Getting a "good" cabin

[AutumnSky]

I've heard many people write that they book their cruises as soon as they are announced so that they have their choice of cabins. I was just looking at some 2019 cruises, and there are no more cabins listed than for 2018 cruises. AND, they are not what I would call the desirable ones. How does one choose a premium spot if those cabins are not shown? Just curious. Thank you!

[Krazy Kruizers]

HAL has probably not decided which cabins they are going to turn over to "brokers" to sell.

More cabins should open up as 2019 gets closer.

[ellieanne]

I find that the selection shown on the HAL website does not match up with what travel agents can see or what the HAL cruise consultants can see. I always book my cruises either with the Future Cruise Consultant or with a travel agent, who calls HAL directly. I have never had a problem getting my preferred cabin, but then again, maybe my preferred cabin is not anyone else's, so I could just be lucky that way.

[CruiserBruce]

If you are talking about what you can see on the HAL website, like other cruise lines, what is visible on the website is rarely everything. If you have an idea what cabin you want, use the option to pick your cabin, and see what happens. Otherwise, you are stuck with either working with HAL, or a TA.

[AutumnSky]

Thank you all for your replies. While booking a previous cruise, my TA was able to see available cabins that did not show on the website. This time, we were seeing the same thing. Interestingly, I was just looking at a similar cruise on Princess, and it appears that all the cabins are showing. Some say "sold" and the others have the cabin numbers, but none of them are left blank like on HAL. I prefer to see all the cabins, but I can see where the cruise line might not like the public to know how many are sold. I guess I feel that when HAL only shows a few at a time that I may or may not be getting the best of what's left.

[OVgirl]

You also have the option to type in a specific cabin number to see if it is available.

[ellieanne]

I guess I feel that when HAL only shows a few at a time that I may or may not be getting the best of what's left.

 

When I was checking which cabins were available for my brother's guarantee cabin for our cruise, I noticed that HAL's website only shows 10 cabins in each category in each section of the ship (forward, midship, aft), so at most there will only be 30 cabins of any category on each deck, even if there are more than 30 in a particular cabins unsold. Checking over several days showed that the 10 cabins in each section could change each time you checked unsold cabins, but there were never more than 10 shown as available on the website.

[DaveOKC]

When I was checking which cabins were available for my brother's guarantee cabin for our cruise, I noticed that HAL's website only shows 10 cabins in each category in each section of the ship (forward, midship, aft), so at most there will only be 30 cabins of any category on each deck, even if there are more than 30 in a particular cabins unsold. Checking over several days showed that the 10 cabins in each section could change each time you checked unsold cabins, but there were never more than 10 shown as available on the website.

 

Yes, thats basically how HAL does it. As already mentioned by another poster, if you want to check a specific cabin you can do so on the site.

 

I have also noticed that HAL will "highlight" one of the weaker cabin locations (IMO) in a category, to sort of push you towards booking that one. Of course, we all have different ideas on which location is better than another, so its really a job that you have to do for yourself.

[OlsSalt]

......

I have also noticed that HAL will "highlight" one of the weaker cabin locations (IMO) in a category, to sort of push you towards booking that one. Of course, we all have different ideas on which location is better than another, so its really a job that you have to do for yourself.

 

I wonder if this just happened to us -we got the "last" cabin, in our category on our preferred deck, on an upcoming Sept 18 Westerdam cruise according to the PCC and the HAL website. Then researching this particular cabin number, it appears not to be very desirable according to a prior passenger - mechanical hum from equipment across the hall and chair scraping from above.

 

Makes me wonder if some other reservation route might find other cabins are still available. Thanks for the insights. We always booked guarantee and usually got attractive upsell offers so our overall cabin experience has been good.

 

But on a few past cruises, we have gotten some undesirable clinkers, which made us now choose a cabin one upfront. However now that we are new to this game of choosing the cabin up front we learn there were none to choose from. For Sept?

 

More to learn about this. For the record we have had cabins subject to mechanical hum and chair scraping and it was not the end of the world so these features are not deal breakers, but since this is the first time we actively chose a cabin up front - we obviously did not get to work are way around these drawbacks since there were no other choices.

 

It was our last guarantee experience that put us directly over the Ocean Bar on the Maasdam that scared us away from ever relying on guarantees again - we were changed but it was just lucky another cabin was available at the last minute due to a no-show.

[RocketMan275]

I don't pay much attention to what HAL website indicates are available cabins. I pick the one I want and tell my TA the number of the cabin I want. She usually finds it to be available despite what the website says.

