$11,000 and you can't choose your own stateroom?

[Outerdog]

I mean, seriously?

 

[capriccio]

Is it possible your category is sold out?   I noticed that balcony cabins didn't have the same "Currently Unavailable" message. 

 

I realize that bookings just opened but on some very popular, more exotic itineraries (and I think this is an unusual one) they sell very quickly.  I know when we booked the 28 day Round Australia cruise when bookings opened for elites more than 2 years in advance, the mini-suite category we (4 couples) wanted sold out within 2 hours.  Our TA was able to reserve staterooms for 3 couples on the deck we wanted; the 4th couple was one deck up. 

[msd808]

Had a similar issue earlier today, but was able to select a cabin.  Selected the cabin and all options and then when went to the page to make the deposit got the "sorry, not available now, please try again later this evening"

Edited August 6, 2023 by msd808

[Potstech]

Welcome to the new Princess.

[cr8tiv1]

Had the same issue with my TA this afternoon.  Groggily trying to process what she was "pushing".  First time we've had a chance to really discuss this long thought about voyage.  

 

By the time we came to common ground, D323 and some number in the 200's was the only mini-suites that were available.  When she clicked on D323 (don't quote me), she received an error message.  She tried this and that.  Finally the system went down.  All she could grab was the last mini-suite available with a refundable deposit.  

 

Her thoughts:  Waitlisting will not give me OBC (need a booking number).  Waitlisting had a $200 deposit/may not be refundable.  Get what I can now and look for re-fares.  She works hard to get me booked.  She will continue to try to get my cabin of choice. 

 

This is a very popular cruise.  Why Princess doesn't run it all summer long is because they can gauge us for this one time special event (my conclusion).

 

@Outerdog I feel your pain.  So much can happen between now and August 30, 2025.  One of the youtubers I follow mentioned in today's presentation that cruise fares will be out of sight for the next 2 years, along with added fees for services.  Not encouraging. 

 

I did check a cruise I have booked for next year.  My cabin category is sold out.  $3,300 difference between Window Suite and Vista Suite (both with old Plus).

 

I "see" this cruise in my personalizer, but have not received a booking invoice.  Princess is still messing with this voyage. Lots of other problems trying to get this finalized. 

[travelin.sisters]

1 hour ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Had the same issue with my TA this afternoon.  Groggily trying to process what she was "pushing".  First time we've had a chance to really discuss this long thought about voyage.  

 

By the time we came to common ground, D323 and some number in the 200's was the only mini-suites that were available.  When she clicked on D323 (don't quote me), she received an error message.  She tried this and that.  Finally the system went down.  All she could grab was the last mini-suite available with a refundable deposit.  

 

Her thoughts:  Waitlisting will not give me OBC (need a booking number).  Waitlisting had a $200 deposit/may not be refundable.  Get what I can now and look for re-fares.  She works hard to get me booked.  She will continue to try to get my cabin of choice. 

 

This is a very popular cruise.  Why Princess doesn't run it all summer long is because they can gauge us for this one time special event (my conclusion).

 

@Outerdog I feel your pain.  So much can happen between now and August 30, 2025.  One of the youtubers I follow mentioned in today's presentation that cruise fares will be out of sight for the next 2 years, along with added fees for services.  Not encouraging. 

 

I did check a cruise I have booked for next year.  My cabin category is sold out.  $3,300 difference between Window Suite and Vista Suite (both with old Plus).

 

I "see" this cruise in my personalizer, but have not received a booking invoice.  Princess is still messing with this voyage. Lots of other problems trying to get this finalized. 

I still don't have an invoice for one of our rooms either...just a forwarded email from our TA that the system is having trouble with sending them...

[kywildcatfanone]

11 hours ago, Outerdog said:

I mean, seriously?

 

You will get a cabin of their choosing, pay a lot for it, and like it.

 

It's the future of cruising.

[Andrew J. Cat]

26 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

You will get a cabin of their choosing, pay a lot for it, and like it.

 

It's the future of cruising.

Maybe they’ll start doing that in the MDR.  No plus or premier package, they choose your entree.  Plus or premier, you get to choose. 🤪

[Earthworm Jim]

A guess: The suites were all sold, but they overbook assuming they'll have some cancellations. If you're one of the overbooked cabins, they don't have an available cabin for you to choose since they don't know which cabin(s) will cancel.

Edited August 6, 2023 by Earthworm Jim

[memoak]

We have always been able to choose our cabin in over 50 cruises. We book usually a year or more out

[Cruise Junky]

9 minutes ago, memoak said:

We have always been able to choose our cabin in over 50 cruises. We book usually a year or more out

The cruise in question is in 2025. I don’t think time is the issue.  

[Cruise Junky]

13 hours ago, Outerdog said:

I mean, seriously?

 

There are popular online Travel agency’s that you can pick your own cabin on this sailing.  

[memoak]

12 minutes ago, Cruise Junky said:

The cruise in question is in 2025. I don’t think time is the issue.  

