Where do the staterooms go?...

[slack1]

I booked in March for an Aug 19 Med Cruise on the Noordam. I used an online TA and I believe I got a very good price. Out of curiousity and to follow the trend in price changes, I have been frequently checking the HAL website. The Med cruises in early August appeared to sell out early, but the Noordam Aug 19 cruise listed availability in almost all stateroom categories up until the end of last week (4-1/2 weeks before the cruise date). Just 2 days ago I checked the HAL site and indeed there were several staterooms still available in the V_ class and several in the S_ class (the lower category choices seemed to disappear over just a day). The online TA web site listed the same staterooms as available. Then, the very next day, all staterooms were gone with the exception of the 2 penthouse suites. How can this be? There did not appear to be any sale price, but yet overnight multiple staterooms disappeared, 4 weeks before the cruise. Does HAL offer these to TA's as a promotion? (The staterooms have aslo disappeared from the online TA site) Does anyone have an explanation. I am curious!

[CruiserBruce]

As the cruise date is approaching, HAL is upgrading, upselling, assigning GUAR cabins and otherwise filling cabins in whatever way they can, which may include special promotions and sales. That is why you are seeling so much movement.

[E-500]

DBA Dutch is probably a better person to answer this, but my guess is that HAL has taken control of the inventory to assign the guarantees, contact prospects for up-sells and manage the whole process prior to sailing to insure a full ship with the highest financial yield.

[BruceMuzz]

Around 14.5 MILLION people will buy a cruise this year.
August is Prime Time for the Med.
The Noordam has fewer than 1,000 cabins.
HAL markets their product world-wide.

It is fairly easy to understand why and how the ship will be sold out quickly.

[slack1]

I hadn't really considered the guarantees, however I still do not find it that easy to understand. For example, for 3 weeks standing, the same 7 SA category staterooms were listed as available, with absolutely no movement during that time period. They were still there this past Sunday night at 10 pm and on Monday morning they are all gone! That is hard to understand in my opinion.

[wwinfl91]

I agree that HAL did upgrades to frequent cruisers and that freed up their lower priced cabins for various cruise agencies to sell off before the cruise. They may also have sold off some to cruise agencies to use for customer upgrades with the option of then getting the lower prices cabins back at the original price. Then they can sell those cabin again.

Cruise lines have very sophisticated programs to handle cabins and they are trying to make to sure as many cabins as possible are filled for each cruise.

I assume you had been watching the higher end suites hoping for an upgrade or a chance to get one of those cabins at a discount. It has become more and more difficult to do that unless you are a very frequent customer of the cruise line or a particular cruise agency.

Have a great next cruise.

[DutchByAssociation]

DBA Dutch is probably a better person to answer this, but my guess is that HAL has taken control of the inventory to assign the guarantees, contact prospects for up-sells and manage the whole process prior to sailing to insure a full ship with the highest financial yield.

It's a combination of what you and cruiserbruce both said.

Just because there are unassigned rooms in the various categories and you see multiple categories available... End of the day all that means is that we have 1 stateroom left but you can have your choice of which category based on inventory.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I agree that HAL did upgrades to frequent cruisers and that freed up their lower priced cabins for various cruise agencies to sell off before the cruise. They may also have sold off some to cruise agencies to use for customer upgrades with the option of then getting the lower prices cabins back at the original price. Then they can sell those cabin again.

Cruise lines have very sophisticated programs to handle cabins and they are trying to make to sure as many cabins as possible are filled for each cruise.

I assume you had been watching the higher end suites hoping for an upgrade or a chance to get one of those cabins at a discount. It has become more and more difficult to do that unless you are a very frequent customer of the cruise line or a particular cruise agency.

Have a great next cruise.

I think this is less true now than in previous years. Cruise lines now seem to "court" people who have sailed with them a few times, probably hoping to lock in their loyalty. The long-timers are being taken for granted. Another line sent a fabulous discount offer to a friend's daughter. The daughter has sailed on this line once. When she booked her cabin, she tried to book one for my friend, who has been on that line multiple times. Nope, just for "selected" passengers. Selected how? Young and with a lot of earning and cruising years ahead of her???

I agree that the OP's cruise looks like it's cabin assigment time. HAL has given up on selling the high-end cabins as new bookings, and has started upselling. And if that doesn't work, they'll go to upgrading. I guess that's why the guarantee pax have to wait so long for cabin assignment. HAL likes to keep their revenue-generating options open.

[slack1]

I agree that the OP's cruise looks like it's cabin assigment time. HAL has given up on selling the high-end cabins as new bookings, and has started upselling. And if that doesn't work, they'll go to upgrading. I guess that's why the guarantee pax have to wait so long for cabin assignment. HAL likes to keep their revenue-generating options open.



YES, this makes sense to me. Thank you. I am booked in an SA category, thus I am not really looking for an upgrade (not holding out for a penthouse upgrade!), but I was just very curious as to what happened to what seemed like a large number of unbooked staterooms. I am sure you are correct in thhat HAL has taken control and will try first to sell them as upgrades and to use what is necessary for guarantees.

[Lesinindy]

I look at bookings differently, to me I there are certain advantages to different types of cabins and their location. I would rather have my choice than to take an upgrade, but that is just me. So as far as my bookings go, I try to grab what I want and not worry about what is left.

[indimini]

So glad I found this post! I had the same question regarding our upcoming Bermuda (Aug 15th) cruise. As late as last weekend, I saw lots of availability (even going so far as to enter in individual room #'s on the HAL site to see what was open.) Next thing I know, the ship is showing up as sold out.

This is our first time booking a cruise so close to sailing (1 month out, normally we book 12-20 months in advance) and our first guarantee. I too am not expecting any kind of upgrade or up-sell, although I wouldn't mind. :) Because of the guarantee, I think I've been watching the bookings more closely than I normally do when we've picked our staterooms. I can't wait to see what rooms we are assigned.:D

[oshawa]

I was just offered an upsell to the Penthouse Suite at $4,000.00/pp on the Noordam Roman Empires Cruise Aug. 19/2010. Obviously I declined! Too rich for my pocket book. I would love an upsell or upgrade to an SA, SB,or SC since I am currently in an SY - still, I am cruising!

[slack1]

I am on the same cruise in an SA cabin. That is interesting in how they offer the upsell. I assumed they would approach those in SA cabins first, but maybe they can ask for a larger price differential by offering to a lower category. However it really makes no sense. You would think you might entice someone to move up one category with an upsell, but not more. At the price they are asking I would be surprised if there are many takers!

[tamsocal]

YES, this makes sense to me. Thank you. I am booked in an SA category, thus I am not really looking for an upgrade (not holding out for a penthouse upgrade!), but I was just very curious as to what happened to what seemed like a large number of unbooked staterooms. I am sure you are correct in thhat HAL has taken control and will try first to sell them as upgrades and to use what is necessary for guarantees.

We have had this happen when we are in the middle of booking a cruise. For example we wanted 2 cabins in "X" category-- and there were 6 to choose from. But once we picked the 1st cabin- the other cabins vanished & were not available. We cancelled the reservation & the 6 cabins came up as available again. So there were already "guarantees" sold at that category or lower and there was only one cabin left-- we could choose out of 6 but the other 5 were already sold due to the guarantees.

[m steve]

the staterooms go wherever the ship goes. Sorry for the wisea-- response but I thought the question was funny.