Sold out Cruise

[leerathje]

We are booked on the Rotterdam on an 11 day South Caribbean cruise on February 4.  About a month ago, I did a dummy booking just for the heck of it, and was SHOCKED to see the price was almost double what we paid.  Today, I went to have another look, and I couldn't even find it...turns out it's sold out!  I guess there goes my chance for an upgrade...

 

Oh well.  Ever since I was a little girl I remember reading about the Leeward Islands, and thinking about how exotic and magical they must be...never in a million years did I ever think I would see them beyone the pages of a National Geographic magazine.  And now I get to see them!  How lucky am I?

 

L.

[QuattroRomeo]

I hope the islands live up to your dreams! Have you chosen excursions?🌴

[LadyBerard]

That's a very nice itinerary.  I  hope you have a wonderful time!

[jakkojakko]

7 hours ago, leerathje said:

........... I guess there goes my chance for an upgrade...

 

 

 

Not necessarily. Unless you are booked in the absolute lowest category an upgrade is always possible. If categories below yours are overbooked they will overflow and subsequently yours is overbooked to. That's when you have a chance for an upgrade.

 

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, jakkojakko said:

 

Not necessarily. Unless you are booked in the absolute lowest category an upgrade is always possible. If categories below yours are overbooked they will overflow and subsequently yours is overbooked to. That's when you have a chance for an upgrade.

 

I would say if you are booked in the absolute lowest category, you have the best chance for upgrade.

 

People seem to spend a lot of time trying to predict these things on very little evidence. Yes, "full" is not supportive of an upgrade, but if you don't know the number of guarantee bookings, what category they are in, (we don't know) what category you are in, etc. There is a tremendous number of things crew sales departments do to get a ship to "full" status.

[yerdua]

The reality is, since you're a month+ out, the cruise may not be truly sold out. HAL could just have closed new bookings while they assign guarantee cabins. You may see the itinerary open back up in a week or two. But if they've raised the price that much the sailing is pretty full. Have a wonderful cruise!

Edited December 13, 2022 by yerdua

[Native Floridian 26]

3 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

I would say if you are booked in the absolute lowest category, you have the best chance for upgrade.

This is true. We like to book an Interior Guarantee and most times are happy with the assignment, often upgraded.

Edited December 13, 2022 by Native Floridian 26

[leerathje]

11 hours ago, QuattroRomeo said:

I hope the islands live up to your dreams! Have you chosen excursions?🌴

 

We have chosen some.  We are also quite independent and are happy to book a cab for a tour.  Most cab drivers generally know all the sights that tourists like to see and, if firm, can negotiate a price we want to pay.

 

L.

 

[0106]

Those on the 2/4 Rotterdam cruise may want to join the roll call.

 

[leerathje]

35 minutes ago, 0106 said:

Those on the 2/4 Rotterdam cruise may want to join the roll call.

 

 

And thankfully, I am on the roll call!

 

L.

 

[electro]

20 hours ago, leerathje said:

We are booked on the Rotterdam on an 11 day South Caribbean cruise on February 4.  About a month ago, I did a dummy booking just for the heck of it, and was SHOCKED to see the price was almost double what we paid.  Today, I went to have another look, and I couldn't even find it...turns out it's sold out!  I guess there goes my chance for an upgrade...

 

Oh well.  Ever since I was a little girl I remember reading about the Leeward Islands, and thinking about how exotic and magical they must be...never in a million years did I ever think I would see them beyone the pages of a National Geographic magazine.  And now I get to see them!  How lucky am I?

 

L.

Are you sure? I was looking for a cruise yesterday and every cruise I choose (different routes and times of year) came up as sold out. Today they are there again. So I am assuming another glitch in HAL's horrible website.

 

ETA: I'm using the Canadian website, maybe the US one is better?

Edited December 13, 2022 by electro

[leerathje]

46 minutes ago, electro said:

Are you sure? I was looking for a cruise yesterday and every cruise I choose (different routes and times of year) came up as sold out. Today they are there again. So I am assuming another glitch in HAL's horrible website.

 

ETA: I'm using the Canadian website, maybe the US one is better?

