Equinox 8/31 Why so many available cabins?

[cangelmd]

3 hours ago, basil1 said:

My hubby and I have been watching this cruise as well.

We used to have a townhouse on Cape San Blas until hurricane Michael completely destroyed it. We used to go every year around the end of August because kids have gone back to school but the days are still long and the water warm. So I have a week off from work 08/31-09/07. We are going back and forth about going on a (drive to destination) beach vacation or maybe doing this cruise. I am having a hard time deciding because there are pros and cons to each. Of course if the ship is a quarter or so empty that makes the cruise more appealing. But the ports aren't all that exciting. I've never been to Nassau and it's been years since I've been to Tortola so those are positive. We might be on there with you. I just need to decide. Our last two vacations have been cruises (2 this year- Caribbean in January and Europe in May) so maybe a beach vacation is in order? Oh shoot. I can't decide, lol.

 

Sorry to hear about your townhouse. We spent a week there a few years ago in a small beach house. We normally go to Seaside, so the beach is a little different.

The state park at Cape San Blas is spectacular, and so relatively undeveloped.

[cangelmd]

3 hours ago, dkjretired said:

 

You bring up a good point which to me is weird , there are all these cabins available and yet there are no suites available.  Just did a check on it   

We are on Equinox Aug 10, and booked a Sky Suite, just a bit before the news broke about the Revolution being curtailed. I was hoping we might get a chance to upgrade, but I think the suites are full because Celebrity had to find spots for the people whose suites didn't get added and because people have been moving up over the past few weeks. I just don't think there was as much open suite space.

Someone told me once that suites are sometimes filled by 3-4 friends splitting the cost. This would be a good time for young folk with no kids to cruise.

[jbethel11]

1 hour ago, grandgeezer said:

I just checked the Celebrity u.k. site for August 24 and 31. This is at least the second week that these two dates have showed up om X-citing deals.

For August 24 it shows 205 regular balconys, 60 Concierge, and 41 Aqua.

For August 31 it shows 289 regular balconys, 112 Concierge, and 32 Aqua.

I spot checked some of the ones with a lot of cabins available against the online agency I use and, though I didn't count them, they showed a ton of them available too.

The first one is only seven weeks from Saturday and the other one is the following week. If these numbers are half way accurate, there is either going to be a fire sale or the people on these cruises are going to have killer service and all kinds of space. Didn't they say once that they would sail with empty cabins rather than deep discounting them? Time will tell.

For the August 24th sailing, I counted 176 double occupancy balconies, 109 triple occupancy balconies and 83 quad occupancy balconies. If a quad occupancy balcony goes for under $2,000, which right now it is at $2200, I will most likely book, since I found a comparable deal with CCL!

[grandgeezer]

1 hour ago, jbethel11 said:

For the August 24th sailing, I counted 176 double occupancy balconies, 109 triple occupancy balconies and 83 quad occupancy balconies. If a quad occupancy balcony goes for under $2,000, which right now it is at $2200, I will most likely book, since I found a comparable deal with CCL!

 

I’m sure you realize that when you add taxes, fees, and gratuities raises the total to over $2900. Also if you have to fly, air line tickets generally climb quite dramatically the closet you get to departure.

[jbethel11]

4 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

 

I’m sure you realize that when you add taxes, fees, and gratuities raises the total to over $2900. Also if you have to fly, air line tickets generally climb quite dramatically the closet you get to departure.

Taxes and fees included with the $2200. Sure, flying rakes in a lot of costs, but I guess it all balances itself out? Maybe, I'm not sure.

[tarps14]

 

 

My DH and I were scheduled for four days at the beach this week.  We would have left yesterday thru the 4th.  However, last week, after receiving an email from an online agency regarding Celebrity, I looked a bit and we realized very quickly for what we were spending for four days this week we could do a cruise.  We then cancelled our plans and very quickly booked the Equinox for Aug 24th.  I will take seven days on a cruise any day over a shorter period at the beach.  We have cruised many times and fully understand the risks associated with choosing this time of year.  That being said, the prices were just too good for us to pass it up.  Yes, the timing, the itinerary, the fact that the Revolution didn't go as planned, all played a roll in the pricing and lack of interest.  Aren't we all the lucky ones, though, that are getting to benefit from this perfect storm?  😎

 

P.S.  We were also able to find airfare from Atl for a total of $330 rd trip total for two.  Perfectly timed flights as well.

