. We got our assignment the other day. We are in a cat 11 on deck 7 in a handicapped room all the way at the back of the ship 7131.

We have another family of 4 going with us that also booked a cat 12 guarantee and were assigned a cat 11 on deck 6 midship 6099.

Hope this helps.

Bill

Thanks for yer feedback...

and (LOL! ) your vote just shifted all of my numbers above!!! I think you did not vote as a CC member - so this slightly IMPROVES the expectation of CC members. As a 4 person reservation I think an 11 is the minimum they can assign you. BUT - of course - the 11 is an entire step better then a catagory 12 - so you still "win". The 3 person cabin is a better victory as there WAS a chance for a catagory 12 assignment.

Without checking for an actual cabin report - I was curious about your cabin positions. The 6099 cabin is adjacent to an unexplained "grey" section of the ship on deck 6. Above it is nothing but other cabins and the same grey section on deck 7. On deck 5 you are located roughly at one corner of the Oceaneers' club and / or a grey section of the ship. As I recall - adjacent to the oceaneers' club is a staging passageway for accessing the Oceaneers' club (silent for the most part). I would generally score this as "Good" especially since the center of the ship is least subject to motion. Only thing better would have been a lower level deck so there is less rotational motion down the length of the ship.

And for the 7131 cabin.... that's a SILENT cabin with nothing but crazy passengers to worry about. Well... there IS the fact its' a disabled serving cabin - so the layout is slightly unconventional - but the additional space makes it look like a verandaless suite!... sans concierge. I'd score it a great assignment ... for a catagory 11.

And thank you for the vote and explanations! Better luck next time on getting a Walt suite off the guarantee 12!!!!

 

[poohssmum]

Our first cruise, booked through a TA ... booked a guarantee. Got cruise docs and we were assigned a Cat 8. Got a call from the TA 3 days before the cruise to change our stateroom number on the docs ... we'd been upgraded to a Cat 4 on deck 8

2nd cruise ... again booked through TA, again booked a guarantee. We were assigned a Cat 10. The room was fine, but it was right under Rockin' Bar D and we spent a lot of time listening to people dance and jump around on our heads.

3rd cruise ... rebooked on board and had ressie transferred to our TA. This time we didn't book a guarantee (because of the location of our room on that cruise), we booked a Cat 9 and we stayed in a Cat 9.