8 Neptune Suites sold out within 24 hours?!

[Syd2000]

Hi everyone - I was going to book the January 13 Nieuw Amsterdam cruise for my family, but the Neptune Suites are showing as sold out. On Sunday night, there were 8 Neptune suites available, but by Monday night, there were none. Do you think it is possible for all 8 of these to go in 24 hours? Thanks!

 

Syd

[boulders]

Yes, if HAL dropped the price for those suites or offered upsells to people who had already booked. 

[kazu]

Or, they are offering upsells.  When they do that, they close off the category.

 

They may also have guarantees that they are assigning.

 

It may open back up again.  Considering Christmas and New Year's, I wouldn't be surprised if they are offering upsells early.

[Tom O.]

Like Kazu said, it could be that they were guarantees.

When you go online and pretend to book so you can see what cabins are available, Cabins that are not assigned to guarantees yet look like they are unsold.

For example, it could have been that 7 sets of passengers had purchased  guarantees, and there was still one suite that hadn't been sold yet. If you were looking at these suites at that time while you were doing an incomplete booking, it would look like there were eight available, when actually only one was available. If you had booked it at that time, you could choose any of these 8 suites. But as soon as you did, they would all disappear because the other 7 would have to go to the 7 sets of passengers that booked guarantees.

So if this is the case, since you last looked, the last remaining suite was sold.

The same thing happens when looking at airline seating. I often look at the "change seats" option just before I fly. Sometimes it looks like there are lots of seats left. But, actually it is sold out. What looks like empty seats are actually held by people who have purchased tickets without the option to choose their own seats.

[CruiserBruce]

Most likely filling guarantee bookings. 

 

The on line listing of cabins shows unassigned cabins, not unbooked cabins. There is a significant difference.

[RuthC]

53 minutes ago, Tom O. said:

Like Kazu said, it could be that they were guarantees.

When you go online and pretend to book so you can see what cabins are available, Cabins that are not assigned to guarantees yet look like they are unsold.

For example, it could have been that 7 sets of passengers had purchased  guarantees, and there was still one suite that hadn't been sold yet. If you were looking at these suites at that time while you were doing an incomplete booking, it would look like there were eight available, when actually only one was available. If you had booked it at that time, you could choose any of these 8 suites. But as soon as you did, they would all disappear because the other 7 would have to go to the 7 sets of passengers that booked guarantees.

So if this is the case, since you last looked, the last remaining suite was sold.

The same thing happens when looking at airline seating. I often look at the "change seats" option just before I fly. Sometimes it looks like there are lots of seats left. But, actually it is sold out. What looks like empty seats are actually held by people who have purchased tickets without the option to choose their own seats.

Exactly.
Excellent explanation of how one available cabin can look like there is a lot more availability than there really is.

[iancal]

Did you or your TA call HAL directly.

 

We have done two late booking Xmas bookings in the past.  Both showed our desired category on line as sold out.  We kept checking.  A cabin opened up two weeks prior to blast off.

 

 On the second, our TA contacted the cruise line even though it showed sold out on line.  The cruise line agent got our TA a cabin for us... and at a great price.  Don’t depend on what displays on line.  Make the call or have your TA make it.  You have nothing to loose by checking and by checking again.

Edited December 18, 2018 by iancal

[Syd2000]

Thank you everyone! It all makes more sense now. I am going to call HAL in a few minutes and try to still book a room.