Anyone else watch "available cabins"??

[SakeDad]

I have a new twisted hobby. I watch available cabins "above" my level and hope for an upgrade fairy (or even a fair upsell offer from HAL). Tonight I even went to the week before me and saw they have more available then my week (can't go then but hope it means HAL will try to get rid of upper cabins on my week earlier)

 

How much would YOU pay for an upgrade? The next level gets me concierge/Neptune level! How accurate is this site that shows "available" cabins blinking?? Anyone else play this game? How's it worked for you so far?

THANKS:)

[Steamboatin]

What web site are you refering to?

 

Give a link.

 

Otherwise have no idea of what you are talking about in reference to blinking lights for available cabins.

 

Clueless in Big Easy

[jjb415]

Me too, blinking lights? I'm anxious to hear the scoop.

[sk8teacher]

If you go to Travelocity and select cruises, then work your way through as though you were going to book a cruise, once you have selected your category, it will show a deck plan with "available" staterooms indicated by a flashing square next to it.

 

Cheers,

[gizmo]

The site is accurate. It will show all cabins that are booked and cabins that TA's put holds on will also show as booked.

[canadagal]

I played the game on my last cruise and a week before the sail date noticed there were cabins available and asked my TA to notify Hal and see what they would offer. Received a reply before the end of the day. We bought an upgrade for $399.00 per person going from an SS to a SB. We had paid for a SZ guarantee and were placed in an SS. Hal also offered the SA for $449.00 but I wanted the aft cabin so we went for the SB and it was well worth every penny. We thought it was a real steal.

[hammybee]

The site is accurate. It will show all cabins that are booked and cabins that TA's put holds on will also show as booked.

 

No travel agency knows all cabins available as this is information propriety to the cruise line. This would be akin to showing your hand in a game of poker.

 

What some agencies do know however, are which cabins are available, given the block they or an affiliate has outright purchased or bought an option on.

[gizmo]

No travel agency knows all cabins available as this is information propriety to the cruise line. This would be akin to showing your hand in a game of poker.

 

What some agencies do know however, are which cabins are available, given the block they or an affiliate has outright purchased or bought an option on.

 

What we are talking about are cabins that are available to book. This site shows them ALL. The majority of internet sites only show about 11 cabins of the selected category.

 

My guess is that if an agency is holding a block it would probably not show up. If the agency releases them, they will show up.

 

I can say that if it is available on Hal's site, it show up on the site we are discussing.

[jtl513]

The site is accurate. It will show all cabins that are booked and cabins that TA's put holds on will also show as booked.

 

What we are talking about are cabins that are available to book. This site shows them ALL. The majority of internet sites only show about 11 cabins of the selected category.

 

My guess is that if an agency is holding a block it would probably not show up. If the agency releases them, they will show up.

 

I can say that if it is available on Hal's site, it show up on the site we are discussing.

Whenever I've looked at T-city, both for HAL and another line, it usually only shows me six. Sometimes five, and occasionally seven, show up, and usually they are mostly together. I can't believe that "all" available cabins are being shown.

[hammybee]

What we are talking about are cabins that are available to book. This site shows them ALL. The majority of internet sites only show about 11 cabins of the selected category.

 

My guess is that if an agency is holding a block it would probably not show up. If the agency releases them, they will show up.

 

I can say that if it is available on Hal's site, it show up on the site we are discussing.

 

If this were true, then this site would be showing thousands of available cabins, by number, for each future sail. This is not the case. The only entity that knows with certainty, which cabins are available, is the cruise line.

 

Blocks are not usually unique to the travel agency. The same cabins show up on many different web sites, having access to the same block.

[hammybee]

For fun, I just checked the 1/8/08 sailing of the Oosterdam. It shows 6 SA's being available and 34 unavailable. I went to another site that I will not mention because mentioning specific websites is against the CC rules, and I found some of the cabins listed as unavailable on the first site, as being available.

