Best approach to changing cabins?

[astera]

I recently booked a cruise for my parents but unfortunately there was no choice of cabins left - it was the last Queens Suite available.

 

What is the best strategy for trying to change cabins from one side of the ship to the other? Is there a time when cabins become available due to people giving up on their reservations? Is there a waitlist for requests like these?

[Bigmike911]

Look for the date that final payments are due on your confirmation. The next day call Cunard if you booked direct, or your travel agent and see if you can change. 

[MCC retired]

Check Online availability of that same Category daily (as if you were looking to book) especially close to Final Payment date . Then call whomever you booked with .

If another Category is available your price and promos may change 

if you do change cabins.

Edited September 3, 2019 by MCC retired

[bluemarble]

Good advice about checking for cabin availability especially around the final payment date. But also be aware cancellations in the US are likely to occur prior to the date when cancellation penalties actually start to kick in for US bookings. For now, that's earlier than the final payment date.

 

I think we discussed on an earlier thread that you ended up booking under the UK terms and conditions. I believe the final payment date in the UK is always 90 days before departure (and you lose your deposit if you cancel any time before that under the UK terms and conditions).

 

On the other hand, when booking under the US terms and conditions, the final payment date varies from 90 to 120 days prior to departure depending on the length of the voyage but cancellation penalties start 30 days before that (120 to 150 days prior to departure). Just as an aside, after next year's world voyages, it looks like Cunard is moving the US final payment date 30 days earlier to be the same as the US cancellation penalty date.

 

I also gather from our earlier discussions that your parents' voyage is probably longer than 30 days. If so, that means cancellation penalties for US bookings would start 150 days prior to the departure date.

 

So to summarize, your UK booking probably has a 90 day final payment date, but you might also want to start looking especially closely for cabin availability around 150 days before departure since that's the sweet spot for those in the US to cancel without penalty on a voyage longer than 30 days.

Edited September 3, 2019 by bluemarble

[Windsurfboy]

There was no online availability  3 weeks ago when I wanted to swap from port to starboard QG on the QE in beginning of November ,  but when I rang up some how they found one. Ring up and keep ringing

[Underwatr]

 

1 hour ago, Windsurfboy said:

Ring up and keep ringing

This is especially true if your itinerary is bookable as part of either a longer or shorter voyage. They maintain separate inventory for each bookable itinerary and it's possible to move a cabin from the longer voyage to shorter segments or vice versa (if it hasn't already been booked for any of the shorter segments).

As an example YoYo in the onboard booking office on QM2 managed to booked me into a stateroom that was set aside for the 26 night voyage rather than the middle 12 nights that I wanted (which I'm sure is easier than going the other way).

[MCC retired]

16 hours ago, Underwatr said:

 

This is especially true if your itinerary is bookable as part of either a longer or shorter voyage. They maintain separate inventory for each bookable itinerary and it's possible to move a cabin from the longer voyage to shorter segments or vice versa (if it hasn't already been booked for any of the shorter segments).

As an example YoYo in the onboard booking office on QM2 managed to booked me into a stateroom that was set aside for the 26 night voyage rather than the middle 12 nights that I wanted (which I'm sure is easier than going the other way).

 

If you have a Good TA with contacts within Cunard , this can be done (if that is your situation?)