Guaranteed cabins – worth the risk to save money?

What is a guaranteed cabin?

A guaranteed cabin is a grade of cabin that you book without knowing the specific cabin number. With some companies you also don’t get a choice to pre-book dining options (1st or 2nd sitting). The grade that you book is the MINIMUM grade that you would be allocated, but could be of a higher grade.  Your specific cabin number is usually allocated anywhere from 3 weeks to 2 days prior to your departure date. Some companies insist that with this type of booking all documentation must be printed off electronically. I find it a strange name for this type of booking as basically NOTHING is guaranteed!

So what are the risks?

Some of the risks are:

You could be located in a part of the ship that you do not like.

You could get an obstruction if booking a cabin with a view.

You may not get your preferred dining sitting.

You cannot get a disabled cabin.

You could be in a  completely different area  or deck of the ship from the rest of your party if booking more than one cabin.

You may be less likely to be offered an upgrade.

You don’t often get any extra offers such as on board credit, free parking etc.

I have noticed recently just how much difference in price there can be between named and guaranteed cabins. here are a couple of examples:

P&O Ventura 14 nights on the 1st October 2014 in a balcony cabin – The named cabin price is £2089 yet the guaranteed price is £1399. That’s a difference of £1380 per cabin.

Cunard Queen Elizabeth 14 nights on the 10th of October in an outside cabin. The named price is £1959 and the guaranteed fare is £1349, making a difference of £1220 per cabin.

I know we all like to look  after our pennies and want to get the best deal we can, but it  often happens when you go on holiday that you get talking to someone who paid a vastly different price to you and when it turns out they paid less it’s frustrating.

I guess the question we need to ask ourselves is does the cost saving outweigh the risks?  Would an obstructed view ruin your holiday? Is it imperative that you eat at a certain time? Does it matter if you’re on a different deck to the rest of your party?

I have had customers who have booked on a guaranteed basis and been upgraded to a much higher cabin grade than they booked and obviously were extremely happy with their choice, but by the same token I know people who have extremely disappointed when they got an obstructed balcony cabin or were put on a low deck.

On reflection I guess there is one thing that’s guaranteed -you will be receiving the same service, the same entertainment, the same food, the same standard of cabin and the same on board activities as everybody else regardless of whether you booked a named cabin or a guaranteed cabin.

Is it worth the risks to save money?

What do you think?