Suddenly, dozens of cabins become available!!!

[Bruin Steve]

I am on back-to-back cruises on Infinity July 5 and July 12...

 

When we booked our Concierge cabins for these back-to-back cruises(We actually initially booked in May 2019, but took advantage of Black Friday sales in November to upgrade to Concierge), the ONLY Concierge cabins showing as available were C3 cabins on Deck 7 very near the aft--all adjoining cabins...all "connecting" cabins...

 

We needed the same cabin to be available for BOTH cruises, so we had to go all the way aft to #7192...

 

I kept checking the website to see if a slightly better cabin would come available for both cruise, but, up until today, fewer and fewer Concierge cabins were showing as available...

Veranda cabins were showing as completely sold out, though veranda guarantees were being sold...

 

BUT, today, DOZENS of C2 cabins (along with a large number of standard Verandas) suddenly appeared on the website as available--for BOTH cruises.

Since we are Elite Plus Captains Club, we are also eligible for a "free one category (within the same general class) upgrade, IF AVAILABLE"...It didn't appear to be available when we booked, but it sure is now...

 

So, after a couple of calls, we were able to move from #7192, a C3 five cabins from the aft to #8098, a C2 very close to the midship elevators--and with no adjoining cabin door...for both cruises...

 

Of course, I find this all a little strange.  Why would Celebrity show entire categories of cabins as "sold out", when, in fact, most of the ship now appears to be unsold?

The first reason I thought of might be that they committed all of these cabins to travel agents or groups under a "group rate" deal and that January 30 was the deadline--over five full months from the sail dates...But that seems an odd strategy when you might have a lot of potential customers visiting your website...and possibly walking away figuring they were too late and then going elsewhere.

 

Or, could there be something sinister going on here?  Is this part of some sort of marketing ploy to fill up the less desirable cabins first...or at least offer only those cabins while the better deals are offered?

 

Any other theories out there?

 

[jelayne]

Most likely some TAs turned back some cabins they were holding and/or a small group cancelled or returned some cabins that they hadn't filled.

[cruisestitch]

“Paranoia strikes deep

into your life it will creep”

 

to quote an old song.

 

sinister?  You might have been watching too much tv

[Jeremiah1212]

It’s just the result of a travel agent or a group. Happens all the time. For instance when you view a particular deck on a cruise that’s far into the future and nearly every other cabin is occupied in a perfect succession? Same thing. Nothing sinister....it’s just how it works. 

[Bruin Steve]

21 minutes ago, jelayne said:

Most likely some TAs turned back some cabins they were holding and/or a small group cancelled or returned some cabins that they hadn't filled.

 

Not just "some cabins"...We are talking about approximately 60 Concierge cabins and 100 Verandas (I didn't even count other categories) ON BOTH CRUISES.  That's a pretty good chunk of the capacity of the ship right there...IF I count correctly, there are only 70 C2 cabins on the entire ship--could they really have committed the entire stock of C2s to a single group?

Edited January 30, 2020 by Bruin Steve

[luckyinpa]

this thread makes me ask the question: does X limit the number of available cabins on their own site

 

for instance you will never see more than 15 in any category on NCL. 

[Baron Barracuda]

Chinese tour group cancel?

 

Did you originally get all 4 percs?  If not might be worth re-booking under current offer.

[Silkroad]

I have seen a large number of cabins suddenly displayed as available on the X site, but I’d always thought the trigger was TAs turning unsold blocks of cabins back in. I’ve noticed this closer to final payment, so I wonder what the trigger was in your case. Congratulations on moving to a better cabin! I’ll be trying to do the same next year.

[bikerunner]

I like the conspiracy theory, I think LPP just wants to lose money and drive customers away.  Taking away all the little things, movies, chocolates and now holding rooms back.  She is a plant from a rival cruise line, thinking Virgin since he has enough money to pull it off, and been trained to bankrupt the company from the inside.  Im thinking Manchurian candidate type of theory but aimed at businesses   

[ipeeinthepool]

Here's my conspiracy theory.  Celebrity thought that these cruises might be chartered so in order to minimize their liabilities they did not want to sell all of the cabins.  Now they've concluded that the ship won't be chartered  so they released the rooms.  Or perhaps they were holding them back for a partial charter but the partial charter has canceled.

[Justalone]

Response to people cancelling cruise due to Corona virus?

Seems by all accounts in the news, there is a high risk of dying from being infected by Corona virus.   Especially if elderly and/or if ones immune system is already compromised.   

