Small rant about Princess Website

[RickT]

Does anyone else find it a little frustrating when you’re on the Princess site and after you’ve chosen the cabin type you’re then given the option of selecting your cabin or allowing Princess to choose later only to see that every deck shows Guarantee Only for every deck?

First world problem I know…. But if only Guarantee cabins are available why show the option of choosing a cabin?

[DUCHESSRN]

I find paying extra to pick my Cabin annoying when that is available, getting as bad as some airlines.

[voljeep]

1 minute ago, DUCHESSRN said:

I find paying extra to pick my Cabin annoying when that is available, getting as bad as some airlines.

I like the option of getting a discount on a cabin if I let Princess select it later

[jag82177]

Agree with this. Would be nice to see cabin availability to make the bidding process easier to predict. 

[Ellipooh]

55 minutes ago, RickT said:

Does anyone else find it a little frustrating when you’re on the Princess site and after you’ve chosen the cabin type you’re then given the option of selecting your cabin or allowing Princess to choose later only to see that every deck shows Guarantee Only for every deck?

First world problem I know…. But if only Guarantee cabins are available why show the option of choosing a cabin?

Yes! Drives me crazy sometimes because you have to start all over. 
I also wish they’d make it so you could toggle between options (eg, via drop down menus) for cabin size, location, gty/choose, passengers, dates, +/Premier, etc, without having to back up each time. 

[Paula_MacFan]

There have been some lengthy recent threads about this same topic.  I complained to my CVP during a call about something else, and he said Princess is trying to drive passenger contact back to the in-person reps so they can up-sell you more stuff, vs booking online.  I think it's a real hassle for those of us who want a specific cabin and the only way to secure it now is by calling and talking to a live person vs being able to book it online.  

[shipsealand]

I just tried test booking a specified cabin, Calif Coastal, and can do so.  Mid aft , mid level, balcony for 957 vs 928 pp for chosing vs let Princess do it ie guaranteed.  Stopped before actual booking to avoid tying up a cabin for this test.  This is usual the guaranteed is the lowest for a specific catagory but you can be anyway within the catagory, I rather pay a little more and get what i want.

[shipsealand]

I usually book direct and the website and then transfer to my ta

[startedwithamouse]

On 6/25/2023 at 6:42 AM, RickT said:

Does anyone else find it a little frustrating when you’re on the Princess site and after you’ve chosen the cabin type you’re then given the option of selecting your cabin or allowing Princess to choose later only to see that every deck shows Guarantee Only for every deck?

First world problem I know…. But if only Guarantee cabins are available why show the option of choosing a cabin?

Here's what Princess is trying to avoid - passengers who are booking with a extra dummy guest. 

 

It's widely spoken about here, selfishly booking 3 guests to get a cabin with a sofa, then cancelling the 3rd 'dummy' guest, yet keeping the cabin, only with 2 guests. This cuts into supply when there are truly parties with 3 or 4 guests, who need a cabin, which are already occupied by 2 guests, who have found a loophole in the system and booked in bad faith. Not to mention, Princess misses out of all the extra revenue guests 3 and 4 would have generated.

 

If "Princess Chooses", they can put 2 passengers in a cabin which has the capacity for 2 people, not 3 or 4 people.

 

If you want a sofa, book a mini-suite.

[Guest ldtr]

Based upon the CCL financials released today they were at 98% occupancy last quarter and expect to be at 107% this next quarter across all of CCL brands. That should be pretty accurate since the next quarter is inside the full payment date and they know exactly how many are fully paid.

 

As  a result any near term cruises are likely to be pretty fully booked.

 

Add that to lowest category in any meta category being guarantee only, not surprising it is showing up much more often with less choice unless you book well in advance.

[kywildcatfanone]

This is what I'm seeing, so you have to contact your TA now to see what cabins are available?  Are there other sites that show actual availability?

[Musky Ike]

7 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

This is what I'm seeing, so you have to contact your TA now to see what cabins are available?  Are there other sites that show actual availability?

Your TA may or may not have cabin availability that is not on the website. However some pricing offers are also now "Princess chooses" only. Booking directly online is not as easy as it used to be if you want to select your cabin. I only use the website now find a voyage we like and to check the Princess price before calling my TA so I know what a deal I am getting. I booked a cruise for Nov 2024 last week and had no choice but a guarantee cabin in order to get the best deal. The one before that, the Princess website showed available cabins that did not show on the polar site for the TA. Who knows what the next time will bring.