Summer 2022 roundtrip TA.

[Windsurfboy]

48 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

My TA has with no joy.

Perhaps if you spoke to them in person as a very regular customer you may get more joy, only perhaps.  If they refuse to budge then I completely understand and agree with your stance. 

[North West Newbie]

40 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

My theory is Cunard are holding back better cabins in midships in the hope that I would book what they told my TA was available which was rooms backing on to stairs or lifts or at the front or rear of the ship or cabins underneath restaurant and other noisy areas. Unfortunately even though IA,IB or IC inside cabins on deck 5 midships were nearly all available they wouldnt let me book them. So Cunard have lost a sale and Iwill look elsewhere with another cruise line.

 

Thank you for clarifying that it is your theory and not mine.

 

I was simply identifying that your reply to @Underwatrwas not factually correct because your proposed roundtrip does in fact fall within bookings for a "Grand" cruise as @Underwatrhad enquired.

[Underwatr]

2 hours ago, majortom10 said:

Sorry I dont see any other logical conclusion than Cunard holding back cabins for single transatlantics or bigger voyages of 23/28 nts where they will make more money.

I understand your issue to be that your four desirable staterooms are not available for the RT crossing. . 

The "other logical conclusion" is that If the stateroom is available to book on the 7 day itinerary it will not be bookable on the 14 day roundtrip itinerary without some lucky intervention on your behalf. Have you done the legwork to determine stateroom availability on the 7-day legs? 

 

In my experience the inventory for a 14-day roundtrip booking will be held separate from invenory for the component 7-day crossings. This is actually for the benefit of passengers wishing to book the round trip, since it ensures that there are staterooms that will remain available for booking for the entire 14-day period.

 

EDIT: Add the Grand voyages to the puzzle. There may indeed be few staterooms available in any category for any given city pair.

 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2020 by Underwatr

[lissie]

8 hours ago, Dranuc2016 said:

It may be possible that because of the CDC limitation on cruises longer than 7 days, Cunard is only selling 7 day, one way crossings, and not round trips.

In the future,  if that limitation is still in effect,  they would have to cancel and refund the round trips

Don't think that applies in 2022 - just booked  36 nights SF- Barcelona and Vancouver-Barcelona at 39 nights is also on sale. 

[ClipperinSFO]

5 hours ago, majortom10 said:

Sorry I dont see any other logical conclusion than Cunard holding back cabins for single transatlantics or bigger voyages of 23/28 nts where they will make more money.

 

That's probably what they are doing, just like airlines.  From their POV it makes economic sense to set their inventory levels this way, favoring the higher yield 7 night crossing vs a 14 night RT.  However, as time goes on, and they see how bookings materialize (or don't) compared with the projections of their pricing and yield management system(s), they may open up those specific cabins for a RT.  It's a ways out, so there is plenty time for things to change.

 

The airlines do exactly the same thing across their networks to maximize revenue.  Frustrating, but understandable.  

[North West Newbie]

19 hours ago, majortom10 said:

yes loads of cabins available I only gave my TA 4 of our choice which they have said are not available but they are if you book individual 7nt TAs to New York and return but not available to book for roundtrip. The cabins they said are available for roundtrips are either very far forward or aft or ones next to lifts or in poor positions. Booking 2 x 7nts TAs would cost Select Fare before discounts £2648pp where 14nt roundtrip is £1749pp in same cabin so that is why Cunard are holding back cabins on roundtrip TAs except for poor cabin positions.

 

Just checked and 5172 [IC grade] [the Midships end of Mid-Aft] is available to book for the roundtrip at £1,749 per person. That doesn't seem to be a poor position.

14 nights, Roundtrip Transatlantic Crossing – July 2022 – Cunard.pdf

[North West Newbie]

9 hours ago, Underwatr said:

I understand your issue to be that your four desirable staterooms are not available for the RT crossing. . 

The "other logical conclusion" is that If the stateroom is available to book on the 7 day itinerary it will not be bookable on the 14 day roundtrip itinerary without some lucky intervention on your behalf. Have you done the legwork to determine stateroom availability on the 7-day legs? 

