Anyone denied boarding due to no room availability?

[Khlela]

I have a family member who has a guaranteed room. We depart in two days and he still doesn’t have a room assigned. Is there any chance he could arrive for departure and be told there is no room available? He called ship inventory and they said they couldn’t help and sometimes the room is assigned at the port on arrival. Would love to hear other thoughts and experiences!

[CruiserBruce]

No possibility at all. As discussed here frequently, GTY assignments can arrive as late as at the pier. On our last cruise...March 30th...our assignment came 2 days out. No one has ever mentioned arriving to be denied boarding. It won't happen.

[Khlela]

6 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

No possibility at all. As discussed here frequently, GTY assignments can arrive as late as at the pier. On our last cruise...March 30th...our assignment came 2 days out. No one has ever mentioned arriving to be denied boarding. It won't happen.

Thank you so much! That makes me feel better 😊

[TRLD]

If for some reason they did make a mistake and oversell a cruise, they would start calling folks with move over offers until they freed up sufficient cabins.

[FlaMariner]

Further confirmation that there will be a cabin....this is part of the disclosure (from HAL website) when you book a guarantee cabin.....Relax and enjoy the journey!

 

 

"Your stateroom is guaranteed. You will receive your stateroom details prior to departure."

[Ray4Fun]

Hey, It happened last year. https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2023/11/30/royal-caribbean-passengers-denied-boarding/71749345007/

[BermudaBound2014]

20 minutes ago, Ray4Fun said:

Hey, It happened last year. https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2023/11/30/royal-caribbean-passengers-denied-boarding/71749345007/

 

Yep, it has absolutely happened on many cruise lines across the decades, but it is VERY RARE. To the OP I think you are just fine 🙂 

 

 

Edited June 6 by BermudaBound2014

[Torquer]

19 minutes ago, Ray4Fun said:

Hey, It happened last year. https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2023/11/30/royal-caribbean-passengers-denied-boarding/71749345007/

Very interesting article.  I follow the forums for several cruise lines in addition to HAL, and never heard of this happening before.  It really is bad planning by the cruise line...if they haven't had sufficient cancellations within a couple days before sailing to cover all their bookings, they should start contacting people and offer them incentives to postpone their cruise.  Notifying someone at the cruise terminal is unconscionable.  The only case that it should possibly ever happen is if a room becomes uninhabitable at the end of a previous cruise due a water leak, fire, etc.

 

But I would never worry about this, since it is so rare, and I am pretty sure it has never happened on HAL ship.

[RuthC]

2 hours ago, Torquer said:

It really is bad planning by the cruise line...if they haven't had sufficient cancellations within a couple days before sailing to cover all their bookings, they should start contacting people and offer them incentives to postpone their cruise. 

That is precisely what HAL does. 
The information about what happened on a Royal Caribbean cruise is not pertinent to how HAL handles a similar situation. 

With that said, there is a remote possibility that there would be no cabin available, and that is if the passenger is booked on an Interline rate. Those bookings can be ripped out from under the person who booked that way. 
Those are rare, however. 

[TiogaCruiser]

Adding on to what @RuthC just said, periodically someone has come on here to say they were “bumped”, or allowed to sail if their party would accept a downgrade or moving the members from 2 cabin into one. After the outrage and “unfairness” is wadded through, it comes to light that the individuals were on an interline rate, (either because of their employment or that of their qualified relatives) and that risk comes with the privilege of getting that rate.
 

It seems to happen about 1-2 times a year.

[jakers]

One time prior to a Royal Caribbean cruise, we were offered an upgrade to a Gran Suite. I had booked two outside cabins as my daughter had invited a friend from High School to join us. We were told that if we gave up our two outside cabins and agreed to cruise together in a Gran Suite we would not only get the larger room (equal in size to two outside cabins) but that we would also enjoy all the perks of a Gran Suite cruise. The only reason that I can think of for the upgrade is that they needed our two rooms. I accepted the offer in order to see how they other half (maybe 10%) lives.  

[Will_Dieterich]

Besides the link for those abandoned there was another case at around the same time.  This time it was a couple of people who were members of one of those all inclusive tours where you take a bus or plane as a group with a TA and board the cruise with the TA.

In this case they got told a couple of them would not be able to boards so the TA went on board to get it corrected.  Then the TA never came back and the ship sailed.

 

[Woofbite]

It can happen.  The circle Japan cruise on Holland America right before ours in April was overbooked and they made some incredible offers to deal with the situation:

 

 

This is getting crazy now:

 

Special Offer # 2

Receive a 100% refund and a 200% Future Cruise Credit to cancel. Plus enjoy $250.00 OBC when you use the Future Cruise Credit.

o    Future Cruise Credits can be used on any future sailing through December 31, 2025.

 

Special Offer # 3

Receive a 100% refund and try out our ultra luxury sister line, Seabourn, aboard the Seabourn Odyssey·          

o    March 28, 2024
21 day departure sailing Hong Kong to Kobe, Japan

 

This is post # 532:

 

I just booked another HAL cruise while onboard the Westerdam and the future cruise consultant told me that HAL overbooked 52 rooms on the March 30 cruise. She doesn’t know the reason why. But she did say fhat she has to move from a regular stateroom to crew quarters. 