Edited July 2, 2019 by tarps14

[Willow1213]

We’re on the 9/7 6 night Western and I am amazed at how many cabins are still listed. Just priced out a Regular Balcony cabin (not gty) for $1223 AI for 2 adults, resident rate. Wow. You can’t sail a 4 nt on Carnival or Royal for that price

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

2 hours ago, Willow1213 said:

We’re on the 9/7 6 night Western and I am amazed at how many cabins are still listed. Just priced out a Regular Balcony cabin (not gty) for $1223 AI for 2 adults, resident rate. Wow. You can’t sail a 4 nt on Carnival or Royal for that price

 

I grabbed that one as well.  Only a few more bucks and you could have a CC cabin.  Love those last minute resident rates!  I was already booked on the previous cruise so now I have a B2B.

[Willow1213]

8 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

I grabbed that one as well.  Only a few more bucks and you could have a CC cabin.  Love those last minute resident rates!  I was already booked on the previous cruise so now I have a B2B.

We did upgrade to CC. Not looking to make the move to Aqua unless better cabin choices become available. Loving my current rate + obc and the hump slant cabin we picked! Upgraded from obstructed 6th deck to CC + more OBC for the same as our original booking a week or so before final payment. The Resident deal is cheaper but I love our “with perks” price. 

[wrk2cruise]

I don't think they will sail with empty cabins.  The same thing happened with summit 10/11 night cruises in May/June.  About 30 days out there were good prices and 100's of cabins went very quickly.  I bet many of the ones you are seeing are already sold as GTY with the great prices which have been available the last couple of weeks.  I bet one day soon the inventory will drop dramatically when they assign cabins.  I also was able to grab the 8/24 cruise C2 (for C3 price) on the slant of the hump for a great resident price and my TA throwing in gratuities.

 

[Mynki]

38 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

I don't think they will sail with empty cabins.  The same thing happened with summit 10/11 night cruises in May/June.  About 30 days out there were good prices and 100's of cabins went very quickly.  I bet many of the ones you are seeing are already sold as GTY with the great prices which have been available the last couple of weeks.  I bet one day soon the inventory will drop dramatically when they assign cabins.  I also was able to grab the 8/24 cruise C2 (for C3 price) on the slant of the hump for a great resident price and my TA throwing in gratuities.

 

 

 

On the Celebrity.co.uk site you can see exactly which rooms are available to book. 

 

With some of the recent Edge sailings I can confirm that what you describe did not happen. She has set sail with a lot of empty cabins on some of her latest cruises. 

There is also a lot of inventory left on Millennium Alaskan cruises for those who want to look. 

[jbethel11]

I think Celebrity might be reading this thread, as prices for some balconies increased by approximately $140. 

[montekat]

Duplicate post 

Edited July 2, 2019 by montekat
Duplicate post

[montekat]

13 hours ago, Willow1213 said:

We’re on the 9/7 6 night Western and I am amazed at how many cabins are still listed. Just priced out a Regular Balcony cabin (not gty) for $1223 AI for 2 adults, resident rate. Wow. You can’t sail a 4 nt on Carnival or Royal for that price

 

10 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

I grabbed that one as well.  Only a few more bucks and you could have a CC cabin.  Love those last minute resident rates!  I was already booked on the previous cruise so now I have a B2B.

We are also on the Sept. 7th sailing.  I am also amazed at all the empty cabins.  Glad to see you will be onboard, the roll call has been pretty nonexistent.  

[basil1]

18 hours ago, cangelmd said:

Sorry to hear about your townhouse. We spent a week there a few years ago in a small beach house. We normally go to Seaside, so the beach is a little different.

The state park at Cape San Blas is spectacular, and so relatively undeveloped.

Thank you. We have so many good memories from there. We went about 3 times a year and every time our regular visit time comes up it makes me sad. August is one time when we visited. I want to keep the August vacation but think I can't decide where to go because I still want to go to our townhouse. That sounds really whiny, sorry. 

[basil1]

I am looking at a deck 8 balcony for $739 p/p and found a flight rt for $250 p/p. It really looks like it would cost about the same as a week at the beach (where we were looking). But what do you do in Nassau or that San Juan port time? Last time I was in SJ I had those same port times and did one of the forts, the passeo de la Princessa (sp?) and dinner with a Flamenco show. I wish the 08/31 itinerary was a little better. 

[Mynki]

22 minutes ago, jbethel11 said:

I think Celebrity might be reading this thread, as prices for some balconies increased by approximately $140. 

I'm not a conspiracy theorist but twice I've posted about bargain prices for high end suites. In both instances the prices were increased the very next day....

