How Cruises are selling/Capacity

[Humarocker]

Different sites will show different cabins available, PVP will tell you how many cabins are available for for a cruise is there anyway to get a fairly accurate count on cabins unsold for a specific cruise?

 

Thanks

[Tapi]

I've found that a PVP is the best way to get an idea of how many cabins are left in a particular category (and which cabins specifically). They have the ability to pull up the entire inventory of cabins available.

 

With that said, some PVP's may not give you real numbers in an effort to get you to book your cabin as soon as possible (they may tell you that the ship is filling up quickly when it's not. Giving you a sense of scarcity and urgency is a selling technique used by most sales people, regardless of the product). However, if you have an established relationship with your PVP like we do with hours, the information that you receive may be more honest and objective.

 

With that said, do expect to sail on a ship that will be at 100% capacity. Carnival is very aggressive with their marketing and sales in order to ensure that all cabins are filled.

[Humarocker]

Yes...full boat, vacation week up north, I figure due to that most have booked boat due to flights (all set there)

[Uncle Doug]

The best way to tell how full a cruise is by viewing the current pricing. You may not get a room count but you can get a good since on how well the cruise is selling.

[golfadj]

Carnival is very good at modifying prices to reflect how a cruise is selling.

 

Some pvp's will give you honest answer on how it is selling and some will not as they want to push customers to book now.

[Brenna's Mom1]

I wouldn't think the PVP would have real accurate numbers either since travel agencies and cruise selling sites also have "blocks" of rooms that they are entrusted to sell and I'm not sure when these revert back to the cruise line. It's like airline "seats" on popular flights. Even 6 months ahead seats are already "taken" though they are really "held" seats for TAs who have made arrangements to book them.

 

And based on internet specials that you see advertised at home ports and surrounding areas most ships tend to travel full with "constant" cruisers picking up cheap remnants days before a cruise. My in-laws went cruising at least twice a month since they were retired and they could get some awesome last minute deals living in Tampa and being willing to drive to Canaveral, Miami, etc. They told me that cruising (especially 5 dayers) was cheaper than staying at home and going out to dinner and entertainment...and they had been to every port a gazillion times so no money was spent other than the Cruise.

[jakesnana]

I wouldn't think the PVP would have real accurate numbers either since travel agencies and cruise selling sites also have "blocks" of rooms that they are entrusted to sell and I'm not sure when these revert back to the cruise line. It's like airline "seats" on popular flights. Even 6 months ahead seats are already "taken" though they are really "held" seats for TAs who have made arrangements to book them.

 

And based on internet specials that you see advertised at home ports and surrounding areas most ships tend to travel full with "constant" cruisers picking up cheap remnants days before a cruise. My in-laws went cruising at least twice a month since they were retired and they could get some awesome last minute deals living in Tampa and being willing to drive to Canaveral' date=' Miami, etc. They told me that cruising (especially 5 dayers) was cheaper than staying at home and going out to dinner and entertainment...and they had been to every port a gazillion times so no money was spent other than the Cruise.[/quote']

 

Those cabins revert back to Carnival 5 months prior to sailing, so if you are inside 5 months, chances are that there are not any cabins being held by a TA.

 

The best way I know to tell how well a cruise is selling is to look at the available cabins within a specific category. All/most of the online sites will give you the 10 best available cabins, when you select a category. If the cabins being offered are mid-ship, prime locations, you know the sailing is not doing well. If the cabins are way forward/aft, then that category is almost gone.

[designgirl]

So can you help a newbie out?

 

This will be our first cruise and I am looking at booking the Liberty in Aug. 2013. I just checked carnivals web site and as I went through the booking I was only given one option for an interior cabin on the riviera deck aft.

 

Is there really only on cabin left? Or is the carnival site similar to a TA and trying to get a sale made?

[SHayesShip]

In your case that is the only one available in inventory at that time. Since this cruise is so far out there could be cabins being held as group space.

 

 

 

So can you help a newbie out?

 

This will be our first cruise and I am looking at booking the Liberty in Aug. 2013. I just checked carnivals web site and as I went through the booking I was only given one option for an interior cabin on the riviera deck aft.

 

Is there really only on cabin left? Or is the carnival site similar to a TA and trying to get a sale made?

[Brenna's Mom1]

Those cabins revert back to Carnival 5 months prior to sailing, so if you are inside 5 months, chances are that there are not any cabins being held by a TA.

 

The best way I know to tell how well a cruise is selling is to look at the available cabins within a specific category. All/most of the online sites will give you the 10 best available cabins, when you select a category. If the cabins being offered are mid-ship, prime locations, you know the sailing is not doing well. If the cabins are way forward/aft, then that category is almost gone.

 

Interesting...I thought it was until full payment day since our TA has always been able to get us her list of cabins until then. When did this change?

[Jimmy Geegitz]

Best thing to do is book really early or really late.