Question - do a lot of cabins get released after final payment?

[Baby_Bear]

Hi, so I'm looking at an RCL cruise in August, no bookings made as yet. Its approaching final payment date (90 day window) in the next few days. In our desired category, we are not crazy about the locations of what's currently showing as available, just one JS in a good area close to the elevators, etc. That got me wondering if more cabins may open up as we go past final payment date, in case people who have deposits down change their plans, etc. Just curious as to what people have seen.

 

2-3 years back, we had put a deposit down on a Costa cruise in the Med (think it was the year before the Concordia). By final payment date, our plans had changed as we now had other family members who wanted to join and the majority vote was for a land-based trip so we we got our deposit back in full. My TA had commented that she saw a lot of that but didn't really elaborate what a lot meant. I've never had that happen after, so I assume the rule is still the same. Are there usually a lot of cancellations?

[Clarea]

Yes, there are cancellations at final payment date, we've had to do it ourselves. I'd guess that is one of the reasons some prices drop at that point.

[Baby_Bear]

Thanks Bob. Do the cancellations usually show up immediately, i.e., the day after final payment? Or a few days after? I was wondering when would be a good time to look for possible additional openings in our category.

[Clarea]

Thanks Bob. Do the cancellations usually show up immediately, i.e., the day after final payment? Or a few days after? I was wondering when would be a good time to look for possible additional openings in our category.

A cancelled stateroom shows up immediately. Also, not all people will cancel on final payment day. I'd start looking a week or two before final payment date.

[Life is Good Cruising]

Thanks Bob. Do the cancellations usually show up immediately, i.e., the day after final payment? Or a few days after? I was wondering when would be a good time to look for possible additional openings in our category.

 

The cancellations can show up at any time, even a week or days before your sail date. A cabin could pop up in the am and be gone in the pm or gone in an hour. I would check Royal's website daily, you can do a mock booking for open cabins.

[MADflyer]

You may be aware of this, but many are not.....

 

Most websites including RCI's own only show a maximum of 15 cabins at a time.

 

By going to change my stateroom, selecting the correct category and search cabin by cabin, you will often find many more cabins not showing in the initial search.