Is Selecting a Cabin Not an Option Anymore?

[phroggie]

A few days ago I booked a cruise for July, 2024. I specifically selected the choose-yer-own-cabin option (because cabin on our last cruise was awesome). In spite of this the booking became a Guaranteed Booking. Yuk.

 

Is selected your own cabin not an option anymore? Am I booking too early? Did I catch the website on a glitchy day?

 

And the live chat was no help. 

[Astro Flyer]

I booked a cabin this week through my TA with no problem.

 

On some cruises on the Royal-class ships the deluxe balcony cabins that can accommodate 3 passengers are guarantees only for double occupancy. Sometimes a TA can get Princess to book 2 passengers in that type of a cabin.

 

Edited June 26, 2023 by Astro Flyer

[happy42cruise]

I'm not sure what happened on your booking but I tried a random cruise in July & it gave me a choice of rooms.  Have you looked to see if the cabin you wanted is available again?  Do you have a PVP? Which cruise was it & which category?

[phroggie]

16 minutes ago, happy42cruise said:

I'm not sure what happened on your booking but I tried a random cruise in July & it gave me a choice of rooms.  Have you looked to see if the cabin you wanted is available again?  Do you have a PVP? Which cruise was it & which category?

It didn't give me a chance to select the cabin. It went straight to GB when I selected the option to choose-my-own. Since I hate getting phone calls, I've avoided contact with Princess's carbon based life forms so noPVP. It worked fine for my previous cruise. It was for an obstructed deluxe balcony on an Eastern Caribbean cruise on Enchanted Princess.

 

Since I'm not plunking down a deposit and the booking expires today, I'll try again tomorrow morning.

[Cruise Raider]

I’ve had luck on booking a particular a cabin but recently booked a segment of a longer cruise and was very restricted as to which cabin I could choose, thus, I also ended up in a guaranteed cabin.  
I’ve also noticed, if you try to book a cabin that is the least expensive room in that category, you may not be able to choose your cabin.  I’ve been told that if a certain number of cabins in a category are booked, you may not have the option of choosing a particular cabin even though they are not currently booked.  If they are all sold out, it will not offer you the guarantee option, it will tell you there are no more cabins in that particular category / location.  
 

And as I’ve seen someone else mention, if you want to book a cabin that can hold 3 or 4 passengers, you may have to plug that in for the number of guests it will hold to allow it to show up.  Only then, will you be able to put it on hold and either call Princess or a travel agent to snag that particular cabin for you.  

[LMADAMS91]

I've looked at numerous cruise options on Princess and on almost every cruise, the only option available is a guarantee cabin, regardless of how early I am booking. That is the case regardless of whether I select choose my own or let Princess choose the cabin. It makes Princess much less appealing to book if I can't select my own room, especially when I opt to pay more to select my own room...I'm a retired travel agent and really don't need a TA to book for me. I don't want nor need an agent to snag a cabin for me....I should be able to do it on my own. I've started looking at other cruise options because of this (as in other cruise lines.)

Edited June 26, 2023 by LMADAMS91

[Gettingwarmer]

4 hours ago, phroggie said:

It was for an obstructed deluxe balcony on an Eastern Caribbean cruise on Enchanted Princess.

 

4 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

I’ve also noticed, if you try to book a cabin that is the least expensive room in that category, you may not be able to choose your cabin

If you book the lowest category Princess no longer allows you to pick cabin. 

[Gettingwarmer]

See thiis

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2931735-now-a-charge-for-cabin-selection/

it mentions the above further down in link. 

[skynight]

I was able to book balcony cat. cabins I requested on 2024 and 2025 b2bs using my T.A. I sat there while she was on the phone. It appears that the process would be very difficult, if even possible, trying to do this on line by myself. Certain cabin cats. are gty only. Also on b2bs and those cruises sold as b2bs there are some restrictions on choosing your own cabin. Could you be more specific about the cabin cat., ship and sailing date?

[kywildcatfanone]

Every cruise I look at right now, it says cabin selection is unavailable?  Is that just happening to me?  Are they doing some kind of maintenance?

[Musky Ike]

2 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Every cruise I look at right now, it says cabin selection is unavailable?  Is that just happening to me?  Are they doing some kind of maintenance?

Nope, me too. It has been going on for awhile They want you to pay extra to select your own and then don't allow you to do that. No longer a fan of booking a guarantee cabin. Not even convinced that they show all the available cabins when they do show some. Princess wants the power to decide for you it would seem. I no longer book online directly, but it was nice to be able to explore available cabin choices before I booked with our TA. 

[memoak]

We never book guarantee cabins and always have several to select from. We do sail full and mini suites only as upgrades on casino comps

[Paula_MacFan]

I already posted this in a similar thread but last week my CVP told me Princess wants to force you to call a live person to select a specific cabin so they can upsell you other stuff.

 

I told them I wasn't a fan of wasting their time & mine when I know what cabin I want.

[dreaminofcruisin]

I still think they are doing some kind of maintenance....or they have some new formula in which after a certain percentage of cabins are booked, they make them unavailable to select online.

