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

[captaincrash]

Hi
IF I understand right ( nor I'm I a bit slow lol..lol..).
For our coming cruise feb 07 we have a cat6 deck 6 don't quite remember the number we got all that number of deck , room number ....while booking on board at the DCL reservation desk does this mean I still might get upgraded to another category or is it sure I'll keep this one , anyway it would be fine since I notice when I booked that I'll be right across a laundry room ( cvould be practical ) or if the upgrade it'll be at least a cat 5 or 4 could be good .

Well,
I'm no authority but as I understand it you've got a regular cabin assignment located across from a laundry room. Not a catagory 6 gurantee reservation. So you are very unlikely to get a cabin change.

Normally, the idea is that a guarantee rate is LOWER COST then the level it is made at compared to an assignment. IE, If you have a cat 6 double assignment at $4500 then - if available - a catagory 6 GUARANTEE rate should be perhaps $4100 or so. And you are assured of getting a catagory 6 or better. Thus - you'd be saving an minimum $400 in my example! However, there is no such thing as a free lunch because you are surrentdering the power of choice over the LOCATION of the cabin! And maybe they'd assign you (most likely) the LAST catagory 6 or 7 to sell on the ship... one that is right under the engines or nearest to some other noisey spot... or it might be the furthest forward veranda 6 or 7!

NOw... not everyone may look upon the furtherst forward cabin as least desirable. Some folks might LIKE the spot with he MOST potential ships motion. Who knows?

SO... might you still get an upgrade - well, anything IS possible - but in thoery all of the guarantee reservations will have to be filled. Then DCL would have to select YOU for a free upgrade. And I believe DCL does NOT have a practice of doing free upgrades in significant volume. They do just fine making people PAY for their catagories... and they aparently have decided there's more to gain in not shuffling everyone upwards in the catagories free when space is available. Certainly, I do not see any pattern of staging wholesale benefits of huge significance for repeat patrons. Not to say I don't appreciate the gifts (pins, lanyards, beach towels, bags, cocktail parties, and opportunity for an on-board rebooking discount with cabin credit, etc..). I do - and I repeat voyages with the Mouse because they really do such a good job!

I do believe other cruise lines have been more liberal with handing out free upgrades. I've had about 25% of my non- DCL sailings upgraded at no cost. Once I got bumped from a window to the largest penhouse usite on the ship ... FREE!!! And my most modest bump was from an inside to a window... a savings of about a hundred or two. Any way you slice it - something for nothing is always nice - and I have not figured out any pattern other then what I've posted about.

Hope this helped....

 

[MrJimmyDale]

I have GTY12 11/19 Wonder.........Wish me luck

 

[captaincrash]

I have GTY12 11/19 Wonder.........Wish me luck

You'll get a good assignment... I can see it comin' in the cards!!!

 

[MrJimmyDale]

1st time cruiser but no upgrade......rooms 2629 and 2631....aft and close to the elevators
(I'll sleep on an intertube pulled behing the boat....just let me on!!!)

 

[captaincrash]

1st time cruiser but no upgrade......rooms 2629 and 2631....aft and close to the elevators
(I'll sleep on an intertube pulled behing the boat....just let me on!!!)

Looks like Homer would take an inner tube too!​

 

[captaincrash]

Ok, I just voted. We booked gty 12 and got a category 10 just a few days ago for our Nov. 12th sailing. Pretty happy with that!

We reserved almost 16 months ago so we got an awesome deal. If you compare the amount we paid versus the amout is costs to book a cat. 10 right now we saved $1400!! Amazing!

So glad we got the split bath. Room 2633. Seems to be an okay location. We might hear a few noises but who cares- this is our first cruise!!!

That's nice kkmcan ... a $1400 savings for advance booking and a catagory 10 assignment! Nice score!

And, do we have any more votes or contributions as to what folks got on their guarantee assignments? We've had so many new votes I figure it's worth while to run another tally/summary in a week or two.

 

[cutie pie]

Has anyone else got their assignment?

 

[klarlee]

It's my first DCL cruise, and I booked a GTY 12 for 4 people, knowing they don't exist, so an automatic Cat. 11 upgrade was the worst I'd get. Well...I received a Cat. 9 (2520)!!! Yippee!!! It's forward, under Diversions. AND...I have adjoining rooms with my sister-in-law!

 

[disjest8]

klarlee,

That is an awesome upgrade. Congratulations!

Do you mind posting which cruise are you sailing on? Regardless, you all are going to have a great time

-Kristi

 

[klarlee]

klarlee,

That is an awesome upgrade. Congratulations!

Do you mind posting which cruise are you sailing on? Regardless, you all are going to have a great time

-Kristi

We're on the 11/30, 3-night Wonder. The count-down has begun...less than a month! Also found out today that out of 7 staterooms booked as Cat. 11 or 12, only 1 received an inside stateroom. Pretty awesome!!!

 

[Jeanne B]

It's my first DCL cruise, and I booked a GTY 12 for 4 people, knowing they don't exist, so an automatic Cat. 11 upgrade was the worst I'd get. Well...I received a Cat. 9 (2520)!!! Yippee!!! It's forward, under Diversions. AND...I have adjoining rooms with my sister-in-law!

That's funny, I'm also on the 11/30 cruise, booked a Cat 12 Gty and got 2519 so we're almost right across from you!! No such luck getting upgraded but we got upgraded from an inside to an oceanview on our first DCL cruise last October so I really can't complain. I might try to upgrade at the port if can get a decent price on a higher category (I'll be getting there early!!).

