How full is a cruise.

[dunrobbin]

G'day,

When you go into book a Royal Caribbean cruise, even in 2026, they only show a couple of cabins on only a couple of different decks being available.

Any one know why?

Is there a way to see how full cruise ships are at any time?

Thanks Robby

 

 

[Tree_skier]

They hold back inventory 

[dunrobbin]

22 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

They hold back inventory 

So they very possibly have hundreds of rooms, but are just showing a few so you think you better grab one quick smart?  Very sneaky....

[Tree_skier]

3 minutes ago, dunrobbin said:

So they very possibly have hundreds of rooms, but are just showing a few so you think you better grab one quick smart?  Very sneaky....

I mean it is possible that some cruise out into 2026 are filling up fast but I suspect that that is not the case. That being said, most pricing lately seems only to be going up.  You're most likely going to get the best price the earlier you book.

[jennellen]

Also don't TA get block of rooms?  Or maybe they don't have specific rooms but so many per category?  I know my TA will give me a list of so many per category that she has available.  On recent one she didn't have any more balconies but had all other categories.  It may just be how she runs her business because she's always putting groups together of her clients.

 

[Biker19]

2 hours ago, dunrobbin said:

Is there a way to see how full cruise ships are at any time?

Not really. Toward the end of the selling cycle the sailing could be pulled altogether meaning that it's full enough that RCI doesn't want to sell any more cabins.

[SUgwoz]

13 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Not really. Toward the end of the selling cycle the sailing could be pulled altogether meaning that it's full enough that RCI doesn't want to sell any more cabins.

I was curious on this part, as I saw 2 weeks prior to a sailing as many as 70-100+ cabins were unsold.  Then suddenly the sailing was no longer available for booking. Didn't see how they filled all those cabins even if they offered comps.

[OCSC Mike]

19 minutes ago, jennellen said:

Or maybe they don't have specific rooms but so many per category?

 

This. When you book a group rate room you can pick from anything available in that category.

[Biker19]

44 minutes ago, SUgwoz said:

Didn't see how they filled all those cabins even if they offered comps.

It may not be comps but many unassigned GTY cabins. Also, the loss of cabins may be temporary and some could come back later. Inventory management happens all the time. 

[Ourusualbeach]

6 hours ago, jennellen said:

Also don't TA get block of rooms?  Or maybe they don't have specific rooms but so many per category?  I know my TA will give me a list of so many per category that she has available.  On recent one she didn't have any more balconies but had all other categories.  It may just be how she runs her business because she's always putting groups together of her clients.

 

TA's do hold space. Not rooms, and Royal will hold back a certain amount of cabins to honor that commitment. 

[CruisingWalter]

15 hours ago, dunrobbin said:

So they very possibly have hundreds of rooms, but are just showing a few so you think you better grab one quick smart?  Very sneaky....

 

Travel Agencies may also be holding blocks of cabins, those won't be released until they are either released by the travel agencies or final payment date.  All cruise lines will hold back at least a few categories, especially for cruises that are on sale a year or more out. As categories start to fill in, more will open up. 

[Engineroom Snipe]

The latest financial report states that they have had 107% occupancy averages. I have watched cruises at near maximum life boat capacity over the first quarter.

 

I cannot find information about how many three and four passengers per cabin on a specific cruise. A ship can be near total life boat capacity with many empty rooms.

 

Example: Vision of the Seas

 

1018 staterooms

 

2,443 maximum passenger capacity

 

2,036 double capacity, 100% occumpancy

 

Their are 407 more passenger spaces available to maximum capacity.

 

If 1/4 of the staterooms have four people in a cabin: (Mom, Dad, and two young children)

About 254 staterooms and 1016 passengers.

 

If 1/4 of the staterooms have three people in a cabin: (Friends and Family trying to split costs).

About 254 staterooms with 762 passengers.

 

If the rest of the staterooms are double occupancy, Only about 332 cabins are needed to obtain maximum ship capacity.

 

There are 178 empty staterooms because the ship cannot exceed maximum passenger capacity.

 

 

Before any one attacks me for my suppositions because the "Vision of the Seas" does not attract families like say, an Oasis class, think again.

 

It sails out of Baltimore on a 9 day cruise this August with a "Kids Sail Free" tag. Its price is significantly lower than Oasis class during the same time period from Bayonne.

 

Families can drive to Baltimore from a very large geographic area and avoid flight costs, security  hassles, and baggage costs.

 

So a ship can easily sail at maximum capacity and have a significant amount of cabins empty.