Waitlist for cabin questions

[goodie2shoes]

We decided rather late that we wanted to do a particular cruise. We wanted a suite, so I called my TA about it, and she got us on the Waitlist. The problem is that the Waitlist Request from Princess shows we are waitlisted for PS, VS, AA, AB, AC, AD and the Cruise Personalizer shows we are waitlisted for a category AC.

 

I called this to my TA's attention and she said that she told them we wanted a suite, and doesn't seem inclined to contact them again about it. She assures me that all will be fine.

 

So, now I see that there are category AB and AC cabins available, and I'm worried that Princess will assign me one of those. If they do, can I tell them I don't want it, but do want to remain on the list for the PS and VS?

 

Also, she tried to use a future cruise credit I had for this, and they refused it. They said I had to make a deposit of $600, which I did under protest. Has anyone ever heard of this "rule?" What makes it worse is that the first person she talked to said it was no problem using the credit, but when she called back to try to do it she was refused. She hung up and tried again, and got the same answer a second time. Since it was 5:30 in the evening, and the deposit had to be made that day to hold it, we had to go ahead with the $600.

 

This is the first experience with a waitlist for me, and I'm getting more and more confused as I go along. I really want to do this cruise, but only in the suite. A mini for 18 days is not what I want to do!

 

Any advice or sharing of previous experiences would be much appreciated.

[Pia1913]

We decided rather late that we wanted to do a particular cruise. We wanted a suite, so I called my TA about it, and she got us on the Waitlist. The problem is that the Waitlist Request from Princess shows we are waitlisted for PS, VS, AA, AB, AC, AD and the Cruise Personalizer shows we are waitlisted for a category AC.

 

I called this to my TA's attention and she said that she told them we wanted a suite, and doesn't seem inclined to contact them again about it. She assures me that all will be fine.

 

So, now I see that there are category AB and AC cabins available, and I'm worried that Princess will assign me one of those. If they do, can I tell them I don't want it, but do want to remain on the list for the PS and VS?

 

Also, she tried to use a future cruise credit I had for this, and they refused it. They said I had to make a deposit of $600, which I did under protest. Has anyone ever heard of this "rule?" What makes it worse is that the first person she talked to said it was no problem using the credit, but when she called back to try to do it she was refused. She hung up and tried again, and got the same answer a second time. Since it was 5:30 in the evening, and the deposit had to be made that day to hold it, we had to go ahead with the $600.

 

This is the first experience with a waitlist for me, and I'm getting more and more confused as I go along. I really want to do this cruise, but only in the suite. A mini for 18 days is not what I want to do!

 

Any advice or sharing of previous experiences would be much appreciated.

 

The thing about waitlisting is that yes, you have to pay the regular deposit. Then if the cabin of your choice becomes available, they will apply the FCC and refund you the difference, or if you choose, just apply it to the final payment. In any event, the shipboard credit that goes along with the FCC will be assigned when there's a cabin to assign it to. And no, if you get an assignment not to your liking you don't have to accept it. However, if you don't want a mini you should not be waitlisted for a mini. Sometimes however, the booking itself says one thing and the actuality is another. When you look at the Princess site, does it show you the availability of waitlisting for a full suite? If it does, then that's what you want. If it says N/A then that's the reason you're waitlisted for a mini. I do hope you can follow me here. My fingers and my brain are flying on overtime. :D

 

Pia

[goodie2shoes]

Thanks for the insight into this, Pia. Suites are shown as waitlist on the Princess site, so I'm hoping something will come through. And your explanation of how the deposit works makes sense. The only problem seems to be that the booking includes mini suites when I told the TA I specifically wanted only a suite.

 

Well, nothing I can do but wait now. Final payment was due yesterday, so things should start moving. Just hope those people ahead of me on the waitlist don't want a suite. It's amazing how many classes of cabins open up at this point. Almost everything was waitlisted earlier this week, and not you can book almost anything you want - except for me!

 

Thanks so much.

[Colo Cruiser]

When is the cruise? :)

[Pia1913]

When is the cruise? :)

 

Let's see if we can figure it out. Final payment was due yesterday, so 75 days from yesterday would make it 24th September. Now if the cruise is for 18 days, the only 18 day cruise in that time frame is RT Los Angeles on the 25th.

 

Checking the suite availability for that date finds that both catagories are waitlisted.

 

VOILA! Perhaps in my next life I'll try to be a detective. :D

[HKM]

We're booked on a cruise but are wait listed for a different room category. How do you check your wait list status on the cruise personalizer?

[Pia1913]

We're booked on a cruise but are wait listed for a different room category. How do you check your wait list status on the cruise personalizer?

 

I believe you have to get that information directly from Princess or your TA has to get it for you. I'm pretty sure it never shows on the personalizer.

 

Pia

[Colo Cruiser]

Let's see if we can figure it out. Final payment was due yesterday, so 75 days from yesterday would make it 24th September. Now if the cruise is for 18 days, the only 18 day cruise in that time frame is RT Los Angeles on the 25th.