[SakeDad]

Seems like the best plan is see what's showing a week or less before sailing and "making an offer" to HAL to upgrade. We'll see how that works. THANKS:)

[hammybee]

Seems like the best plan is see what's showing a week or less before sailing and "making an offer" to HAL to upgrade. We'll see how that works. THANKS:)

 

I do know that 4185 is still available on your cruise so watch this one.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Seems like the best plan is see what's showing a week or less before sailing and "making an offer" to HAL to upgrade. We'll see how that works. THANKS:)

 

Qualification: The following is meant to be a friendly remark. I only mention this because I don't want my statement to be misconstrued.

 

The best plan if you are looking for a particular cabin, location, or category, is to book and pay for it. It seems that many people book a guarantee hoping that they will get the "magical" upgrade or upsell offer and get a "bargain" or a "steal". The bottom line is this: don't get a guarantee if you're not going to be happy with that particular category of cabin, nor should you purchase what you consider a "lesser" cabin in the hope that you will be able to "upgrade" in some fashion. It might happen, but it's a gambling proposition. If you can handle the uncertainty, and don't mind where you might end up, then go for it.

 

Wishing you well.

 

Karin

[SakeDad]

Karin,

I couldn't agree more! I am booked in an SS GTY and will be happy with any of the cabin assignments I get. But as I booked rather late there were no SS cabins to assign, they only had 8 SS GTY spaces left. But seeing as there are still 4 SC, 6 SB and 6 SA showing available as of today I am hoping that those will be offered to those of us in SS GTY first. Then they can upgrade SY to SS and so on. But I did book SS knowing I would be very happy with any of those if the Upgrade Fairy ignores me this trip, THANKS:)

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Karin,

I couldn't agree more! I am booked in an SS GTY and will be happy with any of the cabin assignments I get. But as I booked rather late there were no SS cabins to assign, they only had 8 SS GTY spaces left. But seeing as there are still 4 SC, 6 SB and 6 SA showing available as of today I am hoping that those will be offered to those of us in SS GTY first. Then they can upgrade SY to SS and so on. But I did book SS knowing I would be very happy with any of those if the Upgrade Fairy ignores me this trip, THANKS:)

 

Good luck to you and your mom; hopefully the "Upgrade Fairy" will look on you kindly and sprinkle some of her magical dust upon your booking. Bon Voyage in May! Hoping you will post a review here upon your return, along with some of your photos.....:)

 

Karin

[Schplinky]

I watch the available rooms religiously. We move if something better comes up. That's how we got a corner aft on Freedom of the Seas! That blacony was so huge, I don't know why they don't charge more!

[cruisecrazytoo]

No travel agency knows all cabins available as this is information propriety to the cruise line. This would be akin to showing your hand in a game of poker.

 

What some agencies do know however, are which cabins are available, given the block they or an affiliate has outright purchased or bought an option on.

 

So, if you book with that agency, are you later available for a courtesy upgrade out of that 'BLOCK'? :p

[cruisecrazytoo]

If this were true, then this site would be showing thousands of available cabins, by number, for each future sail. This is not the case. The only entity that knows with certainty, which cabins are available, is the cruise line.

 

Blocks are not usually unique to the travel agency. The same cabins show up on many different web sites, having access to the same block.

 

Last month, we booked Oosterdam inside N GTY for 5-19-07. Could not find N cat on many other websites. Q1. Any thoughts of what this means regarding, upgrading into other cats or not moving out of cat N?;)

[hammybee]

So, if you book with that agency, are you later available for a courtesy upgrade out of that 'BLOCK'? :p

 

I have no idea. The best way to get the category/cabin you want is to book it. The Upgrade Fairy is not reliable.

[CoconutFish]

Last cruise we started watching the cabins available on one online cruise website, because with a guarentee booking we were curious to see if we would be assigned one of the cabins designated "available". Or does it work some other way?

 

One month out all the cabin availability information disappeared from the website, but we had a list of the last "avalable" cabins. All 4 of the guarentees to which we were privy were assigned cabins from that "available" list.

[LMac]

If you go to Travelocity and select cruises, then work your way through as though you were going to book a cruise, once you have selected your category, it will show a deck plan with "available" staterooms indicated by a flashing square next to it.

 

Cheers,

 

 

And if you go to Travelocity, and your cruise isn't listed, does that mean it is sold out?