Better cabin choice; cruise website or TA?

[Jac n Sue]

We like a suite or mini-suite on the stern, but these always seem to be gone 18 months out. Can a travel agent get us these cabins when the liner website shows none? FWIW. we prefer Princess. 

[Essiesmom]

It’s complicated.  When you are dealing with Princess, HAL, and some other lines that will sell two seven day cruises as one 14 day cruise, and therefore reserve some cabins for the whole 14, and others for the 7,…sometimes a TA or cruise line vacation planner can get those cabins released to you.  For example:  back in 2011 I booked a specific cabin on Nieuw Amsterdam for a 12 day cruise from Venice.  A few days later I decided to change to the 24 day collectors cruise.  That cabin was available if booked as two 12 day cruises,  it not as one 24 day cruise.  My TA was able to persuade them to let us book it as the collectors cruise.  EM

[CDNPolar]

8 hours ago, Jac n Sue said:

We like a suite or mini-suite on the stern, but these always seem to be gone 18 months out. Can a travel agent get us these cabins when the liner website shows none? FWIW. we prefer Princess. 

 

I think from my experience that when you are booking online the cruise line shows you a limited block of available cabins.  This is because they have released blocks of cabins - or cabin types - to TAs for group bookings, etc.  This is the same as hotels and airlines.

 

Often you see when you go to book - "Only One Left" - but that does not today mean that they are sold out but for that one cabin. 

 

With our favourite line we have been told that when the website says limited availability that there are only so many cabins left in that category...  

 

We have however found when you call the cruise line direct, there are more cabins available than are showing online.  When we wanted a Port side cabin mid-ship and none are showing online, poof, now there is a Port side cabin when we call in.

 

TA's could very well have more inventory and access than the web site direct.

 

Just my thoughts and experience to date.