October 3rd, 2007
Hawaii Cruise Vocabulary
Often Times when booking a cruise the basic terminology tends to trip people up. My actual idea for this blog was because while watching a courtroom drama on TV the other day..a travel agent was being sued….and from her testimony I can see why. So here are some real basic cruise vocabulary to help you better understand your agent when creating your perfect hawaii cruise vacation.
Forward, Aft, Mid section
This is referring to the area on the ship your cabin is. Forward being in the front of the ship, Aft being in the back end of the ship and mid section or mid ship being cabins located toward the middle of the ship. What is the difference? Well many people like to be mid ship as said the boat tends to rock less in this section. Also sometimes people don’t want to be forward and /or on the bottom levels because when the anchors drop..you know it. Most often times you can have your cabin pre assigned. Sometimes it’s not the cheapest way to go , but other times it does not make a difference, depending on the specials.
Cabin Category-inside, oceanview, balcony, suite, etc.
These are the terms referring to the type of cabin you are looking for.
Inside cabins tend to be the smallest with no windows at all. They are not necessarily always on the bottom decks. You can get inside cabins as high as deck 10. 
Oceanview cabins are slightly bigger with windows. Now these cabins can sometimes come with either a smaller port hole window or a large picture window. So if that makes a difference to you be sure to let your agent know. Also many people assume an oceanview won’t be on a lower deck..which is also not true.
Balcony cabins are slightly larger with a private balcony. Now somtimes when you see cabin square footage they will tell you the entire square footage including the balcony, so don’t be fooled sometimes thinking you are getting a much much bigger cabin and a balcony, which is not the case. Sure th balcony does add more room , but I have had some customers that were fooled by looking online into thinking these were bigger cabins, plus the balcony.
Suites and higher. These are generally bigger cabins. Not always meaning you can put more people in them but giving you more room and a little more added touches such as butler and conceirge service. There are many different types of suites, penthouses and villas so ask your travel agent for the different types as they may differ from ship to ship, but the inside, oceanview and balcony are pretty basic on all ships.
Guaranty Category
This was the big one that made me realize if a travel agent doesn’t know what this means then why would consumers.
There are times when the cruiselines will offer a guaranty cateogry…usually shown as "GTY" . What this is, is say you book an inside cabin. You don’t want anything fancy schmancy, but hey if they upgrade you why not? If they don’t then not a big deal. So you book an inside cabin. They Guarantee that you will get at least the cabin category you booked, however you could possibly be upgraded at a later time when cabins are assigned. When booking a guaranty you do not get a cabin assigned at the time of booking.
Now this is an important thing to know when booking a guaranty as the agent on TV said she booked these people in an oceanview guaranty, which meant they are guaranteed an upgrade to a balcony…well even the judge knew that was wrong!
An important thing to remember about guarantees. Generally once the cabin is assigned you may not be able to change the cabin. So if they assign you a forward section or aft when you wanted mid ship, well that is the chance you take when booking a guaranty.
Also I notice many online sites will price out for more than 2 passengers in a guaranty category. Note: You can not book more than 2 passengers in a guarantee category. Not all cabins can accomodate more than 2 passengers, so you do need to get a cabin assigned booking so that they are sure you are put in a cabin that has bedding for your entire party.
Sometimes if you are not familiar with the vocabulary it can make booking a cruise a little difficult for you. It’s best to call a travel agent who can help decipher through the lingo and also get you the best price for your cruise.
In the end the judge said a very important thing. When booking a vacation be sure to go to a reputable agent who knows what they are talking about!
Christine
Hawaii Aloha Travel
email: chris@hawaii-aloha.com
toll free: 1-800-843-8771 ext. 32