can anyone help with celebrity cruise to iceland august 2023 from bayonne - almost sold out

[kitkat343]

I might just be too late to book this cruise, but since its a whole year away and I've never sailed Celebrity I wanted to check - does Celebrity hold rooms or did I just wait too late to book this cruise?  All the balconies and above are sold out, and the only interior and oceanview rooms appear to be on deck 2.   Maybe a lot of people are just interested in sailing an itinerary to Iceland from the NY metro area?

[wrk2cruise]

I think TA's tie up blocks of rooms in certain categories.  You might have to try some of the large on-line TA's known for their groups to see if they have space.   Their group pricing is probably better as well.  My TA is showing group space in C2 and A2 categories on the NJ -> Iceland leg.  It's probably a guarantee room if Celebrity site is showing no availability.  

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

You probably waited too long.  When I was booked on this cruise in 2020 and 2021 (neither of which went), the good cabins sold out almost immediately.  If you're really intent on doing this in 2023, check religiously several times a day.  People's plans do change and the odd cabin will become available from time to time.  Otherwise, wait until the 2024 itineraries come out and jump on it right away.  Unique itineraries like this sell out very quickly.

[Northern Aurora]

I, like Linda, was also booked B2B on this cruise in 2021.  The 2021 cruise filled very quickly.  We booked the day after it was opened for booking and were fortunate to obtain a great suite.  Only a few days later a great portion of the inventory was already sold.

[xDisconnections]

We’re currently onboard the Reykjavik to Boston sailing on the Summit along with many others from Cruise Critic. The ship is sailing at a fairly high occupancy with most staterooms occupied.

[kitkat343]

Thanks so much - we have three kids, and the youngest is 3 and she just had her first cruise and we wanted to see how that went before booking the iceland one, but I guess it was my fault!  I'll try to contact the travel agencies, and keep an eye on the website but we need two rooms so it might not be possible next year.  Any idea when the 2024 itineraries might be posted to see if they'd do this again?  

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, kitkat343 said:

I might just be too late to book this cruise, but since its a whole year away and I've never sailed Celebrity I wanted to check - does Celebrity hold rooms or did I just wait too late to book this cruise?  All the balconies and above are sold out, and the only interior and oceanview rooms appear to be on deck 2.   Maybe a lot of people are just interested in sailing an itinerary to Iceland from the NY metro area?

I highly encourage you to keep checking a couple times per day. I, like you, thought it was too late, but I booked a balcony cabin on this exact sailing this week. I had bookmarked a page that shows available cabins for that sailing in my cell phone's browser and just made a point to check it occasionally. It took a few days, but suddenly late at night, a balcony cabin became available.

[Treasure Hunter]

Also when payment in full comes due people might drop out. I don’t know if Celebrity has wait lists like Oceania. You could ask. We worked with a TA when we went to Cuba on Oceania. We paid in full for a suite even tho we weren’t guaranteed that we could go. Three months before the cruise we were informed that we got a cabin. Call and ask. 

[GRBlizz]

This may not be of interest, but there are five cruises next summer going to Iceland and Ireland from Amsterdam, two on Silhouette and three on Apex. All the ones I just checked have decent availability of balconies and up.

 

We were booked on the August NJ->Iceland cruise this year but had to cancel when I broke my wrist. No availability on the same cruise next summer, so I booked us on the August 9 Apex. Different itinerary, but I've wanted to try Apex anyway.

Edited August 28, 2022 by GRBlizz

[cruisestitch]

Since you need two rooms, presumably connecting, you are probably out of luck for 2023.  
 

new itineraries for 2024 could be announced anytime this fall.  Celebrity usually rolls out the new deployments a few at a time in October November and December

[Homosassa]

If you are talking about the August 6, 2023 12 night sailing from Bayonne, my TA still shows balcony cabins for $3,015 (includes gratuities, classic beverage package and unlimited internet).

[AstoriaPreppy]

13 hours ago, kitkat343 said:

I might just be too late to book this cruise, but since its a whole year away and I've never sailed Celebrity I wanted to check - does Celebrity hold rooms or did I just wait too late to book this cruise?  All the balconies and above are sold out, and the only interior and oceanview rooms appear to be on deck 2.   Maybe a lot of people are just interested in sailing an itinerary to Iceland from the NY metro area?

 

We live in NY, and just got back from Iceland after doing the NJ-Reykjavik trip this year. From experience, this sailing is extremely popular. We expected that the voyage would be mostly NY/NJ (like a lot of the Royal/NCL cruises out of NY are), but it was full of people that had flown in from around the country, and world. 

 

12 hours ago, Treasure Hunter said:

Also when payment in full comes due people might drop out. I don’t know if Celebrity has wait lists like Oceania. You could ask. We worked with a TA when we went to Cuba on Oceania. We paid in full for a suite even tho we weren’t guaranteed that we could go. Three months before the cruise we were informed that we got a cabin. Call and ask. 

