Cabin selection blocked?

[highflyingrealtor]

We always book online and pick specific cabins. Looking at Q1 2024, site is only allowing “same category” booking, not specific cabins. This is for any forward cabins on Sky or Caribbean Princess. Can’t imagine them all being booked this early. 800# was no help. Anyone else experiencing this?

[Sea Hag]

25 minutes ago, highflyingrealtor said:

We always book online and pick specific cabins. Looking at Q1 2024, site is only allowing “same category” booking, not specific cabins. This is for any forward cabins on Sky or Caribbean Princess. Can’t imagine them all being booked this early. 800# was no help. Anyone else experiencing this?

Have you tried changing the number of people to see what shows? Sometimes or always a lot of cabins won't show for 2 people but they will for 3.

[highflyingrealtor]

9 hours ago, Sea Hag said:

Have you tried changing the number of people to see what shows? Sometimes or always a lot of cabins won't show for 2 people but they will for 3.

No change. Some of our select cabins would not have more than two occupants. I suspect Princess is limiting choices so they can put you were it’s best for them. ☹️

[iceleven]

It was happening to me for several weeks. I won't book a cabin without knowing where I am going to be and I want it to be my choice, not Princess'. So...I booked Celebrity. If Princes continues making it impossible for me to book my own cabin then I will simply stop booking Princess and that's a shame because I have always been loyal to Princess and I am elite.

[brisalta]

2 hours ago, highflyingrealtor said:

No change. Some of our select cabins would not have more than two occupants. I suspect Princess is limiting choices so they can put you were it’s best for them. ☹️

 

They are possibly in a block allocated to a large travel agency or have been reserved by a  large group traveling together.

A Princess CVP could help you with your booking.

[tcdcruiser]

It is my observation that Princess may not show all available cabins.   It maybe to build a bit of urgency into the potential passenger’s mindset.  If you look deck to deck and find, for example, 20 available cabins all clustered together,,,,,that’s a hint.  No way all Balcony cabins gone on one deck and a cluster together on another deck. 

Edited March 5, 2023 by tcdcruiser

[Moondogy]

I tried booking our next cruise this way. I have always pick the room I wanted. Look's like this new CEO is making changes for the worse to me.

[Wishing on a star]

This blocking and lack of any acceptable amount of cabin choices has become a very real problem with Princess.  A huge problem.  : (

[nini]

On 3/4/2023 at 6:10 AM, highflyingrealtor said:

We always book online and pick specific cabins. Looking at Q1 2024, site is only allowing “same category” booking, not specific cabins. This is for any forward cabins on Sky or Caribbean Princess. Can’t imagine them all being booked this early. 800# was no help. Anyone else experiencing this?

What is a Q1 2024? I have discovered that if I book with my big box travel agency, then I can choose my cabin, even though on the Princess website or is only a "Guaranteed". We do not book guaranteed as we know exactly what we want.

[CruisingWalter]

On 3/4/2023 at 9:10 AM, highflyingrealtor said:

We always book online and pick specific cabins. Looking at Q1 2024, site is only allowing “same category” booking, not specific cabins. This is for any forward cabins on Sky or Caribbean Princess. Can’t imagine them all being booked this early. 800# was no help. Anyone else experiencing this?

 

Could be a large travel agency has secured a block of cabins.

Could be that Princess is considering a Category realignment.

What has your Travel Agent said, can they see the cabins you want to book? We've always booked through a TA and have never had an issue booking specific cabins. 

[CruisingWalter]

On 3/5/2023 at 8:48 AM, tcdcruiser said:

It is my observation that Princess may not show all available cabins.   It maybe to build a bit of urgency into the potential passenger’s mindset.  If you look deck to deck and find, for example, 20 available cabins all clustered together,,,,,that’s a hint.