How can anyone enjoy a cruise , if the person next to you in the elevator starts coughing, or someone sitting behind you in the theater starts coughing, or the person sitting near you in the MDR or buffet is coughing?   Maybe infected with Corona virus, maybe not?
Seems one is better off to cancel their cruise than take the risk of being infected with the Corona virus by your fellow passengers.   Better to be safe than sorry, and live  to cruise another day.  Maybe that’s why so many open cabins?

Edited January 30, 2020 by Justalone

[Lastdance]

I have seen so many cabins(suites) disappear for several days, and then reappear with higher pricing.  At one time there were over 30 suits gone.  Every few days there is a new sail(haha) especially after the prices have been raised!  There are over 30 suites left on Edge for her Adriatic cruise on May 4; however, the prices were raised for the worst suites on the MC, decks 6 and 7...another 1200.  I was willing to take the guarantee price, but it had to be on one of those decks...no thank you, as I love my SV on deck 11 with all four perks...premium bev too!

 

 When I booked my 2022 TP from Sydney to Honolulu, I was told all S1’s were sold out?  Really, as the cruise was just released.  I booked an S2.  Then, weeks after, the S1’s were released.  The difference was not noticeable, but when I called, putting the cabin I wanted on hold, the price tripled.  A few weeks later, I got 1000 off my S2.  Last week there was another 1,000 drop.  The S1’s were only 400 more, so I was sent the paperwork, only to find out that it was raised another 800.  Let the games begin...

Edited January 30, 2020 by Lastdance

[Bo1953]

5 minutes ago, Justalone said:

Response to people cancelling cruise due to Corona virus?

Seems by all accounts in the news, there is a high risk of dying from being infected by Corona virus.   Especially if elderly and/or if ones immune system is already compromised.   

How can anyone enjoy a cruise , if the person next to you in the elevator starts coughing, or someone sitting behind you in the theater starts coughing, or the person sitting near you in the MDR or buffet is coughing?   Maybe infected with Corona virus, maybe not?
Seems one is better off to cancel their cruise than take the risk of being infected with the Corona virus by your fellow passengers.   Better to be safe than sorry, and live  to cruise another day.  Maybe that’s why so many open cabins?

Just think about everyone who has to fly to get to the port as well, confined to the plane and airport...

 

I would expect to see those reservations rather for cruises or not, to fall...

 

Have they?

 

bon voyage

[cruisestitch]

Justalone, If your theory was true, then why are we not seeing hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of open cabins on all ships on all itineraries?

[hcat]

Sometimes if you call, the cust  svc reps can "see" cabins that did not show up online,..and online they usually offer lesser locations as best available..

 

Nothing sinister but that's how they seem to do it...

[If only]

We booked 3 cruises on the day they came out, a lot of C2’s were not available everyone we asked did not know why, finally we were advised that they hadn’t been released yet by Celebrity so we put a wait list for the cabins we wanted on all 3 ships.  Last Wed got the call saying they were released & did we still want our waitlisted cabin, which we did.

i have never seen Celebrity hold back cabins before any years prior don’t know why this year.

 

[wrk2cruise]

I suspect it was 3&4 capacity rooms.   People have reported in other threads that Celebrity is now holding back these cabins for 2 person occupancy early in the booking window.  At some time closer to the final payment they open them for 2 people to book.   Just a thought.

[If only]

6 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

I suspect it was 3&4 capacity rooms.   People have reported in other threads that Celebrity is now holding back these cabins for 2 person occupancy early in the booking window.  At some time closer to the final payment they open them for 2 people to book.   Just a thought.

You could be right but the 3 cruises we had booked are not until spring & fall of 2021.

 

[Pushka]

There isn’t a high risk of dying. People in Australia who have had the illness are being released free of the illness. 

[ocngypz]

Some accounts have been returning blocks of space.

[verizon]

On 1/30/2020 at 2:39 PM, Justalone said:

Response to people cancelling cruise due to Corona virus?

Seems by all accounts in the news, there is a high risk of dying from being infected by Corona virus.   Especially if elderly and/or if ones immune system is already compromised.   

How can anyone enjoy a cruise , if the person next to you in the elevator starts coughing, or someone sitting behind you in the theater starts coughing, or the person sitting near you in the MDR or buffet is coughing?   Maybe infected with Corona virus, maybe not?
Seems one is better off to cancel their cruise than take the risk of being infected with the Corona virus by your fellow passengers.   Better to be safe than sorry, and live  to cruise another day.  Maybe that’s why so many open cabins?

Thats the reason why I sold ALL my RCL Shares today.

I  will stop cruising for a while until this thing get under control.

Did any body see what happened to Costa cruise ship.they held up all the passengers onboard refusing entry just because 2 passengers from HK started coughing. 

Edited January 31, 2020 by verizon