Strategies for snagging a room in a sold out cruise?

[DisneYE]

There's this sailing we really wanted to do but were late to deciding and now its sold out. Been sold out for weeks, actually.
It's the 11-night Magic Med cruise in July 2021.
Covid-permitting, we are planning on being in Europe next summer for a couple of months and this cruise really appealed to us.

I know the closer it gets to PIF day, the more chances a room will open up.

But what other strategies do people use to snag a room in a sold out cruise? (wanted a Verandah)

I check the DCL website once a day and that's it. Obviously no luck for the past couple of weeks.

Any suggestions?

 

[BadPinkTink]

Go to Dreams Unlimited and get one of their agents on the case. That way you don't have to keep doing the work and you will be notified if and when a stateroom goes on sale. Also you will get the Dreams Unlimited onboard credit and gift basket, all for the same price as booking direct with Disney

 

[DisneYE]

Go to Dreams Unlimited and get one of their agents on the case. That way you don't have to keep doing the work and you will be notified if and when a stateroom goes on sale. Also you will get the Dreams Unlimited onboard credit and gift basket, all for the same price as booking direct with Disney

Thanks for the reply.
If and when they do find a SR , will the booking appear on my DCL account as if I booked it myself online?
I don't mind paying extra for DU doing this but I'd like to have control of the reservation online once its made. you know, for booking activities, checking balances, making payments etc.
I've never used them so I've no idea how it works.

 

[BartmanLA]

Thanks for the reply.
If and when they do find a SR , will the booking appear on my DCL account as if I booked it myself online?
I don't mind paying extra for DU doing this but I'd like to have control of the reservation online once its made. you know, for booking activities, checking balances, making payments etc.
I've never used them so I've no idea how it works.

Nope, once you use a TA to book your reservation you can do some of onboard booking of stuff yourself, excursions etc, but managing your reservation ie payments and such are solely in the hands of the TA. Although I do believe that most TA's like DU don't put a surcharge on using them, as they book enough volume to get some preferential pricing by the cruise line.

 

[BadPinkTink]

Thanks for the reply.
If and when they do find a SR , will the booking appear on my DCL account as if I booked it myself online?
I don't mind paying extra for DU doing this but I'd like to have control of the reservation online once its made. you know, for booking activities, checking balances, making payments etc.
I've never used them so I've no idea how it works.

You don't pay to use Dreams Unlimited, they get paid from Disney. You do have control over your reservation when Dreams Unlimited book it. I currently have a cruise booked with Dreams Unlimited. I have a customer login on Dreams Unlimited website where I can pay in installments and see my stateroom number, Dreams Unlimited booking reference, amount paid, amount due etc etc.

Dreams Unlimited also give you your Disney Booking number, so that you can log into Disney Cruise Line website and App. I am currently logged into DCL App and can see everything as normal.

 

[FightingIrishman]

FYI: That cruise is the most expensive itinerary for all of DCL. The only thing that comes close is the Iceland itinerary later that summer.

 

[BadPinkTink]

Nope, once you use a TA to book your reservation you can do some of onboard booking of stuff yourself, excursions etc, but managing your reservation ie payments and such are solely in the hands of the TA. Although I do believe that most TA's like DU don't put a surcharge on using them, as they book enough volume to get some preferential pricing by the cruise line.

Not correct for Dreams Unlimited. I had a previous cruise booking for September 2020 which is now cancelled. I paid that cruise in installments, online through Dreams Unlimited customer profile. My money went direct to Disney and I had a paid receipt from Dreams Unlimited within 24 hours.

Dreams Unlimited give you as much or as little control as you want. There is no obligation or pressure to book excursions through them. I am doing my ports DIY.

For my now cancelled cruise I rang Disney Cruise Line direct to book a 1 day Rainforest Room Pass.

On the Disney Cruise Line App I can book any of the in room gifts, food and drinks packages for delivery to my room on embarkation day.