 

We hoped to see this happen this year, but almost no one dropped out at final payment. Occasionally a random room would pop up, but with the exception of some accessible Sky Suites, those rooms were almost always gone in a few moments.

 

We ended up sailing in an inside cabin, as the balconies that were available priced out at $4k and up per person, and even outsides were around $3k. The Summit was revolutionized a few years back, so even the insides were fantastic and we didn't miss the balcony (or window) much at all.

 

I'd echo what other posters have mentioned; if you do want to take this cruise, check check and check multiple times a day then book whatever comes up ASAP. If you need two staterooms in the same category, or booked simultaneously, that may be unlikely, so plan accordingly 

[morfred]

I think the Royal Suite is available for the return leg. Too pricey for me. 14k pp.

[TMLAalum]

@AstoriaPreppy

We are hoping to book the Iceland to Boston cruise in 2024 as soon as the itinerary is released! 

Can you tell me how difficult it was to see the scenery without being in a veranda? Where were the best spots to perch for a good view?

Thanks!

[AstoriaPreppy]

1 hour ago, TMLAalum said:

@AstoriaPreppy

We are hoping to book the Iceland to Boston cruise in 2024 as soon as the itinerary is released! 

Can you tell me how difficult it was to see the scenery without being in a veranda? Where were the best spots to perch for a good view?

Thanks!

 

To be honest, you'll be 100% fine without a verandah (or window)... don't let that discourage you from booking! It may take a little more initiative, but there's plenty of options that aren't a verandah for seeing stuff.

 

The Summit has a substantial promenade on deck 4. We'd hop out here sporadically when sailing, when in port, and especially post-dinner for a stroll to the show or our next bar. Other than smokers on the port side, most people seemed to forget this was an option. 

 

Our fave spots were the Sunset Bar on scenic cruising days, or the Solarium on a sea day. Lots of passengers also liked the Sky Observation Lounge, but we ended up spending more time there on days in port after returning to the ship. The Sunset Bar starboard side also has a stairway directly up to the Rooftop Terrace, which is excellent for going back and forth to get unobstructed views off the ship. It's a little windy, and you may have to deal with watching the latest Spiderman movie 10x, but we did see passengers camped out all day in the cabanas up there. The terrace has the benefit of offering beds and outlets for charging electronic devices as needed. 

 

To get prime spots, you may have to wake up early... I staked out spots at the Sunset Bar around 7 am on our Prins Christian Sund scenic cruising day, and have zero regrets. There's only a few spot in the Sunset Bar that are under the overhang on Summit, and those tend to be a hot commodity. Although they're set back a smidge, they've protected from the wind, and you're in a much better situation should it start raining than anyone at the railing. The Sunset Bar also offers easy access to the rear of the buffet and warm beverages... we ended up bringing our Brümate insulated mugs and refilling with coffee/tea as needed.

[TMLAalum]

@AstoriaPreppy

Thank you so much for your very detailed answer! The two threads from current cruisers had me concerned that we might miss the incredible scenery on this cruise if we didn’t book a veranda. Your description of great viewing spots tells me we’d have far more expansive views than from a small balcony. I am copying your post and saving it in my future cruise file!

[Jim_Iain]

21 hours ago, kitkat343 said:

I might just be too late to book this cruise, but since its a whole year away and I've never sailed Celebrity I wanted to check - does Celebrity hold rooms or did I just wait too late to book this cruise?  All the balconies and above are sold out, and the only interior and oceanview rooms appear to be on deck 2.   Maybe a lot of people are just interested in sailing an itinerary to Iceland from the NY metro area?

The cruises have been very popular.   I would book a refundable fare and then request to be waitlisted for  the desired level of room you desire.     I booked 8 months out for the current cruise and originally only was able to get a Veranda rooms.  I eventually got an Aqua and then a Sky Suite.  

 

What I do is perform a search and when you get to the page where they show the classification I book mark that page and then you can just click on the book mark (I did it daily until I was able to get the class I wanted.

 

Since there is no penalty for a refundable (U.S.) booking many book and later cancel.  

 

As for your first question -  yes you can put a booking on hold for 24 hours.   Go to the booking and click book.   Go all the way until you get to the screen where you put in Credit Card information then click the Celebrity Logo and a screen will pop up to allow you to put on hold.

[SbbquilterUT]

Good luck finding your booking.  We just returned from the Apex Iceland/Ireland out of Amsterdam and it was excellent.  You mention a little child and I wonder if that will be the best trip for a wee one.  The tours to see the sites which is why you want to visit Iceland were each 8 hours long.  Also the weather was bitter Cold, windy and rainy one of our days - not great with a child.