Seeing stateroom availability before booking

[Jacqueet]

I'm wondering if there is any way to see what staterooms are available on a specific cruise without going through the process of partially booking the cruise? I'd like to be able to see what's open before choosing a specific itinerary. All I have been able to figure out so far is to use an incognito page, find the cruise, start the booking process, get to the page where you can choose your cabin, and see the availability for the category chosen. Then I have to start all over again if I want to see another cabin category. Is there an easier way?

[oaktreerb]

You can use the back arrow to check other categories but it is a cumbersome process.

[YourWorldWithBill]

21 minutes ago, Jacqueet said:

I'm wondering if there is any way to see what staterooms are available on a specific cruise without going through the process of partially booking the cruise? I'd like to be able to see what's open before choosing a specific itinerary. All I have been able to figure out so far is to use an incognito page, find the cruise, start the booking process, get to the page where you can choose your cabin, and see the availability for the category chosen. Then I have to start all over again if I want to see another cabin category. Is there an easier way?

The easiest way is to use the list of pages just below the blue bar at the top of the page. For example, after you have chose the deck, seeing the available rooms, there will be a list at the top;

Itinerary/Guests & Rooms/Fare/Location/Section/Deck

Click on whichever page you want to return to, such as "section" or "deck". This is an easy way.

[Jacqueet]

39 minutes ago, oaktreerb said:

You can use the back arrow to check other categories but it is a cumbersome process.

Exactly. Very cumbersome.

[Jacqueet]

27 minutes ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

The easiest way is to use the list of pages just below the blue bar at the top of the page. For example, after you have chose the deck, seeing the available rooms, there will be a list at the top;

Itinerary/Guests & Rooms/Fare/Location/Section/Deck

Click on whichever page you want to return to, such as "section" or "deck". This is an easy way.

Easier, yes, but I still wish there were a way to see room availability without going through half the reservation process. 😊

[Haljo1935]

2 hours ago, Jacqueet said:

Easier, yes, but I still wish there were a way to see room availability without going through half the reservation process. 😊

Agree. And I've found when I call my TA, he sees less cabins than I do, so that doesn't seem to be the way, either.

[crystalspin]

3 hours ago, Jacqueet said:

I'm wondering if there is any way to see what staterooms are available on a specific cruise without going through the process of partially booking the cruise?

I don't think so. And even when you see "available" for your half-booked reservation, that isn't even the whole story. If a cruise is part of a collectors (combined) cruise, or it is the combined cruise when each leg is available to book independently -- some cabins are "reserved" to for each way to book! 

[Ipeeinthepools]

4 hours ago, Jacqueet said:

I'm wondering if there is any way to see what staterooms are available on a specific cruise without going through the process of partially booking the cruise? I'd like to be able to see what's open before choosing a specific itinerary. All I have been able to figure out so far is to use an incognito page, find the cruise, start the booking process, get to the page where you can choose your cabin, and see the availability for the category chosen. Then I have to start all over again if I want to see another cabin category. Is there an easier way?

 

I would suggest that you try the websites from some of the large online TAs.  For example, I use a TA that also sells toilet paper.  When you use that site, after you select a category (inside, ocean view, balcony, suite) you can see all of the available rooms within that category on each floor.  After two or 3 clicks on the back button, you can switch category and then see all of those available cabins in the new category.

[Ipeeinthepools]

31 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

I don't think so. And even when you see "available" for your half-booked reservation, that isn't even the whole story. If a cruise is part of a collectors (combined) cruise, or it is the combined cruise when each leg is available to book independently -- some cabins are "reserved" to for each way to book! 

 

This is what really bugs me.  It takes a good bit more effort, but you can have your TA call ships inventory and have them switch the cabins from the individual voyages to the combined voyage for you to book the specific cabin you want.  You can do this as long there is a cabin available in that category for the combined voyage.  I think each ship may be different but I've found that the Rotterdam assigns less desirable cabins (such as connecting cabins or cabins by an exterior door that slams shut) for the combined voyages.

[FlaMariner]

14 hours ago, Jacqueet said:

I'm wondering if there is any way to see what staterooms are available on a specific cruise without going through the process of partially booking the cruise?

 

The big internet TA we use does not have this option but......

 

.....there is a large airline that sells cruises and I can go online there and cabins available with a deck plan appear...(based on the category type I choose)......and that is before entering any personal data and with no sign in..........keep searching and you will find such a site.

 

Enjoy researching......

[DE Solo]

Not sure how any of these suggestions work relative to guarantee cabins, which are reserved and committed but are not assigned. For example, your searches could reveal many available ocean view cabins, but not show you that there are currently 100 passengers who have guarantees for that cabin category, but not yet been assigned locations.

[FlaMariner]

2 minutes ago, DE Solo said:

Not sure how any of these suggestions work relative to guarantee cabins, which are reserved and committed but are not assigned.

 

Understood.....and agree......but you can go online and find out if a particular cabin is available to purchase now....without entering any personal stuff.

 

As far as knowing how full the ship is and how many of XX cabins might be available, that, in my experience, is a closely guarded state secret and I've never been able to crack that code. 

[Jacqueet]

15 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

I would suggest that you try the websites from some of the large online TAs.  For example, I use a TA that also sells toilet paper.  When you use that site, after you select a category (inside, ocean view, balcony, suite) you can see all of the available rooms within that category on each floor.  After two or 3 clicks on the back button, you can switch category and then see all of those available cabins in the new category.

