Advice/Questions Oct 31 Wish - Multi-Family, VGT

[VeronicaZS]

We are a family of 5, (Me, DH, 3 boys 16, 14, 14 at time of sailing) and will likely be traveling with both sets of grandparents. Our only other cruise was a Dream Mon-Friday in 2019. Due to sports/school schedules we can only cruise June 12 to July 31 but prefer the fall and the only cruise that works with Fall break is the Wish 3-day cruise that departs 31. I would prefer a 4 or 5 day cruise but with all the kids now in high school we don't want them to miss school. I was looking at a June 12 Disney+ 50% off kids cruise but it looks like between yesterday and today all of the June cruises are sold out for that offer. :-(
My budget is flexible but I am always looking to maximize VALUE. Ideally we would be in a Family Verandah room with the grandparents on either side but for significant savings I wouldn't mind splitting up, even putting the kids in a different cabin (understand that I would need to book with 1 adult). My non-negotiable is a verandah rooms ideally with no obstructions. I would be okay if our cabins weren't connecting or adjoining but would prefer them close by. If we can get a good deal we may do a longer cruise in the summer otherwise we would do the Oct 31 cruise. I'll be booking through Costco. Itineraries are not that important, having only done 1 cruise we will be focused on enjoying the ship.

• How far out are VGT published, 3ish months? So for June/July would I see them in March?
• I believe VGT is never available for Family Verandahs that accommodate 5, is this correct? I priced out a VGT for this March and it was cheaper to do 2 rooms vs. 1 Family Verandah, is this typically true?
• Is there a chance VGT will be available for the Oct 31 sailing?
  • If I have already booked cabin(s), could I change to to a VGT? What if VGT is published after the PIF date (Aug 2)?
• Do you think the Oct 31 sailing will sell out and if so when? I know this is an impossible question but wondering if there are historical trends. We missed going to the MNSSHP on Halloween last year because the party sold out WEEKS prior to past year so I am cautious about waiting too long to lock in plans.

What other advice/feedback/recommendations do you all have? TIA!

 

[lanejudy]

To play devils advocate... what will you do if the Oct. 31st sailing doesn't offer a VGT? I only recommend waiting for a VGT rate if your travel plans can be flexible. VGT may not be offered until August after PIF.

 

[Dug720]

• How far out are VGT published, 3ish months? So for June/July would I see them in March?
• I believe VGT is never available for Family Verandahs that accommodate 5, is this correct? I priced out a VGT for this March and it was cheaper to do 2 rooms vs. 1 Family Verandah, is this typically true?
• Is there a chance VGT will be available for the Oct 31 sailing?
  • If I have already booked cabin(s), could I change to to a VGT? What if VGT is published after the PIF date (Aug 2)?
• Do you think the Oct 31 sailing will sell out and if so when? I know this is an impossible question but wondering if there are historical trends. We missed going to the MNSSHP on Halloween last year because the party sold out WEEKS prior to past year so I am cautious about waiting too long to lock in plans.

When they are published really depends on availability of cabins. I don't know that there's a rhyme or reason, but I do think they are usually after PIF.

VGT is for any veranda.

If Family Verandas are available as a guarantee, it would be as a category (like 4A Guarantee) and that would be at least a Family Veranda. The Category GTs are not money savers - those are literally when they are down to 1 or 2 cabins in that category.

Given how popular Halloween is, I'd be kinda surprised if there were *GT rates available for that cruise. IF they are made available, you would have to cancel the other cabin(s) which are in cancellation penalty because *GT have to be new bookings. so you'd have to see if you're still coming out better losing that money. Generally you're not coming out ahead.

Know also that there is absolutely no guarantee that multiple rooms under *GT will be anywhere close together. You could well end up on different decks and at opposite ends of the ship. If having the cabins close together is a must, you need to book specific cabins. Because if they are split up, they will likely be in different muster stations and everyone would be required to muster at the station they are registered to. (Not to mention the paperwork needed to take minor kids not staying in your cabin off the ship.)

As for selling out, no way to know.

 

[holula]

In addition to what others have said, VGT rates are never available for five in one room.

You’d either have to book two rooms for your family plus a room for the grand parents, OR have one of your kids sleep in with the grand parents, and in either case rooms may not be next to each other.

 

[VeronicaZS]

To play devils advocate... what will you do if the Oct. 31st sailing doesn't offer a VGT? I only recommend waiting for a VGT rate if your travel plans can be flexible. VGT may not be offered until August after PIF.

I would do a VGT if we go in the summer where we have more flexibility. If we decide not to go in the summer I'll book cabins for Oct. If VGT is offered in Oct before PIF, I might consider switching to VGT.

 

[VeronicaZS]

Know also that there is absolutely no guarantee that multiple rooms under *GT will be anywhere close together. You could well end up on different decks and at opposite ends of the ship. If having the cabins close together is a must, you need to book specific cabins. Because if they are split up, they will likely be in different muster stations and everyone would be required to muster at the station they are registered to. (Not to mention the paperwork needed to take minor kids not staying in your cabin off the ship.)

I was tracking muster station assignments but not paperwork. We likely won't leave the ship but this is something I don't think I want to hassle with. This is just the kind of information I was looking for, thanks.

I checked a few cruises that have published VGT offers and selected connecting rooms, none showed as available. Is getting connecting room rare for VGT?

 

[VeronicaZS]

In addition to what others have said, VGT rates are never available for five in one room.

You’d either have to book two rooms for your family plus a room for the grand parents, OR have one of your kids sleep in with the grand parents, and in either case rooms may not be next to each other.

Thanks for the confirmation, that's what I thought.

 

[lanejudy]

I checked a few cruises that have published VGT offers and selected connecting rooms, none showed as available. Is getting connecting room rare for VGT?

Not impossible but not probable; definitely don’t count on it. You cannot make room location requests with *GT bookings.

 

[Mommb]

I checked a few cruises that have published VGT offers and selected connecting rooms, none showed as available. Is getting connecting room rare for VGT?

*GT rates may be offered when a cruise is mostly sold out, to make sure the remaining rooms get filled. In that case, it's unlikely that the remaining rooms will be connecting. *GT rates could also be offered when a cruise is not selling quickly, to generate more sales. In that case, you could end up in connecting rooms, but you could also end up far apart. VGT rooms may also have restricted views -- they can include any room classified as having a veranda. When you select a VGT rate, you are agreeing to take whatever veranda room(s) you're assigned.

It is possible that 2 rooms at the VGT rate will cost less than 1 Family Veranda room at the regular rate. Sometime VGT rates are offered many months in advance, sometimes they are offered after the Paid-in-Full date, and sometimes they are not offered on a particular cruise at all.

If you want rooms close to each other, you could consider 1 category 5/6 veranda room and 1 inside stateroom nearby (within the same muster station) -- that might cost less for 5 people than a category 4 family veranda room. You would need to assign one adult to each room, but you could switch keys (or get additional keys) when you board if you trust your kids to be in a room by themselves. If you do have grandparents travelling with you, you could also book 2 or 3 adjoining veranda rooms and put 1 or 2 of the kids into rooms with the grandparents. This will save a little money compared to putting 5 people in a Category 4 room, and 2 adults and 3 teens in one room will be crowded.

 

[Dug720]

I checked a few cruises that have published VGT offers and selected connecting rooms, none showed as available. Is getting connecting room rare for VGT?

Yes. As @lanejudy stated, you cannot make room requests with *GT rates as by definition you are agreeing to let them book you in any available stateroom of the designated type or better. So you couldn't even request no obstructions and could well end up with an obstructed view as those are less likely to be booked by choice.