QV Guarantees Only

[daisybel]

Oz bookings opened up for WC members  at 10.00 pm. ( strange time) only 1 cabin left in QG - it was a guarantee  but managed to secure . Did the rest of the World open up for bookings much earlier ???

[bluemarble]

14 minutes ago, daisybel said:

Oz bookings opened up for WC members  at 10.00 pm. ( strange time) only 1 cabin left in QG - it was a guarantee  but managed to secure . Did the rest of the World open up for bookings much earlier ???

 

Bookings for CWC members opened up on May 24th at 1:00pm UK time, 8:00am on the US East Coast, 5:00am on the US West Coast. If I have it figured correctly, that should have been May 24th at 10:00pm in the Australian Eastern Time Zone.

 

Bookings for non-CWC members opened one day later, May 25th, at those same times.

[bluemarble]

12 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

There's an irony!  That was my first choice trip and I pre registered with a top UK cruise specialist agent who on open if sailings was told waitlist only for an OV.  If I'd gotten that reservations I wouldn't be looking at the Queen Elizabeth Melbourne/Tokyo.

 

Oh, that is bad luck. To complete the picture for QE, I'm seeing only two of the 39 newly announced QE voyages restricted to accepting only guarantee bookings throughout the entire ship at this time. Here are those two QE voyages.

 

Melbourne To Tokyo, 31 Nights (Q410B)

Japan Grand Voyage, 19 Nights (Q416B)

[daisybel]

Interesting - I booked on may 24 a second after 10.00 pm and no choice in QG except for a Q6 -just one cabin. In the past always plenty on offer for the Syd/Hkg leg and I would also say much lower in price . I guess already heavily booked due to transfers from 2021 and 2022 WC cancellations We we’re booked on same leg 2022 and we’re never approached by Cunard to see if we would like to be considered for 2023.2024 . We are loyal Diamond but don’t think that matters ???

[Wordzz]

I've had an email today allocating our cabin, and, whilst not necessarily the precise one we would have chosen, it's near enough for us to be happy with it.

 

Out of interest I just did a dummy booking for our cruise to see if they had released all the cabins, and it seems there is now limited possibility to select, but only the area (e.g. mid-aft, mid-forward, etc.), not specific cabins - and it would seem it's not possible to select midships (I was looking at balcony cabins).

 

I still think it's an odd way of doing things, and doesn't quite fit with the 'choice of stateroom' benefit that is billed as a perk of booking the full Cunard Fare.

[bluemarble]

2 hours ago, Wordzz said:

I've had an email today allocating our cabin, and, whilst not necessarily the precise one we would have chosen, it's near enough for us to be happy with it.

 

Out of interest I just did a dummy booking for our cruise to see if they had released all the cabins, and it seems there is now limited possibility to select, but only the area (e.g. mid-aft, mid-forward, etc.), not specific cabins - and it would seem it's not possible to select midships (I was looking at balcony cabins).

 

I still think it's an odd way of doing things, and doesn't quite fit with the 'choice of stateroom' benefit that is billed as a perk of booking the full Cunard Fare.

 

Good to hear they have started assigning guarantees for your voyage, @Wordzz.

 

I see your Southampton to Auckland voyage is sold out for the Grills and Britannia Club. All the other grades are indeed still only bookable on a guarantee basis.

 

As someone steeped in cabin category codes, I'm still not entirely acclimated to the location system the Cunard website started using with its upgrade a few years ago. In the case of your voyage, for a Britannia Balcony, I am offered the choice of "Fwd", "Fwd/Aft", "Mid-Fwd/Mid-Aft" and "Mid-Fwd/Mid/Mid-Aft" locations rather than category codes.

 

A bit of detective work determines those location choices for your voyage will result in guarantee bookings for these category codes.

Fwd = Category BF

Fwd/Aft = Category BE

Mid-Fwd/Mid-Aft = Category BC

Mid-Fwd/Mid/Mid-Aft = Category BB

Edited May 27, 2022 by bluemarble

[LadyL1]

Posted earlier on this thread about wishing to reserve a voyage S’ton > SFO in January when onboard. I just looked on the Cunard site: QG still sold out and 2 PG cabins to choose from. One is deck 4 the other deck 8, still at the exorbitant price compared with a few years back. So it seems they do chop and change their policy on different segments over the months. 

