Waitlist Multiple Cabins - What if only one of them clears?

[taiwan_girl]

We are looking at an upcoming cruise that would be our four young adult kids, husband and me, plus two seniors, So looking at 4 cabins.  The only way we could make this work money wise is to have at least 2 inside cabins.  Currently all inside cabins and oceanview are showing up as waitlisted,  Not quite sure how waitlisting works.  What happens if only one or none of the waitlisted cabins clears?  We obviously would not leave anyone behind on the trip, and also would not want to pay the additional $'s for a higher level cabin.  How soon before there would be an answer on the waitlisted cabins?  

 

I would hate to be beyond the refund date for cabins that we paid for, and then find out  waitlisted cabins did not clear.  Kind of all or nothing.  LOL   Need four cabins or zero. If the only way to make this a sure thing is to purchase 4 cabins that are available (currently veranda and above), then it probably won't work for us.

 

The cruise we are looking at is Dec/Jan of this coming year.

 

We have done one previous Oceania cruise (on the Regatta) with the same family grouping and absolutely 100% loved everything about it (except for the small bathroom  LOL), so would like to do another one if possible.  

 

One other question - there is a possiblitily one of the kids may not be able to go, so what is the solo passenger charge? 2x individual charge or less than that?  (There are no solo cabins on the Riviera, which the cruise we are looking at.)

 

(I know I should talk to Oceania also, but this is quite a good forum board, so any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!!)

[Vallesan]

I think you have answered your own question! Talk to Oceania.

Only Oceania can tell you where you are in the  waitlist queue for each cabin and the possible likelihood of the cabins actually becoming available. Also ask about the single supplement. You may have to pay for both fares in the case of one cancelling after a certain date.
I think only Oceania, either through you TA or directly, can answer your questions.

[Woodrowst]

If I needed four cabins I would not book a cruise waitlisted.  I would pick a cruise where I had secured specific cabins.  Booking four cabins waitlist means you have to play the odds and so have to ask yourself:  Do you feel lucky?  I would not want that kind of anxiety and I would not want to have to deal with being told close to boarding that one or more of the cabins were not available.  Sure, you or your TA can call and get an idea of where you are on the list. But it is no guarantee since others with preferential status may sign up after you do (i.e. it is not necessarily first come, first served).  
 

In summary:  Why create this level of anxiety and uncertainty?  Since there are so many cruise lines and cruises out there, why not find one you like that has four cabins available at your price point?

Edited February 18 by Woodrowst

[Redtravel]

Find a cruise that has 4 available cabins that you can book now.  While waitlisted cabin categories may open up, trying to get 4 in specific categories is too risky.  When I travel with family or friends, we pick a cruise and book cabins… no gty or waitlist!  Waiting could leave you with nothing.

[taiwan_girl]

Thanks for the replies.  Much appreciated!!

 

Another quick question.  What does "GUARANTEE" mean? I see that listed, and categories below that level are still available, and the GUARANTEE cabin level does not seem to be a bargain on the money side.  Is booking as a GUARANTEE save money somehow?

[EJL2023]

1 minute ago, taiwan_girl said:

Thanks for the replies.  Much appreciated!!

 

Another quick question.  What does "GUARANTEE" mean? I see that listed, and categories below that level are still available, and the GUARANTEE cabin level does not seem to be a bargain on the money side.  Is booking as a GUARANTEE save money somehow?

Guaranteed means you will receive a cabin in that same category at the minimum. Often times you will not be provided the specific stateroom number until a week prior to sailing. And they are not discounted, priced the same. 

[taiwan_girl]

On 2/20/2024 at 10:01 AM, EJL2023 said:

Guaranteed means you will receive a cabin in that same category at the minimum. Often times you will not be provided the specific stateroom number until a week prior to sailing. And they are not discounted, priced the same. 

So what is the purpose of booking a room via GUARANTEE?  Is it just the hope that you will be upgraded to a better category?

[1985rz1]

4 minutes ago, taiwan_girl said:

So what is the purpose of booking a room via GUARANTEE?  Is it just the hope that you will be upgraded to a better category?

Guaranee means you are guaranteed to get onboard.  Waitlist makes no such promise.

Edited February 21 by 1985rz1

[taiwan_girl]

5 minutes ago, 1985rz1 said:

Guaranee means you are guaranteed to get onboard.  Waitlist makes no such promise.

But why book guarantee vs. available.  It seems there is no price incentive, and you are not able to pick a cabin.  

