Should I worry about being “bumped”?

[AtlantaCruiser72]

I am scheduled to sail on the Rotterdam departing on January 26th for 9 nights. The cruise (both 9 & 21 day options) has shown as sold out since before Thanksgiving. We are booked on a casino comp fare that did not allow cabin assignment so are on a guarantee. We do net yet have a cabin assignment.  Should I be getting worried about being bumped and start working on alternate plans?

[kazu]

I think you are ok.  The casino pays for the comped rooms so it’s a paid for cruise.  Guarantees aren’t usually assigned until quite close to sailing.  Some have been assigned at 14 days but most seem to be later than that - a week to a few days out.

 

My Koningsdam cruise last year was sold out plus.  I had a casino offer and no issue.  I did upgrade and paid to do it.  My friends had a casino offer of a comped room and kept it as is.  Both of us sailed.

 

Our rooms could have easily been sold for more money, I’m sure with the demand.  It didn’t happen.

[CruiserBruce]

58 minutes ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

I am scheduled to sail on the Rotterdam departing on January 26th for 9 nights. The cruise (both 9 & 21 day options) has shown as sold out since before Thanksgiving. We are booked on a casino comp fare that did not allow cabin assignment so are on a guarantee. We do net yet have a cabin assignment.  Should I be getting worried about being bumped and start working on alternate plans?

You have less than a one percent chance of being bumped. A lot less than one percent. The normal procedure  is to contact you a month or two in advance and offer you incentives to move to another cruise.

[horseymike]

Hope you have a great cruise 🚢 

[RuthC]

Travel agents (and others in related businesses) may travel on a special fare, which is very, very low. Those passengers have been known to be bumped. 

In all the years I have been active on CC, I have never read of any other passengers being bumped without at least being offered another cruise and, usually, some other compensation. Refusals to move to another cruise have been accepted by HAL. 

[Fluoroman11]

Hi All. Hate to bring this thread back, but a popular YouTube cruise personality just posted a video regarding this topic and mentioned HAL specifically. I know that comments above seem to indicate that nobody is aware of someone getting bumped from HAL. Has anyone heard of anything like this happening on HAL recently?

[AtlantaCruiser72]

There has been more chatter related to overbooking and denied boardings of late, which is what prompted me to post in the first place. 
 

That said, 7 days out and no cabin assignment, though all other guarantee bookings for my agency consortia have been assigned. Limited inventory (both for guarantee and assignments) has opened and closed for this sailing over the last 3 days.  Meanwhile I await a cabin assignment, still remaining nervous and hoping I am not bumped at the last second.  

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We always request NUP

No Up Grade.

[kazu]

1 hour ago, Fluoroman11 said:

Hi All. Hate to bring this thread back, but a popular YouTube cruise personality just posted a video regarding this topic and mentioned HAL specifically. I know that comments above seem to indicate that nobody is aware of someone getting bumped from HAL. Has anyone heard of anything like this happening on HAL recently?

 

I have seen Royal Caribbean mentioned a  lot but not HAL.  

My experience from others has been if HAL is overbooked they email offers to cancel and transfer to another cruise.  Usually they throw in some OBC or an upgrade.  They usually keep doing it until they have enough takers.  It’s usually more than few days before the cruise (around 2 weeks i think).

 

Doing the Bon Voyage threads, I see that the majority of the itineraries I want to show are found out in the sold out category.  Cruises are selling very well.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Well, three days out and still no cabin assignment. HAL did open some space and three other bookings were made in the last few days as gty rooms through my agency group. All three were assigned earlier this evening. My reservation still remains the only booking (out of over 80) through my agency group that does not have a room # allocated. Inventory has been moved mostly to “c” (closed to new bookings) status.  I have access through POLAR fyi. 
 

I’m still getting “you will be denied boarding at the pier” vibes on this one. 

[Haljo1935]

37 minutes ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

Well, three days out and still no cabin assignment. HAL did open some space and three other bookings were made in the last few days as gty rooms through my agency group. All three were assigned earlier this evening. My reservation still remains the only booking (out of over 80) through my agency group that does not have a room # allocated. Inventory has been moved mostly to “c” (closed to new bookings) status.  I have access through POLAR fyi. 
 