Never mind, an airline has our money now instead of Cunard!
 

 

 

 

[Victoria2]

30 minutes ago, bluemarble said:

 

Good to hear they have started assigning guarantees for your voyage, @Wordzz.

 

I see your Southampton to Auckland voyage is sold out for the Grills and Britannia Club. All the other grades are indeed still only bookable on a guarantee basis.

 

As someone steeped in cabin category codes, I'm still not entirely acclimated to the location system the Cunard website started using with its upgrade a few years ago. In the case of your voyage, for a Britannia Balcony, I am offered the choice of "Fwd", "Fwd/Aft", "Mid-Fwd/Mid-Aft" and "Mid-Fwd/Mid/Mid-Aft" locations rather than category codes.

 

A bit of detective work determines those location choices for your voyage will result in guarantee bookings for these category codes.

Fwd = Category BF

Fwd/Aft = Category BE

Mid-Fwd/Mid-Aft = Category BC

Mid-Fwd/Mid/Mid-Aft = Category BB

Just because the grades are shown as Sold Out, doesn't in our experience mean they are. It usually has meant the cabins aren't on release for that particular sector.

 

For instance,  QV '24 H'burg to Sydney has QG availability but PG as sold out and yet the full voyage shows both Grills availability.

F.L to S.F is sold out in the Grills and yet there is availability for S'ton to Sydney but sold out S'ton to Auckland.

As one who has kept an eye on W.C sectors over the years, waiting for our grade to be released for our sectors, availability sometimes comes and goes which could suggest it seems to be a Cunard way of restricting the release of certain cabins.

 

 

[Megabear2]

14 hours ago, bluemarble said:

 

Oh, that is bad luck. To complete the picture for QE, I'm seeing only two of the 39 newly announced QE voyages restricted to accepting only guarantee bookings throughout the entire ship at this time. Here are those two QE voyages.

 

Melbourne To Tokyo, 31 Nights (Q410B)

Japan Grand Voyage, 19 Nights (Q416B)

I've revisited this today and looked as you mentioned at the before and after cruises to get an idea of availability.  I noted that there actually doesn't appear to be any room which is available for both voyages so how does an allocation work in that instance?  The rooms available are all forward OVs so limited as far as I can see to 10 on deck 1 and 2 on deck 6.  Am I reading this correctly, please?  I'd be very happy with any of these rooms although the two deck 6 ones look extremely interesting.

 

In light of the rooms not seeming to be free for the entire 31 days do you know how it would work please?

 

I note that the early saver fare is actually showing it as changeable now - the website looks a little different to the other day.

 

I'm now seriously thinking of committing in the next day or two but due to both fare type stating front as the only option wonder how Cunard would deal with either fare.

[bluemarble]

2 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

I've revisited this today and looked as you mentioned at the before and after cruises to get an idea of availability.  I noted that there actually doesn't appear to be any room which is available for both voyages so how does an allocation work in that instance?  The rooms available are all forward OVs so limited as far as I can see to 10 on deck 1 and 2 on deck 6.  Am I reading this correctly, please?  I'd be very happy with any of these rooms although the two deck 6 ones look extremely interesting.

 

In light of the rooms not seeming to be free for the entire 31 days do you know how it would work please?

 

I note that the early saver fare is actually showing it as changeable now - the website looks a little different to the other day.

 

I'm now seriously thinking of committing in the next day or two but due to both fare type stating front as the only option wonder how Cunard would deal with either fare.

 

All of the outside cabins on deck 1 are Oceanview. Those are categories EF, EC and EB. I think you were looking only at the EF category cabins forward on deck 1 when you came up with your count of 10 Oceanview cabins on deck 1. By my count there are a total of 74 Oceanview cabins on deck 1 including forward (EF), mid-forward (EC), midships (EB) and mid-aft (EC).

 

Here are the Oceanview cabins I am seeing which are currently available on both the 21-night Melbourne to Tokyo cruise and the following 10-night Japan Circumnavigation cruise.

 

Deck 1 Mid-Fwd (Category EC)

1016

1026

1036

1046

1047

 

Deck 1 Midships (Category EB)

1056

1057

1067

1070

1081

1086

1087

 

Deck 1 Mid-Aft (Category EC)

1093

1101

 

The least expensive of these choices would be any of the cabins in category EC, either Mid-Fwd or Mid-Aft.

