How do you manage to get an aft cabin?

[kazwaz]

I've been playing with the RCI website, seeing what cabins are available on various cruises. Aft cabins never seem to come up.

What must you do to get an aft cabin? They seem rarer than gold-dust!

Just wondering!

Karen

[Tony O]

I've been playing with the RCI website, seeing what cabins are available on various cruises. Aft cabins never seem to come up.

What must you do to get an aft cabin? They seem rarer than gold-dust!

Just wondering!

Karen

 

Yes they are. We booked as soon as the sailing became available . that was about year out from our sailing.

Once you had an aft it's really hard to go anywhere else.

[Puffinater]

A couple suggestions...book early. Call RCI direct speak to a rep. not all cabins show up on the web site.

[PH8]

Booking early is good........but dont depend on the website.It will not always show up.........Call and ask for an aft............

 

If you book a cruise and none are available at the time,request you be waitlisted for a specific cabin..........People cancel esp at final payment due time.

[FitzLA]

You have to call them directly. They only show about 5 or so cabins available in each category on the website. They start in the middle and work their way aft and forward. They aft ones are the last to show up on the website. And, people will always call and request them, so you have to book early. We booked our corner aft on Freedom 16 months in advance.

[Lou33]

You won't see them on the website! The website only lists 6 or 7 cabins max in each category, but are probably 5X that many cabins available. You have to call RCI or a travel agent and they can check *all* cabins and see if aft balconies are available.

 

Some are usually available if you book more than a year in advance. You can just choose a week that has the cabin that you want. Otherwise, if you book any balcony cabin. You can keep checking every week because people cancel and they open up. This is especially true around the time that final payment is due. If you are willing to keep checking, you can probably get an aft balcony for just about any sailing.

[PH8]

We booked our corner aft on Freedom 16 months in advance.

 

And we got 1388(AOS) booked last week and we have 18 months to go!!:eek: :(

[Lou33]

If you book a cruise and none are available at the time,request you be waitlisted for a specific cabin

 

I wouldn't depend on a waitlist. My TA told me that RCI will not waitlist anybody for specific cabins. But they said that I am more than welcome to call them every week or so and they will check for specific cabins on the spot. They said that people do cancel and it is up to people to keep checking to see if any are open.

 

So I did call my TA every week, and after just 4 weeks I got the aft balcony that I wanted.

[FitzLA]

And we got 1388(AOS) booked last week and we have 18 months to go!!:eek: :(

 

Ouch!!! 18 months! I hate waiting that long. Do you have something planned in between? That always helps pass the time.

[FitzLA]

Double post!

[cat55]

We just lucked out and booked 1388 for MOS eight months in advance. I actually did not even know this was a good cabin but posted a question on this website and was told to grab it....so I did. This is our first balcony too.:)

[RM]

I booked mine in March while aboard the Sovereign. The Loyalty Ambassador checked each of the ships I wanted to sail and the Adventure had our balcony open. We grabbed it. We've had an aft several times before and love them. Long walk from the elevator but worth it once you get there!

[Bren's Mom]

We were just able to get 7388 for NOS on 11/25/06...only 6 mos ahead. I guess sometimes it's just dumb luck!

[csbenedict]

I found ours (1688) on RCI's website. I booked last July for our 6/16/06 cruise and just had a regular D1 on Deck 10. I kept checking about once a week for different prices and surprisingly one day 1688 was listed as available. I snagged it right away :) !!!!! I think it was just plain luck! Your best bet would be to book early and call RCI directly because they are able to check all available cabins whereas the website only shows about 5 or 6 at a time! Good luck!

[later]

We request a specific cabin(s) through our TA and he gets them for us if they are available. As stated before the web site does not list very many cabins at a time for each category. The farther in advance you can book the better chance you have of getting the cabin you wish. All of our 7 day+ cruises we set up at least a year in advance. We are not concerned if a specific cabin is not available for shorters cruises, but again will request a specific cabin through our TA and hope for the best.

[Rala]

I just checked our Nov. S. Carib. sailing on Serenade and there are 6 or 7 aft-facing cabins available on the website so I think it just depends! They are all Cat. D1 (balcony).

[PH8]

Ouch!!! 18 months! I hate waiting that long. Do you have something planned in between? That always helps pass the time.

 

We have two short ones booked for later this year(Aug and Nov)..........and still deciding whether to take a 7 nighter in Nov or early in 07..........

[starq1]

We booked May 2nd and 3rd for our Mariner and Voyager aft Cabins. More then a year out. We booked In Feb. for our Jan. 07 Rahpsody aft cabin. We were actaully hoping to get an Oct. 06 sailing but there were no afts available. I asked our TA to find the first available dates for an aft to be available and he came back with January. We had actaully given him dates that we wanted and Jan. was our last choice. But they are worth the wait IMO. We do have a couple land based vacations coming to pass the time though.

[Schplinky]

I wouldn't depend on a waitlist. My TA told me that RCI will not waitlist anybody for specific cabins. But they said that I am more than welcome to call them every week or so and they will check for specific cabins on the spot. They said that people do cancel and it is up to people to keep checking to see if any are open.

 

We are currently waitlisted for a particular cabin with RCL directly. Perhaps it is the particular TA who did not want to do this. I called to check on the cabin and the guy said that it clearly indicates were are waitlisted for that particular one. We're hopeful as there is a person on our roll call who was also waitlisted for a particular cabin on a different sailing and they got it once the final payments were due and the original occupants bailed.

[PH8]

I agree.............I have been waitlisted before too..........

 

From what i have read,some of you cruise just for an aft?? Doesnt matter what itinerary or ship?? I find that most interesting........I never thought of asking for a sailing just for that aft cabin...........Live and learn......

[Schplinky]

I would keep calling about your aft. While you can only waitlist for one cabin, you can call as often as you like and keep asking about a few cabins at a time. We did this on Freedom and moved from a normal cabin to an aft to a corner aft.

[starq1]

I agree.............I have been waitlisted before too..........

 

From what i have read,some of you cruise just for an aft?? Doesnt matter what itinerary or ship?? I find that most interesting........I never thought of asking for a sailing just for that aft cabin...........Live and learn......

 

For us, our first balcony cabin was an aft. And now I am addicted. I don't think I could sail in just a regular balcony and never agin in an inside or oceanview. The aft, IMO is the best for the money. The itenerary isn't very important the ship is a destination in itself!

[PH8]

I see you're doing an AI......or maybe you already have...........we are thinking of doing one instead of a cruise sometime.....seems more relaxing or shall I say ,laid back.

[ammcem]

I booked an aft balcony on Mariner of the Seas for April 1, 2007 and March 30, 2008 earlier this month via the website. We are in 1394 in April and 1694 in March. I hope they are good since I couldn't get anyone to answer my question on whether I should keep a hump D1 or take the aft balcony. We are first-time RCCL cruisers with one DCL cruise taken.

[starq1]

I booked an aft balcony for April 1, 2007 and March 30, 2008 earlier this month via the website. We are in 1394 in April and 1694 in March. I hope they are good since I couldn't get anyone to answer my question on whether I should keep a hump D1 or take the aft balcony. We are first-time RCCL cruisers with one DCL cruise taken.

 

I have never stayed oh the hump, but aft is very good! The corner afts are the best! These balconies have the feel of being there all by yourself! And we like that.