Carnival cruise ships are some of the most famous lines in the world. They regularly carry hundreds of thousands of guests aboard each ship, making them some of the most popular passenger ships in the world. However, it is not always easy to get onboard any time you want. When the ship is packed full of guests, how do they get those empty cabins filled with guests?
You can count on being one of the few passengers who gets an empty seat in any cabin of any cruise line. The truth is, most of those cruise ships already have an idea in place how to fill their unsold cabins long before any of their last-minute discount sales are held. Most cruise lines use those last-minute offers to fill their remaining spaces on off-season days when they’re less likely to be sold out.
The way how cruise ships fill their unsold cabins is by using last-minute travel agents. While these travel agents work on commission, they will often times work at a discount. This means that they may also give a discount to those passengers wishing to be traveling on any given day. In many cases, they will hold these last minute events until they are more likely to fill up with customers. If a ship is taking on board only half the number of guests that were initially planned, they will often hold a “birding trip” where they tour the different ports of call and visit certain attractions at specific times.
Of course, not all last-minute travel agents will be working at a discount price. Many will simply work on commission and will charge full price for all of their services. So how cruise ships fill their unsold cabins with extra guests is actually quite simple.
Every cruise ship has a number of retail outlets where people can purchase items such as clothing and toiletries. These outlets will often have very few unsold cabins left, meaning that every passenger can purchase something if they so choose. This is often the perfect opportunity for last-minute travel agents to make a profit. Since most passengers are planning to take many trips, it would be in their best interest to purchase several gift certificates for future trips. In many cases, these certificates can then be traded in for prizes that they win.
Onboard stores usually carry a large variety of gift certificates. These can be traded in or sold at a profit to any passenger that purchasing one. This is another reason that it would be in the best interests of a passenger to purchase an extended vacation package. As these unsold cabins become filled, cruise lines will often sell these cabins to vacation packages at discounted prices.
Most cruise ships also have entertainment on board. There may be discos and restaurants where many passengers would prefer to spend their time while on board. Since these ships do not have an inboard restaurant, many passengers will eat on the ship or order food off of the dining room service. All of this will lead to unsold cabins and profits for the cruise lines.
How cruise ships fill their unsold cabins is quite interesting, but there are many variables that need to be taken into consideration. Some of them are simply impossible to control. Others are actually quite easy to foresee. If a ship has a low passenger count, for example, it will most likely be full even if there is a last-minute rush to get to the end of the line.