 

For example, if I go to select All Caribbean cruises, there are all kinds of them that I can book and select a cabin and are not Guarantee. I happen to have a Caribbean cruise on the Sky booked next year. That one doesn't come up on the list because it is one that is 'currently not available'. In fact, I have 4 different cruises booked now and all of them are 'currently not available'. They are all within the next 6 months....if that matters....

 

I can't see the pattern...but my guess is either they are moving ships around or raising prices or something? Or....just the 'exemplary' I.T. staff at Princess strikes again..... 🤪

 

[Crashe]

Happen to us also.  Logged in a few weeks ago and there was no option to get the room we liked (mini suite CC).  Logged in next day and could…?????

[georgemoe]

We are sailing Regal in August. Checked to see what was available for deluxe balcony. Was thinking about upgrading from a standard. Would not show any cabins. Something is up.

[Level six]

Ever since they started the bid for cabin option, all the regular options are taken away.....booooooo

[Mike45LC]

I was able to select my desired cabin on a Nov 2023 Discovery P cruise last week.  I do not like allowing Princess to assign the cabin because there are lots of cabins I want to avoid.  

[PacnGoNow]

8 hours ago, georgemoe said:

We are sailing Regal in August. Checked to see what was available for deluxe balcony. Was thinking about upgrading from a standard. Would not show any cabins. Something is up.

They may be working the bidding upgrades.  Put in your bid or just recheck again to look at availability. 
 

 

[Buckeye10640]

19 hours ago, Paula_MacFan said:

I already posted this in a similar thread but last week my CVP told me Princess wants to force you to call a live person to select a specific cabin so they can upsell you other stuff.

 

I told them I wasn't a fan of wasting their time & mine when I know what cabin I want.

My experience may support that theory. Last fall I was looking to book a balcony or deluxe balcony on a specific deck for a May 2023 Alaska. All balcony rooms on my desired Lido deck  showed as guarantee.  I emailed my Princess Vacation Planner and she promptly provided 4 or 5 balcony  and 1 deluxe balcony cabins to choose from. She has never tried to upsell me, responds promptly,  and I dont have to wait on hold.  So far, so good.....

[kywildcatfanone]

I hate this and hope it's just temporary or something.   I can't see any cabins for any cruises for 2024 that I have looked for.  I normally only bother my TA when I find what I want and see a price I'm happy with, and now I can do neither without calling.  

[memoak]

1 hour ago, kywildcatfanone said:

I hate this and hope it's just temporary or something.   I can't see any cabins for any cruises for 2024 that I have looked for.  I normally only bother my TA when I find what I want and see a price I'm happy with, and now I can do neither without calling.  

Every cruise I pull up is giving me options for multiple cabins

[sabookkeeper]

We were looking at a February 2025 cruise and wanted an aft cabin.  Nothing was showing up on the website.  We contacted our TA and she was able to get us one.  In looking at other categories as well a lot of them were guarantee only.  I find it hard to believe that a 2025 cruise is already filled up to the point where they can only offer guarantee cabins.  It is very frustrating.

[kywildcatfanone]

14 hours ago, sabookkeeper said:

We were looking at a February 2025 cruise and wanted an aft cabin.  Nothing was showing up on the website.  We contacted our TA and she was able to get us one.  In looking at other categories as well a lot of them were guarantee only.  I find it hard to believe that a 2025 cruise is already filled up to the point where they can only offer guarantee cabins.  It is very frustrating.

Yep, I was seeing this for both 2024 and 2025 sailings I'm looking at.  Very frustrating. 

[startedwithamouse]

On 6/25/2023 at 7:06 PM, Cruise Raider said:

I’ve had luck on booking a particular a cabin but recently booked a segment of a longer cruise and was very restricted as to which cabin I could choose, thus, I also ended up in a guaranteed cabin.  
I’ve also noticed, if you try to book a cabin that is the least expensive room in that category, you may not be able to choose your cabin.  I’ve been told that if a certain number of cabins in a category are booked, you may not have the option of choosing a particular cabin even though they are not currently booked.  If they are all sold out, it will not offer you the guarantee option, it will tell you there are no more cabins in that particular category / location.  
 

And as I’ve seen someone else mention, if you want to book a cabin that can hold 3 or 4 passengers, you may have to plug that in for the number of guests it will hold to allow it to show up.  Only then, will you be able to put it on hold and either call Princess or a travel agent to snag that particular cabin for you.  

Here's what Princess is trying to avoid - passengers who are booking with a extra dummy guest. 

 

It's widely spoken about here, selfishly booking 3 guests to get a cabin with a sofa, then cancelling the 3rd 'dummy' guest, yet keeping the cabin, only with 2 guests. This cuts into supply when there are truly parties with 3 or 4 guests, who need a cabin, which are already occupied by 2 guests, who have found a loophole in the system and booked in bad faith. Not to mention, Princess misses out of all the extra revenue guests 3 and 4 would have generated.

 

If "Princess Chooses", they can put 2 passengers in a cabin which has the capacity for 2 people, not 3 or 4 people.

 

If you want a sofa, book a mini-suite.