Cabins available for final QE2 transatlantic: follow-up to this morning's post

[airships]

For months, people have been talking about the waiting list for QE2's final transatlantic crossings, and have otherwise been expressing their desire to be aboard QE2 for one of her final crossings.

 

Earlier this morning, when I noticed that a few cabins had come available, as a public service to my fellow CC'ers, I posted the information on this board.

 

Instead of gratitude for posting useful information, about a subject people have been discussing for months, I got a nasty, threatening email from Cruise Critic about what a horrible person I am for spamming the forum.

 

My posting was not spam in any way. I have ZERO connection to the website mentioned in my post, and I derive ZERO benefit if people book one of these cabins. (I already have my own cabin for this crossing in any case, and I derived no personal self-interest whatsoever in posting that information.)

 

People have been anxiously asking about the availability of cabins on these final two crossings for months, and so when I saw cabins had come available, I went to the trouble of logging in to CC to post the information as a service to my fellow CC forum members.

 

People who have been on a waiting list (and might want to contact Cunard or their travel agent to ask why cabins are being sold while they are still on a waiting list) had the right to have specific information to pass along to Cunard or their travel agent when they called.

 

And people who might have been interested in booking one of these cabins had the right to the relevant information immediately, because if they had to email me for the details, the cabins might have been gone before I had a chance to respond.

 

Cruise Critic accused me of "advertising," but I was simply posting information that was clearly of interest to many people on this forum, with no self-interest or gain whatsoever.

 

If this is how the people who run Cruise Critic want to respond to my effort to help my fellow Cunard fans, the are welcome to just delete my entire account, as they probably will anyway when they read this post, since I doubt they are open to any kind of public criticism.

[safarigal]

Sorry about the response you had. As we were on the QE2 waitlist for what felt like an eternity, reading your post would have been very useful if we had not been fortunate enough to get a confirmed booking already. It also gives me insight into what to expect should the waitlist issue arise again. Thank you, it was very helpful. :)

 

Lesley

[airships]

Thanks, Safarigal...

 

If anyone DOES want the info I found about available cabins, just contact me, or leave me a way to contact you, and I will be happy to pass it along.

[yojimbo]

Airships---I'd appreciate the info. Thanks

 

jimpnyc at aol dot com

 

(i left a message requesting info on flickr also)

[Bramcruiser]

I feel so badly for you. I know when I posted this morning in response I innocently mentioned that we were not allowed to mention internet agency names but I felt you had a genuine motive to alert people to one fact only - that there were available cabins. I even went so far as to support you in your posting.

 

Somehow I think a simply breach turned into a big issue and maybe there was some over-reaction to it. We have had problems in the past over here with people egging on the management but I suspect zero-tolerance went a tad overboard. Hopefully we can move away from a small indiscretion and get back to what the issue was all about in the first place.

 

THERE ARE ROOMS AVAILABLE ON THE FINAL TRANSATLANTICS OF THE QE2!:D

 

David

Holding out the olive branch!

[cunardqueen]

Earlier this morning, when I noticed that a few cabins had come available, as a public service to my fellow CC'ers, I posted the information on this board.

 

Im sure like some of the rest of you l assumed that if you were waitlisted on a cruise,and then should one become free that Cunard would give you a call and kindly inform you and when you accepted eveyone else moved up one. However in reality it doesnt seem to work like that, so why do Cunard bother with a waitlist?

Had l been in the situation to be waitlisted and found people could book direct, l would be slightly annoyed, who wouldnt be?

 

On the basis of these waitlisted voyages, is it safe to assume that on a maiden voyage, people could really dispense with the waitlist and just book direct as people cancel closer to the payment due dates, Food for thought?

 

Anyway just my thoughts for what its worth

[airships]

Well, I was on a waitlist, too, but it didn't count for anything; I only got my cabin when I saw one come available about a month ago on this same website that I mentioned earlier (but whose name it is apparently a crime to mention, even though it is an integral part of the news story... kind of like talking about the Danish Mohammed cartoons without actually being allowed to print the cartoons themselves... but I digress...) which is why I thought it was important to give other people the same chance I had.