[basor]

On Oceania the only time when "Guarantee" is shown is when there are no specific cabins available to book....so not a choice like on other cruise lines.  Options are book a specific cabin and then when no specific cabins left Guarantee is shown and then when no Guarantee cabins left book Waitlist.

 

[1985rz1]

28 minutes ago, taiwan_girl said:

But why book guarantee vs. available.  It seems there is no price incentive, and you are not able to pick a cabin.  

If a cabin in the desired category is available, you can't do a guarantee.  If a cabin in the desired category is not available, you can book a guarantee at the normal price.  The alternative is to book a higher level category at a higher price.  So the price savings is the difference between the cost of an available higher level cabin and know what you get,  and the lower level cabin cabin level and not know what you get.  The real decision is whether you want the lower, guaranteed cabin price and be guaranteed a cabin or want to pay more for one that is not guaranteed.  There is no savings if you get assigned the cabin level you guaranteed, but you are guaranteed to get a cabin at that guaranteed price.

 

So the question is do you want to pay a guaranteed price and not be able to choose your cabin or do you want to pay a higher price for a higher category and get to choose your cabin.

 

Edited February 21 by 1985rz1

[emd138]

11 hours ago, taiwan_girl said:

But why book guarantee vs. available.  It seems there is no price incentive, and you are not able to pick a cabin.  

There is no reason, other than if you want that category and it isn't available - you are at least guaranteed to get on the ship for that price in that cabin level or higher.  I booked that once, and didn't have a room number until a couple days before we left.  What I saw in that experience, they will call the people already booked in that category and offer them an upgrade for a reduced but still significant price.  They did give us that "offer," but the cost was only a VERY slight discount from if we booked the next level up.  (We booked a C1 guarantee on an R class ship.)  We talked to one party that said nope, they should be upgraded for free, and they were.  I did the same, and I was told no, only if they couldn't find anyone to pay.  Apparently they found somebody that took what they were offered.  I got what I paid for, so I have no complaints, but do not book it expecting extra.  

[ShopperfiendTO]

On 2/21/2024 at 11:27 AM, taiwan_girl said:

But why book guarantee vs. available.  It seems there is no price incentive, and you are not able to pick a cabin.  

Correct.  If the price is the same for choosing a cabin versus booking a guarantee for that cabin class, it doesn’t make sense to book the guarantee unless you want to play the upgrade lottery which may land you in the worst location of the guaranteed (lowest) cabin class.

On the bigger cruise lines, they usually have the option of a guarantee at a discounted price to choosing your specific cabin.  
 

I find that Oceania generally doesn’t engage in this practice.

[1985rz1]

13 minutes ago, ShopperfiendTO said:

 it doesn’t make sense to book the guarantee unless you want to play the upgrade lottery which may land you in the worst location of the guaranteed (lowest) cabin class.

I would think that if you wanted  a specific cabin category on a cruise you really wanted to go on because of the price and itinerary, and it was only available as a guarantee and you didn't want to pay the price of available cabins, then it would make sense to book a guarantee as long as you didn't care about location.

Edited February 22 by 1985rz1

[Tr1v1alCru1ser]

Also remember that a guaranteed cabin could be in the less desirable positions on the ship, i.e. right at the front or right at the back.  So if you’re only comfortable being mid-ships (like we are), then you may not be happy with the cabin you’re allocated. 

[ShopperfiendTO]

1 minute ago, 1985rz1 said:

I would think that if you wanted the a specific cabin category on a cruise you really wanted to go on because of the price and itinerary, and it was only available as a guarantee and you didn't want to pay the price of available cabins, then it would make sense to book a guarantee as long as you didn't care about location.

Yes, but I understood OP’s question to be why would you book an outside guarantee if you could also choose your own outside cabin for the same price.

 

What you describe is my take on how Oceania views the guarantee cabin concept.

[1985rz1]

8 minutes ago, ShopperfiendTO said:

Yes, but I understood OP’s question to be why would you book an outside guarantee if you could also choose your own outside cabin for the same price.

 

What you describe is my take on how Oceania views the guarantee cabin concept.

I think she thought that O was like the larger lines where you pointed out that you may have the option to book an available cabin or a guarantee at the same level at a lower price.

[ORV]

I hope it's clear to those discussing this that Oceania does not offer a guarantee until the available cabins in a category are sold out. So, you can't pick your room in a specific category if there is a guarantee offered in that category. 