Funny thing is, last year I came across someone here on the DISboards and we both got upgraded and we ended up being just 2 cabins down from each other!!

Darn, I just checked the noisy room list and I see that 2519 is listed as being in one of the noisy zones. Oh well, that's what I get for booking a GTY!!

 

[klarlee]

That's funny, I'm also on the 11/30 cruise, booked a Cat 12 Gty and got 2519 so we're almost right across from you!! No such luck getting upgraded but we got upgraded from an inside to an oceanview on our first DCL cruise last October so I really can't complain. I might try to upgrade at the port if can get a decent price on a higher category (I'll be getting there early!!).

Funny thing is, last year I came across someone here on the DISboards and we both got upgraded and we ended up being just 2 cabins down from each other!!

Darn, I just checked the noisy room list and I see that 2519 is listed as being in one of the noisy zones. Oh well, that's what I get for booking a GTY!!

Good luck on that upgrade! If not, then I'll see ya across the hall!
I read that the only time the room is noisy is when they're loading/unloading the ship...at least I hope that's the case! If not, at least we're on the ship to begin with!!!

 

[jiminyC_fan]

Booked a gty 9 for the PC cruise for two. Got a 9. Location was very scary to me because it was listed as a noisy room. Got there and was in the room for 14 days and absolutely loved it. Have asked for it now for 2 other cruises.

Got a free upgrade from that room this last time.

 

[Jeanne B]

Good luck on that upgrade! If not, then I'll see ya across the hall!
I read that the only time the room is noisy is when they're loading/unloading the ship...at least I hope that's the case! If not, at least we're on the ship to begin with!!!

Yeah, I read that also about the loading/unloading so hopefully it won't be too bad. I made myself feel a little better about my Cat 12 cabin by upgrading our 2-night WDW stay after the cruise from a value to a mod...just in case I don't upgrade at the port!!

 

[captaincrash]

OK...

... so we're at 4,665 viewings, 75 postings and about 153 poll votes. Plus several votes off the poll. Anyone else have any "guarantee Booking" results they would like to share with the DIS community? I'll run another summary in a few days if we get a meaningful number of contributions.

 

[Octoberbride03]

Won't be able to post my votes for another 9 months casue my cruise is soo far off But booked a 12 gty for DH and myslef and I'm really thrilled to be have come across this thread. I'll keep checking in from time to time and see how the votes go. Not really looking for an outside upgrade. Anything would be nice since we'll be 1st timers though. Course DH spent a few years sailing on on the Carrier JFK so he says he really doesn't care where the cabin is cause nothing will phase him noisewise. As for me I have a cochlear Implant so once i take it off to sleep I won't hear a thing.

Now if i just learned how to move time up

 

[colbybug]

I booked a category 12 guarantee and ended up with an inside cabin on Deck 7 Aft. I am thrilled!

Kathy

 

[Disneyjamie]

for Dec 9 Double Dip Cruise. Booked GTY 12, got 6143, cat 11. Am very happy with the location! And, the prices went down, so got a price adjustment from Costco. I definitely have a steal of a deal!

 

[Sheryl]

I've never tried to upgrade. We've always traveled in a large group and wanted to be together. Actually, our January western cruise was booked October 2005. I requested 3 quotes for cat. 6 from different agencies and picked the one that had the best cabin selection and still the best price. Of our 5 cabins, we have 4 connecting (1 to 1 and another 1 to 1) and we are all together. There are 9 adults and 8 children and it helps if Grandma or aunt Susie takes the wide awake 5 and 6 year olds to breakfast with them and mom gets to sleep in.

Four years ago my husband and I, just the two of us, cruised on the Mediterranean. I think I would have tried the "upgrade" request, however I was ignorant to being able to ask for such things at that time. We did learn on that trip how we "really" love traveling with family. Not, that we didn't enjoy each other's company (it was our 30th wedding anniversary), but having all those memories with your kids and grandkids is awesome.

We are staying for 3 nights at Pop Century before the January cruise and I'm going to try and continue checking with any upgrade deals. Again, we want at least 2 of the rooms to connect, so I may not succeed. I've read were some are able to upgrade from value to moderate or from moderate to deluxe. We'll see....

Sheryl

 

[captaincrash]

You know what...

... nows' a fine time to get philosophical. Having read your comments Sheryl I find myself thinking... "Say, it's not really about the cabin or whether or not we got any sort of bump or bargain... rather it's all about the voyage, the laughs and and memories we're creating with DCL."

I don't know why I was thinking all that ... but I was. I find myself aging a little... maybe even there's some middle age gloom creeping up on me - especially since a few friends and some older relatives are now threatened with chronic terminal illnesses. The notion of our existance having a finite limit is a sobering reminder for to reexamine where we are, where we've been... and symbolicly ... where we wanna go. And I am referring to things other then simply travel.

As such... I think I am sufferring from a biorthymic (anyone remember all THAT non-sense?)... swing and moving away from being the weassel pinching a dollar to the untouchable philosopher/would-be-poet. Ok... maybe not a poet then... but waxing romantic on the memories alone is NOT an unpleasant way to pass the evening away.

At any rate, I appreciate your remarks Sheryl in ways you probably never anticipated. And sometime soon I'll run another summary on the votes.... only this time it will just be a tabulating exercise as opposed to a witch hunt on how to squeeze something for nothing from DCL.