P&O Waitlists

[mum and son]

So, this is more of a whinge but I'm dressing it up as a query (or trying). I am cruising on the Encounter next week for a 7 day Island Hopper. I recently decided 7 days would not be enough and wanted to add a 4 day Qld cruise to the tail end. I was booked in a mini-suite for the first cruise and waitlisted for everything from a balcony cabin and up for the 4 day cruise (but preference was for a mini-suite again). I watched and watched the cabins become available and then vanish and eventually I bit the bullet and booked a balcony cabin last week when I saw the availability online. I kept my waitlist in place for mini-suites and above but at least I was going to be onboard.

On Friday I saw a mini-suite become available on the P&O site and called to upgrade to it. The call centre told me the cruise was sold out and that their availability is often different to what can be seen online. I could get to the point of inputting credit card details on their site so the cabin was definitely there. During this process I found out that I was 5th on the waitlist. On Saturday morning I saw a mini-suite still there online and tried my luck again with the call centre - and to my surprise they could see the cabin and I was able to upgrade, noting that both of my bookings (the balcony and the mini-suite) were $100 - $150 more expensive via the call centre than by booking direct online, but my hands were tied and I paid up.

My issue is... with people waitlisted, why are available cabins not being offered to those people first? I was originally able to book my balcony cabin last week, despite being waitlisted for a balcony cabin for a couple of months and never being offered one - and then ultimately upgrading to a mini-suite, despite being on a waitlist for that cabin type too and never being offered one. Why even bother with a waitlist if those people don't get a first hit at the availability? Seems strange to me.
 

[Sparky74]

I’m not confident that we would have got our recent 4 night P&O cruise if I hadn’t been vigilant in watching for availability even though we were waitlisted for all grades of cabin. I pounced on it s soon as I saw availability, less than a fortnight before embarkation. It certainly makes you wonder what is the use of the waitlist system. 

[arxcards]

If the cabins are not naturally going to sell out, they will follow-up on waitlists. I have found that waitlists tend to work when you want to get on the cruise, and are not so successful if you are waitlisting for a higher grade of cabin.

 

On one of our early cruises on another Carnival Australia brand, we were booked in a mini with a waitlist for a suite. No luck, but not many suites on the ship, so it was narrow odds. On the 2nd morning, we were seated at breakfast with a couple of honeymooners who had scored a complimentary upgrade from a balcony to a suite. After returning home, the feedback from the Sydney office was that it was easier for them to drop someone in from a balcony guarantee with no cabin assigned than it was to shuffle a series of passengers up a grade.

 

In your case Libby, I would presume it would be easier (lazier) for them to sell the mini again vs following-up on your waitlist and then reselling your balcony. The waitlisting works for them, as they have a pool of people that will pay to be upgraded and they will turn to that list before any complimentary upgrades are granted. Nowadays, they also have that upgrade auction to work in with.

[ceeceeDee]

Yes, now they've instituted the upgrade auction, I think complimentary upgrades are going to be thing of the past. A pity, but I guess it all comes down to the almighty $.

[mum and son]

8 hours ago, arxcards said:

If the cabins are not naturally going to sell out, they will follow-up on waitlists. I have found that waitlists tend to work when you want to get on the cruise, and are not so successful if you are waitlisting for a higher grade of cabin.

 

Hi Geoff,

Yes, I do agree with you, but I was originally waitlisted for a balcony cabin (without another cabin booked on the ship) and still had no luck. I eventually found the balcony cabin myself online, on the P&O site in fact. I just saw a fb post this morning by someone waitlisted for the same cruise who was patiently waiting for her call up. Obviously I advised her to look daily herself and grab it instead. I guess I just feel sorry for all the people who miss out because they "thought" they would be offered a waitlist cabin before the general public. Seems a pretty flawed system, but at least I got my cabin! Actually, I got my allocation today and, as luck would have it, it's the cabin right next door to my cabin on the previous cruise. That makes for an easy move!

[mum and son]

50 minutes ago, ceeceeDee said:

Yes, now they've instituted the upgrade auction, I think complimentary upgrades are going to be thing of the past. A pity, but I guess it all comes down to the almighty $.

Agreed re the almighty $, I guess that's why I'm surprised that they don't hit up their waitlist. They seem like pretty easy, no fuss sales to me. I was actively trying to give them my $$ for that cruise.