Guaranteed cabins

[MMDown Under]

25 minutes ago, Yaya_in_Oz said:

The wording is different though. There seems to be two types of guarenteed cabin- one that Princess picks the location, cheapest and probably F category and the guarenteed cabin you can choose when there are no more cabins to pick in a particular location. That has a higher price point but if you can pick a guarenteed location then you will not end up in the F cabins, the worst in my opinion and I'd never book one. 

I think this new system will just confuse some people.

 

I find it a total outrage with all the fanfare of new releases etc. that you can't pick your cabin almost 2 years out! The ship would be largely empty. Lucky for me, earlier this week I booked a cruise over a year out and there were plenty of cabins to choose from.

Each year prior to Covid, I decided where I wanted to travel and cruise and didn't look at the cruise ship again until after final payment.  I usually had plan A and plan B.  

[Jean C]

22 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

Each year prior to Covid, I decided where I wanted to travel and cruise and didn't look at the cruise ship again until after final payment.  I usually had plan A and plan B.  

Hi, I'm not quite sure what you mean, but it's well worth monitoring prices. I've booked 3 x mini suites for four passengers each. Although we have a PVP, he's not proactive. A while back they had a promo where third and fourth passengers travelled for free, so I got the PVP to reprice the bookings and saved thousands, keeping our OBC. As I say, not sure quite what you meant though, so this may be irrelevant 🤔

[MMDown Under]

23 minutes ago, Jean C said:

Hi, I'm not quite sure what you mean, but it's well worth monitoring prices. I've booked 3 x mini suites for four passengers each. Although we have a PVP, he's not proactive. A while back they had a promo where third and fourth passengers travelled for free, so I got the PVP to reprice the bookings and saved thousands, keeping our OBC. As I say, not sure quite what you meant though, so this may be irrelevant 🤔

I think it is a good idea to monitor your existing bookings to have them repriced when prices go down.  My comments were in relation to the new practice by cruiselines of charging for passengers to select their cabins.  I wouldn't play that game, as I often found lower prices after final payment.  

[colourbird]

1 hour ago, MMDown Under said:

I think it is a good idea to monitor your existing bookings to have them repriced when prices go down.  My comments were in relation to the new practice by cruiselines of charging for passengers to select their cabins.  I wouldn't play that game, as I often found lower prices after final payment.  

 

It appears cruise lines have adopted the practice from airlines that charge additional fees for seat selection, realising it will generate more revenue.

[OzKiwiJJ]

4 hours ago, Normanville said:

I have just been looking at some of the fares for next year to see what the difference of you picking your own cabin, including guaranteed and Princess picking for you. I have never seen this before. A cruise 13 nights in March costs $90 each for you to pick your own and in October $180 each!

I may be looking for other cruise lines.

Juls

No, it means that there is a category of cabin that you used to be able to select but that is no longer available except as a guarantee. So instead of the pick-your-own categories starting at the lowest eg IF or BF, they now start at IE or BE or whatever the next highest category is. The lowest category is now only available as guarantee at the same price you would have paid if you were able to select it. Look at the difference between the other category prices, you'll see a similar pricevjust between each category - see my example in post 46 above.

 

As to the difference between the March and October cruises  - were they the same ship and the same itinerary? 

[MMDown Under]

44 minutes ago, colourbird said:

 

It appears cruise lines have adopted the practice from airlines that charge additional fees for seat selection, realising it will generate more revenue.

However they don’t charge for seat selection for members of their frequent flyers.  In addition they allowed passengers with lounge privileges to keep the level of their membership despite less flying during the Pandemic. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, colourbird said:

 

It appears cruise lines have adopted the practice from airlines that charge additional fees for seat selection, realising it will generate more revenue.

How many times do I need to state that Princess is not charging for cabin selection. All they are doing is blocking out the lowest category of cabins from being selected then offering those as guarantee cabins at the same fare they would have been if they were able to be selected.

 

It's a very stupid move by Princess though as people, like you, think they are being charged extra to select their cabin.

[colourbird]

This is what I can't understand about the cruise we have just booked. 11 days Brisbane to Sydney.