 

If you wanted to go with the least expensive alternative of all for an Oceanview cabin, that would be the category EF cabins forward on Deck 1. But as you have noticed, in that case you would need to book a different cabin for each segment. For the Melbourne-Tokyo segment, the only EF cabins available are 1004, 1006 and 1010. For the Tokyo Circumnavigation segment, the only EF cabins available are 1005 and 1007.

 

I have booked consecutive segments like this many times (on QM2) but have always booked the same cabin for each segment. Many folks here have booked consecutive segments in different cabins and have reported the process of changing cabins on turnaround day is pretty easy. The room stewards will assist with the cabin change.

 

Regardless of whether you book the same cabin or different cabins, when you check in at Melbourne you will be given a keycard that is valid for only the first segment. But never fear, you won't have to go through the entire check-in process again at the terminal in Tokyo. You will get your keycard for the second segment from the Purser's Desk on board the ship on the morning of turn-around day in Tokyo or perhaps the evening before if you aren't changing cabins. In Tokyo you will scan off the ship using your old keycard for the first segment and scan back on the ship using the new keycard for the second segment you obtained from the Purser's Deck.

 

One additional note. If you do book the same cabin for both segments, you will probably want to request that your bookings be marked "Do Not Upgrade". That way you won't end up receiving a complimentary upgrade to a different cabin on one segment, defeating the purpose of booking the same cabin for both segments. If you book with a travel agent, they can take care of that for you. If you book directly with Cunard, a call to Cunard customer service will take care of that detail.

 

Hope this helps, and if I can be of any further assistance, I'll be glad to try to answer any additional questions you may have or follow up about any questions I may have left unanswered.

Edited May 28, 2022 by bluemarble

[bluemarble]

5 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

I've revisited this today and looked as you mentioned at the before and after cruises to get an idea of availability.  I noted that there actually doesn't appear to be any room which is available for both voyages so how does an allocation work in that instance?  The rooms available are all forward OVs so limited as far as I can see to 10 on deck 1 and 2 on deck 6.  Am I reading this correctly, please?  I'd be very happy with any of these rooms although the two deck 6 ones look extremely interesting.

 

In light of the rooms not seeming to be free for the entire 31 days do you know how it would work please?

 

I note that the early saver fare is actually showing it as changeable now - the website looks a little different to the other day.

 

I'm now seriously thinking of committing in the next day or two but due to both fare type stating front as the only option wonder how Cunard would deal with either fare.

 

After crunching the numbers on the Cunard UK website, I'd like to suggest taking a big step back to see if it's really worth it for you to book the two separate segments of your voyage just to be able to pick a specific Oceanview cabin. All the figures below are for single occupancy of a standard Oceanview cabin.

 

As you know, in order to pick a specific cabin you will need to choose the higher Cunard Fare over the Early Saver Fare. If I have it figured correctly, in order to be able to pick the same cabin on both segments, your total in a category EC Oceanview cabin at the Cunard Fare will be £9,797.

 

On the other hand, if you choose to book the single 31-night voyage, you can select the Early Saver Fare to book a category EF Oceanview Guarantee. I'm seeing that option priced at £8,573 on the Cunard UK website.

 

It seems to me this second option is the better choice. You save over £1,200 and you are booked on the entire voyage under a single booking so naturally you will be in the same cabin for the entire voyage. Of course you won't be able to pick which Oceanview cabin you will be in. But if it were me, I wouldn't be concerned enough about the specific Oceanview cabin location to justify the extra cost of booking the Cunard Fare on two separate segments versus the Early Saver Fare for a Guarantee booking on the single voyage.

 

And even if you wanted to book the Cunard Fare on the single 31-night voyage to receive the extra perks that provides (such as $180 of onboard spending money and first priority at your preferred dining time even though you can't pick a specific cabin), I think you'll find you will still come out ahead by about £700. It doesn't look to me like choosing the Cunard Fare would be worth it in this case, but I thought I should mention that anyway.

 

Once again, I hope this helps and feel free to follow up with any additional questions this raises.

[Megabear2]

3 hours ago, bluemarble said:

 

After crunching the numbers on the Cunard UK website, I'd like to suggest taking a big step back to see if it's really worth it for you to book the two separate segments of your voyage just to be able to pick a specific Oceanview cabin. All the figures below are for single occupancy of a standard Oceanview cabin.

