Is It Worth the Risk to Let the Cruise Line Choose Your Cabin? Cruisers Sound Off

One of my favorite parts of the cruise booking experience is choosing the cabin itself. I love to look at deck plans, get a good idea of the ship’s layout, and decide what location and cabin type works best for that sailing.

But allowing the cruise line to choose the cabin for you can save you a decent chunk of cash. While you can lock in the cabin category, you don’t have any control of where exactly the cruise line will put you.

In a recent Reddit thread, cruisers debated this very topic. The main question was whether it was worth the risk to let the cruise line choose the cabin and what kind of “worst case scenarios” were possible.

A Guaranteed Cabin can save you anywhere from 10% to 20%, depending on the category and cruise line. But for those savings, you pay for the cabin in other ways, like by getting last dibs on the staterooms that are left over.

Regular cruisers gave their own pros and cons, and here are some of the main factors to consider if it’s worth the risk for you.

The Ship Layout

The level of risk you take on with a Guarantee (GTY) cabin depends a lot on the ship’s design. On newer mega-ships, lifeboats are tucked away low on the ship, meaning traditional lifeboat obstructions are almost a non-factor for balcony cabins.

However, step onto a Quantum Class or Radiance Class ship, and things change a bit. Lower deck balconies often sit directly above the lifeboats. One traveler shared their experience on Radiance of the Seas:

“Ended up being a corner room like 30% obstructed. So it happens!! Wasn’t a huge deal to move but next time I’ll just pay to pick.”

Another passenger warned about how Quantum Class layout affects the view:

“On Quantum Class ships high odds you’ll have a lifeboat obstructed view.“

If seeing the water directly below your balcony is a priority, leaving your assignment to chance isn’t your best option. I’ve had lifeboat views out my balcony window before, but on those sailings saving some money was a bigger priority.

Noise Pollution and Location Traps

Obstructed views aren’t the only potential downside. Letting the cruise line choose your room means you end up in whichever staterooms other guests were trying to avoid (or at least would pick last).

A frequent issue with unassigned cabins is being placed directly above loud lounges, or on top decks right under the pool area and buffet.

If you like to go to bed early or want to sleep in each day, this could cause some noise issues.

One cruiser said this about their noisy cabin:

 “We did and wound up on Odyssey of the Seas in a room that shared a wall with the 270 and was an obstructed balcony. They had shows that went late and screaming karaoke til 11pm. There was also a door right outside our room that you could enter the 270 from the cabin side on floor 6 and the huge metal doors slammed day and night at all hours. 15 miserable days of this.”

Another cruiser shared a similar noise issue from a balcony:

“We got a balcony and they put us over the merry go round. The constant music felt like I was living inside of an ice cream truck for four days.”

Between early-morning lounge chair dragging on the pool deck and late-night venue noise, it’s just like real estate in that it’s all about location, location, location.

All About the Itinerary: When Savings Aren’t Worth It

While saving $200 to $600 on a short Bahamas sailing is an easy trade-off for many, scenic itineraries like Alaska or the Norwegian Fjords completely change the risk/reward equation.

On these voyages, the balcony isn’t just a place to relax. It serves as your private viewing area for glaciers, wildlife, and the views that are the very reason for your sailing in the first place.

The occasion for the cruise matters too. One commenter highlighted this point:

 “For a 10 year anniversary trip that sounds like it’s a “once in a lifetime” cruise, I would pay the extra $500. Alaska cruises are all about the views.”

Why Some Cruisers Only Book GTY

Sure, there are obvious downsides to getting cabin leftovers when choosing a guaranteed cabin. But a good portion of veteran cruisers swear by GTY cabins and choose them for every sailing.

For travelers who view their stateroom strictly as a place to sleep, shower, and change, saving 15% to 20% on every sailing adds up to significant savings over time. And then they can essentially fund onboard spend, specialty dining, or shore excursions with the savings.

One veteran cruiser put the savings like this:

“All the balconies I have booked have been GTY and had no problem. I’ll take the $600-700 savings any day.”

Another cruiser added:

“I have booked exclusively GTY for all of my cruises. I have done 19 cruises so far. Only 2 of them had “bad” locations. I’ll continue to book them.”

Once in a while, a GTY room results in pleasant surprises, such as assignment to oversized Accessible (ADA) rooms with tons of space, or minor upgrades to higher-tier decks within the category. Just don’t bank on it.

Bottom Line

It really all comes down to your tolerance for a “bad” location. If you’re a “glass half full” kind of person, a guaranteed stateroom will probably be a great choice. But if you’re a very light sleeper or would rather see endless ocean views than a bright orange lifeboat, spend the extra money on a specific cabin.

As I mentioned already, for some, a cabin is just a place to sleep and change clothes. No matter the cabin, you still get to enjoy all the other great amenities on board so why not save a few dollars?

After all, saving money on each cruise means you can go on more cruises, right?