Cancellation due to low passenger numbers?

How often does this happen.

I booked my cruise in late June and as a newbie to cruising took a note of all the cabins I was offered on the website so I could check against the deckplans and pick the best.

Anyway, three months on I checked the website just to see how many cabins were left only to find all but mine and one other were still vacent.

On the basis that the cruise line sell in batches at each category, this is slightly worrying with only 2.5 months to go.

Should I be worried?

Jonjo

Should you be worried? No. I've never heard of a cruise being cancelled due to low numbers. The ship has to be somewhere and the staff has to be paid.

There's plenty of time for any remaining cabins to be sold. Some people wait until a couple of weeks before departure hoping to get a bargain.

Should you be worried? No. I've never heard of a cruise being cancelled due to low numbers. The ship has to be somewhere and the staff has to be paid.

 

There's plenty of time for any remaining cabins to be sold. Some people wait until a couple of weeks before departure hoping to get a bargain.

It's reassuring that you've never heard of a cancellation. Cruiser's always appeared to book months in advance (sometimes a year).

I would have thought that there'd come a point where the high cost of fuel would have made it not viable to move.

Jonjo

I would have thought that there'd come a point where the high cost of fuel would have made it not viable to move.

They still use fuel when docked, to run all their ship systems. Add docking fees, and staying still isn't a heck of a lot more viable.

Looking at the cabins available for purchase isn't a very good indication of how many have booked the cruise - there could be individuals or groups booked without a cabin assignment yet, or there could be more cabins available than what is shown by any one travel agency.

As for booking far in advance... well, only once have I booked more than 2 1/2 months out. The other five cruises I've been on were booked between 2 months and 1 week out.