$11,000 and you can't choose your own stateroom?

[Outerdog]

10 minutes ago, Gettingwarmer said:

This is a very, very popular cruise. You were a bit late to the party and missed out. 

 

That's not what this thread is about. At all.

[Ken the cruiser]

49 minutes ago, Outerdog said:

Interesting responses.  A clarification or two... this was for a mini-suite category on this voyage. The suites show sold out.

 

The mildly infuriating part of this is right in the title. We're talking about Eleven Thousand Dollars. I don't care about Eleven Thousand Dollars so much. I'm doing an Alaska trip this September that's sitting at $10k. Fine. 

 

At Eleven Thousand Dollars (!), I should not have to worry about Princess scheming on overbooks, "it's a unique voyage", casino crap, TAs, or whatever else.

 

For $11k, the booking engine should present available cabins and allow selection, first come, first serve. Simple. Anything else just cheapens the experience. And there really shouldn't be a cheapened experience at Eleven Thousand Dollars. I mean, dude, if the angle is to pilfer another $200 or whatever out of a pax paying $11k, then what are they doing?

 

Cabin selection is top of the list for me, right up there with departure port. I'm not a complicated passenger. These two things are easy for a cruise line to provide. One is automatic and the other is being messed around with for no real good reason (pax have been selecting cabins in online bookings since forever).

 

 

Looks like they heard you. But it appears there is only one mini suite left, so you’d better jump on it..

 

 

 

[Gettingwarmer]

5 minutes ago, Outerdog said:

 

That's not what this thread is about. At all.

 

1 minute ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Looks like they heard you. But it appears there is only one mini suite left, so you’d better jump on it..

Be quick

[Outerdog]

6 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Looks like they heard you. But it appears there is only one mini suite left, so you’d better jump on it..

 

 

 

 

Snagged!

 

[coo359a2]

Guess you have discovered It's very easy to get a actual cabin assigned if there are cabins available.  Glad you were able to "snag" the one and only mini suite available at the time of my first post and that Ken the Cruiser was even nice enough to post the cabin number for you.  When there are no cabins left in the category you want, that is when you will see the selection box asking you to let Princess choose a guaranty for you or you just pick another cruise. .  

[Steelers36]

18 minutes ago, Outerdog said:

 

Snagged!

 

I think what you showed us earlier was PCL's way of indicating Sold Out for cabin selection for 2.  Pretty much everyone is unhappy with the change to make lead-in categories (in your case it would be a ME) have Non-Refundable Deposits.  In order to select a cabin, you need at least book a MD (if they exist), or whatever is higher category like MC, MB, MA.  We have never booked a Mini, but I would not want a BF or IF in those cabin types, for example.

 

So, I wondered if your issue was the bug (or at least some of us perceive it as a bug), where Mini's could not be booked unless guest was specifying 3 passengers.  With 2 passengers, then Princess.com was showing GTY only.  I just tried your voyage with 3 guests sailing in cabin, and it comes back SOLD OUT with cabin selection.  It does allow guest to book GTY with Non-Ref Deposit.  IDK who'd want to lay money down in that situation as it seems next thing to a waiting list.  IMO, it is a double-negative situation to have both a GTY and a Non-Ref Deposit. 

 

This indicates to me that other posters advising this is a popular voyage and the Mini's are gone are correct.  They have to hold some Mini's back for those who did book a GTY or they could be doing a lot of "Move Over" offers down the line.  Anyone really wanting this voyage in a Mini, should just check every morning as you never know when someone might cancel and 2025 is a long way off.

Edited August 6, 2023 by Steelers36

[Outerdog]

4 minutes ago, coo359a2 said:

Guess you have discovered It's very easy to get a actual cabin assigned if there are cabins available.  Glad you were able to "snag" the one and only mini suite available at the time of my first post and that Ken the Cruiser was even nice enough to post the cabin number for you.  When there are no cabins left in the category you want, that is when you will see the selection box asking you to let Princess choose a guaranty for you or you just pick another cruise. .  

 

I really don't need to be scolded and I don't need a lesson in how the booking system works -- an impossible lesson to deliver anyway since it seems to change on a whim.

[Ken the cruiser]

This is something I recently read on a different CC thread a few months ago. Now whether it’s completely true or not, who knows. 😂

When a popular itinerary is first released to the public, various larger TAs will “reserve” a group of cabins (but not specific ones) in various categories at their respective opening cruise fare price. As time goes on and the itinerary gets more popular, Princess may start raising their cruise fares based on a supply and demand strategy. However, the initial fares the TAs reserved those blocks of cabins stay at the same price, giving the impression they’re offering cabins at a cheaper “group” rate than what you can now get the cabin category for if booking directly with Princess.
 

In the case of this particular RT Alaska cruise out of LA, it is only 1 of 3 16+ day Alaska itineraries available from now through 2025, and the way it appears the 2025 Alaska season is also the first time they’re offering 16+ day Alaska cruises. Hence, the possible reason for the increased demand and lack of mini suites available when searching the Princess website.

 

Now the question comes, what will Princess do when they run out of their mini suites that have not been previously reserved by a TA, like in this particular instance, for one of these “new” 2025 16+ day Alaska itineraries? Will they invoke a clause in one of these TA’s “group booking” contracts where they can pull back one or more of these previously “reserved” cabins?

 

Now just to be clear since I’m just sitting over here in the peanut gallery, I have no idea how this all really works behind the scenes as my only source has been CC contributors. But it might explain why all of the sudden a mini suite showed up today.
 

Another more likely possibility is someone put a 3-day Hold on this particular mini suite, and it expired and thus became available again. 😁

Edited August 6, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[jrobinso]

Just booked the same cruise several days ago. We booked a mini suite and chose our own stateroom, but selection was very limited. My guess is that guarantee staterooms (mini suites) are the only ones available now. I was also able to book with a refundable deposit.

Edited August 6, 2023 by jrobinso

[Moxiefurball]

@Outerdogif I’d have to guess… Princess is creating a “ frenzy “ by in my opinion deliberately showing you  that book your own cabins are not available , in order to hold many suites available so they later jack up the price at a later date for others.  So you get the lol discounted $5550 room at a guarantee while I bet they hold many unsold cabins to release later at higher price . 

 

I also-believe  the new rules on plus and premier and downsizing standard which was a bait and switch, legal I’m sure but still a bait and switch,  has created a frenzy among ,many to upgrade to something they wouldn’t have considered previously.

 

 

 

[cr8tiv1]

@Outerdog your waiting and due diligence paid off.  You have a better location than I do (this morning).

[HMSDingy]

I booked my 2024 cruise with a TA I've used before and not only did ee get the cabin we wanted but was able to get a better one at a later date.