Why is my cabin unassigned?

 

If you received confirmation of your cruise booking and it says “TBA” (To Be Added) where you cabin number should be listed, you have an unassigned cabin. The cruise line will give us that number later, closer to sailing, usually after final payment has been made. 

But why? 

Many passengers know what cabin they will be in before they board. Others book “guaranteed”cabins with the location to be added (TBA) by the cruise line later. 

 

What this means is that they book a cabin that is in a particular category, (that’s the guaranteed part) but it could be anywhere on the ship. The tradeoff for this not knowing where you’ll be is that you get a chance to be “upgraded” to a higher (and more expensive) category cabin at no additional charge. You will never be downgraded. Chances are if you book a lower category guaranteed cabin that you will be upgraded. 

The most common upgrade is to be upgraded to a “better” cabin within the category you have already paid for. (Like from a Category 4A to a 4D) This commonly means a higher deck, under the belief that higher is better. Technically the “best” part of the ship is the dead center of it in relation of the front to back and side to side. Think of a teeter totter. The people sitting on either end move up and down a lot. The center part moves very little. The same basic theory applied to cruise ships in the olden days when they might be tossed about by rogue waves in uncharted seas. 

Today, huge stabilizer bars that extend out the side of the ship under the water line reduce that sort of movement to a minimum. In fact, on most ships you will probably have to look outside and see the ocean rolling by to know you are moving at all. 

If you booked a guaranteed cabin prior to 9/11 security measure implementation, you may found out your cabin location as late as when you reach the pier upon embarkation. The porters there would have a manifest of all the cabins and all the lucky winners (or not) and be able to help you re-tag your bags with the appropriate information to insure that yours get to your cabin. But most guests these days find out this information much earlier, usually some time between when final payment is made and 7 days prior to sailing. 

 

But why would the cruise lines let us pay for a less expensive cabin and give us a more expensive cabin anyway?

In the cruise line business, much like the hotel business, the name of the game is occupancy. The cruise lines live and breathe to fill the ships and will do so using a number of strategies. One strategy is to offer bonus amenities on a particular sailing to entice us to book that one. Another is to offer free upgrades. But there is more than the notion of maybe getting something more than what we paid for at work here. 

The cruise lines want every potential buyer to have a nice selection of cabins to choose from when making their buying decision. One party might want an inside cabin, another a balcony and yet another an Oceanview cabin. When they open a sailing for sale, they have a pretty good idea which cabins will sell first; the most expensive and the least expensive. But much of it depends on us. A given sailing might happen to sell mostly inexpensive inside cabins to begin with, limiting the number available to sell to others while more expensive inside cabin go unsold. In order to have that nice selection of all cabin categories for someone just entering the buying arena, the cruise lines will move up the guests who booked early and bought those first inexpensive inside cabins to a higher category inside cabin, making more space in the inexpensive category. 

Are you with me so far? Basically a complementary upgrade means you get something for nothing. 

So if you got upgraded or not might depend on just that. But when it comes time to dole out the upgrades there may be a limited number available. That’s when they look at other factors to determine who gets the upgrade. Factors like what you paid, how long the booking has been made and/or past guest status are often considered. If your cruise was booked 6 months or more in advance you have time on your side and could stand to gain a substantial upgrade at no additional cost to you. 

That is an important part of the whole thing. 

If you wanted to be very mid-ship and on a certain deck, you may be better off doing what it takes (usually paying full deposit at the time of booking) to lock in to a specific cabin right up front. The up side of that is that you will know exactly where you are going to be on the ship as far in advance as possible. The down side is that on most lines it greatly reduces if not eliminates the possibility of a complementary upgrade. 

Prime candidates for assigning cabins up front are those who need a specific location, say by an elevator because they don’t want to have to stumble too far back to the cabin, handicapped cabins and suites. On some ships, cabins with three or more guests may be required to lock in to a specific cabin just because there are a limited number that will hold that many people. 

These days though, most guests benefit from NOT choosing a cabin up front and realize a nice upgrade by the time they sail. Of course, the only thing guaranteed about a complementary upgrade is that there are no guarantees that it will happen

Celebrity Solstice

 

 

It could be argued that the new Celebrity Solstice is the prettiest ship at sea. I doubt that you would find many who would not agree.  But there are a whole lot of steps along the way that make Solstice unique.  Celebrity has done a great job focusing on the total cruise experience and beyond.

It seems that new builds these days all have a flashy signature feature that sets them apart from others.  Solstice is no exception.  The big one here is the Lawn Club.  Located high up on deck 15, Celebrity has grown an expanse of short golf green-like grass about the size of a football field.  Ok maybe more like a large backyard but it sure seems like a huge space in person.  It’s something you just don’t expect to see on a ship and nothing can quite prepare you for the experience. 

Home to picnics, various “yard” games, and even private parties, the Lawn Club comes complete with its own shop, café and bar.  If this were a Carnival ship they would call this the “Fun Deck” because it also houses the Fun Factory Kids club, a basketball court, Video Arcade and another unique experience, the Hot Glass show, where professional gaffers craft works of art right before your eyes.  But this is nothing you will find on a Carnival ship or any other brand for that matter.

