Celebrity-not selling many cabins sold recently

[stromer]

Having read several other threads on the topic of how is the cruise industry handling the global recession, I have a few comments about my upcoming Feb 1 Infinity Cruise around the Horn. I have noticed that they have sold zero veranda cabins from Dec 17 to today Jan 2. A site shows all cabins available in each catagory. In catagories 2C, 2B, 2A, CC and FV, the number of cabins available is 62 which was the same amount on both days. The amount available of inside and outside cabins went from about 59 to (21 with many as guarantees). Thus, even with the fabulous Tues sales they are not selling much. It is interesting that the maximum amount of cabin availability is 15. It might be more, but maybe the information is capped at 15.

 

Other threads have talked about ships cruising not full. Could anyone coming back from recent cruises comment on that. Also if ships are not full, does that mean there is a better chance of an upgrade. Looking at the Jan 4 Celebrity around the Horn cruise, they still had more than 45 cabins available on Dec 29 (with many catagories listed only as guarantee).

 

Thanks for any insights or comments on this interesting cruise season, Rick

This topic was also posted in the South America board

[Keith1010]

Having read several other threads on the topic of how is the cruise industry handling the global recession, I have a few comments about my upcoming Feb 1 Infinity Cruise around the Horn. I have noticed that they have sold zero veranda cabins from Dec 17 to today Jan 2. A site shows all cabins available in each catagory. In catagories 2C, 2B, 2A, CC and FV, the number of cabins available is 62 which was the same amount on both days. The amount available of inside and outside cabins went from about 59 to (21 with many as guarantees). Thus, even with the fabulous Tues sales they are not selling much. It is interesting that the maximum amount of cabin availability is 15. It might be more, but maybe the information is capped at 15.

 

Other threads have talked about ships cruising not full. Could anyone coming back from recent cruises comment on that. Also if ships are not full, does that mean there is a better chance of an upgrade. Looking at the Jan 4 Celebrity around the Horn cruise, they still had more than 45 cabins available on Dec 29 (with many catagories listed only as guarantee).

 

Thanks for any insights or comments on this interesting cruise season, Rick

This topic was also posted in the South America board

 

I know that there are last minute passengers but I would have guessed that much of that would be on cruises starting in the USA or in Europe. Given the length of the cruises in South America and other factors such as booking airline tickets and the cost for that I am not surprised that very few or any cabins would be sold so close to your cruise.

 

Keith

[benbess]

Having read several other threads on the topic of how is the cruise industry handling the global recession, I have a few comments about my upcoming Feb 1 Infinity Cruise around the Horn. I have noticed that they have sold zero veranda cabins from Dec 17 to today Jan 2. A site shows all cabins available in each catagory. In catagories 2C, 2B, 2A, CC and FV, the number of cabins available is 62 which was the same amount on both days. The amount available of inside and outside cabins went from about 59 to (21 with many as guarantees). Thus, even with the fabulous Tues sales they are not selling much. It is interesting that the maximum amount of cabin availability is 15. It might be more, but maybe the information is capped at 15.

 

Other threads have talked about ships cruising not full. Could anyone coming back from recent cruises comment on that. Also if ships are not full, does that mean there is a better chance of an upgrade. Looking at the Jan 4 Celebrity around the Horn cruise, they still had more than 45 cabins available on Dec 29 (with many catagories listed only as guarantee).

 

Thanks for any insights or comments on this interesting cruise season, Rick

This topic was also posted in the South America board

 

Interesting. Where did you find the info about empty cabins, and about the fact that they hadn't sold any for a period of time?

 

I don't have any solid information for you, but I think it's clear that your chances for an upgrade go up big time if the ship has a lot of empty cabins. Like most cruise lines, however, Celebrity usually tries to charge at least a little bit for major upgrades. What category of room are you in? If you're just in an inside, it's unlikely they'll give you a balcony for free, although sometimes it does happen. They might, however, offer one to you for a modest cost, say 100-200 pp. If you're in a balcony, they might offer a suite for a similar amount more. But, the upgrade fairy is known to do some upgrades for free once in a while...

 

It looks like what's happened is that for the farther away cruises many people are just deciding that the airfare just makes it too expensive. If you're willing to share, I'd be interested to hear how much that is costing you.

[cvat]

Interesting to hear this, I saw today a price rate of Celebrity Century for only 360 € for 14 days transatlantic!

I wouls have guessed it will be overbooked.

[HolstonRiverVOL]

How do you tell how many cabins and what type have been sold on a particular cruise :cool:

[cruisinfanatic]

There is no site that gives availability for all categories. People saying that ships are not going out full are purely guessing. Most ships are for the most part sailing full.

[cvat]

How do you tell how many cabins and what type have been sold on a particular cruise :cool:

When the box next to the route says sold out.

[jetertorre]

I don't know about full or not full but I can tell you that our X cruise was booked at the end of August and has dropped 35% since then. We have continued to shop since we booked and now have the lower price. The comparable RCCL cruise on the same week has dropped about 30% from it's late summer pricing last time I checked. If one likes to cruise, still has a decent job and if you have some disposable income, it's a great time to be shopping.

