Let me upgrade you !!?

Question

Okay ! I've had on many occasions on airline travel, bought a coach class ticket and got upgraded to 1st class because there was an opening. Do cruiselines ever upgrade you from an inside cabin to a window or balcony just because.....?

Answer 1

Your chances of getting a free upgrade are very very slim.  I have done almost 20 cruises and many with the same line and have never been offered an upgrade.  On almost all of the cruises I have done, and they have been all over Europe and The Caribbean and Mexico, the ships have normally been full, no spare cabins.  In fact there are normally signs at the purser's desk informing everyone that all cabins have been sold.

The only free upgrades I have ever been offered were upgrade certificates sent to me by the frequent cruiser club for the cruise line.  That would get me a one category upgrade and in most cases it was a move from a lower deck to a higher deck in the same cabin category.

Sometimes cruise lines will advertise upgrades but they are generally for moves within categories rather than between them like from inside to balcony.

Answer 2

It does happen, but it is rare.  I've done 10 cruises, and only once was I upgraded from what I paid for to something else.  Even then, there were special circumstances involved.

I booked passage on the Carnival Triumph about a year in advance.  I paid for a lower deck inside cabin.  I had a cabin, but the actual cabin was undetermined when I got the sailing documents.  When I arrived, I was given the weirdest cabin I've ever had in my life.  It was an outside cabin with two portholes, and structured in an L-shape around an emergency staircase.  It had a single bed, and a couch, tv, and all that.  

I kind of figure it's one of the weirdo cabins the cruise ship people assign to single travelers who booked well in advance,  and who indicate a desire to travel on the cheap.  I loved the cabin, but I still would have been happy with a lower deck inside cabin which is what I paid for.  

In my experience, most cruises are fully booked, and don't have spare cabins unless a passenger fails to board.  Unlike airlines, cruises almost always have people ready to board at bargain prices, but it's kind of hard to sell somebody on a trip from Helena, Montana to, say, Portland, Maine even if the rate is cheap at the last minute.

Answer 3

I always tell my clients to go guarantee if you dont care where you are on a ship (front, mid, or aft) and you have the POSSIBILITY of an upgrade not a PROBABILITY--but it does happen quite often. Now, very rarely have i seen someone book an inside cabin and get bumped up to a balcony so please dont go into a booking thinking that even if you have sailed with Carnival 77 times (seriously i did have a client that sailed that many times and nope no upgrade)

Now, on my last cruise i booked the LOWEST mini suite on Princess and got bumped up to the highest-it helped that I had sailed with them 5 times before, but you never know.

GOOD LUCK!

Answer 4

This does happen once in a while.  However, you have a better chance of this happening if you buy a guarantee cabin.  What you are buying is a guarantee that you will get at least the category you purchased (inside, ocean view or balcony).  However, you might get upgraded for no additional cost.  

You need to know what you are giving up and what you might get.  Say for example you would be happy with at least an ocean view cabin.  You purchase an ocean view guarantee (which usually cost less than even the lowest level ocean view cabin).  In return, you know you will get at least an ocean view cabin somewhere on the ship.  You don't get to choose the cabin location.  You might end up with a higher level ocean view cabin (to the cruise line that is an upgrade, even though it is the same cabin, just higher up on the ship).  Or you might be upgraded to a balcony cabin.  You might not be upgraded at all, meaning that you end up in the lowest level of ocean view cabins.  However, you will not end up in an inside cabin.

This does not work if you want a specific cabin because you don't get to choose your cabin location.  This also will not work if you need two cabins close to each other, again because you don't get to choose your cabin's location.  However, even if you end up in the lowest cabin, you still spent less than if you purchased that same cabin by specifically asking for it.

The downside, besides not being able to choose your cabin location is that you will end up with a cabin nobody else wanted.  The upside is you pay less and have a chance for an upgrade.

Sometimes instead of an upgrade (which is free) you will be offered an up sell, which costs a little more money, but still saves you some money.  For example, you purchase an ocean view cabin for $1600.  Lets say the balcony cabins are going for $2200.  The cruise line might offer you the balcony cabin for $300 more, or $1900 total.  You end up spending a little for the higher grade cabin, but you don't have to pay full price for it.

Upgrades are usually offered to those who have many cruises with the cruise line, or booked early, or have something special going on (like a honeymoon).  And while people who have purchased a particular cabin sometimes are offered upgrades (or up sells) usually the people that get upgraded are those that purchased a guarantee cabin.  Only someone who purchased a particular cabin can be offered an up sell.

Answer 5

Yes.  I just went on a cruise and when I called to book it on the phone, they upgraded us (thank goodness cause I don't think I could have handled no window--lol).

I was talking to some other people on the cruise and they said their friend was upgraded due to the rooms condition.

You have a good chance of being upgraded if the cruise didn't sell as many tickets as they expect.

Have fun if you go and hopefully you get a great upgrade!!~~~~~