 

In my experience the inventory for a 14-day roundtrip booking will be held separate from invenory for the component 7-day crossings. This is actually for the benefit of passengers wishing to book the round trip, since it ensures that there are staterooms that will remain available for booking for the entire 14-day period.

 

EDIT: Add the Grand voyages to the puzzle. There may indeed be few staterooms available in any category for any given city pair.

 

 

 

 

I think you have it spot on.

 

Having just reviewed deck 5 Mid-Aft availability for the roundtrip in question, 5172, 5199 and 5211 are available for the roundtrip but are not for either the WB or EB separately. Furthermore, on the EB which continues to Hamburg, there are 8 staterooms to choose from to Southampton but anyone wishing to travel on to Hamburg can only have 5163 (which incidentally is not available if one is only booking as far as Southampton).

 

Managing the stateroom inventory must be a pretty complicated process which undoubtedly will throw up some anomalies from time to time.

[majortom10]

4 minutes ago, North West Newbie said:

 

I think you have it spot on.

 

Having just reviewed deck 5 Mid-Aft availability for the roundtrip in question, 5172, 5199 and 5211 are available for the roundtrip but are not for either the WB or EB separately. Furthermore, on the EB which continues to Hamburg, there are 8 staterooms to choose from to Southampton but anyone wishing to travel on to Hamburg can only have 5163 (which incidentally is not available if one is only booking as far as Southampton).

 

Managing the stateroom inventory must be a pretty complicated process which undoubtedly will throw up some anomalies from time to time.

Yes holding back cabins that are available but you want book 2 individual 7day TAs or 23/28 nt voyages must be horrendous for Cunard to not to care about bookings and are happy to refuse custom so that they can make more money.

[majortom10]

43 minutes ago, North West Newbie said:

 

Just checked and 5172 [IC grade] [the Midships end of Mid-Aft] is available to book for the roundtrip at £1,749 per person. That doesn't seem to be a poor position.

14 nights, Roundtrip Transatlantic Crossing – July 2022 – Cunard.pdf 370.25 kB · 2 downloads

Cabin 5172 is available but every cabin on the starboard side of the ship are not available for 14 nt roundtrips but everyone is available for 7 nt west/east bound trips which of course makes more money for Cunard. Rather strange that is.

[North West Newbie]

13 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Cabin 5172 is available but every cabin on the starboard side of the ship are not available for 14 nt roundtrips but everyone is available for 7 nt west/east bound trips which of course makes more money for Cunard. Rather strange that is.

 

That is not correct. The staterooms that are presently available for the roundtrip (5172, 5199 and 5211) are not available for either the WB or EB separately. As @Underwatr  has tried to explain this is how they manage the inventory otherwise mayhem would break out.

 

If you have a specific stateroom request, why not do as @Windsurfboy suggested and contact Cunard directly. Otherwise, why not book 5172? Personally, I don’t see why it is so important to be located on the starboard side of the ship when are booking an inside cabin.

[North West Newbie]

35 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Yes holding back cabins that are available but you want book 2 individual 7day TAs or 23/28 nt voyages must be horrendous for Cunard to not to care about bookings and are happy to refuse custom so that they can make more money.

 

The only deck 5 Mid-Aft inside stateroom presently available for the first Grand Voyage (M220A) is 5198 (port side and near a lift) and there is none available on the other (M223B).

 

Cunard are clearly not holding back your preferred starboard inside cabin(s) for either of the 28/23 longer voyages where, as you say, they can make more money.

[Victoria2]

1 hour ago, majortom10 said:

Yes holding back cabins that are available but you want book 2 individual 7day TAs or 23/28 nt voyages must be horrendous for Cunard to not to care about bookings and are happy to refuse custom so that they can make more money.

As I tried to explain yesterday, Cunard have history in keeping some cabins back, on initial release of their W.C. voyages.

One can only assume, this Grand Voyage falls under the same protocol as it has segments, the same as a W.C

 

Unfortunately, as has been said, your cabins [as our choices were on a couple of World Cruise segments] have been retained for booking other segments or full voyage.

