Wait List vs. Guaranteed

[computerworks]

Seen when browsing available cabins... what is RSS protocol for Wait List vs. Guaranteed?

[hondorner]

Seen when browsing available cabins... what is RSS protocol for Wait List vs. Guaranteed?

"Guaranteed" means just that -- you are guaranteed to get a suite at least in the category in which you booked, and in the event they are unable to supply that level, you will be upgraded. However, there are desirable suites and possibly some less-than-desirable suites, and you will have no choice. "Desirability" is in the eyes of the beholder; while some might object to being near the bow, for example, others might enjoy the motion of the ship and be thrilled to be so close to the front.

 

"Wait List" means you might get a booking, or you might be disappointed, and it might be the last minute before you know. There are two levels of wait list; one in which you request to be on the list and hope, and another where you put down a full deposit to be on the list and generally have a better chance.

 

One word of caution -- the cruise line prefers to upgrade someone who has an early reservation and will be more likely to do that in order to give you the level you guaranteed.

 

While you may not make the cruise on wait list, you will not be bumped from the cruise with a GTY. They will continue making offers to current passengers, and raising the offers, until someone bites and frees up a cabin for you. This is a promise from the parent company Chairman and CEO.

[computerworks]

Very clear...thanks!

[attawaytogo]

What if the entire ship is wait listed & you have an early on H gty? What is your prediction?

[Seabourntraveller]

What if the entire ship is wait listed & you have an early on H gty? What is your prediction?

 

NO GO!:eek:

[Travelcat2]

What if the entire ship is wait listed & you have an early on H gty? What is your prediction?

 

Although there will be cancellations in category "H", you will no doubt receive a suite in a higher category. Guarantees, IMO, are great if you understand that you could end up with a wonderful suite in a poor location. This issue is of particular concern on the Navigator or Voyager where aft suites may have a significant vibration.

[attawaytogo]

Fortunatley we are on the Mariner

[Travelcat2]

When you have a "guarantee" you will definitely get a suite -- no one gets bumped. When the cruise gets closer, and if it is still full, Regent will start making offers to passengers to cancel their cruise and take another one. They will keep up the offers until there are enough suites available for everyone who has a "guaranteed" booking. There is no way to predict where you will be because there are also offers to upgrade (at a cost) so open some of the lower category suites become available. Don't worry about it at this point -- there is not a bad suite on the Mariner.

[Judyumcer@aol.com]

I am wondering too, does waitlisted mean the cabins have been booked with a deposit? Are they actually sold out?

[Travelcat2]

I only understand part of the process. Although there could be multiple scenarios for a waitlisted cabin, we were on the Mariner a couple of years ago and made a deposit on a "bathtub/shower" suite. We really wanted a shower only suite. All of the shower suites were booked and we waitlisted for one. Had one opened up (it didn't), we would have had that suite and our suite would have become available. Not sure how Regent keeps track of it all but they someone manage to do it.

[hondorner]

I am wondering too, does waitlisted mean the cabins have been booked with a deposit? Are they actually sold out?

Yes and no. First, a disclaimer -- this information is not guaranteed to be correct, as I'm not an agent and not associated with the cruise line. It's just information I've picked up over the years. Take it with a grain of salt, but I believe it's pretty close to accurate.

 

Travel agents commit themselves to a number of cabins, usually called a "group" booking (although it may not be for a specific group). Their commitment is NOT to specific cabins, but rather to random cabins within a category, depending on what's available. By making this commitment, they get certain perks that can be passed on to their clients. The cruise line cannot over-oversell as long as these commitments are in effect (I'll explain "over-oversell" in a moment).

 

At some point in the process (as I'm not an agent, I don't know the specifric time periods), the ability to book cabins within their group expires for a travel agency, and those cabins revert to the cruise line.

 

In the meantime, travel agents without group commitments and the cruise line itself are still accepting reservations. At some point, the number of reservations they accept and the number of cabins that remain committed to the agencies will start to conflict. At this point, the cruise line will switch to "GTY" (guarantee) status for that category. This means they will continue to accept reservations even though there are none absolutely available at the moment. This is "overselling", and it's a perfectly valid thing to do, because the cruise line knows that some agency "group" cabins will revert back, and some guests already booked will cancel.

 

The cruise line has historical data to help determine the number of cabins which can be oversold on a GTY basis. These statistics are used much as insurance actuaries predict the number of claims they will receive and set rates accordingly.

 

They're not always perfect, and when not enough cabins become available to meet the GTY reservations, they start to make offers to existing guests, as outlined in other posts. But, they usually "play it safe" and stop overselling before they believe they will have to take drastic measures to fulfill their promises. This is what I meant above by "not over-overselling".

 

However, that practice could result in some cabins still being available close to sailing. So, the next step in the process is "wait list", in which you are NOT guaranteed a reservation and have to wait until all of the above processes are completed. If more cabins revert back from group status than the cruise line expects, and/or If more people cancel than predicted, then the unbooked cabins are filled from the waitlist.

 

That doesn't mean you should not waitlist, if you not committed to a specific cruise. The predictions by the actuaries are not an exact science, and the final numbers can almost be depended upon to fluctuate. They do try to avoid making expensive offers to move folks off that cruise, so they do tend to play it safe and therefore depend on the waitlist. But, if a cruise is enormously popular, and you hear reports that guests in a specific category are receiving offers, you can be almost certain they are adjusting to meet their promise to those with a GTY and there is less chance of clearing the aitlist for that category of stateroom. Even then, if illness or bad fortune causes a higher number of last minute cancellations (I once had to cancel 2 days before departure because I had a stroke), someone on the waitlist may receive a last minute assignment.

 

If there are inaccuracies in the above, or if I've left something out, I'd appreciate learning about it so I can be more accurate next time the subject comes up!

