Stateroom "locks" during booking

[peder]

I tend to bounce around a bunch when trying to reserve a stateroom, checking availability for multiple dates/ports/ships across browser tabs. Sometimes I find that if I click thru far enough on a stateroom, it will then "lock" that stateroom / take it out of inventory, even though I never reserved the room. If I go back or try to search for the same room, it will then be gone. Does anyone know how long those holds are taken before some job on MSC's side releases it?

Edited February 28, 2023 by peder

[B_A_H]

Here's a helpful hint. If you go all the way through the booking process and click on "payment" it actually creates the reservation and puts it on hold. You don't actually have to enter a form of payment.

 

You should receive an e-mail with your booking number showing the booking as "option."  If you have a Voyagers Club account and make the booking when signed in to your profile the booking shows up as a 24 hour hold in "my cruises."  You can them make a deposit or full payment online.  It says the hold is 24 hours but I've had reservations held for a week.

[peder]

That's super helpful. I was signed in, but I never enter the voyagers number when browsing since it's just one more thing to enter. Perhaps because of this, I don't see the "hold" reservations in my cruises list. Also I did not receive an email about the reservation either. So it's currently lost in the ether.

 

As an aside, this 24-hour hold seems very similar to NCL's process. Must be basically a cruise-industry standard.

[Two Wheels Only]

1 hour ago, B_A_H said:

It says the hold is 24 hours but I've had reservations held for a week.

 

If someone does call for that specific stateroom and is ready to make a deposit, that reservation will be wiped out. I've done that exact same thing when someone "held" a Royal Suite without a deposit. I was prepared to book one of the Owner's Suites since I thought that the Royal Suites were all booked but the "phone concierge" saw the hold, removed it, and completed my booking in the less expensive Royal Suite.