These unique experiences have been really well done in a unique signature way that will prove to set Solstice apart from even her sister ships that will follow.  It all comes down to ground level where what they do directly impacts the guest experience.  As with so many other successful ideas it is the details that make the difference. 

 Bartenders that can open a bottle of beer tossed in the air, Pool Butlers actually paying attention to guests and anticipating their needs, as well as very well educated crew members who know their jobs well, make the difference. 

 Someone was paying attention here when they designed how this was going to go.  Often overlooked while an organization struggles to cover the bases, Celebrity not only covers but blows the bases away, creating an experience like no other.

 It is as though someone said,  “Ok, design a ship, but make it the very best one you can possibly make it.  Spare no expense.  Leave nothing out.  Dream up new features.  And make it all very user-friendly”. Take for example, the live tree growing in the middle of the ship.  Yes I said live tree.  Make that “huge live tree”.  It’s not enough to have it; the crew all knows details about how it was planted, lives and will grow six decks high eventually.  The crew does not hesitate to approach the casual viewer to let them know all about it too.  I think this is one of the most unique parts of the onboard experience.  The crew here really goes out of its way to enrich the experience.

 It is as though not only the needs but the unexpected desires of guests have been not only anticipated but are constantly brought to their attention. 

The staterooms are a great example of this. 

A quick glance would leave one with the impression that these are nicely appointed but nothing unique.  Further examination though reveals many innovative features.  In the bathroom, for example, a low level illuminating light is on constantly to lead the way in the dark.  A huge flat-screen television boasting a nice selection of movies, internet access, ordering for room service and more swivels away from the wall enabling it to be positioned just right for viewing anywhere in the cabin.  15% larger than most Celebrity staterooms on other ships, these offer a very nice space you may not want to leave.

 But leave you will as you explore areas of the ship that flow seamlessly from one to the other.

 Arguably the largest selection of shopping at sea, the “Shops on the Boulevard” flow into the largely non-smoking casino which is an extension of an assortment of lounges, and an area known as the “Entertainment Court”.

 Aptly named, the Entertainment Court features a central space where live music emanates into the surrounding areas very nicely, tying them all together.  While other cruise lines seem to be cutting back on live entertainment, Celebrity has taken a few steps back in time and brought back a wide variety of talent.  Case in point; on deck entertainment. 

 I was on deck enjoying a leisurely afternoon one day, steps away from food and bar service, an indoor pool should the weather turn bad, and the an assortment of lounge chairs, hammocks, and private areas.  As the stage was out of sight, it took me a while to realize that the enjoyable and thoughtful music I was hearing was not prerecorded but a live five piece band.  Later, when their set was over, a different band came to play, followed by a solo guitar player and then others.  This theme was repeated many times over throughout the voyage.   A string quartet filled the atrium area, a jazz trio played in one of the lounges, and a full band played in the showroom, even a piano player in unexpected areas at unconventional times made for a rich experience.

 Dining options also added to this deep, enriching theme.

 In addition to the stunning single main room, Grand Epernay, dining options are plentiful.  The Aquaspa café offering refreshing spa cuisine as well as the always open Bistro on Five with Crepes and Sanwiches in a casual setting.  The Mast Grill I enjoyed while on deck was only steps away from the signature Oceanview Café, a scatter-style buffet with an assortment of stations well-suited to most any taste.

 Specialty dining with a nominal cover charge was not limited to just one or two offerings.  Murano, a sophisticated dining experience featuring European style service and wines from around the world is a headliner.  Silk Harvest, featuring the exotic tastes of Asia in a casual, family-style setting is very popular.  The Tuscan Grille offers a sophisticated steakhouse with and Italian accent and robust wine list.  Finally “Blu” has private dining for AquaClass guests only featuring clean, modern cuisine from the old and new world.  

 The Aqua class area of the ship offers some of the most well appointed staterooms on board too.  But more than just extra features like a superb shower and upgraded amenities, the whole AquaSpa area of the ship is unique unto itself.  This area anchors a “Wellness” theme featuring a full service spa enhanced by the solarium and a quiet renewing space called the Persian Garden as well as medi-spa, salon and fitness center.  

 The whole Wellness concept extends to other areas of the ship as well. 

 All staterooms and verandahs, for example, are non-smoking.  A bold move on the part of Celebrity, this idea came directly from guest requests and comments.  There are adequate but largely removed areas for smokers but the Celebrity is really trying hard to make a statement as part of the whole experience.   Smoking is restricted to a small area of the casino, slots only.  The whole feel of it all reminded me of when restaurants had smoking and non smoking sections before turning all non-smoking.  I suspect that Celebrity will be the first line to pull off the entirely non-smoking concept, once tried but failed by Carnival’s Paradise several years ago.

 To me, the extent that Celebrity is willing to go with the smoking issue is a great example of the direction they are going with this ship and the experience it elicits.  A great diversion from real life is the hallmark of a cruise. Celebrity, through the unique features of this ship, also gives you something to take home with you.  Whereas the end of the cruise often meant the end of the experience, Solstice leaves the door open, allowing one to take home the feel of it all. 

 If you are one of the lucky ones who has fully embraced all that a cruise has to offer you may have felt renewed and maybe even a bit changed by the end of the voyage.   The Solstice experience allows you to not only be changed, but to do something with that change once you return to real life.