[knitpurl]

not very long ago ( 2months) there was a great site that listed many more available cabins than Celebrity..That site closed but if anyone knows of another please let us know..If it is a travel agent you can't mention it here but you could email.. for us it is knitpurl at hvc dot rr dot com

thanks

[kitty9]

There is a certain travel agency site that gives you all the available cabins on any particular sailing---we can't mention the site because it violated the TOS of CC. But, I had my TA check to see if this site was accurate as to available cabins by looking at that site and calling Celebrity, and that site was very accurate.

[BurgerBits]

Perhaps one reason for the slowdown in sales was the Holiday season; many ppl are so busy during those weeks that they wait 'til later to shop for vacation(s).

[cruisinfanatic]

There is a certain travel agency site that gives you all the available cabins on any particular sailing---we can't mention the site because it violated the TOS of CC. But, I had my TA check to see if this site was accurate as to available cabins by looking at that site and calling Celebrity, and that site was very accurate.

There is no site which gives all unoccupied cabins.

There are a couple that may give a few more than he Cruise Line, but not nearly all.

Not even close.

[Holly2]

trying googling "available cruise cabins" and internet agency will be listed. They seem to be accurate until close to date of sailing. Just saw Xpedition go from 19 to 14 available cabins which for a 42 cabin ship is still a lot.

[Napi's Mom]

There is no site which gives all unoccupied cabins.

There are a couple that may give a few more than he Cruise Line, but not nearly all.

Not even close.

Well if they're not listing them all the cruise industry, Celebrity, in our instance, is really hurting. The website I go to lists up to 15 cabins per category...and had over 100 listed in all categories just weeks before the cruise. They are giving away cabins, and we who have Cruise Air cannot even get OB credit or lose our special air price. CC Cabins will be $900 less on the Tue. sale!!!. We'd have to forfit the air to even trade up like others have...to SS for $200pp REFUND, but they had own air. But the cruise air was only$1,200pp RT, and any air going now is well over $ 1000 morepp so guess we're still OK, still the upgrade possibility would have been nice. IF any are interested in leaving for Auckland on the 15th, for a 1/18 departure...Ocean view is going for $ 599! Plus air of couse:rolleyes:

[BEAV]

Regardless of whether there is (or isn't) a website (or websites) that lists all available cabins, how could staterooms booked as guarantees be tracked?

 

Celebrity's website does have a feature avaliable where you can punch in a specific stateroom to see whether or not it's available. I would think this is about the only sure way to determine precise availabliity (or the lack of). A tedious effort to be sure!

[cruiseyguy]

All cruise lines, from mass market to luxury, are experiencing significant cancellations and drop in bookings. And they are dealing with it in various ways--from large onboard credits, "free" excursions (Regent) and first-ever Fire Sales (Oceania-72% discount on certain cruises starting next week). For those who have the flexibility and available cash or credit, the best strategy this year (2009) may be to wait until after final payments are due on your favorite cruises before booking. You may miss out on a few cruises or best staterooms but it looks like those who wait will be handsomely rewarded.

[tally10]

We did a cruise to the Eastern Mediterranean this past October with another cruise line. A lot of people cancelled due to the cost of the airfare. They then started dropping the price to fill the ship. We ended up with a $600 OBC which was very nice. My sister in law, traveling solo, ended up with $280 back on her credit card. Neither one of us were offered an upgrade as we were booked through a travel agent. However, according to the Cruise Critic boards, a lot of people were definitely being offered upgrades for a small fee. One lady told me they had been offered an upgrade from an inside to a suite for $400 per cabin, and they jumped at the chance as they paid so little for the inside cabin. The ship was still not full as there were plenty of completely empty tables in the dining room. It was a great cruise BTW.

[Andy]

Having read several other threads on the topic of how is the cruise industry handling the global recession, I have a few comments about my upcoming Feb 1 Infinity Cruise around the Horn. I have noticed that they have sold zero veranda cabins from Dec 17 to today Jan 2. A site shows all cabins available in each catagory. In catagories 2C, 2B, 2A, CC and FV, the number of cabins available is 62 which was the same amount on both days. The amount available of inside and outside cabins went from about 59 to (21 with many as guarantees). Thus, even with the fabulous Tues sales they are not selling much. It is interesting that the maximum amount of cabin availability is 15. It might be more, but maybe the information is capped at 15.

 

Other threads have talked about ships cruising not full. Could anyone coming back from recent cruises comment on that. Also if ships are not full, does that mean there is a better chance of an upgrade. Looking at the Jan 4 Celebrity around the Horn cruise, they still had more than 45 cabins available on Dec 29 (with many catagories listed only as guarantee).

 

Thanks for any insights or comments on this interesting cruise season, Rick

This topic was also posted in the South America board

 

Hi Stromer !

 

While the entire Cruise industry (and most other industries) are experiencing a downturn right now, I feel that the South America itineraries are one of the very weak points. I also expect to see a fair amount of slowness in Alaska and possibly Europe, at least for 2009. South America is often a concern, especially now.... as all of the 2009 itineraries start in one port and end in another. This means expensive airfares, (unless you can get a good rate from Celebrity) something not at all welcome.

 

As for your hopes of getting an upgrade, its anyone's guess. Celebrity often finds a way to fill the ship, via Happy Hour's and such. The 2/1 sailing is on Happy Hour this coming Tuesday. You may be surprised to see cabins filling up over the next few weeks. I wouldn't expect a free upgrade, as Celebrity rarely does this. They should though. At any rate, I would keep checking prices and availability. If prices decline (other than Happy Hour Specials) you can trade up to a better cabin. If not, you might wish to ask about buying an upgrade at the Pier. If there are cabins available, this may be well worth looking into.

 

Enjoy your Cruise !

[cvat]

IN Century´s case the ship might be very fast booked if not overbooked.

The price is fine and the ship is nice as well!

[BEAV]

All cruise lines, from mass market to luxury, are experiencing significant cancellations and drop in bookings. And they are dealing with it in various ways--from large onboard credits, "free" excursions (Regent) and first-ever Fire Sales (Oceania-72% discount on certain cruises starting next week). For those who have the flexibility and available cash or credit, the best strategy this year (2009) may be to wait until after final payments are due on your favorite cruises before booking. You may miss out on a few cruises or best staterooms but it looks like those who wait will be handsomely rewarded.

 

I agree 100%.

 

Last year we booked the Spring Transatlantic on Summit on a one-day Happy Hour sale (about six weeks before departure). Not only did we get a terrific price on a Sky Suite, but kept a watchful eye on inventory and was able to switch from mid-ship to the aft 6145 'premium' SS which adjoins one of the Penthouses. Once aboard ship, we were able to upgrade to a vacant Royal Suite a few doors down, again at a significant price reduction.

 

We will again keep a sharp eye out for this year's Transatlantics on Happy Hour (both Spring and Fall). Our feeling is that if one sailing doesn't come up, another one will.

 

These post-final payment sales can also be a solo traveler's best friend as they are often 125/150/175% rather than the usual 200% single supplement. A friend traveling with us was able to get a SS for 150% as a single, and at the sale price to boot.

 

If you're flexible with your time and plans, sit back and wait & watch for the sales....

[gillianrose]

Celebrity needs to do what they and other lines did following 9/11/2001: more home port cruising.

 

If they come to San Francisco again (and some other under-utilized ports) and do round-trips, so that no one within a reasonable driving distance to the port (includes folks in Nevada and Southern Oregon), they will be fuller. Most people who are willing to fly are not willing to fly economy for long distances and the air fares one has to pay to get more comfortable seats are so expensive that people are making other choices.

 

Gasoline prices have gone way down, and people want to drive to their vacations (including cruise ports) in their comfortable vehicles rather than go through the hell of packing and flying.

[CathyCruises]

There is NO WAY I would book any cruise more than a month out in these economic times--I booked 6 weeks out for a cruise in November and got burned big time by better cabins being offered for 2/3rds of what I paid 2 weeks earlier. If I wasn't already planning a land trip to S.A. next month (for which I will not buy plane tickets more than a month out), I would snap up one of these great deals that are showing now.

 

I have the flexibility to take vacation on relatively short notice, and I realize many people do not, but the deals are great if you can hold out!

 

Also, on our last cruise, 14 day Med, we upgraded once on board for $200/pp to a CC cabin--so it IS possible.

 

Cathy

[dianeksfun]

Our Panama Canal cruise San Diego to Ft Lauderdale leaving Jan 31 is completely sold out. We did get price adjustment of $640.00 per inside cabin and will also get out $140.00 fuel sur-charge back. I booked this cruise almost a year ago.

[LateStart]

Hi Stromer !

 

As for your hopes of getting an upgrade, its anyone's guess. Celebrity often finds a way to fill the ship, via Happy Hour's and such. The 2/1 sailing is on Happy Hour this coming Tuesday. You may be surprised to see cabins filling up over the next few weeks. I wouldn't expect a free upgrade, as Celebrity rarely does this. They should though. At any rate, I would keep checking prices and availability. If prices decline (other than Happy Hour Specials) you can trade up to a better cabin. If not, you might wish to ask about buying an upgrade at the Pier. If there are cabins available, this may be well worth looking into.

 

Enjoy your Cruise !

 

We are booked on the 1/31 Panama Canal sailing on Mercury. Reserved a Sky Suite on the Sky Deck. Received notice two weeks ago that we had been upgraded to a Royal Suite. So apparently it does happen.

 

Valerie

[WineDown17]

Where does one find a "happy hour sale?"

 

I am booked in a CS for May- 12 night Europe cruise.. and the pricce has gone UP- not down since I booked last March...

 

Would love to get "bumped" to a Royal Suite or even upgrade.. but not at an extra 5K.

 

Want to keep my eye on prices- to either save $$ or move up for a few hundred $$ if possible.. would love any ideas.