Just curious

[BlackJack2]

Just curious - Three days ago I checked the cabin availability on our cruise in December. It showed multiple cabins available in most categories. Today, the cruise is sold out. Does HAL really sell that many cabins, for one sailing, in a couple of days?

[CruiserBruce]

Possibly, thru deals with TAs, but it probably means GUAR cabins are being assigned, upgrades and upsells being completed, and waiting lists are being cleared.

[bet410]

I think they put them on "hold" as they shift people around.

 

We had a similar experience on our Grand Voyage. We kept watching and suddenly all the deluxe verandahs had disappeared. We were really disappointed because we'd booked very early and were hoping for an upgrade/upsell from a verandah to a deluxe verandah. About three weeks before sailing, we were offered a very reasonable upsell to a deluxe verandah, and we even had a choice of four different rooms!

 

On our upcoming world cruise, we're watching the deluxe verandahs also. I've seen it change from day to day. One day there were no deluxes available at all. A few days later there were seven available!

 

Bottom line - check back in a few days and see if things have changed.

[jtl513]

While it may have looked like multiple cabins were available in most categories three days ago, you have no way of knowing how many guarantees there were for them. All you were seeing was how many had not yet been specifically selected by anyone.

 

The same thing happened on our recent Veendam cruise. For months most of the cabins of our type around us were available, and "overnight" they were all filled.

[Susie51]

Check again. Sometimes there is a glitch.

[1cruiselvr]

This is common. HAL is working on your cruise inventory status. When they are finished, some category/cabins will open again. Happy Sailing!

[travel123456]

This happened today on my Dec 31 cruise...This morning had lots of "available cabins in verandah and above...now all the non suite cabins are gone.and the cheapest of those suites are now gone too. Pushing the higher dollar cabins now...I wonder if we will still have to wait until mid Dec to get our assignment?

[jtl513]

I wonder if we will still have to wait until mid Dec to get our assignment?

IMO it really doesn't matter much whether a cruise is sold out or selling poorly, most of the assignments will still be done in the last three weeks. This is because they have to first take care of the cruises before yours, each of them in the last three weeks.

 

One of our cruises was sold out two months in advance, and we got our assignment at 11 days out,

[1cruiselvr]

I have a theory that the gty cabins are actually 'assigned' in HAL's system before the 3 week mark. But they don't finalize them until 3 weeks or less. When finalized, then we get notification of our assignment or can see online on HAL's website. Just because we don't see them, doesn't mean HAL hasn't assigned a cabin to the booking. Just a theory of mine for what it's worth. Everyone assumes because we can't see it, the cabin must not be assigned yet. Food for thought anyway. Happy Sailing!

[travel123456]

Sold out as of today...I know I won't find out my assignment for a few weeks, but it is still kinda exciting to know that they may be working on them...even if they don't release them to the public!

 

I wonder if it is totally done by computer or if there are people who actually go through the travel agent's notes and assign based upon linked cabins etc...

 

I can't imagine what booking must have been like before all the online paperwork...What a mess and I imagine it took a long time to sort things out...or maybe a giant ship chart with post it's to determine which room you got...want an upgrade....move the post it note!!!:)

 

 

I still remember our dining assignments for our first cruise...written in pencil so they could move us around.

[1cruiselvr]

Whether done by computer or by person, I know they take into account linked bookings because we just traveled with another couple. We linked our bookings for dining and we ended up next door to each other. We had gty bookings. Happy Sailing!