 

I looked yesterday, and the cruise after ours still showed as space avialable, but I jest went a looked again.  There are only two cruises sold out in February, and the one departing Fort Lauderdale on February 4 is one of them.

 

L.

 

[Greysandy]

FYI, we've actually gotten all of our free upgrades on mostly full ships, including our recent Thanksgiving on the Koningsdam. OV to Veranda or Interior to OV. We did not get a free upgrade on the half empty ship last year.

[Lorabelle]

I am on a sold out Christmas cruise next week, and just received an upgrade offer in my email.  Interior to veranda for $199 pp.  So, upgrades are out there, even on the sold out ships as others have mentioned.  All depends on what cabins they need to fill and if they can get a little more revenue from upgrading some folks. 

[SuperCurmudgeon]

We received an offer to upgrade our Signature Suite to Neptune on the 2nd to last day of our Eastern Caribbean cruise. Clearly something in their system is not working. In hindsight, I'm glad we didn't take it.

 

 

[FlorenceItaly]

28 minutes ago, SuperCurmudgeon said:

We received an offer to upgrade our Signature Suite to Neptune on the 2nd to last day of our Eastern Caribbean cruise. Clearly something in their system is not working. In hindsight, I'm glad we didn't take it.

 

 

What!?  Are you saying you received an upsell email offer for the cruise while on the cruise???

[crystalspin]

1 hour ago, FlorenceItaly said:

What!?  Are you saying you received an upsell email offer for the cruise while on the cruise???

I think @SuperCurmudgeon meant the second to last day before sailing! haha

[Native Floridian 26]

22 hours ago, Greysandy said:

FYI, we've actually gotten all of our free upgrades on mostly full ships, including our recent Thanksgiving on the Koningsdam. OV to Veranda or Interior to OV. We did not get a free upgrade on the half empty ship last year.

Have you gotten upgrades when you have a selected cabin, or just guarantees?

Edited December 15, 2022 by Native Floridian 26

[Crew News]

On 12/13/2022 at 4:37 PM, electro said:

Are you sure? I was looking for a cruise yesterday and every cruise I choose (different routes and times of year) came up as sold out. Today they are there again. So I am assuming another glitch in HAL's horrible website.

 

ETA: I'm using the Canadian website, maybe the US one is better?

When I called HAL Ship's Services today to finalize the numbers for my Meet & Greet, I asked about passenger bookings.  My Dec 28 is sold out with 2446.  Future bookings are "strong" on all HAL cruises.

Edited December 15, 2022 by Crew News

[SuperCurmudgeon]

54 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

I think @SuperCurmudgeon meant the second to last day before sailing! haha

Nope. We received it during our sailing.

[crystalspin]

7 minutes ago, SuperCurmudgeon said:

Nope. We received it during our sailing.

Where's the "WOW" emoticon! 

 

Also, who is going to back up and move for two days, even if it were free?!! 

[oakridger]

1 hour ago, Native Floridian 26 said:

Have you gotten upgrades when you have a selected cabin, or just guarantees?

 

I had an upSELL offer from a selected Signature Suite to a Neptune Suite.  I didn't accept it though because it would have been a couple thousand more for a 15-day cruise and I love the Signature Suites!  

 

~Nancy

Edited December 15, 2022 by oakridger

[Native Floridian 26]

32 minutes ago, oakridger said:

 

I had an upSELL offer from a selected Signature Suite to a Neptune Suite.  I didn't accept it though because it would have been a couple thousand more for a 15-day cruise and I love the Signature Suites!  

 

~Nancy

I was just asking GreySandy because hers seemed like upgrades, not upsells.

 

[Greysandy]

5 hours ago, Native Floridian 26 said:

Have you gotten upgrades when you have a selected cabin, or just guarantees?

Probably a few when we used to book guarantee all of the time. Over the past thanksgiving cruise, we had a spa interior room booked (our travel agent somehow puts open to upgrades on the booking) and were upgraded the night before sailing to a forward facing ocean view.

 

We are not super picky about location but if we are going to be cheap and get an interior room, we want to be close to the retreat cabanas.