[airships]

Dear Yojimbo:

 

I just emailed you, but it seems that these cabins are now gone. (I am sorry the person at Cruise Critic who deleted the original post didn't understand the time-sensitive nature of the information.)

 

I just looked at the website whose name must not be spoken, however, and there are still suites left, at approximately $20,000 for the westbound, and $27,000 for the eastbound.

 

(I thought it was only homosexuality that "dare not speak its name," according to Oscar Wilde, but apparently useful and accurate information about cabins on QE2's last crossing also falls into the category of unmentionable things.)

[yojimbo]

Airships,

 

Many thanks for passing along the info---a real service to the CC community!

 

Jim

[Guest Anorak33]

Airships - I read your original post and thankyou for providing this useful information.

[SeaMatesNYC]

I too find the waitlist to be imaginary as I was offered a cabin two days later on the LA-NYC segment of the 2008 World Cruise after being waitlisted at over #200. This was due to the eagle eyes of a UK friend watching the website and a very wonderful TA who grabbed the cabin immediately.

 

Cunard seem to have reserved the right to "sell" a newly available cabin to the public at a higher price, then decide (if it does not sell) to re-offer it to a waitlister. And, what do you want to bet that they don't simply offer it to #1 on the waitlist, but whoever has waitlist booked at the highest price for that category.

 

In fact, while I paid the price at which I had booked the waitlist, I am betting that I was one of the highest waitlist prices as this was inside a month of sailing. Not sure why Cunard did not offer it to me straight off when it became available as my waitlist booking price was the same as offered publicly. Or at least I believe it was, unless my TA pulled yet another rabbit out of a hat (very possible!).

[TBirdFrank]

I am very sorry, but not surprised that the Cruise Critic "host" who oversees this board deleted the post telling interested would be and waitlisted cruisers where they could get on board their favourite ship.

 

This does seem to be, however, par for the course for Cruise Critic these days, and why my post rate on this board has dropped to almost nil, as has my opinion of its management.

 

Come on Cruise Critic admit you are only in it to sell via your own agency status and not to assist would be passengers to find tickets wherever they may be, and we might have a better understanding of how Expedia, your owning website works

[Buddy604]

Remember too that some large agencies have huge group bookings with blocked space and as people drop out of their group, sometimes the space is allocated back to the agency before being put out for general sale and allocation to the waitlist. It usually depends on the date and whether the agency has created a group large enough that they have already paid a small deposit for each cabin.

 

The line has the right, and they often exercise it, to claw back a percentage of the unsold cabins during three successive recall dates. This close to the final payment date, I'm surprised that they let the inventory go back to the agent, but, then I'm often surprised. :D

 

BTW, looking at the booking system right now, there is nothing available, not even the $20,000 suite. Everything is waitlisted except for the single cabins which are closed, meaning no new waitlisting on them. If anyone has any cabins for sale, it's from their agency blocked space.

[ocngypz]

There were no group allocations available on the final QE2 sailings.

 

The waitlist doesn't work, period.

 

As cabins appear into inventory, it's first come, first served. All agencies have access to the inventory.

 

AND.............just because you see cabins available, doesn't mean when you select them you can get the booking to confirm!

Been there, done that too many times with Cunard the past two weeks. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr. Calling the cruiseline doesn't help.. they can't confirm the bookings either.

[cunardqueen]

The waitlist doesn't work, period.

 

As cabins appear into inventory, it's first come, first served. All agencies have access to the inventory.

 

Which begs the questions, why have a waitlist when it clearly doesnt work?

and how many suckers have assumed that it does work?

The wonders of Cunard Line:rolleyes:

[Buddy604]

There were no group allocations available on the final QE2 sailings.

