Do I book a named cabin or an allocation on arrival ?

When working here at cruise.co.uk I look at prices and availability all day long on behalf of my clients.

One thing that I often notice is that a lot of the best deals that are offered are on a guarantee (allocation on arrival) basis.

Booking a cabin on a guarantee can have it’s pro’s and con’s.  Obviously one of the major benefits of booking this way is that the price can be substantially lower than booking a named cabin.
I do notice that some of the best guarantee cabin offers are on Royal Caribbean or Celebrity Cruises but some other cruise lines have also had some amazing offers on this like some recent Cunard offers for example.

Booking a guarantee cabin can be a good way to get you in the running for a good upgrade (but don’t bank on this happening obviously !).   I have seen people book inside cabin’s on allocation on arrival with Royal Caribbean ending up with balcony cabins, clients on Celebrity Cruises get Sunset Verandah’s instead of outside cabins and people on Cunard booking metal fronted obstructed view balconies get clear view glass fronted balconies.

Unfortunately there can be downsides to booking this way.  You could end up being in a position you don’t like on the ship, with an obstructed view or directly opposite the lifts and stairs.

I guess as with most things, the best thing to do with these kind of cruise deals is to weigh up the pro’s and con’s of each deal on an individual basis.