This has been a process which we have encountered over the years. It isn't personal, and if the cabins aren't reserved within a certain length of time, they will go on general sale.

 

Bottom line, how much do you want the cabins. If you do, you'll wait, as we did. If you're not prepared to wait, you can book an available cabin with the hopes of transferring if your choices are release for your segment.

If neither is an option, go elsewhere but don't berate Cunard. It's a business practice. You're not the first to have come across it and you definitely won't be the last. 

 

 

[Roger88]

14 day round trip sounds just fine to me. I think that all the future cruises will take no more than that and people will have some weird restrictions. In any case, it might turn out differently  for those who likes long journeys

[majortom10]

5 hours ago, North West Newbie said:

 

That is not correct. The staterooms that are presently available for the roundtrip (5172, 5199 and 5211) are not available for either the WB or EB separately. As @Underwatr  has tried to explain this is how they manage the inventory otherwise mayhem would break out.

 

If you have a specific stateroom request, why not do as @Windsurfboy suggested and contact Cunard directly. Otherwise, why not book 5172? Personally, I don’t see why it is so important to be located on the starboard side of the ship when are booking an inside cabin.

That is not correct 5172 is on port side of ship and 5199 and 5211 are on starboard side and are available are in poor position but like I said from the start are both in poor position as they are right next to lifts and stairs and is what I originally said and possible noise from people using stairs and lifts. Also like previously said my TA has asked Cunard for cabins 5171, 5175, 5179, 5183, 5187 and 5191and they have said they are not bookable for the roundtrip but all are available for west/east bound 7nt crossings.

[exlondoner]

Just out of interest, do many people find being near the lifts disturbing?

[Victoria2]

7 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Just out of interest, do many people find being near the lifts disturbing?

Not us, as far as QE and QV are concerned. We choose to be by the lifts by booking a Q2 or 3. 

[exlondoner]

13 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Not us, as far as QE and QV are concerned. We choose to be by the lifts by booking a Q2 or 3. 

 

And those lifts on the B stairway are undoubtedly the busiest.

[North West Newbie]

1 hour ago, majortom10 said:

That is not correct 5172 is on port side of ship and 5199 and 5211 are on starboard side and are available are in poor position but like I said from the start are both in poor position as they are right next to lifts and stairs and is what I originally said and possible noise from people using stairs and lifts. Also like previously said my TA has asked Cunard for cabins 5171, 5175, 5179, 5183, 5187 and 5191and they have said they are not bookable for the roundtrip but all are available for west/east bound 7nt crossings.

 

You have misconstrued what I said and I am well aware that 5172 is on the port side. The point I made was that your statement “but every cabin on the starboard side of the ship are not available for 14 nt roundtrips but everyone is available for 7 nt west/east bound trips” was not factually correct. My reference to available cabin numbers (port and starboard) which ARE available for the roundtrip are NOT available for the respective one ways and it therefore follows that your statement cannot be correct.

 

You may have meant to say that your [my] preferred choice of 4 cabins on the starboard side of the ship are not available for 14 nt roundtrips but everyone is available for 7 nt west/east bound trips but that is not what you said and it is not for others to second guess.

 

I remain perplexed why it is so important for you to be on the starboard side of the ship when occupying an inside cabin? Why don’t you book 5172 (I know it’s on the port side) and save yourself from upset? This really is a first world problem.

 

As an aside, I would hazard a guess that less people book the roundtrip and perhaps Cunard allocate more cabins to the single crossings. If the situation was reversed and you wanted to book a one way and Cunard had allocated all your preferred cabins to the roundtrip would you be as vexed?

[Victoria2]

13 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

 

And those lifts on the B stairway are undoubtedly the busiest.

True, but to be fair, the sleeping area is sort of cocooned in a 3 and definitely in a 2 but, to balance that out, we don't hear the passing traffic when in the living areas of either suite and the 2 has double doors out onto the stairwell  atrium.

[Windsurfboy]

Never  had any problems in Q3s very near lift. 

 

However 5198 and 5122 are the only  cabins on ship that are physically touching lift, so could be different.