How can I get my cruise cabin upgraded for free? And will our cruise be full?

Question

We are travelling on the Carnival Paradise at the end of September - 3 day cruise. Is the ship likely to be full? We are staying on Hotel Queen Mary the night before, so can check in early - can I request an upgrade at that time? Thanks for responding!!

Answer 1

Sure, you can request an upgrade at the time you check in.  have a good cruise.

your travel agent or carnival could tell you if the cruise is full right now.

Answer 2

A free upgrade is normally reserved for past guest or guest traveling through an agent who has requested upgrades.  Otherwise, if you get to the ship and want an upgrade, you can check with the Purser's Desk to see if there are any last minute cancellations and the price for an upgrade.  They will not normally upgrade anyone for free after boarding, but if they had a last minute cancellation they will sell you the upgrade at a reduced rate.  No show rooms are normally held for at least 24 hours after sailing to allow the customer to contact the cruise line and possibly arrange to meet the ship at it's first port.  If there are no rooms do not wait in line at the Purser's Desk, they will put a sign on the desk, stating the cruise is full, which means there are no available upgrades. Carnival always does this.

You can consider checking with the Purser after the first 24 hours to see if any no-shows decided to cancel.

Now that you have sailed with Carnival, you will be in their past guest database.  For most sailings a past guest (they will give you a past guest #) will get a free upgrade or a reduced rate on a cruise.  Also Carnival invites past guest to a free cocktail party to express their appreciation for your continuing patronage.

Most cruise lines have a past guest policy, and most don't require multiple sailings to benefit as has been suggested by a previous responder.  Check with a travel agent before you book, for all the benefits available to you.

Answer 3

After you board, you can check with the Purser's Office to see if there are any cabins available for an upgrade.

You should check in and board as soon as possible if you want a chance of an upgrade.

The downside is if there are no upgrades, your stuck on the ship for several hours.

You really only shower, change clothes and sleep in the cabin.  Even the Category 4 cabins are fine for that.

Answer 4

You can certainly request and pay for an upgrade when you check in, if one is available.  But cruise lines do not normally just give upgrades on request and not on a "first come" basis.  Now, If you are a frequent cruiser with Carnival and are in their top tier (of their frequent cruiser club) they may consider you for an upgrade but after everyone has boarded ship and they know exactly which cabins are available.  But baring that you are not likely to get a freebie.

I am a member of the frequent cruiser clubs for Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and Princess.  What they normally offer after you have completed 5 or 6 cruises is a discount of $50 to $100 per person, but not a free cabin upgrade which may be $300 and up more per person.

But, yes do request, the worse they can say is no.