A Guarantee Cabin or not, whats the choice?

Over the last few months there have been a large number of 'Getaway deals' or 'Guarantee' deals on the various cruise lines, so I am not sure recently how many times I have had the conversations about guaranteed cabins, but thought that this would be good to share.

So let’s start, what is a guaranteed cabin, well it means you will get at least a cabin of the category you book on but at the time of booking we do not know exactly which cabin it will be. Each cruise line has different descriptions, but if you book a guaranteed inside you will get at least an inside, a guaranteed suite means you will get a suite etc. 

 

You will certainly be advised before you sail of your assigned cabin, however if you don't like the position there is little or no chance that the cruise line will change the assigned cabin.

Simples, so far! But is it like a game of poker and can you improve the odds?

How many D8 inside cabins are there on Cunard ships, how many A7 cabins are there on QE and QV or how many BF cabins are there on some Princess ships? Can you find a Category W, X, Y or Z cabin on a deck plan for Royal? Well, the answer is not many and no respectively.

These are the ones that are generally sold on a guarantee basis; don't know why, probably so the lead price advertised by the cruise line is low and increases the 'popularity' of the sailing.

So choosing one of these or other guaranteed cabins may increase your odds of getting an upgrade, you might get a Royal Flush! or you might just have to stick. If you want to win it you have got to be in it! But beware, some of the balcony cabins in the categories on which the guarantees are sold may have a metal front or even an obstructed view.

Bit of anecdotal evidence, booked one of my regular customers last Sunday, I will call him Mr WXYZ. onto Queen Victoria, he does book late and look for the good cabin at the right price and we had a long discussion about what to do, he took a guaranteed Balcony cabin (A7). I have just had the upgrade notice and he has got an A1 balcony in an excellent midships position, what a result!

I have seen others, and not just from Cunard or Princess but don't forget someone will get the obstructed view cabin or the one right at the front and you can't complain if its you, the rub of the 'cheap' deal there!

Now there has been a lot of press about P&O and Cunard's new Vantage fares and also the re-categorisation of the cabins, so not sure what will happen next year. But if they do do Getaway fares on a guarantee the same principles will apply.

 

This approach is really no good if you want a specific cabin, want to be on Port or midships etc. but if you have no preference then is it worth your gamble? If it was me, I'd probably give it a go the more the bargain the better.

Do we have to tender?

When customers ask about ports one of the number of question I get asked is 'Do we have to tender in that port?'

Well the simple answer is that in a lot of ports the harbour is too shallow and the ships can't dock so the choice is simple either you tender or you stay on ship! I know that sometimes even that fails if the weather is too bad, but this is the exception not the rule.

The picture above is from Cunard's Queen Victoria in Santorini, a port of call where all the ships have to tender.

But in some ports there maybe an alternative.

Well, what about the SeaWalk, a motorised pier which gives access to a ship in a port that it may normally have to tender in.

The first one of these has just become operational in Skjolden Norway a port where the ships may normally tender.

I can't image this would work in every port, but it could make some of those short tender journey's a thing of the past.

Look forward to seeing more of these.

Going Solo

There are a growing number of people out there who travel alone, but what can they get from a cruise?

There are a couple of key points that most single travellers ask when they speak to me, What is the Single Supplement and What is there for me to do? I would add to that, can I get a single cabin?

So read on and find out what I can do.

What is the Single Supplement?

The honest answer here is it varies from cruise sailing to sailing and line to line, and can be anything from 100% to no supplement at all. The only sure way to find out is call and ask about the sailing you are interested in.

What is there for me to do?

Every cruise line puts on events and entertainment during the day for all passengers to go to if they wish, and I have found that most people on a cruise are polite and friendly so single passengers will not feel left out.

Some have special event just for single passengers, and perhaps a more special warmer welcome from the cruise lines team when you board. You may even find a number of dance hosts on board so you will have someone to dance with, like on Cunard or Fred Olsen.

Can I get a single cabin?

Well all ships are built to maximise space, so there are very few single cabins on most ships although there are some exceptions.

Fred Olsen have singles available on all there ships, both inside and outside cabins. NCL have 'The Studios' an number of single cabins in a designated private area on The Epic, and when the new ship The Breakaway is launched next year there will again be a small number.

 A single cabin on P&O Azura

P&O have a small number of single cabins on Azura, and next year after her refit in late March Ventura will have had theses added. In addition last year Oriana had a small number of single cabins added when she had a refit.

So does all this help? I hope so, the easiest answer is to give me a call with the cruise you are interested in and let me have a look.

Do I need a Visa?

I was just speaking to a friend recently about their holiday and we ended talking about the difficulty they had encountered getting a Visa.

So I thought I give you some pointers.

So lets start with the USA, certain nationalities can get an ESTA for travel to the US, why not look at my blog on this subject, although there is now a fee. So go to  https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta. to apply.


Then, what about St Petersburg? Most cruise lines do a group Visa for visits to this port as long as you do the cruise lines excursions; if you want to do your own thing then you need to get a visa.

More and more people are now cruising to more exotic destinations. Did you know you need a Tourist Visa for Australia, well we are Cruise.co.uk can do your Visa for a cruise through us for free.

As for the rest of the world we recommend visiting a specialist Visa company, such as CIBT or call them direct on 0207 963 3873 mentioning Cruise.co.uk

A few things not to forget, in some ports for example India and China the fact that you may stay on board does not mean you are exempt from obtaining a visa; in addition the rules maybe different for different nationalities so always check.


The last thing you want to do is get it wrong and miss some or all of your trip.