We save enough...We try to book....sold out!...Do we go on waiting list?

[mark05]

Hello,

Beginning three weeks ago, the two of us wanted to book Norwegian Jade's 14-day Mediterranean cruise for a December 20th departure, and spend the holidays aboard the ship. Since it was too late to put in a deposit and we had to pay in full, so we were waiting to save enough to make sure we could buy the cruise and the airfare in the same day. Unfortunately, it just now sold out just a few days ago!

I am offered, by the travel agent, the option to be put on a waiting list for $100 per person, but no guarantees, and the room that frees up might be "a $5000 suite", rather than a "$1549 interior room", as an example. However, we're willing if we can simply refuse those until an interior room or a porthole room fres up, and the cost is the same as a few days ago (or not too much higher)

Is it a wise idea to put ourselves on a waiting list? When it frees up, do we have time to quickly check airfares (we are flexible...) before accepting the booking? What are our alternative options? Can we call the cruise line directly to ask if a room frees up, or must we do it by travel agent?

We're considering other kinds of trips, but we had been looking so much forward to booking our first cruise together.

[cb at sea]

I'd check out another ship/cruiseline....and I would NOT pay to be on a no-guarantees waiting list!

[Marie51]

There are so many cruises avaliable. Book something else so you won't have to worry about it.

[cb at sea]

Also, since you haven't actually BOOKED with a TA, yet, you can call and book directly through the cruiseline...you don't have to use a TA at all.

[mark05]

Updated info...
This person at the travel agency is a friend of ours, and the deposit is refundable if we want to get off the waiting list. Since it's a refundable deposit, I've told him to go ahead. We're allowed to turn down cabins that frees up too (i.e. those out of our price range) and keep waiting. It gives a tiny portion of waiting funds something to do while we're pondering what vacation alternatives to take.

Meantime, I suppose we could also call the cruise line directly too, but they are also listing it as sold out.

I think we'll only stay on the waiting list for two or three weeks though (since it only old out recently, hopefully we're high on the list -- not sure how the waiting list system works), and one of our possible trips was already to Europe anyway, so we might actually be flying there anyway, cruise or not -- or simply going to South America (where we already went last year) -- or Caribbean, non-cruise. I'm watching out for ideas of a 7-day to 14-day cruise centering around Xmas/New Year. I travel a lot for other reasons (business, hobby), so this is a rare opportunity to have a long honeymoon-style trip at this exact time of the year....

So a new question:
How much are rooms generally marked up to waitlisted people? 10% markup, 20% markup, 100% markup? If the latter, we'll definitely not be going -- but it would be good to know what mark-up's generally occur between the price of the last room and the price of a freed-up room for waiting-list people...

[marshhawk]

I'd look at another cruise line, and another cruise. Sometimes we get so focused on one thing, we can't see outside the box. Your cruise together will be special because it is your cruise TOGETHER, not because of where you sail, and what you see, but with whom you are with. Happy Sailing no matter what your decision.!

[firefly333]

I would never pay a $100 fee to be put on a waiting list with a TA. Those lists dont work, they dont call you, the TA has to stay on top of cabins that open up.

I wouldnt do it.