 

On the 7 day portion, we'd be able to book a cabin on a couple of decks and they are all still available. On the 11 day voyage they are guaranteed. What gives? Our TA was unable to get any explanation out of Princess.

 

 

 

[arxcards]

I reckon that is because the 11 night cruise (M505A) is a hybrid of the 7 night M505 and the 4 night M506 itinerary. I have also been considering this 11 nighter for my 60th.

 

You can also book those BE balconies for the 4 nighter, but to save complexity with their archaic systems, it is hard for them to show the same cabins as available on both the 7 night and 11 night options (it would be possible for you to be booking a cabin on the 11 nighter at the same time I was looking to book the same cabin on the 7 nighter or the 4 nighter)

 

We have also found the same issues when looking at world cruise sectors vs the complete world cruise.

 

PS: There are selectable BE cabins available for the 11 night cruise, but those are aft cabins.

Edited April 15, 2023 by arxcards

[colourbird]

43 minutes ago, arxcards said:

 

 

PS: There are selectable BE cabins available for the 11 night cruise, but those are aft cabins.

 

I saw those aft cabins, but don't want to be down that end. I prefer the quiet front of the ship.

[Normanville]

21 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

No, it means that there is a category of cabin that you used to be able to select but that is no longer available except as a guarantee. So instead of the pick-your-own categories starting at the lowest eg IF or BF, they now start at IE or BE or whatever the next highest category is. The lowest category is now only available as guarantee at the same price you would have paid if you were able to select it. Look at the difference between the other category prices, you'll see a similar pricevjust between each category - see my example in post 46 above.

 

As to the difference between the March and October cruises  - were they the same ship and the same itinerary? 

Julie, the $90 - $180 extra I am referring to is the difference in price between picking your own cabin now and/or letting Princess pick one for you later. The example I looked at was a 13 day Fiji cruise in October '24 in a Plus Mini suite, not a lead in category.

Juls

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, Normanville said:

Julie, the $90 - $180 extra I am referring to is the difference in price between picking your own cabin now and/or letting Princess pick one for you later. The example I looked at was a 13 day Fiji cruise in October '24 in a Plus Mini suite, not a lead in category.

Juls

Juls, you need to compare the deck plans for Royal Princess with what is available on that cruise.

Royal has five categories of Mini Suite, scattered all over the ship but in general the higher categories are midships mid-levels and the others forward/aft, and sometimes up, from those.

The five categories are MA, MB, MC, ME and MF. MA is the best category.There are no MD Mini Suites on this ship. MFs are only on decks 15 (Marina) and 16 (Lido) forward.

 

The pricing goes like this:

MA - $4574 pp

MB - $4384 pp ie $190 cheaper than MA

MC - $4204pp ie $180 cheaper than MB

ME - $3854pp ie $350 cheaper than MC which seems a big difference but remember there is no MD category in between so the price jump is two categories, not one, which would probably be $180 MC->MD and $170 MD- ME.

BUT there are no MF cabins available for selection, those decks are shown as "Sold Out". However if they were available, and based on the pricing differences shown above, the fare would be $3674. Guess what? That's the exact price Princess is quoting for "Princess chooses your stateroom". So in reality you aren't getting charged more to select your cabin, you are getting charged the correct fare for the cabin category you select. If you allow Princess to choose your cabin you will probably end up in an MF cabin at the same price that cabin would have been if it had been available for selection (which you used to be able to do in the past).

 

I hope this make it clearer. By blocking out a category of cabins Princess makes it seem that you are paying more to select your cabin when, in reality, you aren't. These price jumps are fairly standard across the fleet, varying only by length of cruise (the shorter the cruise the lower the difference) and possibly by ship as some ships have more structured cabin groupings than Royal.

 

Now I'm wondering what will happen if all the MF "Princess chooses" cabins sell out. Will Princess block out any unsold ME cabins and do the same thing? With that $350 price jump that would really stir up a hornets nest! Talk about a dumb decision by Princess!!!!!!!

