What Is a Guarantee Cabin?
You choose the category; the cruise line chooses the room.
Ask About Open CabinsA guarantee cabin is the most common way cruise lines sell their leftover rooms to travelers who are happy to let the line choose.
What a Guarantee Cabin Is
With a guarantee booking you choose the ship, the sailing and the category, but not the cabin number. Royal Caribbean’s own help page describes it this way: you book a guaranteed category — interior, oceanview, balcony or suite — and the line allocates the exact stateroom at its discretion, at any time up until check-in. Other lines use the same idea under similar names, often marked GTY on a booking.
Because the line keeps the right to place you anywhere in that category or above, it can use guarantee guests to fill gaps once other passengers have chosen their rooms. In return, guarantee fares are frequently a little lower than choosing a specific cabin, and there is a chance of being placed in a higher category if the lower one is oversold.
Pros and Cons
| Upside | Downside |
|---|---|
| Often a lower fare than a chosen cabin | No say in the cabin’s location on the ship |
| A chance of a higher category | Could be a partial view, or near a noisy venue |
| Useful when your preferred cabins are already gone | Assignment may come only shortly before sailing |
| Simple to book | Families booking two cabins may not be placed side by side |
Who a Guarantee Cabin Suits
A guarantee works well for travelers who sleep anywhere, care more about the ship than the room, and are not prone to seasickness (mid-ship, lower decks move least, and you cannot request them on a guarantee). It works less well for anyone with mobility needs, families who need connecting cabins, light sleepers and guests on back-to-back sailings.
Before booking one, look at the ship’s layout so you know the best and worst case. Cruise Ship Deck Plans explains how to read a deck plan and which locations to avoid.
A guarantee cabin is one of the easiest ways to benefit from unsold inventory without changing your plans. Our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise can tell you when the guarantee fare is meaningfully lower than choosing a cabin, and when it is not worth the gamble.
Guarantee Cabin FAQ
What does GTY mean on a cruise booking?
It stands for guarantee. You have paid for a category, and the cruise line will assign the specific cabin later, at its discretion, at some point before or at check-in.
Can a guarantee cabin be worse than what I paid for?
It should not be below the category you booked. But within that category it could be any location, including one with a partial view, near noisy areas or far from the elevators.
Is a guarantee cabin a good idea for a back-to-back cruise?
Usually not. Each sailing is assigned separately, so you may have to change cabins between cruises.
Compare a Guarantee With a Chosen Cabin
Tell us the sailing; we will price both so you can decide whether the saving is worth it.
Compare Both Fares