I couldn't get a group allocation (I tried), but I wasn't aware that no agencies were offered any. I was under the impression that a few large agencies, which should not be named, did grab some group space. Hmm, colour me surprised again.

[ocngypz]

Which begs the questions, why have a waitlist when it clearly doesnt work?

and how many suckers have assumed that it does work?

The wonders of Cunard Line:rolleyes:

 

I suppose they think hope springs eternal.. and they like having those deposits on the books??????????

 

I cleared my waitlists by grabbing what I saw, when I saw them.

 

On a run of the mill sailing.............waitlists do work. I've seen them work. But on these.. no. I'm still trying to clear a waitlist on the 27 Oct sailing.

[vjmatty]

First of all, I find it curious that the post was deleted when that very same online website is listed as one of the "Cruise Agencies" at the link on top of every page.... and I don't understand why the whole post had to be deleted when they could have just blocked out the name.

 

Secondly, my only guess on the purpose of the waitlist is that it gives Cunard some additional working capital between now and final payment, as they are collecting a $150pp deposit with each name on the waitlist. I have no basis or confirmation for that theory, it is just a guess.

[sw18]

Secondly, my only guess on the purpose of the waitlist is that it gives Cunard some additional working capital between now and final payment, as they are collecting a $150pp deposit with each name on the waitlist. I have no basis or confirmation for that theory, it is just a guess.

 

No deposit on waitlists here in the UK...... :)

 

If anyone is after a Q3 on the 10th October Westbound I have just turned down my waitlist match as we'd rather watch the QE2 from the QM2 for the whole roundtrip & at a much cheaper QG fare!

[mufi]

So let me try to get my head round this. There are folk out there who are willing to pay $20,000 to $27,000 for a TA which will be identical in every way to one, say last year at a fraction of that, except that it is the last.

 

Am I missing something?

 

David.

[vjmatty]

So let me try to get my head round this. There are folk out there who are willing to pay $20,000 to $27,000 for a TA which will be identical in every way to one, say last year at a fraction of that, except that it is the last.

 

Am I missing something?

 

David.

 

If you have to ask, then you probably aren't. :rolleyes:

[westerndh]

Big thank you to Airships for this post & corresponding UK Cunard forum website. Despite the deletion of the original post, between the two forums, I was able to work out where to look & as a result of this info, I've been able to swap from Queen Mary 2 10/16 to QE2 10/16 in a C3 - woo hoo!

 

I've seen 2 different days where multiple C3's have come available, so definitely keep eyes open.

 

By the way, does anyone have recommendations or explanation of differences between 1 deck & 4 deck C3 cabins?

 

A nice touch is my Travel agent matched the $145 discount being offered by the big internet company referred to on the UK site.

 

Many many thanks!

[Buddy604]

So let me try to get my head round this. There are folk out there who are willing to pay $20,000 to $27,000 for a TA which will be identical in every way to one, say last year at a fraction of that, except that it is the last.

 

Am I missing something?

 

David.

Remember too, that the folks who booked when the cabins first went on sale did not pay the inflated brochure price, but the fairly standard EBD price.

 

Of course, after about 30 minutes on sale, the cabins were few and the prices were climbing...! :D

[vjmatty]

Big thank you to Airships for this post & corresponding UK Cunard forum website. Despite the deletion of the original post, between the two forums, I was able to work out where to look & as a result of this info, I've been able to swap from Queen Mary 2 10/16 to QE2 10/16 in a C3 - woo hoo!

 

I've seen 2 different days where multiple C3's have come available, so definitely keep eyes open.

 

By the way, does anyone have recommendations or explanation of differences between 1 deck & 4 deck C3 cabins?

 

A nice touch is my Travel agent matched the $145 discount being offered by the big internet company referred to on the UK site.

 

Many many thanks!

 

Congrats! Same thing happened to me.... feels great, doesn't it? :cool:

 

Check out the Roll Call if you haven't already.