I just booked a May 2025 cruise and was able to choose my suite

[voljeep]

24 minutes ago, memoak said:

We have always been able to choose our cabin in over 50 cruises. We book usually a year or more out

casino cruises with full suite upgrades' has its privileges 🤑

[Princessfan20]

Just more of the new Princess and I would say this is another cut in services.  
We were always able to choose our cabin on any booking if available but now Princess

is charging a fee if you are lucky enough to do so.  On several cruises there is no choice and we have to pay up front for a mini-suite or higher and not get what we want.  

 

I think the new Princess term is "Cabin Roulette."  But I am sure that there are those who think it is a brilliant idea by Princess because now they get to have a scavenger hunt after boarding to find what cabin they got n where and it just makes cruising so much more exciting. 🙂

[coo359a2]

14 hours ago, Outerdog said:

I mean, seriously?

 

If this is a mini suite, there is currently only 1 mini suite left to book an actual cabin number.  It you let Princess choose, then it will be a guaranty.  There are quite of few of all other cabin categories that are available to book an actual cabin.

[memoak]

19 minutes ago, voljeep said:

casino cruises with full suite upgrades' has its privileges 🤑

The May cruise I just booked was not a casino discounted cruise. 

[coo359a2]

42 minutes ago, memoak said:

We have always been able to choose our cabin in over 50 cruises. We book usually a year or more out

We have always been able to pick out a specific cabin to book since we started cruising in 2004.  Only once booked a guaranty and as it was a very last minute cruise.  Just booked 6 cruises last week, chose our cabin numbers based on the Princess website, able to get same cabin on the B2Bs and then called our TA for her to book.  Have no idea why some  are unable to pick out specific cabin numbers for their cruises.

[Outerdog]

Interesting responses.  A clarification or two... this was for a mini-suite category on this voyage. The suites show sold out.

 

The mildly infuriating part of this is right in the title. We're talking about Eleven Thousand Dollars. I don't care about Eleven Thousand Dollars so much. I'm doing an Alaska trip this September that's sitting at $10k. Fine. 

 

At Eleven Thousand Dollars (!), I should not have to worry about Princess scheming on overbooks, "it's a unique voyage", casino crap, TAs, or whatever else.

 

For $11k, the booking engine should present available cabins and allow selection, first come, first serve. Simple. Anything else just cheapens the experience. And there really shouldn't be a cheapened experience at Eleven Thousand Dollars. I mean, dude, if the angle is to pilfer another $200 or whatever out of a pax paying $11k, then what are they doing?

 

Cabin selection is top of the list for me, right up there with departure port. I'm not a complicated passenger. These two things are easy for a cruise line to provide. One is automatic and the other is being messed around with for no real good reason (pax have been selecting cabins in online bookings since forever).

 

 

[memoak]

There is also a fact that travel agents grab “X” amount of cabins and then return some. I was not able to get an aft suite for an upcoming cruise and the a month later one showed u so we changed 

[capriccio]

2 minutes ago, Outerdog said:

Interesting responses.  A clarification or two... this was for a mini-suite category on this voyage. The suites show sold out.

As I and others have posted, it is possible that the mini-suites are almost sold out so they are only offering guarantees.  If you haven't already (especially since it is the weekend), contact your CVP or travel agent tomorrow.  They should be able to tell you what is going on.

[Bedruthen]

The day that I cannot select my cabin number will be the day that I stop cruising. No-one puts this baby in the corner!

[Outerdog]

3 minutes ago, Bedruthen said:

The day that I cannot select my cabin number will be the day that I stop cruising. No-one puts this baby in the corner!

 

I mean, yeah, that's exactly how I feel about it.

 

5 minutes ago, capriccio said:

As I and others have posted, it is possible that the mini-suites are almost sold out so they are only offering guarantees.  If you haven't already (especially since it is the weekend), contact your CVP or travel agent tomorrow.  They should be able to tell you what is going on.

 

Those are exactly the types of hoops I do not wish to jump trough for $11k.

[Gettingwarmer]

25 minutes ago, Outerdog said:

 

I mean, yeah, that's exactly how I feel about it.

 

 

Those are exactly the types of hoops I do not wish to jump trough for $11k.

This is a very, very popular cruise. You were a bit late to the party and missed out. 

[capriccio]

20 minutes ago, Outerdog said:

 

I mean, yeah, that's exactly how I feel about it.

 

 

Those are exactly the types of hoops I do not wish to jump trough for $11k.

Then just treat it as a sold out message and book an available cabin category or pass on the cruise. 

 

You might be lucky if you keep watching availability over the next 2 years. In my experience that I noted in post #2 my TA thought cabins on the deck with the other 3 would become available after the complementary hold period.  Not a single one did.  In fact the only way we got to be on the same deck was when one of the couples canceled their cruise and since we were using the same TA she was immediately able to move the other.  In the 2 years up to the cruise there was never more than a single cabin available every few months even after final payment.