 

Just like many other things that are different from many of the main lines you have to readjust your thinking for Oceania. It's their world their way, not what other lines do or have done in the past. Not that it's good or bad, it's just the way they do it. 

[EJL2023]

I might add if you are assigned a GTY it is in your best interest to keep checking the cruise for stateroom status. Last year on Vista we had a GTY for a French balcony and a B1.  About two months after booking the French balcony stateroom was confirmed automatically by Oceania and updated invoice sent reflecting the stateroom.  About a month later we were just checking out the cruise and saw there was now a B1 stateroom available. We had booked this cruise directly with Oceania.  We quickly called them and were assigned that stateroom. So it is beneficial to keep checking.  In both cases our GTY went to confirmed about 6 months prior to the cruise.  You never know.  I might add both started as Wait Listed which we placed a deposit on. 

Edited February 22 by EJL2023

[Snaefell3]

On 2/21/2024 at 8:17 AM, taiwan_girl said:

So what is the purpose of booking a room via GUARANTEE?  Is it just the hope that you will be upgraded to a better category?

Guarantee bookings are bookings offered to fill holes left by cancellations.  O doesn't actually have a cabin for you in that category, but they are confident that someone will cancel --they "always do"-- and you'll get their cabin.

 

*You* book a guarantee because you really want to go on that voyage in that category and that's all that's left.

 

When fewer folks cancel than a cruise line expects, then other folks get better and better "move up", "move over" (to another voyage), or even "move down" offers to open up a cabin for you.  When that doesn't work, you get moved up for free, or if there are no "ups" available, a "so sorry" letter a couple weeks out. 

 

[babysteps]

57 minutes ago, Snaefell3 said:

or if there are no "ups" available, a "so sorry" letter a couple weeks out. 

Has this happened to anyone on O? If so I'd feel less sanguine about booking a guarantee... 

[ORV]

9 minutes ago, babysteps said:

Has this happened to anyone on O? If so I'd feel less sanguine about booking a guarantee... 

None that anyone can document or source. Sounds good in a made-up scenario though. 

[Snaefell3]

3 hours ago, babysteps said:

Has this happened to anyone on O? If so I'd feel less sanguine about booking a guarantee... 

Call it "vanishingly rare, but possible" on any line.  O has fewer bookings than Carnival or NCL, so O hasn't been jammed up (yet) by a bad cancellation prediction followed by no takers on Plans "B", "C", or "D", followed by no cabins to implement Plan "E" (giving a free upgrade to a GTY).

 

If you wish to worry, though, O employs fallible human beings just like RCI -- apparently no one noticed ahead of time that they were overbooked and Quantum of the Seas found herself handing out 7 "so sorry" letters dockside in Brisbane last November 30th.

 

[babysteps]

6 hours ago, Snaefell3 said:

Call it "vanishingly rare, but possible" on any line.  O has fewer bookings than Carnival or NCL, so O hasn't been jammed up (yet) by a bad cancellation prediction followed by no takers on Plans "B", "C", or "D", followed by no cabins to implement Plan "E" (giving a free upgrade to a GTY).

 

If you wish to worry, though, O employs fallible human beings just like RCI -- apparently no one noticed ahead of time that they were overbooked and Quantum of the Seas found herself handing out 7 "so sorry" letters dockside in Brisbane last November 30th.

 

Thanks for the clarification. Theoretically possible but hasn't yet happened.

 

Agree O overall is about as fallible as other lines but they all have their weaknesses (and strengths). Imo O structures guarantees differently than many other lines. Based on my limited experience O air services customers worse than industry while O guarantee risk seems lower... 

[shepherd really]

10 minutes ago, babysteps said:

Theoretically possible but hasn't yet happened.

 

In theory there is no difference between theory and practice, but in practice there is.

 

6 hours ago, Snaefell3 said:

Call it "vanishingly rare, but possible" on any line.  O has fewer bookings than Carnival or NCL, so O hasn't been jammed up (yet) by a bad cancellation prediction followed by no takers on Plans "B", "C", or "D", followed by no cabins to implement Plan "E" (giving a free upgrade to a GTY).

 

If you wish to worry, though, O employs fallible human beings just like RCI -- apparently no one noticed ahead of time that they were overbooked and Quantum of the Seas found herself handing out 7 "so sorry" letters dockside in Brisbane last November 30th.

 

A thing that has never happened is not vanishingly rare, it is nonexistent.   It is utterly absurd to pretend otherwise.