 

[CruiserBruce]

@Woofbite, did anyone get refused boarding? That is the question here. And refused at the pier?

[Woofbite]

14 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

@Woofbite, did anyone get refused boarding? That is the question here. And refused at the pier?

I don't know I was on the cruise after that one but I suspect nobody was refused.  Another post said HAL also reimbursed air fares and hotel expenses so I would think some people would jump at the offers and spend a few days in Japan and then plan another cruise.  I certainly would have given up my cabin.

I didn't mean to imply that someone was refused but that it could happen if they didn't get enough volunteers.

 

Edited June 7 by Woofbite
typo

[POA1]

5 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

@Woofbite, did anyone get refused boarding? That is the question here. And refused at the pier?

No. They did not.

 

Years ago, friends of ours booked a verandah on the Volendam for Alaska. (Those rooms are now Vista Suites.) We had a Neptune down the hall. There verandahs were oversold. Our friends rec'd an offer to move to an Ocean View with a full refund and OBC equal to the port taxes. Basically, a free cruise. They were happy, and if they wanted balcony time, they just came over to "our house."

 

I've read reports of denied boarding for not having proper travel ID, but that's not really HAL's fault.

 

[Sir PMP]

18 hours ago, Khlela said:

I have a family member who has a guaranteed room. We depart in two days and he still doesn’t have a room assigned. Is there any chance he could arrive for departure and be told there is no room available? He called ship inventory and they said they couldn’t help and sometimes the room is assigned at the port on arrival. Would love to hear other thoughts and experiences!

What do you mean, 'called ship inventory', never heard of that, but if this is Hal I would call immediately.

[Ray4Fun]

I wonder will my travel insurance cover the Rebooked Flights? How about the extra meals due to not being on the ship? That night at a hotel you didn't consider? That adds up quick and will negate the cruise line's extra benefits. I'm understand mistakes for sure. In this day and age I do wonder how the IT team cannot consider the number of cabins sold v the number of cabins on-board. Just sayin. Happy Friday all.

[Woofbite]

35 minutes ago, Ray4Fun said:

  In this day and age I do wonder how the IT team cannot consider the number of cabins sold v the number of cabins on-board. Just sayin. Happy Friday all.

Don't know but I remember several years ago when I worked for an airline somehow a flight got into the reservation system with twice the number of seats for sale as the airplane held - and that was for a flight to San Juan right before Christmas.

It was not a merry Christmas for the airport people left to deal with the situation.

Mistakes happen.

[FlaMariner]

2 hours ago, Woofbite said:

Special Offer # 3

Receive a 100% refund and try out our ultra luxury sister line, Seabourn, aboard the Seabourn Odyssey·          

o    March 28, 2024
21 day departure sailing Hong Kong to Kobe, Japan

 

 

That's an awesome offer......You could bump me anytime for that......Nice. 

[TRLD]

1 hour ago, Ray4Fun said:

I wonder will my travel insurance cover the Rebooked Flights? How about the extra meals due to not being on the ship? That night at a hotel you didn't consider? That adds up quick and will negate the cruise line's extra benefits. I'm understand mistakes for sure. In this day and age I do wonder how the IT team cannot consider the number of cabins sold v the number of cabins on-board. Just sayin. Happy Friday all.

the case with Royal Caribbean was a problem with their booking system during the restart.

 

Cruiselines, like airlines, have algorithms that take into account anticipated cancellations. So occasionally there can be an oversold situation, that cruise lines deal with move over offers.

 

 

[LAFFNVEGAS]

6 hours ago, POA1 said:

No. They did not.

 

Years ago, friends of ours booked a verandah on the Volendam for Alaska. (Those rooms are now Vista Suites.) We had a Neptune down the hall. There verandahs were oversold. Our friends rec'd an offer to move to an Ocean View with a full refund and OBC equal to the port taxes. Basically, a free cruise. They were happy, and if they wanted balcony time, they just came over to "our house."

 

I've read reports of denied boarding for not having proper travel ID, but that's not really HAL's fault.

 

I received the same offer several years ago on the Volendam for Alaska but I told them I would only consider the same if the moved me to a Lanai stateroom. A week passed and I got the offer, refund of the fare of my Vista Suite plus a considerable amount of ship board credit. That was the one and only time I personally had the offer but can say that I have seen it for many every year. Mostly happens for Alaska. I will also say that it tends to happen far more frequently with Princess more than HAL. 

[CruiserBruce]

So, @Khlela, your family got their room?

[POA1]

On 6/7/2024 at 8:59 AM, Ray4Fun said:

I wonder will my travel insurance cover the Rebooked Flights? How about the extra meals due to not being on the ship? That night at a hotel you didn't consider? That adds up quick and will negate the cruise line's extra benefits. I'm understand mistakes for sure. In this day and age I do wonder how the IT team cannot consider the number of cabins sold v the number of cabins on-board. Just sayin. Happy Friday all.

Have you actually been denied boarding? Or know of someone who has?

 

Otherwise, you're doing a straw man attack. (My friend was denied boarding because a comet might crash into Earth.)

[Khlela]

On 6/7/2024 at 11:25 AM, CruiserBruce said:

So, @Khlela, your family got their room?

yes! Got it assigned late on Friday