 

Checking the suite availability for that date finds that both catagories are waitlisted.

 

VOILA! Perhaps in my next life I'll try to be a detective. :D

 

 

 

Your amazing!! ;)

[Toto2Kansas]

I have never had a lot of luck being waitlisted and having the cruise line contact me when there is an opening. I always watch the categories myself. Glad I have, as more than once, even though we were on the waitlist, we were not contacted, and I found an opening for our waitlisted category myself on the Princess website and had to move fast to grab up that stateroom before it disappeared.

Princess might be doing a better job of this now, but in the past, we had to watch for ourselves to get the stateroom we were waitlisted for.

[potchak]

I have never had a lot of luck being waitlisted and having the cruise line contact me when there is an opening. I always watch the categories myself.

 

That concerns me considering my mom is waitlisted for a HA room since my dad is handicapped (they are looking for a HA room that sleeps 3), and her TA has a terrible habit of not calling her back. BTW, she is currently looking for a new one since she is so unresponsive. She is currently #1 on the waitlist, but has been for weeks. I would hate to think that we booked this cruise to go with her, and then her not be able to go for lack of an HA room.

[caribill]

Also was hit with the $300/person deposit instead of being able to use a FCC for a waitlist.

 

The travel agent I am using checks with Princess every workday to see if I have moved up the list. If your agent is not doing this, you need a new agent.

[Colo Cruiser]

That concerns me considering my mom is waitlisted for a HA room since my dad is handicapped (they are looking for a HA room that sleeps 3), and her TA has a terrible habit of not calling her back. BTW, she is currently looking for a new one since she is so unresponsive. She is currently #1 on the waitlist, but has been for weeks. I would hate to think that we booked this cruise to go with her, and then her not be able to go for lack of an HA room.

 

 

Dump the TA and move the booking back to Princess. :)

[Pia1913]

That concerns me considering my mom is waitlisted for a HA room since my dad is handicapped (they are looking for a HA room that sleeps 3), and her TA has a terrible habit of not calling her back. BTW, she is currently looking for a new one since she is so unresponsive. She is currently #1 on the waitlist, but has been for weeks. I would hate to think that we booked this cruise to go with her, and then her not be able to go for lack of an HA room.

 

I wouldn't count on a handicapped cabin opening up for the Ruby maiden voyage. There are so few of them and they were probably snapped up when the booking for this cruise first became available. I hate to sound like "doom and gloom" but I'm looking at it from a realistic perspective.

[Pia1913]

Also was hit with the $300/person deposit instead of being able to use a FCC for a waitlist.

 

The travel agent I am using checks with Princess every workday to see if I have moved up the list. If your agent is not doing this, you need a new agent.

 

And we're watching too, Cari. :D Looking forward to having you with us on the Crown.

 

Pia

[potchak]

Dump the TA and move the booking back to Princess. :)

 

How do you do this without losing your space in line? She went from 15th on the waitlist for an HA room to 1st and doesn't want to lose her spot in line.

 

I wouldn't count on a handicapped cabin opening up for the Ruby maiden voyage. There are so few of them and they were probably snapped up when the booking for this cruise first became available. I hate to sound like "doom and gloom" but I'm looking at it from a realistic perspective.

 

Well, we are still keeping hope since she is next in line for an HA room and there is still 40 days til final payment. But the TA is very unresponsive. My mom was looking for a quote for the Emerald Princess 10 day in March, and is fighting tooth and nail to get it from this TA. She likes the TA because she is around the corner and can stop in and see her. But for whatever reason, she can't email my mother and vice versa, so they can only contact each other by phone or when she stops in.

 

My mom is very old fashioned in that she likes a TA that has a location she can walk into, but even she is getting very frustrated. I told her about cruise compete and the quotes she got there are significantly less than her TA is quoting. I told her to pay less and forget about the TA. She needs to be worried about herself rather than someone else she hardly knows. You would think that since my mom has booked 3 cruises with her in the last year, and working on a 4th, that she would realize my mom is serious about the one in March, but still very unresponsive. BTW, my mom only asks her to look at the ones she wants to go on, she doesn't have her do a lot of unnecessary research (she leaves that for me).

 

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I appreciate the help.

[Pia1913]

How do you do this without losing your space in line? She went from 15th on the waitlist for an HA room to 1st and doesn't want to lose her spot in line.

 

 

 

Well, we are still keeping hope since she is next in line for an HA room and there is still 40 days til final payment. But the TA is very unresponsive. My mom was looking for a quote for the Emerald Princess 10 day in March, and is fighting tooth and nail to get it from this TA. She likes the TA because she is around the corner and can stop in and see her. But for whatever reason, she can't email my mother and vice versa, so they can only contact each other by phone or when she stops in.

 

My mom is very old fashioned in that she likes a TA that has a location she can walk into, but even she is getting very frustrated. I told her about cruise compete and the quotes she got there are significantly less than her TA is quoting. I told her to pay less and forget about the TA. She needs to be worried about herself rather than someone else she hardly knows. You would think that since my mom has booked 3 cruises with her in the last year, and working on a 4th, that she would realize my mom is serious about the one in March, but still very unresponsive. BTW, my mom only asks her to look at the ones she wants to go on, she doesn't have her do a lot of unnecessary research (she leaves that for me).

