Can DLC overbook?

[Snowwhyt]

We know that airlines will overbook, and that hotels overbook. We've heard how they had to scramble to find room or passage when space was unavailable. So is cruising no different? I assume that cruises do this. Perhaps other cruises overbook by 1% and Disney takes less risk and overbooks by half a percent.

I've always had that warm gooey feeling in my heart that Disney could never overbook. Then I stayed in a conference room with four cots with a bathroom down the hall and no locking door. Reality set in Disney is a business for profit, and I know they have upgraded rooms when problems arise.

So the real question is...
Has Disney over booked a cruise?
Any idea what they did with that family?

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I don't believe they purposefully overbook, but an overbook situation could happen when rooms need to be taken out of service for maintenance. There's only been one time I've read of someone arriving at the port and being told the ship was overbooked.

 

[Capt_BJ]

Never heard of it on any cruise I've taken ... unless as mentioned some rooms became 'unusable'

actually ships can seldom book every bed that is available ... this applies to DCL ... I had a discussion with a DCL VP about it.

USCG (and IMO) certifies the ship for X# of persons on board. In the case of Magic and Wonder (these two I'm sure about), their designed max load assumes that NOT ALL of the beds (esp, sofa beds and drop down bunks) will be used .... in some cases the ship can not sell you 4 spots to sail even tho the room actually HAS 4 beds, because maximum occupancy rules come in to play.

Getting caught with too many folks on board is a big no no

{how did I learn this? On a very early Magic cruise when we got our room assignment I checked the 'book' and the plans said the room assigned slept 3. We were clearly 4. Only SOME of the rooms of the class we'd bought indicated they had the drop down bunk and OUR room did not. So I called and was told, "oh, all those rooms have the 4th bunk but we don't show that because then we don't have enough life boats."

Hmm ... obviously the person on the phone did not know they were speaking to a senior officer of the Coast Guard .... I had a pretty good idea what they MEANT ... and sure enuf our room DID have the bunk.

During the cruise, the family was invited to the bridge when leaving Castaway (CG uniform on formal nite had its perks, dd got to blow the Mickey horn) I met that DCL VP and we got talking: "hey, have I got a funny story for you...." The look of PANIC in his eyes was priceless. Turns out he was on board with a group of supervisors for the phone reps ... doing orientation and he confirmed what I already knew ... they can't fill every possible bed and stay legal. "I think I'm having another meeting with those folks tonight!"

True story .....}

 

[dclpluto]

Yes DCL overbooks as with all cruise lines. DCL and other cruise lines know that a lot of people is going to cancel once the pif date comes close. I know of one time DCL had a problem. Not as many people cancelled as they thought was going to. So they had to do something. They offer very great deal for people to go on another cruise. Great if you lived in florida and didn't have plane tickets already and you could change your vacation at work. So in the end everyone was happy. The ship sailed full and everyone that wanted to go went. Than some people got a great deal on going on another cruise.

 

[kerry1379]

I would have assumed DCL did not overbook because, unlike hotels, they give you a specific room number when you book. I guess the same could be said about some airlines and they still overbook though.

 

[dclpluto]

I would have assumed DCL did not overbook because, unlike hotels, they give you a specific room number when you book. I guess the same could be said about some airlines and they still overbook though.

That's why there is gty and DCL knows a lot of people is going to cancel once the pif date comes close

 

[darnheather]

Unlike a hotel or an airline DCL can't just put you in the hotel across the street or on a flight leaving an hour earlier. However, I would guess they have very good algorithms that allow them to book as close to 100% as possible even if it means going a bit over.

 

[phinz]

I've heard of other lines doing a "cruise later" offer when they're either overbooked or need a certain number of rooms for other passengers. Princess is the one I recall doing it. I've never heard of DCL doing it.