Still confused on what you are being offered when accepting a guarantee cabin?

There is clearly still much confusion as to what you are getting yourself into when accepting a cabin offered on a guarantee basis.

Getting offered a cabin on a guarantee basis often sounds like a great way to make a big saving on a cruise. It could well be…    but, you really need to know how it all works before accepting this arrangement.So, here’s the essentials of the guarantee. What it is and what it’s not. Guarantee cabins are today offered by many cruise lines.

Guarantee cabins are used frequently by P & O Cruises, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean to name but a few. Most cruise lines offer them. They might be offered simply because there are no specific cabin number available in the grade you want. This scenario often has no impact on anything else such as dining.

THE OFFER OF A CABIN ON A GUARANTEE BASIS CAN VARY FROM CRUISE LINE TO CRUISE LINE BUT NEARLY ALWAYS MEANS THAT YOU WILL BE OFFERED THE MINIMUM OF THE SPECIFIC GRADE, THE CABIN WILL BE ASSIGNED BY THE CRUISE LINE AND THIS COULD BE ANYWHERE AT ALL ON THE SHIP, FORWARD, AFT, HIGH DECK, LOW DECK…      with an obstructed view, near a launderette etc…It’s always a gamble but it may well suit your situation and budget. Remember though, you have absolutely no comebacks or claim against the cruise line and/or the travel agent if you accept a guarantee cabin, but then don’t like the cabin you are given. The cruise line will not change it.

I’ve heard many times before when someone complains because they don’t like the cabin they are assigned even though it was on a guarantee. As long as the cabin assigned is of at least the grade they confirmed at time of booking then it’s a done deal. Cruise lines use the guarantee method as a way of ensuring all space gets sold.If you accept an Outside cabin guarantee on a P & O cruise ship, then that’s what you’ll get as a minimum. It could be a Balcony. Very nice but not if you chose a midships Outside and you landed in a Balcony at the very front of the ship. A higher grade which under the terms of the guarantee can be assigned at the cruise lines’ discretion could be in a much worse position than the lower grade. It happens often too. Also the original cabin is often released and you then get ntoiu

Travelling as a family of four and need two cabins? Guarantee cabins do not work in this case unless you are prepared to take two cabins which could be on different decks, at opposite ends of the ship and could be nowhere near each other. They could even be different grades.

I always listen very carefully to my clients when they discuss guarantee cabins as to their expectations. I also make it very clear what the potential drawbacks could be. This often results in customers not opting for the guarantee and paying more for what they really do want. If they do accept the guarantee cabin, then at least they are crystal clear as to the terms they have accepted.Also be aware that taking a guarantee cabin often means you will not get any opportunity to have a specific dining option confirmed. This is especially true of P&O with their Saver and Early Saver fares as these mean that both cabin and dining are assigned by the cruise line.

Want a cabin where your bed allows you to sleep facing the direction of travel? Again, that’s too specific and a guarantee cabin is not for you.

If you can fully accept the obvious drawbacks then a guarantee could be worth taking.

Understand the offer before proceeding. Choosing between a guarantee and paying for what you actually want could be less significant than you might think.