 

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I appreciate the help.

 

I'm going to let Colo run with this one. And Shorty, be careful about mentioning the name of a travel site. Not allowed here.

 

Pia

[goodie2shoes]

I have never had a lot of luck being waitlisted and having the cruise line contact me when there is an opening. I always watch the categories myself. Glad I have, as more than once, even though we were on the waitlist, we were not contacted, and I found an opening for our waitlisted category myself on the Princess website and had to move fast to grab up that stateroom before it disappeared.

Princess might be doing a better job of this now, but in the past, we had to watch for ourselves to get the stateroom we were waitlisted for.

 

Thanks for this Toto. I have wondered about that, and have been checking several times a day to see if something has opened. For some reason (could it be from reading these boards?) I just don't trust Princess to get the job done. I even dreamed about it last night. This is ruining my sleep!

[DocM3]

In June, when we booked our September sailing, we were waitlisted for a BA cabin -Since we booked through an agent I expected 'they' would alert us - however, I checked the Princess site a couple of times a week and a couple of days ago I saw that the BA category was avialable - so I initiated the change myself. Moral of the story, don't be too trusting of either the TA or the company - best to be 'proactive'.

[Colo Cruiser]

How do you do this without losing your space in line? She went from 15th on the waitlist for an HA room to 1st and doesn't want to lose her spot in line.

 

 

Fax Princess with a short letter that you want the booking transfered back to them, Include the booking number and a signature of the persons whos booking it is, if you want to put a reason tell them about all the trouble you have been having with the TA.

 

Your space in line is with Princess not the TA, the booking/waitlist stays the same.

 

Someone has the fax number here on the boards, I think it ends with a 6465, or 45?? :)

[Toto2Kansas]

Fax Princess with a short letter that you want the booking transfered back to them, Include the booking number and a signature of the persons whos booking it is, if you want to put a reason tell them about all the trouble you have been having with the TA.

 

Your space in line is with Princess not the TA, the booking/waitlist stays the same.

 

Someone has the fax number here on the boards, I think it ends with a 6465, or 45?? :)

 

But Colo, if the agent originally used has discounted the price, Princess will not honor that discounted price that I know of. Wouldn't that also cause another problem of an increased fare?

[Colo Cruiser]

I did not think that a price was settled on yet as they were on a waitlist??

 

Anyhoo, I just got off the phone with Princess and being we don't know all the details I went with the waitlist scenario that the passenger has a waitlist for a handicap cabin.

 

Your right Princess will probably not match the price but......

 

She stated that regardless if there is money down or not the res can be transfered to either Princess/TA by faxing a letter to 661-284-4745.

 

Princess gives the TA 24 hours to respond after the request to transfer has been received but the TA really can't stop the transfer back to Princess. A total of 72 hours is needed from start to finish.

 

The only 2 hangups would be matching the price, and any fee that the TA may charge by moving the res away from them. :)

 

I say maybe find another TA that will give better service and an equal price to transfer to.

[jlc0773]

Exactly how do you waitlist for a wheelchair accessible stateroom only, in my understanding you can only waitlist for categories, not individual rooms, for istance if there are categories with wheelchair accessible staterroom you can waitlist those categories but there may only be 2-4 rooms withing the cat that are accessible.???Anyone know?:confused: :confused:

[Pia1913]

Exactly how do you waitlist for a wheelchair accessible stateroom only, in my understanding you can only waitlist for categories, not individual rooms, for istance if there are categories with wheelchair accessible staterroom you can waitlist those categories but there may only be 2-4 rooms withing the cat that are accessible.???Anyone know?:confused: :confused:[/quote

 

Someone has to make the request directly to Princess if a handicapped cabin is needed. You will never see availability for this type of cabin on Princess website or any other. I don't think the OP was waiting for a specific cabin; just for a handicapped one.

 

Pia

[jlc0773]

ok but let's say I want to sail on the CB and I would like a wheelchair accessible balcony . They exist in categories ba, bb,bc,bd....I know those are the categories to waitlist, but how do you specify you will only accept a wheelchair accessible room out of all the possible rooms that may become available. It does not matter which of the 16 accessible balconies it is, will take any of them, but how do you speicfy wheelchair access only?

[potchak]

I will have to let my mom know to just contact Princess directly to check on her status. She has done that once already, and didn't seem too hopeful since she needs one that sleeps 3.

 

I will also mention to her the whole transferring to Princess as well. The TA technically put her in a JJ inside cabin and used her FCC's for a deposit. But, my mom has already said if she can't get the HA room, she cannot possibly take my dad (he had a stroke 14 yrs ago and mobility is terrible.) From what she told me she is waitlisted for any HA room, this includes all categories, so not sure how the pricing would work since she is already technically booked in 1 room.