The Christmas 2012 MR cruise is so high now

[luv2sleep]

There are only veranda 5A and higher available. Does this mean it's almost sold out? If so, is it usually for a Christmas cruise to have only veranda staterooms left more than a year from the sail date? I am on this trip and booked a little bit ago. I'm not interested in making any changes I'm just curious as to how this all works. Also, I have heard that the MR sailings weren't selling well but that just must be during less popular times of the year.

 

[mkmommy]

Pretty much all of the December 2012 MR cruises only show balcony rooms. I wonder if the Wonder is going to have a change to it's itinerary and the high prices are to discourage bookings as nothing is confirmed yet.

Was there not a post a few weeks ago that showed the Wonder in Grand Cayman in Dec 2012.

 

[luv2sleep]

Actually had not considered that this might mean my Christmas cruise would be canceled. I didn't realize they would actually cancel a holiday cruise.

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

I seriously doubt that DCL is going to cancel those December cruises. Remember the Wonder has been in LA almost a year, and LOTS of folks rebook while onboard. I myself rebooked for the week before Christmas, and got a great deal on the SPH room + onboard booking discount. I don't think there are any SPH rooms left on my cruise. And all but one of the suites are already sold. Over a year out. So I think it's possible the sales for the Christmas cruise are good. I know I had wanted to try the Fantasy, but it's just too much- so we are sticking with the Wonder. I bet other folks are too.

Its taking time to establish a permanent client base on the West Coast. I know so many people who have taken/have booked their very first DCL cruise on the MR! But for whatever reason DCL has done little to no radio/tv advertising that they even have a ship out here. Thats in stark contrast to the ads they did when the Magic was here in the summers past. It's almost a word of mouth thing. Very strange on DCL's part.

I do think some people will move those bookings perhaps if the 2013 Wonder itineraries are interesting. So while some might be dummy dates, I don't know why folks would pick an already expensive week for their dummy booking.

 

[mkmommy]

I seriously doubt that DCL is going to cancel those December cruises. Remember the Wonder has been in LA almost a year, and LOTS of folks rebook while onboard. I myself rebooked for the week before Christmas, and got a great deal on the SPH room + onboard booking discount. I don't think there are any SPH rooms left on my cruise. And all but one of the suites are already sold. Over a year out. So I think it's possible the sales for the Christmas cruise are good. I know I had wanted to try the Fantasy, but it's just too much- so we are sticking with the Wonder. I bet other folks are too.

Its taking time to establish a permanent client base on the West Coast. I know so many people who have taken/have booked their very first DCL cruise on the MR! But for whatever reason DCL has done little to no radio/tv advertising that they even have a ship out here. Thats in stark contrast to the ads they did when the Magic was here in the summers past. It's almost a word of mouth thing. Very strange on DCL's part.

I do think some people will move those bookings perhaps if the 2013 Wonder itineraries are interesting. So while some might be dummy dates, I don't know why folks would pick an already expensive week for their dummy booking.

I can see the XMas and New Years Eve cruise selling well but the Dec 9 and Dec 16 are really high too, and I can't see those sold out of all inside and ocean view rooms.

A Dec 9 departure for LA would make Dec 19 in Grand Cayman do-able. I really want to do a Panama Canal cruise, but those dates would require taking the kids out of school for 2 weeks and I can't do that.

http://www.caymanport.com/shipschedules.php

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

I can see the XMas and New Years Eve cruise selling well but the Dec 9 and Dec 16 are really high too, and I can't see those sold out of all inside and ocean view rooms.

A Dec 9 departure for LA would make Dec 19 in Grand Cayman do-able. I really want to do a Panama Canal cruise, but those dates would require taking the kids out of school for 2 weeks and I can't do that.

http://www.caymanport.com/shipschedules.php

At least out here, schools are out by the Dec. 16 cruise which makes it easy to cruise at "Christmas" without having to take kids out. That was the attraction for us.

The Dec. 2 and 9 cruises I bet have a good number of dummy bookings on them- which is why the cheaper rooms are sold. My dummy booking was for the Dec. 2, 2012 MR cruise until we decided to end up doing the Dec. 16 cruise rather than 2013 on the Fantasy. I think a lot of dummy bookings will still be holding rooms on those dates until the 2013 Magic/Wonder dates are released. Then I bet you will see lots of openings. Unfortunately, with the popularity of "dummy bookings" it does drive up the prices by selling a cabin that the person is not intending to cruise in.

If DCL didn't want to allow bookings on a cruise, they wouldn't raise the prices- they'd just make the whole cruise unavailable. I doubt they'd allow folks to book verandahs (and then cancel the cruise) but not allow bookings on inside rooms and oceanviews. Boy wouldn't THAT make for a lot of unhappy customers! Can you imagine? Mommy and Daddy are taking the kids on the Disney Wonder for Christmas! - oh, sorry, we're going to cancel that entire cruise and you'll have to find other Christmas plans. What a PR nightmare that would be.

 

[luv2sleep]

Ah all the dummy date holders. That's gotta be part of it. Makes sense.

 

[heatherbelle]

Yep, all dummy booking from our Med cruise are held for Dec12. Loads of from the Med cruise I went on were allocated the same date and we have yet to move them.

 

[ame]

we booked on the Christmas cruise in April this year (in two inside cabins) and fully intend to cruise on that date. Hope they don't move it as we're flying from Australia and have planned our whole Christmas around that cruise.