I recently posted this thread about Equinox pricing. Within 24 hours the prices increased but appear to have now fallen back. I did wonder if people booked off the back of reading that thread or whether or not the TA which I know has block bookings saw the thread and decided to try their luck. I'll never know and don't really care, but something definitely caused the prices to spike next day. :) 


 

 

[jbethel11]

1 hour ago, Mynki said:

I'm not a conspiracy theorist but twice I've posted about bargain prices for high end suites. In both instances the prices were increased the very next day....

I recently posted this thread about Equinox pricing. Within 24 hours the prices increased but appear to have now fallen back. I did wonder if people booked off the back of reading that thread or whether or not the TA which I know has block bookings saw the thread and decided to try their luck. I'll never know and don't really care, but something definitely caused the prices to spike next day. 🙂


 

 

Yeah! It is so weird, every time I check, the one inside cabin is either available or sold out. Now the inside cabin decreased by $5 per person. 

[grandgeezer]

3 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

I don't think they will sail with empty cabins.  The same thing happened with summit 10/11 night cruises in May/June.  About 30 days out there were good prices and 100's of cabins went very quickly.  I bet many of the ones you are seeing are already sold as GTY with the great prices which have been available the last couple of weeks.  I bet one day soon the inventory will drop dramatically when they assign cabins.  I also was able to grab the 8/24 cruise C2 (for C3 price) on the slant of the hump for a great resident price and my TA throwing in gratuities.

 

Since it's well after final payment it would be in their benefit to assign the guarantees as soon as possible. For the people who check availability, it would show less cabins which might entice them to pay the going rate than missing out. Based on the lower published availability, they might even be able to increase pricing some.

[grandgeezer]

I just check availability on the August 31 sailing and I saw where they sold/assigned 4 Aqua, and 17 Concierge, but the regular balconys didn't change much. There is also a little less than 60 (total) insides and outsides open. Grand total of over 400 cabins available and yet they raise the prices some? For you people that need them, it also appears the cost of the two "free" perks went up about $50.

I can't verify the accuracy of the cabin count but they have to have quite a few open as all three dining times show available with only 7 1/2 weeks until sailing. I've never seen that before.

 

[jbethel11]

Well, if Celebrity is going to be that way, oh well, they are going to sail with empty cabins, something NCL, RCI and CCL would never want to do. 

[cangelmd]

2 hours ago, basil1 said:

Thank you. We have so many good memories from there. We went about 3 times a year and every time our regular visit time comes up it makes me sad. August is one time when we visited. I want to keep the August vacation but think I can't decide where to go because I still want to go to our townhouse. That sounds really whiny, sorry. 

Not at all, I think you are well within one of the stages of grief, they are trying to get the hospital in Panama City back to more normal service, but they can’t because employees don’t have anywhere to live - it is still bad over there.

Do you know how well the huge dunes at the state park held up through the storm?

[Nymich]

On ‎7‎/‎1‎/‎2019 at 9:12 AM, 39august said:

Last two weeks of August and first two weeks of Sept. are typically the worst of hurricane season. Our Sept. 23 cruise is nearly full. 

Not sure where you get these statistics in fact I would love to know.   We have had hurricanes at all different times and months.  If you can prove to me that august 15-sept 15 as you say is the height year over year for decades I will have learned something.

[whitshel]

Just because they show that many cabins available doesn't mean there are that many.  They may have sold 200 guarantee cabins that haven't been assigned yet.  They'll leave the regular categories open as long as they can to try and get some more money then assign the guarantee cabins at the last minute then you'll see the quantities go down fast.

[grandgeezer]

1 hour ago, whitshel said:

Just because they show that many cabins available doesn't mean there are that many.  They may have sold 200 guarantee cabins that haven't been assigned yet.  They'll leave the regular categories open as long as they can to try and get some more money then assign the guarantee cabins at the last minute then you'll see the quantities go down fast.

They may have not also. If people check availability to try and help to figure out which way pricing will go, and see several hundred cabins available they most likely will wait for a price reduction. If they would assign the 200 guarantees right away the availability will show a dramatic reduction and people on the fence would jump on the deal.  I've been booking mostly guarantees from Celebrity for the last thirteen years and I don't think I've waited more than a week, or so,  for an assignment. In fact, I booked a B2B three weeks ago, in the afternoon, and I had assignments the next morning.

And besides, if X drags there feet, airfare and hotel prices tend to rise as travel gets closer and that will discourage potential cruisers.