Excursion Wait Listing...Secret?

[napunani]

Our TA has called PRINCESS twice, speaking with 4 different PRINCESS agents attempting to get us waited listed on a particular excursion.  Even a PRINCESS supervisor couldn't figure it out, but the excursion website shows WAIT LIST OPEN and has now for 2 weeks.  So we have not been wait listed.

Anyone had any success in getting added to an excursion wait list?  Please...tell your secret!  TIA

[Abercrombie2019]

15 minutes ago, napunani said:

Our TA has called PRINCESS twice, speaking with 4 different PRINCESS agents attempting to get us waited listed on a particular excursion.  Even a PRINCESS supervisor couldn't figure it out, but the excursion website shows WAIT LIST OPEN and has now for 2 weeks.  So we have not been wait listed.

Anyone had any success in getting added to an excursion wait list?  Please...tell your secret!  TIA

We wanted to reserve an excursion that showed sold out, but the wait list was open.  We were able to select both passengers and were added to the waitlist (a couple of months before our cruise).  Our list of excursions showed "confirmed" for all of the purchased ones, and "waitlist" for the waitlisted one - in our travel summary.  We never heard if we got the excursion until we were in our cabin on the ship.  The excursion ticket for the "waitlisted" excursion was in our stateroom.

 

Just wanted to add, that we did have a few problems trying to get on the waitlist.  The first few times that we noticed that the waitlist was open, we could only add one passenger.  We did not want to chance only one of us getting the excursion.  We just kept checking until one day we were able to select both passengers.

Edited February 28 by Abercrombie2019

[Rick&Jeannie]

11 minutes ago, napunani said:

Our TA has called PRINCESS twice, speaking with 4 different PRINCESS agents attempting to get us waited listed on a particular excursion.  Even a PRINCESS supervisor couldn't figure it out, but the excursion website shows WAIT LIST OPEN and has now for 2 weeks.  So we have not been wait listed.

Anyone had any success in getting added to an excursion wait list?  Please...tell your secret!  TIA

I would assume that your TA has a more direct line to a knowledgeable person at Princess (as opposed to the regular phone center) so we may be seeing more evidence of lacking IT website support. If the TA cannot get it done....we'll, it just might not be possible. Not what you want to hear, I know. 

Edited February 28 by Rick&Jeannie

[karatemom2]

Unfortunately there is no special secret. It’s just a matter of slots available. There are only two ways to move off a wait list. One is if it’s the type of tour, like a bus tour, where the vendor can add capacity by providing an additional vehicle and guide. Sometimes if there is enough demand more spaces will be made available. 
 

If it is a finite tour where, from the outset, the number of available spaces are set, the only way to move off the waitlist is if people already booked cancel. Since they have up to 48 hours before the tour to cancel, you may be waiting until the last couple of days prior to know if you made it on the tour. 
 

Not trying to discourage you, just sharing our real experiences. We have been on three waitlists for a Princess tour and never made the cut. One was for a horseback riding excursion, one a small boat trip, and the other a kayak tour. All were excursions where capacity could probably not be expanded and clearly no one dropped out. 
 

Really, all you can do is wait and see what happens, hope for the best, and have a plan b. 

[Rick&Jeannie]

2 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

Unfortunately there is no special secret. It’s just a matter of slots available. There are only two ways to move off a wait list. One is if it’s the type of tour, like a bus tour, where the vendor can add capacity by providing an additional vehicle and guide. Sometimes if there is enough demand more spaces will be made available. 
 

If it is a finite tour where, from the outset, the number of available spaces are set, the only way to move off the waitlist is if people already booked cancel. Since they have up to 48 hours before the tour to cancel, you may be waiting until the last couple of days prior to know if you made it on the tour. 
 

Not trying to discourage you, just sharing our real experiences. We have been on three waitlists for a Princess tour and never made the cut. One was for a horseback riding excursion, one a small boat trip, and the other a kayak tour. All were excursions where capacity could probably not be expanded and clearly no one dropped out. 
 

Really, all you can do is wait and see what happens, hope for the best, and have a plan b. 

While your posting is excellent as far as what you have suggested,  the way I read the OP is that they cannot *get on* the waitlist...not that they cannot actually get the reservation. It sounds very much like more website/system issues if it shows online that the waitlist is "open" and it will not accept their names. (Just my opinion....could be wrong!)

[karatemom2]

16 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

While your posting is excellent as far as what you have suggested,  the way I read the OP is that they cannot *get on* the waitlist...not that they cannot actually get the reservation. It sounds very much like more website/system issues if it shows online that the waitlist is "open" and it will not accept their names. (Just my opinion....could be wrong!)

Ah yes, I see I misread her post. I thought it said the TA got them on the wait list. Well as long as it says wait list open there is hope!

 

Maybe Princess is trying to add capacity - usually if there are waitlist slots you can add yourself online. Sounds like a systems issue. 
 

I know there is a specific excursions department. Maybe you could see if you could get through to someone there. 
 

When you say excursion website, I’m assuming you mean the Princess excursion site, not the tour operator’s site? On the Princess excursion site if there are waitlist openings it usually lets you select that option?
 

Hope you gets some answers!

Edited February 28 by karatemom2

[napunani]

Appreciate all the in put.

CLARIFICATION 

I am using the PRINCESS.com excursion website for our booking.

I did try to select both myself and hubby for the WAIT LISTED excursion, but there was not any further action to take after selecting our names. 

I even tried by selecting one of us, not both, for the WAIT LISTED excursion, but again, there as not any further action to take after selecting our names. 

Only recommendation from TA, not PRINCESS personnel, is to check back on that excursion frequently to see if anything has changed.  I am following that recommendation.

[tmt218]

I’m having the same issue with an excursion we are wanting. It’s showing waitlist is available but I’m unable to click on any names to be added to the waitlist. 
 

I think it’s a system glitch. 

Edited February 28 by tmt218
Spelling