Interior stateroom guarantee is a cruise word that you may not be familiar with. It is however a cruise word you will want to know as there are definite advantages and disadvantages to booking an interior stateroom guarantee.
In this article we are going to cover:
- What is an interior stateroom guarantee?
- Why book an interior stateroom guarantee.
- When NOT to book a guarantee cabin
- Our experience with a guarantee cabin
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Let’s first break the cruise word interior stateroom guarantee down.
A room on a cruise ship is called a stateroom or a cabin. Stateroom and cabin are used interchangeably.
Interior stateroom
An interior stateroom on a cruise is one that doesn’t have a window to the ocean. Most interior staterooms don’t have a window at all. There are however, some interior staterooms on some of Royal Caribbean’s ships that face the interior promenade.
They are located on the inside of the ship, across the hall from the ocean view and balcony staterooms.
Here are the top reasons you might want to consider an inside stateroom.
Guarantee Cabin
Are you wondering what is a guarantee cabin? A guarantee cabin is one that the cruise line assigns for you. They choose the location on the ship, not you. You usually find out which stateroom you will be in a couple of weeks before sailing.
The guarantee cabin is usually within a specific category (interior, ocean view, balcony, or suite).
You are basically guaranteed a cabin on the ship within the category you choose.
What is an interior stateroom guarantee?
An interior stateroom guarantee is then a room on a cruise ship with no outside window and can be located anywhere on the ship. The cruise line chooses the room for you. You are taking a chance it is in a good location.
Cruise lines use the abbreviation GTY for a guarantee stateroom.
Why book an interior stateroom guarantee?
The biggest reason to book an interior stateroom guarantee is definitely the price. It isn’t always the case but often the price difference can be a couple hundred dollars.
Keep reading under our experience to see the price difference on our cruise.
Another reason to book a guarantee cabin is the possibility of getting a better cabin and location than you otherwise would have purchased. With many cruise lines going to a bidding system for upgrades it is less likely the upgrade will be significant. It is possible but not probable.
There are several reasons not to book a guarantee cabin and they are all location based.
When NOT to book a guarantee stateroom
If you are prone to seasickness
If you are prone to or are worried about seasickness then you are better off choosing you own cabin location. Don’t go with a guarantee cabin. Choose a stateroom midship on a mid level deck. 8 Non-medicated ways to help with seasickness might be of help to you.
If you are cruising with friends or family in another stateroom
With an interior stateroom guarantee you could end up at opposite end of the ship, 7 decks apart from your family or friends. Travelling with family or friends in another stateroom is another situation when not to book a guarantee cabin.
When stateroom location is a concern
If the location of your stateroom on the cruise ship is important to you don’t choose a guarantee stateroom. If you are concerned about being above a nightclub, too close or too far from the elevators or if you want to be close to the spa, don’t choose a guarantee.
Our experience
On our 8 night Mariner of the Seas Bermuda/Bahamas cruise we booked an interior stateroom guarantee.
We chose to go with a Royal Caribbean guarantee stateroom for the price. We wanted to save some money on this cruise as we had another cruise booked 3 months later. Booking an interior stateroom guarantee is a great way to save money on a cruise.
I booked our August 2022 cruise in January 2022. At the time I booked it was $215 CDN ($88 USD) per person cheaper to go with an interior stateroom guarantee.
The hope that maybe, just maybe we’d get a better stateroom was definitely in my head as a secondary reason to book a guarantee cabin. My fingers are crossed for an interior promenade view stateroom.
I will update this post to let you know how our interior stateroom guarantee went. Curious what stateroom we received? Save to Pinterest to find it easier later.
Other cruise words you will want to know before your cruise vacation are:
