Solstice - 2/8 Cruise Oversold????!!!!

[lynelleeagle]

Our group is scheduled to sail on the Solstice 2/8. My TA tried to book a table for my group in the MDR. Two cabins are AQ and two are CC. We were going to tray to eat at the same seating. One of our parties wanted early seating instead and my TA tried to accomodate their request. She called Celebrity and was told that the AQ parties MUST eat in AQ and that there was no room to be added to a waitlist for a table in MDR. She said that the cruise was oversold and that they couldn't accommodate special requests for dining at this time.

 

I've heard of airlines being oversold. How does a cruise line decide who get's to take a cabin that has been booked twice?

[JudyOh]

Being a TA we get request from Princess every once in awhile to move a guest to another sailing. They over them all kinds of upgrades and cabin credit. Don't remember ever getting a call from Celebrity though. We are on the 2/1 sailing of the Solstice and just checked and all they have left is a Penthouse Suite. It must have something to do with the economy being so bad, no one is traveling:confused:

[geoherb]

How does a cruise line decide who get's to take a cabin that has been booked twice?

Most of the time, the cruise line has statistical models that predict fairly accurately how many passengers will sail on a given cruise. When it gets down to the last minute, the cruise line will offer incentives to passengers on an overbooked cruise to switch to another cruise.

 

We received one such incentive via email for a Princess cruise. The offer was for us to take a later sailing date, upgrade our cabin from an inside to a balcony, and receive half our money back in the form of an onboard credit. We could not have taken it since my DH's schedule as an instructor at a community college is set by the academic calendar. And we did not receive the email until after we had already taken the cruise. We heard about it from some fellow Cruise Critic members at our sailaway party.

 

The only time I've heard of a cruise line doing involuntary bumping of passengers was a Carnival ship a few years ago. It was a cruise from Baltimore. Apparently not as many passengers canceled as their statistical models had predicted. There were a lot of angry people being interviewed by their local TV stations in the links posted here.

[Tomato53]

I just looked on Celebrity's site and for 2/8 it shows two classes of guarantee veranda still available for booking at $1379 and $1399. All other categories are marked "sold out".

[irishgirl]

Must be everyone wanted to give their Valentine's a cruise. I was hoping it wasn't going to be a full sailing. Oh, well!!

 

Judy

[jagoffee]

Also I believe that Celebrity has made it very clear that no one in Aqua Class can book a table in the MDR prior to sailing. I think this is the reason that people sailing together cannot have some of their party in Aqua Class. Is this no longer the policy? The O.P. implies that they are not allowing the guest in Aqua Class to book in advance in the MDR because they are oversold. The implication is that they would have allowed it if the cruise was not book. Can this actually be true? I wonder if Celebrity or the TA is not just trying to soften the impact of their clear policy.

[lynelleeagle]

Also I believe that Celebrity has made it very clear that no one in Aqua Class can book a table in the MDR prior to sailing. I think this is the reason that people sailing together cannot have some of their party in Aqua Class. Is this no longer the policy? The O.P. implies that they are not allowing the guest in Aqua Class to book in advance in the MDR because they are oversold. The implication is that they would have allowed it if the cruise was not book. Can this actually be true? I wonder if Celebrity or the TA is not just trying to soften the impact of their clear policy.

 

My TA is also going on the trip with us. We originally submitted a request to Celebrity for a seat in MDR for the whole party. Celebrity accepted the reservation with out any questions. TA just got an email requesting she call into Celebrity to discuss dining arrangements. Then she was told today that the original reservation for the table would not be honored.

[ellbon]

People switch from AQ to thre MDR on my cruise. since people eat in other venues you can always try for dinner that night in the MDR or BLU. I always saw empty tables.

[Oceangoer2]

Our group is scheduled to sail on the Solstice 2/8. My TA tried to book a table for my group in the MDR. Two cabins are AQ and two are CC. We were going to tray to eat at the same seating. One of our parties wanted early seating instead and my TA tried to accomodate their request. She called Celebrity and was told that the AQ parties MUST eat in AQ and that there was no room to be added to a waitlist for a table in MDR. She said that the cruise was oversold and that they couldn't accommodate special requests for dining at this time.

 

I've heard of airlines being oversold. How does a cruise line decide who get's to take a cabin that has been booked twice?

