How Much Cabin Inventory Typically Opens Up After Final Payment is Due

[jresn02]

I imagine some percentage of cruisers reserve a cabin/cruise very early and then decide later if they actually are going to take that cruise. Clearly not most, but a certain small percentage I am sure don't make final payment and cancel.

 

Any experience with this? The cabin category we wanted sadly disappeared while we were booking (got interupted and logged back in and it was gone).

 

Trying to figure out if there's any hope here....

[serendipity1499]

I imagine some percentage of cruisers reserve a cabin/cruise very early and then decide later if they actually are going to take that cruise. Clearly not most, but a certain small percentage I am sure don't make final payment and cancel.

 

Any experience with this? The cabin category we wanted sadly disappeared while we were booking (got interupted and logged back in and it was gone).

 

Trying to figure out if there's any hope here....

 

In my opinion there is hope.. In Nov of 2008 Friends were booked on the Maasdam to the Carib. in Nov. & wanted us to go with them.. DH said No since I had sprained two ankles ushering for his chorus during the early spring & was bedridden for weeks ...To make up for it, DH made me happy by booking us to Alaska in August.. He had never wanted to go to Alaska..

 

However, my good Friend convinced DH that I really needed this trip, after what I had been through..So approx. 6 weeks prior to the cruise, we tried to book but the outside cabins were fully booked..Hal waitlisted us..Three weeks before departure the waitlist cleared & we were on our way..:):)

 

Call HAL & ask to be put on the waitlist, but be prepared to accept the cabin or not when they call you back, since it could be gone again in a matter of hours..

 

Good luck & please let us know if it worked..

Edited April 12, 2015 by serendipity1499

[CruiserBruce]

No way to predict, there are too many variables. Popular cruises, holiday cruises, unique specialty cruises probably very little opens up. Other cruises, it varies..

 

It seems there is usually some cabins that come available after final payment, but they may be ones you don't want, or can't afford. Last minute airfares can be inconvenient, and not cheap- they can eat up savings on last minute cruise fares.

[Krazy Kruizers]

It is hard to determine how many cabins are left when final payment is due.

We have been on cruises that were very popular and nearly every cabin was sold out before final payment was made. And we have been on cruises where the ship wasn't sold out even at sailing time.

Have your TA call and find out what the situation may be for what you are looking at.

Let us know what you find out.

Good luck.

[towhee]

Add to the mix that groups (think your local DJ sponsoring a cruise vacation or a club that is having a convention followed by an optional cruise) will "reserve" a bunch of cabins to accommodate a large number of people and then the people don't sign up . All cabins that are reserved, but do not have deposits have to be "returned" to the cruise line when final payment is due.

[iancal]

Anything can happen.

 

Two years ago we booked a Carnival cruise from Miami six days prior to departure. We booked a balcony gty. TA said that there were only 2 verandahs left-in OK but not great locales.

 

We were resigned to one of these spots. Three days later we got our cabin assignment. We got a primo location. Could not have asked for a better cabin or location.

 

Twice now on Celebrity balcony gtys we have been assigned primo midship cabins with the large bump out balcony.

 

I suspect that once the cruise line starts upgrading other bookings anything can happen to the gty folk like us. We have never been disappointed with a gty cabin on any cruise line.

Edited April 12, 2015 by iancal

[jresn02]

I have to book directly with HAL (part of the problem in the first place) due to a 200 per person credit we were given for a previous issue we had on another cruise. Thus I don't have a TA working on behalf. I will keep you posted what happens. Thanks for the responses.

[Cruzin with BQ & CQ]

I have to book directly with HAL (part of the problem in the first place) due to a 200 per person credit we were given for a previous issue we had on another cruise. Thus I don't have a TA working on behalf. I will keep you posted what happens. Thanks for the responses.

 

You should be able to transfer your booking to your TA in any event. That way you can take advantage of any perks your TA may have to offer. In any event, best of luck!:)

[cruz chic]

I have to book directly with HAL (part of the problem in the first place) due to a 200 per person credit we were given for a previous issue we had on another cruise. Thus I don't have a TA working on behalf. I will keep you posted what happens. Thanks for the responses.

 

I know some folks have great TAs but I can do far better myself then any ta I've used. It should make no difference. If there are no cabins available a ta can't make one appear.

[cruz chic]

You should be able to transfer your booking to your TA in any event. That way you can take advantage of any perks your TA may have to offer. In any event, best of luck!:)

 

Can you do that after final payment?

[Cruzin with BQ & CQ]

Don't know why not. I would try in any event.

[cruz chic]

Don't know why not. I would try in any event.

 

Ok, I'd heard that you couldn't but I don't use a ta.

[iancal]

One way of making an educated guess on cabin availability in the final payment window is simply to watch the category pricing over time. If outsides keep dropping or are relatively low priced compared to verandahs or suites then it is a fair bet that there is excess inventory. It is only a guess though. We usually narrow down our cruises to two or three and then follow the pricing past the final payment window in the hopes of scoring a win.

Edited April 13, 2015 by iancal