I decided to try this with an itinerary we've already booked, and it does work, BUT that TA's site show very different availability than the HAL site. For example, the cabin I am interested in shows unavailable on the TA site, but available on the HAL site and the HAL site shows no aft verandahs available, whereas the TA site shows them ALL available. As someone else said, availability seems to be a State Secret!

[Shippy]

I use a large internet agency

 I go to the exact cruise I want to take

I put in the cat. cabin I want & hit continue

It will show me ALL the cabins available in that category.

 I ALWAYS do that before I book.

Just google...large internet travel agencys

I am sure that it will work within the first few names that pop up

 

[Jacqueet]

18 hours ago, Shippy said:

I use a large internet agency

 I go to the exact cruise I want to take

I put in the cat. cabin I want & hit continue

It will show me ALL the cabins available in that category.

 I ALWAYS do that before I book.

Just google...large internet travel agencys

I am sure that it will work within the first few names that pop up

 

Not having a lot of luck...is your TA a cruise specific agency? 

[S&B]

When I want to see cabins available I use the website that the large store sells the 1.50 cent hot dogs and the pizza that we love.  You do not need a membership to go online and look at their travel section.  Don't know how to explain it more.  Begins with a "C".  I go there a lot to check out cabins even though I know that it might not be completely accurate.

[Jacqueet]

3 hours ago, S&B said:

When I want to see cabins available I use the website that the large store sells the 1.50 cent hot dogs and the pizza that we love.  You do not need a membership to go online and look at their travel section.  Don't know how to explain it more.  Begins with a "C".  I go there a lot to check out cabins even though I know that it might not be completely accurate.

Yes, I did that but found their availability was different than HAL's. As an example, the HAL site showed zero availability of aft verandah cabins, but the "C" store' site showed they were all available. I wonder if the "C" store had just bought all the aft verandah cabins. 🤷‍♀️

[YourWorldWithBill]

3 minutes ago, Jacqueet said:

Yes, I did that but found their availability was different than HAL's. As an example, the HAL site showed zero availability of aft verandah cabins, but the "C" store' site showed they were all available. I wonder if the "C" store had just bought all the aft verandah cabins. 🤷‍♀️

That's pretty interesting. I guess you'd have to call HAL to find out, but I think I'd trust the HAL site. I've seen the opposite, when an agency (not Co) didn't show cabins that were available on the HAL page.

[Jacqueet]

25 minutes ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

That's pretty interesting. I guess you'd have to call HAL to find out, but I think I'd trust the HAL site. I've seen the opposite, when an agency (not Co) didn't show cabins that were available on the HAL page.

I sort of assume that HAL or any other line would hold some inventory aside, so your experience doesn't surprise me.

[Shippy]

1 hour ago, Jacqueet said:

Yes, I did that but found their availability was different than HAL's. As an example, the HAL site showed zero availability of aft verandah cabins, but the "C" store' site showed they were all available. I wonder if the "C" store had just bought all the aft verandah cabins. 🤷‍♀️

 I never use the cruise line site for that kind of info NOR do i ever book through them !

[Shippy]

4 hours ago, Jacqueet said:

Not having a lot of luck...is your TA a cruise specific agency? 

Yes, just cruises. I cannot name them because years ago i did that.

I got a reprimand from cruise critic that if I did that again, I would be banned    :O(

 

[Jacqueet]

14 minutes ago, Shippy said:

Yes, just cruises. I cannot name them because years ago i did that.

I got a reprimand from cruise critic that if I did that again, I would be banned    :O(

 

I understand. 😉

[Bill B]

1 hour ago, Shippy said:

Yes, just cruises. I cannot name them because years ago i did that.

I got a reprimand from cruise critic that if I did that again, I would be banned    :O(

 

Kind'a like going to Facebook 'jail'. 😂 Understandable though - Cruise Critic doesn't really exist for the discussion boards, it exists to sell cruises through links to advertisers (who pay to fund the discussion boards).

 

Back to the original topic - 

I find the least labour intensive way of looking at all available rooms is to use a website (that cannot be named) showing all rooms in any given Cat. on any given deck (including accessible rooms) for the entire ship - just one (almost instantaneous) 'click' to change decks. On the HAL website, it's a PITA to change sections and decks to see what's available.

 

If your cruise can be booked as part of a B-T-B etc., open a window for each 'cruise'.

 

I have a booking now for a 28-day cruise that is sold as part of its preceding 41-day and antecedent 43-day cruises. I was able to get a room that was not shown as available for my cruise because I knew it could be booked for the 41-day.

[Mike_and_Co]

On 1/15/2024 at 7:31 PM, Ipeeinthepools said:

I use a TA that also sells toilet paper. 

This whole thread's been helpful, but that one took me a while to figure out as I'm not the sharpest crayon in the box. 

I was picturing the little emergency packs of tissue that are available at travel stores; no definitely not that... : ) 

Edited January 19 by Mike_and_Co

[lupaglupa]

I open up the HAL site in a different browser and, while it is time consuming, look at everything bookable for the particular cruise. I mostly do this when I'm already booked and I want to see how full the cruise will be before I get on.