 

And, yes, the one time we booked on board, we could see the cruise consultants computer screen. Almost every cabin on the deck we wanted was shown as available. From home, the HAL website showed far fewer cabins. I truly doubt all those cabins sold in three days.

[sail7seas]

Call your PCC in a few days and tell him/her you are uneasy about that cabin and wish you had a choic of a few. If they say no more available, say, Hmm, well, maybe if you keep checking something may free up and you can grab it for me. Call again 3-4 days later. Amazing things might happen. Nothing to lose by trying. Some times a litttle nudge can be helpful for them not taking one for granted. :rolleyes:

Edited January 27, 2018 by sail7seas

[cvpends]

I am usually someone who fixates on getting a "good" cabin, but once I booked a last minute cruise on Maasdam, and was assigned what appeared to be the "worst" cabin on the ship, and it was WONDERFUL and we had a fantastic cruise. So now, I still enjoy fixating on such things, but certainly never stress over it. That said, next to the cabin attendant's locker is never good ;)

[sail7seas]

I often read here HAL ships are sailing full. HAL's system of displaying (or not) showing available cab ins makes i appear as thougfh they have the much d sired sold out ship for most sailings. I I don't think that is why they have this system but it is a 'side benefit'. It makes people feel so lucky they 'got' a cab in. :)

[Ask4Jay]

My hat is off to you, AutumnSky for your moderation. You are looking for a good cabin. Not the Best, just good. That’s is so refreshing. Most requests are just for the best .

[OlsSalt]

I am usually someone who fixates on getting a "good" cabin, but once I booked a last minute cruise on Maasdam, and was assigned what appeared to be the "worst" cabin on the ship, and it was WONDERFUL and we had a fantastic cruise. So now, I still enjoy fixating on such things, but certainly never stress over it. That said, next to the cabin attendant's locker is never good ;)

 

What tells you on the deck plan that it is next to the cabin attendent's locker -do you mean side by side or across the hall?

 

BTW - Claire- grew up in CV and CV grew up with me -1943 -1961

[sail7seas]

What tells you on the deck plan that it is next to the cabin attendent's locker -do you mean side by side or across the hall?

 

BTW - Claire- grew up in CV and CV grew up with me -1943 -1961

 

 

HUH ?:confused:

[cvpends]

What tells you on the deck plan that it is next to the cabin attendent's locker -do you mean side by side or across the hall?

 

BTW - Claire- grew up in CV and CV grew up with me -1943 -1961

Howdy, ex-Castro Valleyite! I have a feeling that CV is nothing like it was in 1943, or even 1961. But it is still a decent place, in general.

 

I have learned to research any white space on deck plans that is next to a cabin I am considering. I look here on Cruise Critic and I use google. This caution is drawn from my experience on the Carnival Splendor a bunch of years ago, when our cabin steward started banging stuff around in his closet at o'dark-thirty in the morning. Sometimes the white space isn't bad. For example, once we were next to the closet that stores the carts they use to get luggage on and off ships. It was only used the first and last days, so no worries. I am not really that picky. I have been under the gym (previous occupants complained about hearing the machines and weights, but they didn't bother me), across from laundry rooms, and have even survived the our-friend-the-anchor-screeching-noise experience on the Celebrity Millennium, forward cabin 7002. But I do now draw the line at cabin stewards' closets next to my cabin.

[AutumnSky]

My hat is off to you, AutumnSky for your moderation. You are looking for a good cabin. Not the Best, just good. That’s is so refreshing. Most requests are just for the best .

 

LOL! Thank you! I'm not sure which would be the "BEST", but I probably wouldn't want to pay for it!

[AutumnSky]

You also have the option to type in a specific cabin number to see if it is available.

 

How do you do that? I just tried, and I can't delete the cabin number in the box or add to it.

[AutumnSky]

I often read here HAL ships are sailing full. HAL's system of displaying (or not) showing available cab ins makes i appear as thougfh they have the much d sired sold out ship for most sailings. I I don't think that is why they have this system but it is a 'side benefit'. It makes people feel so lucky they 'got' a cab in. :)

 

Yes, the feeling is "Wow, we just made it!" The cruise we just booked had maybe 10 aft cabins showing on the one deck. Now, just a couple of days later, there are just three cabins showing on the whole deck--aft, mid, and forward. It'll be interesting to check it in another few days and see how it stands. Maybe the cruise is getting full. I'd be surprised, though, since it's eight months out.