[HotRoot]

I will put in my two cents worth. I, also, am not a TA. I, also, have never sailed on Regent. I have sailed on Seabourn, SilverSeas, and Sea Dream. We always book a gty and we always get an upgrade. Last year we decided to try Regent and booked a gty. The ship sold out. It appears they call the gty guests first to offer a "deal" to not sail. We had nonrefundable air tickets and nonrefundable reservations before and after the cruise. After 3 days of negotiations, Regent paid for us to sail on a different cruise line that week and gave us a discount on another Regent cruise. We are rebooked for this year. We had an active roll call last year. We were the only gty on Roll Call and the only people contacted to "give up our spot".

[WesW]

Ron/Computerworks, We like HotRoot booked a H GTY (even with the risk of getting an Aft cabin) on our Voyager Dubai to Athens voyage this April and we rcvd an upgrade to a D (concierge suite a week prior to sailing).

[Seabourntraveller]

Ron/Computerworks, We like HotRoot booked a H GTY (even with the risk of getting an Aft cabin) on our Voyager Dubai to Athens voyage this April and we rcvd an upgrade to a D (concierge suite a week prior to sailing).

 

...nice upgrade!;)

[kvisf]

I'd be interested in what others have experienced regarding how soon your guaranty turned into a definite cabin assignment. We have an H guaranty on Mariner for the August 13 sailing from Barcelona. We have sailed on Mariner before and would be very happy with H if that's what we wind up with. The F, G and H categories are all now waitlisted while D and E are available as guarantees. Interestingly, all Penthouse categories are "available."

 

Since we are leaving early for some pre-cruise land activities on our own, I'm thinking it's possible we may not know where we are bunking until embarkation.

[JoAnne B]

GTY's are unpredicatable. Several times I did not learn my specific cabin until embarkation. It's no problem. They have a list and tag your bags when they check them in. If you really dislike your assigned suite, they will probably try to move you to another suite in the same category, if there is one available. Or you may be able to pay a surcharge for an upgrade. The cruise line does not want you to be unhappy for the length of the cruise if an accommodation can be made.

 

I'm still not sure about the reliability of the waitlist, though. when we booked the amazon in Nov the category we wanted was not available, so we booked and waitlisted for the category we really wanted. Then several weeks ago I discovered that the suites were listed as available on the website. Sure enough we were able to make the switch. But it seemed that it was up to me to keep track with no automatic notification from the cruise line. Same thing on SD. The category of suite we wanted was booked, so we booked another and asked to be waitlisted for the better category. Later I was told that we had not paid the "waitlist deposit" so were never put on the waitlist. It never occured to me that they would require a second deposit if we already had a cabin booked. I didn't have a problem with a small deposit (although it seemed petty), and it was refunded when the category never opened.

 

If you are on a waitlist, it probably pays to check the website periodically.

 

JAB

[Travelcat2]

It also pays to have a TA that lets you know the requirements of being on a waitlist.

[WesW]

JoAnne, if not mistaken, believe you use the same TA that TC uses.

[JoAnne B]

Yes, Wes. I believe we do have the same TA.

 

So, when are we going to meet up again on the water? The last was when we left Madeira on the day you arrived. And after two weeks of beautiful weather it poured rain all day.

 

JAB

[WesW]

Hi Joanne, so as not to hijack this thread, let's keep in touch when the first half 2014 Regent/Silversea itineraries come out (hopefully this October)--look for a water link up then? In the meantime, know lucky Phil and you will board the Navigator in a few months to do a very special Amazon Itinerary.

[Rimavh]

We are booked (5 cabins) in G class. Suites over penthouse are wait list. Categories H are GTy. Everything else was avail. What are the chances of us asking for an upgrade and getting it? We are willing to pay a little. When shall we ask? This is for a mid Sept cruise. Many thx

[PremiumSuite]

We never pick a specific cabin and have always done GTY's and have always done well....then again there are no bad cabins on Regent.

[Travelcat2]

We are booked (5 cabins) in G class. Suites over penthouse are wait list. Categories H are GTy. Everything else was avail. What are the chances of us asking for an upgrade and getting it? We are willing to pay a little. When shall we ask? This is for a mid Sept cruise. Many thx

 

There is no one to ask (probably because 90% of the passengers would be doing so). Many times the less expensive categories become full and Regent wants to open them up. They contact travel agencies with offers for a paid upgrade. It is then up to the TA to contact their clients that are on the sailing. This is when having a good TA comes into play. Even a good TA without a staff will not help in this situation if the TA is on vacation, away at a meeting, etc. Regent does not want TA's to call their clients -- they want them to email to keep it fair to everyone. So, if you are there to respond to your email quickly, you may receive the upgrade you wish. Remember, there are potentially 300*+ passengers and only a handfull of upper level suites.

 

 

*Based on two passengers per suite

[PremiumSuite]

There is no one to ask (probably because 90% of the passengers would be doing so). Many times the less expensive categories become full and Regent wants to open them up. They contact travel agencies with offers for a paid upgrade. It is then up to the TA to contact their clients that are on the sailing. This is when having a good TA comes into play. Even a good TA without a staff will not help in this situation if the TA is on vacation, away at a meeting, etc. Regent does not want TA's to call their clients -- they want them to email to keep it fair to everyone. So, if you are there to respond to your email quickly, you may receive the upgrade you wish. Remember, there are potentially 300*+ passengers and only a handfull of upper level suites.

 

 

*Based on two passengers per suite

 

All true except that if the person is booked thru a TA, it's the TA that receives the Upgrade Offer and not the pax directly.

[Travelcat2]

All true except that if the person is booked thru a TA, it's the TA that receives the Upgrade Offer and not the pax directly.

 

That is true and I did say that...... but, it is worth repeating:)