[Aus Traveller]

35 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Now I'm wondering what will happen if all the MF "Princess chooses" cabins sell out. Will Princess block out any unsold ME cabins and do the same thing? With that $350 price jump that would really stir up a hornets nest! Talk about a dumb decision by Princess!!!!!!!

If all the MF cabins are sold, maybe some of the people who have booked on that fare will be up-graded. I think that is likely.

[Normanville]

50 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Juls, you need to compare the deck plans for Royal Princess with what is available on that cruise.

Royal has five categories of Mini Suite, scattered all over the ship but in general the higher categories are midships mid-levels and the others forward/aft, and sometimes up, from those.

The five categories are MA, MB, MC, ME and MF. MA is the best category.There are no MD Mini Suites on this ship. MFs are only on decks 15 (Marina) and 16 (Lido) forward.

 

The pricing goes like this:

MA - $4574 pp

MB - $4384 pp ie $190 cheaper than MA

MC - $4204pp ie $180 cheaper than MB

ME - $3854pp ie $350 cheaper than MC which seems a big difference but remember there is no MD category in between so the price jump is two categories, not one, which would probably be $180 MC->MD and $170 MD- ME.

BUT there are no MF cabins available for selection, those decks are shown as "Sold Out". However if they were available, and based on the pricing differences shown above, the fare would be $3674. Guess what? That's the exact price Princess is quoting for "Princess chooses your stateroom". So in reality you aren't getting charged more to select your cabin, you are getting charged the correct fare for the cabin category you select. If you allow Princess to choose your cabin you will probably end up in an MF cabin at the same price that cabin would have been if it had been available for selection (which you used to be able to do in the past).

 

I hope this make it clearer. By blocking out a category of cabins Princess makes it seem that you are paying more to select your cabin when, in reality, you aren't. These price jumps are fairly standard across the fleet, varying only by length of cruise (the shorter the cruise the lower the difference) and possibly by ship as some ships have more structured cabin groupings than Royal.

 

Now I'm wondering what will happen if all the MF "Princess chooses" cabins sell out. Will Princess block out any unsold ME cabins and do the same thing? With that $350 price jump that would really stir up a hornets nest! Talk about a dumb decision by Princess!!!!!!!

Thanks Julie, I can now see how it works.  I think Princess may get caught out with this as people like myself read it as extra charge, so if all lead ins are sold out ,they will have to give an upgrade.

I think the confusion is caused by the fact the two prices are shown before you choose a location so it looks like an extra charge.

Something has caused a change in the last few weeks as we booked a cruise for next March while onboard the Grand and a lot of cabins were blocked out [ME] but today they are available but at a higher price on the site.
Juls

[OzKiwiJJ]

24 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

If all the MF cabins are sold, maybe some of the people who have booked on that fare will be up-graded. I think that is likely.

That's a possibility, but I wouldn't put it past Princess to just block out the remainder of the next category of cabins and offer "Princess chooses" at the higher fare.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 minute ago, Normanville said:

Thanks Julie, I can now see how it works.  I think Princess may get caught out with this as people like myself read it as extra charge, so if all lead ins are sold out ,they will have to give an upgrade.

I think the confusion is caused by the fact the two prices are shown before you choose a location so it looks like an extra charge.

Something has caused a change in the last few weeks as we booked a cruise for next March while onboard the Grand and a lot of cabins were blocked out [ME] but today they are available but at a higher price on the site.
Juls

Yes, it took me a little while to realise what was happening. It was only when someone said they couldn't book their favourite cabin on a cruise (a BF I think) that I realise what Princess was doing. 

 

To add to the confusion fares do fluctuate. That Royal cruise you used as an example was in the recent release so it will be a while before the fares change on that. Then you have the promos ... Arrgh! 

 

It does pay to check the prices regularly on cruises you have booked. I've scored some serious fare reductions in the past. Even a November Japan cruise I booked only a few months ago had a big drop in fares but instead of taking the reduction I upgraded us to a mini suite.

[Normanville]

Just heard from my TA, who I asked to ring Princess and use the Elite card to try and get a cabin allocated. I didn't want an upgrade just a number. He was told they would allocate me a cabin if we paid more. They are trying to blackmail people. As the only mini suites are on decks 8-9 I don't really care which one they give us, but would just like to know. My problem for having a mind that likes to be organized and hubby is worse!