 

That's a hint that a Group Booking is in play from a Travel Agency, nothing nefarious from Princess.  Travel Agents can hold large blocks of cabins for a pre-determined length of time, often 30 days. At the end of that 30 days they can request an extension or simply set up another Group with the same block of cabins. 

 

Why would Princess want to block out cabins that can be sold? Makes no sense for Princess or any cruise line to turn away people who are ready to book right now. 

[Wishing on a star]

I do not know which 'big box' agency shows, or has access to, more cabins.

It is possible that their agents are trained to do the legwork required to contact Princess and get the cabin that is requested.

 

I know of two big agencies that do not show these cabins that are blocked by Princess.

Most recent example is the big Vacations travel and cruise agency.

 

Princess really has a problem with this.

And, we could be like the one poster above who mentions that Princess can, and will, lose loyal passengers over this.

 

Know that Princess will block cabins for several different reasons.

The fact that they have blocked ALL deluxe balconies for parties of three or more, even on partially sold cruises, shows just how bad, and totally senseless, this can be.

Another reason that they block cabins is to set aside cabins for back to back cruisers.

If the cabin you want is also a leg of a voyage that is back to back, check for the single leg, or the two or more legs that you are not booking.  Good chance the cabin you want is shown there.

 

We want a midship balcony on a Med cruise more than a year out.

Guess what,  tons of cabins left, but it wont show us one lower than deck 14.

 

This is just another of the Princess customer service and business practice issues that are real problems right now.

[nini]

13 minutes ago, Wishing on a star said:

I do not know which 'big box' agency shows, or has access to, more cabins.

It is possible that their agents are trained to do the legwork required to contact Princess and get the cabin that is requested.

 

I know of two big agencies that do not show these cabins that are blocked by Princess.

Most recent example is the big Vacations travel and cruise agency.

 

Princess really has a problem with this.

And, we could be like the one poster above who mentions that Princess can, and will, lose loyal passengers over this.

 

Know that Princess will block cabins for several different reasons.

The fact that they have blocked ALL deluxe balconies for parties of three or more, even on partially sold cruises, shows just how bad, and totally senseless, this can be.

Another reason that they block cabins is to set aside cabins for back to back cruisers.

If the cabin you want is also a leg of a voyage that is back to back, check for the single leg, or the two or more legs that you are not booking.  Good chance the cabin you want is shown there.

 

We want a midship balcony on a Med cruise more than a year out.

Guess what,  tons of cabins left, but it wont show us one lower than deck 14.

 

This is just another of the Princess customer service and business practice issues that are real problems right now.

 

The agents do not do any leg work. All I have to do is sign in on my account and I can see all available cabins. OTOH, the Princess website often just offers a guaranteed cabin of the type and area of the ship.

[Wishing on a star]

That is very interesting!

Would be good information for any future bookings!

[nini]

4 minutes ago, Wishing on a star said:

That is very interesting!

Would be good information for any future bookings!

 

Yes, it works very well. I get frustrated looking at availability on the Princess website, so I just go to my Big Box TA, who I book with anyway.

[Wishing on a star]

When you say big-box, I wonder if you are talking about places known as big-box.  Or generic for any major travel cruise company.

 

I am not currently a member of the one big box that I am thinking of.

 

edited:   no...  just got a hold of them and they do not show these cabins either. 

 

 

Edited March 8, 2023 by Wishing on a star

[nini]

37 minutes ago, Wishing on a star said:

When you say big-box, I wonder if you are talking about places known as big-box.  Or generic for any major travel cruise company.

 

I am not currently a member of the one big box that I am thinking of.

 

edited:   no...  just got a hold of them and they do not show these cabins either. 

 

 

 

You can go on their travel website and do the search yourself.

[Wishing on a star]

Thanks so much for posting!

Would it be okay if I tried to contact you?

[nini]

4 minutes ago, Wishing on a star said:

Thanks so much for posting!

Would it be okay if I tried to contact you?

 

Yes.

nmilliman at hotmail dot com