In 2000 my TA received a fax from Celebrity advising my sailing was overbooked and did anyone have a client who would switch to a later cruise. That was 2 days before the cruise was to leave. She called me immediately and decision had to be made within the hour and 1st come, 1st served. My DH and friends in the office said it was a 'no brainer'! They were offering all my money back plus a free cruise 6 wks later with an upgrade and OBC. We were able to change vacation plans so definitely took it. So things like that DID happen. Might not in these economic times.

[jagoffee]

My TA is also going on the trip with us. We originally submitted a request to Celebrity for a seat in MDR for the whole party. Celebrity accepted the reservation with out any questions. TA just got an email requesting she call into Celebrity to discuss dining arrangements. Then she was told today that the original reservation for the table would not be honored.

 

Thank you. That is good to know for future reference.

[Schplinky]

I wonder if maybe there was a misuderstanding and that the desired seating was over-requested and no new requests were being taken?

[willysgrandma]

Main dining sells out early regardless or the cruise and whether it is oversold or not. You might have had a better chance if you requested late dining. But I can certainly see, if the ship is oversold, that they are adhering to whatever guidelines they have as far as Aqua class cabins go.

[Schplinky]

Main dining sells out early regardless or the cruise and whether it is oversold or not. You might have had a better chance if you requested late dining. But I can certainly see, if the ship is oversold, that they are adhering to whatever guidelines they have as far as Aqua class cabins go.

 

 

That's interesting. Our experience has been the opposite on Celebrity. It usually seems harder to get late dining.

[Longboysfan]

That's interesting. Our experience has been the opposite on Celebrity. It usually seems harder to get late dining.

 

Same here always late seating and get it booked right away.

[cvat]

Must be everyone wanted to give their Valentine's a cruise. I was hoping it wasn't going to be a full sailing. Oh, well!!

 

Judy

Nice and very Valentin´s gift!

[ISABELLA]

I just looked on Celebrity's site and for 2/8 it shows two classes of guarantee veranda still available for booking at $1379 and $1399. All other categories are marked "sold out".

 

The reason is to be oversold - a month ago they offered balcony for that sailing for $799p.p.

[hajekfam]

That's interesting. Our experience has been the opposite on Celebrity. It usually seems harder to get late dining.

I think it depends on the cruise. We tend to take longer cruises and late seating is usually always full. European cruises tend to fill late seating very early.

We just did a 5 night Century and late seating seemed to be emptier than normal. Early seating seemed to be fuller. In fact we booked the cruise a month before sailing and to out delight, all that was open was late seating.

[ISABELLA]

On European cruises late seating is more popular because europeans eat dinners late and tours are finishing late, when on Caribbean cruises there are a lot of families with children and older people, who eat earlier.

[cvat]

The previous poster and I have guesses some men have decided to make a nice gift- to their girlfriends.

799 for a cruise, if I were a boyfriend I would bestow that with a jewellery also.

The Caribbean is familiar being a honeymooner hotspot but not so much a Valentinr´s

one.

You can find some corners – where are not that much passengers, irishgirl.

Lynelleeagle, there can be some rearrangemats on board, when they have the final arrangemants.

[Bod]

I really hope we do not get 'bumped' as we are booked to get married on deck when the ship's is docked in St Maarten. I assume (which is proabably wrong) that as we are travelling from the UK and have booked our wedding on the ship that we will be on board on 8th feb saling........

 

If however they want to move us 'Newlyweds' to the Penthouse I am sure we would gladly give our AQ cabin :D

[SueM.]

I really hope we do not get 'bumped' as we are booked to get married on deck when the ship's is docked in St Maarten. I assume (which is proabably wrong) that as we are travelling from the UK and have booked our wedding on the ship that we will be on board on 8th feb saling........

 

If however they want to move us 'Newlyweds' to the Penthouse I am sure we would gladly give our AQ cabin :D

 

Hi Bod, I have never heard of them bumping someone without "asking" them first.

 

Congrats on your wedding!!

 

sue - 16 days to sailaway!!

[cvat]

I really hope we do not get 'bumped' as we are booked to get married on deck when the ship's is docked in St Maarten. I assume (which is proabably wrong) that as we are travelling from the UK and have booked our wedding on the ship that we will be on board on 8th feb saling........

 

If however they want to move us 'Newlyweds' to the Penthouse I am sure we would gladly give our AQ cabin :D

Have a grat time!!!!

 

Have a very nice wedding day!