 

As you know, in order to pick a specific cabin you will need to choose the higher Cunard Fare over the Early Saver Fare. If I have it figured correctly, in order to be able to pick the same cabin on both segments, your total in a category EC Oceanview cabin at the Cunard Fare will be £9,797.

 

On the other hand, if you choose to book the single 31-night voyage, you can select the Early Saver Fare to book a category EF Oceanview Guarantee. I'm seeing that option priced at £8,573 on the Cunard UK website.

 

It seems to me this second option is the better choice. You save over £1,200 and you are booked on the entire voyage under a single booking so naturally you will be in the same cabin for the entire voyage. Of course you won't be able to pick which Oceanview cabin you will be in. But if it were me, I wouldn't be concerned enough about the specific Oceanview cabin location to justify the extra cost of booking the Cunard Fare on two separate segments versus the Early Saver Fare for a Guarantee booking on the single voyage.

 

And even if you wanted to book the Cunard Fare on the single 31-night voyage to receive the extra perks that provides (such as $180 of onboard spending money and first priority at your preferred dining time even though you can't pick a specific cabin), I think you'll find you will still come out ahead by about £700. It doesn't look to me like choosing the Cunard Fare would be worth it in this case, but I thought I should mention that anyway.

 

Once again, I hope this helps and feel free to follow up with any additional questions this raises.

Thank you very much for such full detail.  Your second post is particularly helpful.  On looking at the UK Cunard website for the entire 31 days voyage I was only seeing the very front of the ship, ie the 10 cabins on deck 1 as bookable for that voyage.

 

With the removal of one of my biggest worries today with Japan announcing tourism can start again, albeit only on tours, I have decided it will be safe to commit to the trip.  I have asked my travel agent to sort things for me to help with my confusion.  She has confirmed to me that she too is only seeing the option to purchase what Cunard are describing as "fwd" so I've no idea which grade I'm going to end up in!  I am taking g the Early Saver as you suggested.

 

Thank you very much for your help, it is appreciated.

[bluemarble]

4 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Thank you very much for such full detail.  Your second post is particularly helpful.  On looking at the UK Cunard website for the entire 31 days voyage I was only seeing the very front of the ship, ie the 10 cabins on deck 1 as bookable for that voyage.

 

With the removal of one of my biggest worries today with Japan announcing tourism can start again, albeit only on tours, I have decided it will be safe to commit to the trip.  I have asked my travel agent to sort things for me to help with my confusion.  She has confirmed to me that she too is only seeing the option to purchase what Cunard are describing as "fwd" so I've no idea which grade I'm going to end up in!  I am taking g the Early Saver as you suggested.

 

Thank you very much for your help, it is appreciated.

 

Very good. You are on the ship! As long as you are happy with being assigned any Oceanview cabin (or better), I think you have made the right choice. By booking the lower Early Saver Fare you are probably lower on the totem pole for receiving an "or better" upgrade and you may well end up in one of the forward Oceanview cabins. But since you mentioned earlier about feeling priced out of the market, you can take comfort in knowing you've booked the lowest fare available at the moment that ensures you will be on the ship for the full 31-night voyage in at least an Oceanview.

[Megabear2]

13 minutes ago, bluemarble said:

 

Very good. You are on the ship! As long as you are happy with being assigned any Oceanview cabin (or better), I think you have made the right choice. By booking the lower Early Saver Fare you are probably lower on the totem pole for receiving an "or better" upgrade and you may well end up in one of the forward Oceanview cabins. But since you mentioned earlier about feeling priced out of the market, you can take comfort in knowing you've booked the lowest fare available at the moment that ensures you will be on the ship for the full 31-night voyage in at least an Oceanview.

I have been confirmed!  Now it's the sit and wait game to see where they put me!  I'd also not realised that I had a 5% discount for being Diamond so delighted with a fare of £8,144 plus my flights.

 

I'm hoping there may be an opportunity to add on a couple of nights in Melbourne at some point. I'm also told there is an operational hotel in Tokyo at the end.  I assume that I get an overnight there as a result- I've never had one of those on disembarkation!

 

Once again, thanks for your help, you made me think it was worthwhile!