How does RCL continue to "oversell" their ships?

[HappyTexan44]

So, since you won't know if they'll select your offer to be bumped until some point in the future, I guess they gather the survey answers and then accept people willing to go Option#1 first, then look at Option #2, then once all those are bumped then they do Option #3.   

That makes business sense.  Many time on a flight, I'd be willing to be bumped but only if the offer was the min. of XYZ.   

 

I have a suspicion that my cruise in Feb will be oversold.  An interesting port was dropped from a couple of cruises on my ship near my dates.  The price of mine increased in price much more than similar cruises.  Like the OP, we are going with friends.  

[Concord Slim]

1 hour ago, Starry Eyes said:

What category cabin did you book and how many guests?  Are your friends in same category with same capacity?

 

Just as you would be inclined to accept option 3 (if not for your friends), others on the ship will also be tempted by the offer.  I suspect Royal will get sufficient volunteers.

Ocean view balcony, no obstruction...  It's my wife, my son and I.  Yes, I believe the others are in ovb's as well, but only one with three the others with two people...  Yeah, I suspect they'll meet the need as well...  

[AshleyDillo]

1 hour ago, Concord Slim said:

Ocean view balcony, no obstruction...  It's my wife, my son and I.  Yes, I believe the others are in ovb's as well, but only one with three the others with two people...  Yeah, I suspect they'll meet the need as well...  

 

If you have 3 in your booking, the oversell could have to do with muster station capacities. They book more 3+ rooms over the holidays and spring break. Once a muster station is full, they can't just squeeze another person in to that particular muster station. That's why you hear folks get denied adding more passengers to their cabins later in the game even though the cabins have the berths.

[rolloman]

In addition to what has already been stated, I think they may overbook GTY cabins prior to final payment to account for an average of guests who ultimately cancel before the due date. Following the computer algorithm. Since this seems to be coming a thing...RCCL IT may need to adjust said algorithm. 

[Engineroom Snipe]

4 minutes ago, rolloman said:

In addition to what has already been stated, I think they may overbook GTY cabins prior to final payment to account for an average of guests who ultimately cancel before the due date. Following the computer algorithm. Since this seems to be coming a thing...RCCL IT may need to adjust said algorithm. 

 

I emphasized your last line. @Biker19 commented earlier, we are talking about RCI IT.  They have a hard enough time trying to get information synchronized across their websites.

 

 🤣

[Sigyn]

20 hours ago, molly361 said:

Who would pick Option # 1 ??  

Only someone who had really wanted to cancel this particular cruise they're on for April 1 but couldn't due to losing the entire cost of the cruise, or who wanted to add a person to their cabin or add another entire cabin, but couldn't, because the cruise is sold out. This way they could have those extra friends or family cruise with them. I agree, it's not a good option and very, very few people will accept it. 

[HappyTexan44]

2 hours ago, rolloman said:

In addition to what has already been stated, I think they may overbook GTY cabins prior to final payment to account for an average of guests who ultimately cancel before the due date. Following the computer algorithm. Since this seems to be coming a thing...RCCL IT may need to adjust said algorithm. 

 

Hmmm, so maybe less people are cancelling now?   There were probably a ton of people that booked refundable cruises a long time in the future thinking that the mask/vaccine stuff would be gone by then, but then cancelled when it hadn't.   If they didn't have a person tweaking the estimates when the covid rule changed, that could account to the overselling problem.  

 

[fsjosh]

On 3/28/2023 at 12:24 PM, Concord Slim said:

 

Thanks!  Been here a long time never post though, just a lurker!  lol  Yeah, that's what I figured just seems odd that they've been hitting us with RoyalUp the last few days and then this oversold today...  We cruise 3-4 times a year mostly on RCL so normally we'd take them up but again we're going with a larger group...  

 

It makes sense for them to be hitting the royal ups harder. Find out what people will pay for upgrades, so when people in the cabins they are bidding for take the buyout, they make more money from the upgrade than just plugging one of the GTY's into it. 

[Concord Slim]

Boom!  Got the upgrade so now they can have the old room anyway... lol  Crown Loft Suite!  Never stayed in one before so looking forward to it...  

[DukeASUGirl]

On 3/28/2023 at 2:48 PM, Starry Eyes said:

Not many people would pick option #1, but maybe for personal reasons someone would rather cruise in June.  
Option 2 does not work for everyone as many schools are back in session.

 

Option 2 wouldn't work for my family, because school starts July 19 thus making an August sailing out of the question. But Option 3 gives you the flexibility to pick a new date not limited to June or August. We would definitely take Option 3.

[Starry Eyes]

On 3/29/2023 at 5:03 AM, Concord Slim said:

Ocean view balcony, no obstruction...  It's my wife, my son and I.  Yes, I believe the others are in ovb's as well, but only one with three the others with two people...  Yeah, I suspect they'll meet the need as well...  

The oversell situation may have been specifically for balconies with 3 or 4 guest capacity.  Your friend’s doubles may not have been oversold.  Just a guess.  

 

I know you won the RoyalUp to the CL…congrats.

 

 

 

[Oceansaway17]

It seems to me for each cruise once final payment deadline has passed, they should have a handle on how many more booking can be accepted until sailing.

It would be interesting if they had a system in place that shows remaining count per lifeboat.

Also they should just not bother with guaranty selling and just sell rooms. Then later after final payment they could put rooms on sale to fill ship as needed.

 

[luckyinpa]

royal now qualifies as an airline because they oversell so much

 

https://www.cruisehive.com/another-oversold-royal-caribbean-cruise-days-before-departure/100027

[taglovestocruise]

1 hour ago, luckyinpa said:

royal now qualifies as an airline because they oversell so much...

[deliver42]

Just a continuation of the wonderful IT dept that we encounter everyday on their web site.

[smokeybandit]

1 hour ago, deliver42 said:

Just a continuation of the wonderful IT dept that we encounter everyday on their web site.

That's not IT. That's corporate setting oversell rates too high for what the market can handle right now.

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, deliver42 said:

Just a continuation of the wonderful IT dept that we encounter everyday on their web site.

It has nothing at all to do with the IT department. Like any travel industry establishment (hotel, airline, etc.), the cruise line determines, voyage by voyage, how much to oversell the cruise. Nowadays, people who are COVID positive don't care and go on their cruise anyways, reducing the number of last minute cancellations and giving their fellow cruisers a present from the cruise. 

[reallyitsmema]

Our upcoming Oasis sailing is oversold too.

[GJustice]

May 7th Allure is oversold as of yesterday. Got some offers to shift/cancel but none are good for us this time. 

[ONECRUISER]

On 3/28/2023 at 9:20 AM, Biker19 said:

Welcome to CC.

They will - they just up the offer enough for some to take it.

Wasn't there one sailing while back where someone got bumped off? Think they'd booked it last min and made them 1st off

[ONECRUISER]

Dbl post

Edited April 28, 2023 by ONECRUISER

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, ONECRUISER said:

Wasn't there one sailing while back where someone got bumped off? Think they'd booked it last min and made them 1st off

Anything is possible but very likely RCI will sweeten the offers enough to make room for everyone that really wants to go.

[shof515]

Oasis May 7 is also oversold

[HappyTexan44]

15 hours ago, ONECRUISER said:

Wasn't there one sailing while back where someone got bumped off? Think they'd booked it last min and made them 1st off

 

There was some like that only I don't remember it being a last minute booking.  Maybe memory faulty.   They also had more than one cabin and type and Royal was shitty about treating both cabins the same.  I haven't been on CC that long.  

 

 

[orville99]

Wonder May 1 is also oversold, and two of our friends and their children .from town have been bumped