Over booking a cruise

[goodsailors]

I note on the Princess page that they can over book a cruise and then make amazing offers of refunds and free cruises to get passengers to move from the over booked cruise. Anyone ever heard of Cunard over book a cruise?

[Bigmike911]

Cunard seems to have just the opposite problem. They have to run sales and upgrades to get enough passengers to fill the ship. It could be the relatively more expensive cost of the average Cunard voyages, or that might be part of their business plan..

[BlueRiband]

Incentives to take a different cruise would only work if a ship has a repeating itinerary.

 

 

If a WB transatlantic is overbooked, it may be possible to offer a later WB TA but Cunard can't ask passengers to instead move to the EB or to the Caribbean sailing. Add to that the need to change flights or get new visas. The closer it gets to sailing and the more locked in the passenger is, the greater the offer it would take to get them to budge.

[Host Hattie]

I've not heard of it happening on Cunard.

[Colin_Cameron]

A number of years ago we had friends booked on a World Cruise sector out of Sydney (on QE2).

 

They only found out after arriving in Oz, on a Cunard organized flight, that the ship was overbooked. They, and several dozen others, were sent home again!:mad::loudcry:

 

Regards, Colin

[BlueRiband]

A number of years ago we had friends booked on a World Cruise sector out of Sydney (on QE2).

 

They only found out after arriving in Oz, on a Cunard organized flight, that the ship was overbooked. They, and several dozen others, were sent home again!:mad::loudcry:

 

Regards, Colin

 

Several dozen were flown half way around the world only to be sent home!!?? I hope your friends were exaggerating because if it happened today it would cost Cunard dearly. What a CC thread that would make!

[balf]

Several dozen were flown half way around the world only to be sent home!!?? I hope your friends were exaggerating because if it happened today it would cost Cunard dearly. What a CC thread that would make!

 

I'm a bit sceptical on this one. Hard to believe any cruise line could bump passengers, and yes that would be the rhread to beat any here.

 

David

[Mid-Atlantic Ridge]

True according to Cruise Critic but over 12 years ago.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=1252

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=137180

 

Another historical example but nothing recent when searching.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=273834

 

M-AR

[Jason12]

I'm a bit sceptical on this one. Hard to believe any cruise line could bump passengers, and yes that would be the rhread to beat any here.

 

 

 

David

 

 

 

We were not bumped but kinka pushed, 2015 were booked on Arcadia 24 night round trip Caribbean, we booked 9 months out and 7 days before departure got this email.

 

After some lengthy phone calls it turned out everyone on G deck had been relocated to other decks but they had no more accessible cabins to move us to which meant living on a building site for 24 nights, so we felt they they left us no other option but to accept a full refund, if they had bumped us we would have gotten a better deal and maybe got other costs refunded but they said it was our decision to take the refund... oh hum. [emoji849]

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Host Hattie]

True according to Cruise Critic but over 12 years ago.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=1252

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=137180

 

Another historical example but nothing recent when searching.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=273834

 

M-AR

Thanks for finding these, I'm glad it's not a regular occurrence and at least it sounds as if they still got a cruise, even if it wasn't quite the one they were expecting.

[balf]

This all shows how unfair the contracts are between cruise lines and customers. A passenger cancelling in 6 days or less loses 100% of the fare paid, and the vacant cabin can be offered for sale again. Cruise line cancels in 14 days or less and passenger gets the fare refunded and 20% cruise credit, useless unless another cruise is booked.

 

The contract also specifically excludes payment of any other losses like travel, hotels etc.

 

"No consequential costs or loss of profit will be payable"

 

David

[Colin_Cameron]

True according to Cruise Critic but over 12 years ago.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=1252

 

M-AR

That seems to be about the right time from what I remember. The Cruise Critic News item says "12 people" bumped but another item says "12 cabins", so possibly as many as 2 dozen passengers.

 

Either way, what got me at the time and I still can't understand is why fly them all the way to Sydney before telling them they wouldn't be sailing.

 

Colin

[abefroman329]

Why overbook at all? There's no such thing as a fully refundable cruise ticket, which means far fewer last-minute cancellations than airlines see, and I'd also venture far fewer people show up to cruise ports too late for the cruise than show up too late to catch a flight. Also, unlike airlines, it's not like you can rebook bumped passengers on an identical cruise that leaves the next hour, or even the next day.

[eroller]

When QV first came out, I booked an inaugural crossing on her to NY. Cunard called to advise the sailing was oversold and would I be willing to move to another sailing. After I heard the offer I jumped on it. It was something like a full refund, plus a free cruise up to 12 days long and being moved from an outside cabin to a balcony. I moved to a Norway sailing on QV out of Southampton and it was one of the best cruises I've ever taken, in one of my favorite cabins. They gave me a cabin on the angle with an extra large balcony. Now it's one of the new Britannia Club cabins. Best deal ever!

[balf]

Why overbook at all? There's no such thing as a fully refundable cruise ticket, which means far fewer last-minute cancellations than airlines see, and I'd also venture far fewer people show up to cruise ports too late for the cruise than show up too late to catch a flight. Also, unlike airlines, it's not like you can rebook bumped passengers on an identical cruise that leaves the next hour, or even the next day.

 

Maybe they get an offer they can't refuse.

 

David

[abefroman329]

Maybe they get an offer they can't refuse.

 

David

 

I'm wondering why Cunard overbooks to begin with, not why people accept compensation in exchange for rebooking. I, too, would've jumped at the offer made to eroller.

 

Or are you wondering if someone makes an offer to Cunard in exchange for overbooking that they can't refuse?

[balf]

I'm wondering why Cunard overbooks to begin with, not why people accept compensation in exchange for rebooking. I, too, would've jumped at the offer made to eroller.

 

Or are you wondering if someone makes an offer to Cunard in exchange for overbooking that they can't refuse?

 

Well people get bumped off flights because someone wants the seat they have booked and is willing to pay premium for it. With cruises it is rare, but it obviously does happen.

 

David

[Solent Richard]

This all shows how unfair the contracts are between cruise lines and customers. A passenger cancelling in 6 days or less loses 100% of the fare paid, and the vacant cabin can be offered for sale again. Cruise line cancels in 14 days or less and passenger gets the fare refunded and 20% cruise credit, useless unless another cruise is booked.

 

The contract also specifically excludes payment of any other losses like travel, hotels etc.

 

"No consequential costs or loss of profit will be payable"

 

David

 

Good morning David.

 

Excellent point and there is another sting in the tail.

 

I recently read of a woman who complained to Cunard and was given a £200.00 cruise credit by way of some compensation.

 

The sting in the tail was that Cunard stipulated...'and can be used with both our Cunard Fare and Early Savers. The credit has been set up in our reservations systems against your loyalty club number and will automatically apply to your next booking. This credit will expire in 2 years'.

Effectively restricting the compensation to 'full pricing'.