Juls

[MMDown Under]

1 hour ago, Normanville said:

Just heard from my TA, who I asked to ring Princess and use the Elite card to try and get a cabin allocated. I didn't want an upgrade just a number. He was told they would allocate me a cabin if we paid more. They are trying to blackmail people. As the only mini suites are on decks 8-9 I don't really care which one they give us, but would just like to know. My problem for having a mind that likes to be organized and hubby is worse!

Juls

Treat yourself to something on board by choosing not to be blackmailed   As you said you don't really care where your cabin is!

[Normanville]

1 minute ago, MMDown Under said:

Treat yourself to something on board by choosing not to be blackmailed   As you said you don't really care where your cabin is!

We will. Just checked and the price is $1,000 dearer than we paid.

Don't know what message Princess is sending when the price for Choose your own is *$Undefined* could charge any number out of the hat!

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, Normanville said:

We will. Just checked and the price is $1,000 dearer than we paid.

Don't know what message Princess is sending when the price for Choose your own is *$Undefined* could charge any number out of the hat!

It's showing Undefined because there aren't any cabins available to choose from. Of course it should just show "Not Available" but it looks like they've got a software bug.

 

Just keep checking, you never know what will pop up between now and then, although since it's a fairly heavily booked Christmas cruise the chances of getting a better fare are fairly low.

[icat2000]

I think the point is that you cannot pick your cabin. i.e the actual number of the room without having to pay extra to choose the number yourself. 

 

 

 

Edited April 18, 2023 by icat2000

[MMDown Under]

2 minutes ago, icat2000 said:

I think the point is that you cannot pick your cabin. i.e the actual number of the room without having to pay extra to choose the number yourself. 

 

 

 

My cruise on Luminosa is the first time I’ve picked my actual cabin and it was a balcony Portside.  However when I used to book via US TA I used to ask for what I wanted without an actual cabin number.  

[OzKiwiJJ]

2 minutes ago, icat2000 said:

I think the point is that you cannot pick your cabin. i.e the actual number of the room without having to pay extra to choose the number yourself. 

 

 

 

Sarah, you don't really pay extra, you just get to choose from higher category cabins which are always more expensive than the lowest category. A BA is always dearer than all other balcony categories unless there is a promo, even a BE is dearer than a BF. They have just removed the option to book the lowest category cabins directly so your only option is a higher priced category. If you regularly book the lowest category cabins then you either take pot luck or pay the extra for a higher category. If you usually book higher category cabins then you don't pay any more than you would if the lowest category was able to be selected. 

[icat2000]

11 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Sarah, you don't really pay extra, you just get to choose from higher category cabins which are always more expensive than the lowest category. A BA is always dearer than all other balcony categories unless there is a promo, even a BE is dearer than a BF. They have just removed the option to book the lowest category cabins directly so your only option is a higher priced category. If you regularly book the lowest category cabins then you either take pot luck or pay the extra for a higher category. If you usually book higher category cabins then you don't pay any more than you would if the lowest category was able to be selected. 

I cannot choose the cabin number. I get the cabin category. But what is I want Cabin 1234. And you cannot do that without having to pay more.  NOTE: It says ALL including some in the best location. So for me to choose what cabin I want you pay more per guest. That my point. 

 

Look I've paid the guaranteed cabin game before but for me its got to be cheap as chips.  

 

Edited April 18, 2023 by icat2000

[MMDown Under]

3 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Sarah, you don't really pay extra, you just get to choose from higher category cabins which are always more expensive than the lowest category. A BA is always dearer than all other balcony categories unless there is a promo, even a BE is dearer than a BF. They have just removed the option to book the lowest category cabins directly so your only option is a higher priced category. If you regularly book the lowest category cabins then you either take pot luck or pay the extra for a higher category. If you usually book higher category cabins then you don't pay any more than you would if the lowest category was able to be selected. 

Excellent explanation but I had to chuckle.

Reminds me of replies I used to have to write!