Overbooking Cabins in GTY Category and Risk of Being Bumped

[txlimey]

An article in the Houston Chronicle travel section this last weekend discussed the fact that many cruise lines are beginning to overbook cabins using the GTY, guaranteed cabin process. Overbooked quests are being bumped. The cruise lines are betting on cancellations and keeping ships full. According the the Houston Chronicle, GTY can be risky now since cruise lines are starting to take advantage of the overbooking process like the airlines and the Houston Chronicle suggests that you always get a cabin number assignment right up front. Just a heads up.

[srphnx]

This hasn't been the case in cruising, the notion of in involuntary bump is EXTREEMLY rare on CL's. It costs them plenty when it happens.

[txlimey]

The Houston Chronicle says its happening more now on cruise lines.

[srphnx]

Well technically speaking if it happened once a year before and three times a year now that is "more".. I am saying it is NOT common and certainly NOTHING like the airlines. I read these boards daily and have never heard of a single involuntary bump, have only read a few stroies of people being offered a big price to move voluntarily in some cases more than they paid, so bad business and not going to happen much.Those guarntee spots are accounted for in the total selling of the ship, they don't just blindly oversell and then hope it works out. Houston Chronicle notwithstanding.

[Pam in CA]

Actually, there was an article in Cruise News Daily about this recently and it's happening on ONE cruiseline, not all cruiselines and not Princess. It does happen from time to time and people aren't "bumped" -- they're enticed with another sailing or cabin upgrade (you see the posts about people being called and offered incentives to change their booking) but not often on Princess.

 

However, there has been a significant problem for one cruiseline from one port (Baltimore). My guess is that the Houston Chronical took this information and extrapolated it as a generality in order to build the story.

[srphnx]

It never ceases to amaze me how much we as a group know about cruise related topics.

 

Thanks Pam!

[Pam in CA]

You're welcome, Steve. It just frosts me when the media yells "Chicken little!" in order to pad a story.

 

Think about it. If there were a problem on Princess with people getting bumped from a GTY, we'd sure hear about it on this board, not a newspaper.

[srphnx]

Not only would we have heard about it there would have been a huge debate over whether Princess was evil, and the people who like her are cheerleaders and the people who didnt' were aggrieved... it would have been UNMISSABLE.

[unboringuy]

And, unlike the airline industry, there are no tariff protections for overbooking. If a cruise line sells you a guaranty and can't deliver, that's called breach of contract! In addition to bad p.r., it opens them up to a lawsuit for damages.

[srphnx]

Yes, good point. I have heard stories of families being offered $2500 to change dates, they wouldn't do that if they had a choice.

[Quacker]

We were booked GTY on the Royal Princess in June. We got a call from Princess to go on the next cruise with a great cabin and some $$$ but we had too many plans. (airline tickets - private tours with friends - etc.) We ended up with a great cabin with a six cat. upgrade so can't complain. Quacker Don

[Coral]

I had an assigned cabin in May for Alaska. They called and offered the 2nd person in my cabin to sail free if I changed dates. This was about a week before sail date. 3 days before the cruise - I was offered a free cruise and an upgrade to change dates (basically when I boarded the ship, I would have the price I paid for the cruise as shipboard credit - what I didn't spend, I could cash out). I had a B2B and they were willing to switch my 2nd cruise also (but that wouldn't be free)

 

It turned out to be more of a hassle to switch flights (was using FF miles) and when I was crusing was best with work schedule (we were busy a month later). It turned out to be an incredible cruise and I am glad I stuck with it.

 

------------

 

I also read what Pam read. It was crappy how the one line handled things. They cancelled the locals. It was ugly.

[Coolmama_1]

I actually met someone on my cruise who got "bumped". They were supposed to be on the 7/4 sailing of the Golden and Princess bumped them but offered to put them on the 7/4 sailing of the Destiny in the an upgraded catagory. So all was not lost for them, except they were not on the Golden:( , but they still got to cruise.

[Coral]

I have not met someone sailing on Princess who was "involuntary bumped". Princess just keeps increasing the incentive until enough people given in. The incentives do get pretty good.

 

When my TA was talking to them about the free cruise and switching dates (conference call), the Princess Rep said that they had offered 100 people this same offer and it was whoever go back to them first. I asked if I could have 30 minutes to an hour to look at the situation (flights, work, etc) and they said - sure but the offer may be gone by the time you call back.......I thought about 15 minutes and realized it wasn't feasible so I had my TA call and decline.

 

I knew Celebrity would often offer people on RCCL. I didn't realize Princess was offering some other lines under the Carnvial Corp umbrella (it makes sense). My offer when I was on the Dawn Princess (last week of May and first week of June) and I could go on any Dawn or Sun Princess cruise in June or July (not the Coral or Island).

[Crowsie]

This hasn't been the case in cruising, the notion of in involuntary bump is EXTREEMLY rare on CL's. It costs them plenty when it happens.

 

 

Friends of mine were contacted the day before they were supposed to leave.

 

Princess was offering them a FREE CRUISE if they would sail anytime after 2 weeks from their scheduled date.

 

They also were protecting the Princess air and paying up to $100 for air-on-your-own.

 

Unfortunately, my friends couldn't take advantage because they had a cruise tour booked..and Princess couldn't change the land portion on such short notice...

 

Can you imagine...a FREE Alaska cruise...and they were booked in a balcony, too.

[Pam in CA]

I think the bottom line is that cruiselines do overbook cruises using the GTY. However, that guarantee is for the category you booked -- or better. There are always cancellations when it comes time to pay in full and the penalties kick in, and the cruiselines have created mathematical models to account for this. When fewer people cancel, the incentives kick in. They keep on increasing the incentives until they get everyone in a cabin on a cruise.

 

Overbooking is not new and it's not news. In the case of the cruiseline with the problem, none of incentives worked. People just couldn't be incentivized. The cruiseline tried everything, even free cruises. The folks in Baltimore didn't want to budge or change plans. It was a weird situation. So, the cruiseline was left with a problem and was forced to bump people.

 

If the Houston Chronicle took this situation without checking on the facts, they've alarmed people. IMHO, it's irresponsible reporting.

[ISABELLA]

I will share my experience on overbooked gty. About 5 -6 years ago we booked inside gty on brand new Grand Princess about 14 months in advance with back to back on Sea Princess for Thanksgiving week. Sea wasn't ready on time, so we booked and paid for a week on "X" Mercury in conjuction with Grand. Grand was so heavily overbooked, so 3 weeks before the sailing date, my TA called and asked if we willing to change our week on the Grand for a week in February with upgrade from inside to a balcony room and $1000.00 on board credit. We couldn't do it , because we already paid $375.00p.p. airfare, which will be costly to change and we were going with friends who couldn't change also. So we decline this very sweet offer. We did not have cabin assignment untill we got to the ship. I had the surprise of my life - we were upgraded from inside gty to very large balcony room mid ship. I love gty - inside or balcony. At least you get what you paid for or - pleasant surprise, like me.

[Deluzy]

Happy ending, Isabella!

 

I hope that is our ending - we are booked on a GTY partial view and the ship is overbooked. We cruise next week and we still have not received our cabin assignment. I will be happy with a cabin in our booked catagory, but I would be THRILLED if they decided to give us a balcony!

 

We haven't been offered any incentives, but I am sure that they wouldn't for us since we booked our cabin through their Friends and Family program (discounted cruise), but if they want to move us to a better catagory - we'd be grinnin'! :D

 

~Suzy

[ISABELLA]

Wish you good luck and great cruise no matter what cabin you will get. Let us know.

Happy cruising.