 

[randumb0]

I didn't realize that so many cruises had been booked. I was just browsing the DCL and am somewhat surprised. I guess it makes sense with all of the cancellations

 

[Disneyland_emily]

I didn't realize that so many cruises had been booked. I was just browsing the DCL and am somewhat surprised. I guess it makes sense with all of the cancellations

They also pulled availability from quite a few cruises so while they aren’t ‘sold out’ max capacity they are for whatever capacity they’ve set..

 

[BadPinkTink]

Also another point about Dreams Unlimited. For my now cancelled September 2020 cruise, I had picked out specific number staterooms and asked the agent if possible to book one of them for me. At the time of the booking, none of my chosen rooms were available, so I just took a nearby room.

About a week later I got an email from my Dreams Unlimited agent to say that one of my preferred rooms was now available and she had put a hold on it for me. I asked her to switch me to that room and volia no cost to me, I now had the exact stateroom I had originally picked out.

I really got the benefit of the FREE service a few months ago when my September 2020 cruise was cancelled due to Covid. I emailed my Dreams Unlimited agent with a 2021 cruise itinerary and it was my Dreams Unlimited agent who spent hours on the phone, not me, sorting out my cancelled cruise, my Future Cruise credit and then rebooking me for September 2021.

All the people who booked direct through Disney Cruise Line had to have the stress and phone bills of doing this themselves.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The Med cruises book hard and fast when announced, so that May 2021 has been booked up for a while.

When a GTY room opens on it, it will be pricey. Brace yourself.

 

[DisneYE]

The Med cruises book hard and fast when announced, so that May 2021 has been booked up for a while.

When a GTY room opens on it, it will be pricey. Brace yourself.

Yeah I'm kind of prepared. I mean, unless its insane.
But I'm thinking 90% of ppl who had this same itinerary in 2020 (I was one - but changed it to a different sailing - unrelated to CV) and saw it cancelled, moved to the same in 2021.
So being this popular, I figure its going to be real hard to snag a room despite the price.
Ppl that had this sailing in 2020 and then had it canceled must have been crushed. More so than any normal sailing out of an American port.

 

[ahen]

We’re booked on the Iceland cruise, and truthfully I’m having lots of doubts right now. I may book it again for 2022, I just have no sense what’s going to happen now. But I agree about using Dreams, it makes it so much easier. When there was a discount my TA got it for us, when on the day of the cruise we had to cancel because of a family illness they called Disney, told me how to do the travel insurance so we at least got reimbursed. I now just email and tell her what we would like and it happens.

 

[DisneYE]

We’re booked on the Iceland cruise, and truthfully I’m having lots of doubts right now. I may book it again for 2022, I just have no sense what’s going to happen now. But I agree about using Dreams, it makes it so much easier. When there was a discount my TA got it for us, when on the day of the cruise we had to cancel because of a family illness they called Disney, told me how to do the travel insurance so we at least got reimbursed. I now just email and tell her what we would like and it happens.

I'm mildly optimistic about summer 2021.
If a vaccine rolls out in January, by march-april a lot of ppl could could have had it and then cruise lines could start planning departures with restrictions.
If no vaccine is out by early 2021 I guess ships won't sail.
But there's a few vaccines that look real promising so I'm hopeful things will turn out OK.

 

[EllinK]

If a vaccine rolls out in January, by march-april a lot of ppl could could have had it and then cruise lines could start planning departures with restrictions.

I'm figuring same as you. Jan/Feb rollout of the vaccine. Should be available to non high risk populations by Apr/May. It's cutting things close but it could happen! We are also booked on the Med cruise.

 

[DisneYE]

ETA:
I was able to snag a room after a couple of days since posting on here.
So I guess the strategy is to stalk DCL.. as my DD did several times a day...
And OMG, yes, it IS expensive. Almost the cost of concierge on a 7 night from PC.
Now let's see if it sails.
If it does sail, this would be an epic vacation for us. It's my DD's quinceañera next year so I wanted to celebrate her in style...she loves DCL and this would be the start of a 3-cruise journey in the summer... almost 30 days on the water..
But I know we're in the hands of the CV so I'm not as excited as I normally would.