I've been encountering more and more people on cruise ships who have booked a
cabin guarantee, with many not having any real idea of what it is they've
booked.
There's a number of different ways to book a cabin guarantee.
Run Of the Ship
(ROS) is often referred to as "best available cabin". To
the uninitiated this can be somewhat confusing. Many people believe, or are
led to believe by hopefully misinformed travel agents, that by booking this
way they are going to get the best cabin on the ship that wasn't booked
prior. They come away with visions of paying for the lowest cabin category
cabin, and coming away with the owner's suite.
Article continues below
While I'm sure there have been the odd occasions this has been exactly what
happened. It's not the norm, and certainly not even likely.
A number of people I've spoken with on cruise ships lately have been told by
their agents that booking ROS would guarantee them an upgrade. This is simply
not true. It's unfortunate because people are disappointed after walking
into their inside cabins when in a roundabout way they've been led to
believe they're going to end up with an outside cabin, or even one with a
private balcony.
So many factors come into play. There's nothing cut and dried about upgrades.
Some say early booking is key, others say if you're a multiple repeat cruiser
on the line, that's the magic ingredient. And others have told me that the
amount of business the booking agent does with a cruise line can be the
determining factor.
I suspect all of these are contributing factors, but in any case you're
spinning the wheel, gambling that your name is going to pop to the top of the
upgrade list.
There is no guarantee to this guarantee.
There's certainly nothing wrong with booking this way. Just be aware that there is no sure upgrade waiting for you. Prepare to be happy with
whatever cabin you end up, after-all it means you are on a cruise.
Minimum Category Guarantee
This allows you to book the minimum cabin
category that you'd feel comfortable in, but allows the cruise line to either
upgrade you to a higher category or place you in any cabin anywhere with the
minimum category you've booked. This allows you to gamble on getting an
upgrade while still reserving a minimum cabin category that you're
comfortable with.
The drawback; you have no control over that cabin's location. With luck you
could end up midships, but it is possible you could end up at the bow or
stern of the ship, or even an obstructed view cabin.
If location within a category is of no concern to you, it's not a bad way to
book.
In my opinion knowing what to expect is of utmost importance. If you
understand the gamble involved in booking via the "guarantee" it can be an
effective way to save money. I just feel bad for those I've met recently who
have been misinformed.