I’m still getting “you will be denied boarding at the pier” vibes on this one. 

Oh my gosh - I hope that does not happen to you. I know you'll probably get a scripted answer, but can you call HAL Reservations and ask if they can tell you your cabin number? Just to see what they do say.

[Petronillus]

Nothing is official, it seems to me, until you can print out the luggage tags.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

44 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

Oh my gosh - I hope that does not happen to you. I know you'll probably get a scripted answer, but can you call HAL Reservations and ask if they can tell you your cabin number? Just to see what they do say.

 

31 minutes ago, Petronillus said:

Nothing is official, it seems to me, until you can print out the luggage tags.

Spoke with them Saturday and the agent in the overseas call center, after several minutes on hold, assured me that I would have a cabin. I was not trusting of their canned, scripted response. 
 

Can print luggage tags, but they have no room number. I leave for Miami in the morning, boarding Regent Grandeur Wednesday for a 2nt travel agent/media preview cruise then headed to Miami Friday when we disembark to go to Ft. Lauderdale and boards Rotterdam. If I arrive at the pier and am told “no cabin for you!” There WILL be a scene, and a demand for compensation.

[Mary229]

Don’t worry.  I had the same exact experience and I was flying to South America.  HAL has a new inventory control system where cruises show sold out when they are doing the final window dressing - offering upsells to generate a little extra revenue and when that is done they assign the promo guarantees.  I was given a lousy room but after 24 hours onboard I was able to move to a far better cabin, gratis

 

(I think they may be watching carefully the RCCL problem and have decided being 95% full is better than the bad press of turning people away)

Edited January 23 by Mary229

[syesmar]

2 hours ago, Mary229 said:

…I was given a lousy room but after 24 hours onboard I was able to move to a far better cabin, gratis….

@Mary229 how and when did you request to move once onboard? Which department did you speak with? Thanks!

[Mary229]

2 hours ago, syesmar said:

@Mary229 how and when did you request to move once onboard? Which department did you speak with? Thanks!

I went to the front desk.  

[cruisemom42]

10 hours ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

 

Spoke with them Saturday and the agent in the overseas call center, after several minutes on hold, assured me that I would have a cabin. I was not trusting of their canned, scripted response. 
 

Can print luggage tags, but they have no room number. I leave for Miami in the morning, boarding Regent Grandeur Wednesday for a 2nt travel agent/media preview cruise then headed to Miami Friday when we disembark to go to Ft. Lauderdale and boards Rotterdam. If I arrive at the pier and am told “no cabin for you!” There WILL be a scene, and a demand for compensation.

 

Good luck. Keep us updated, whatever happens.

 

[horseymike]

On 1/11/2024 at 3:51 PM, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

I am scheduled to sail on the Rotterdam departing on January 26th for 9 nights. The cruise (both 9 & 21 day options) has shown as sold out since before Thanksgiving. We are booked on a casino comp fare that did not allow cabin assignment so are on a guarantee. We do net yet have a cabin assignment.  Should I be getting worried about being bumped and start working on alternate plans?

Hope everything goes well.🚢

Have a great time 👍

Edited January 23 by horseymike
Mistake

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Update…… we finally got our room assignment, midship deck 4. I can stop stressing now 🤠

 

Thanks for all those that told me not to worry and that everything would be fine. You were right!

[RuthC]

Whew! That was close.
Congratulations. 

[crystalspin]

2 hours ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

Update…… we finally got our room assignment, midship deck 4.

Midship Deck 4 is a GREAT location, one staircase up from Grand Dutch Cafe, elevator-close and no more than half a ship to almost everything else! Have a wonderful cruise!

[Haljo1935]

On 1/23/2024 at 7:48 PM, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

Update…… we finally got our room assignment, midship deck 4. I can stop stressing now 🤠

 

Thanks for all those that told me not to worry and that everything would be fine. You were right!

Awesome news!! You'll be so conveniently located to my happy place - GDC!!

Safe travels - Enjoy your cruise!

[dockman]

On 1/24/2024 at 8:48 AM, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

Update…… we finally got our room assignment, midship deck 4. I can stop stressing now 🤠

 

Thanks for all those that told me not to worry and that everything would be fine. You were right!

In the words of my thai girlfriend..."you tink too mutt"