Cunard upgrades?

Hello all! Booked a round-trip TA with Cunard for the 2nd year in a row which is still more than 2 months out. Although we booked the room we wanted (same cabin as last year) we received a mailing with our luggage tags with cabin number. Just wondering if there remains a possibility of an upgrade since we are still a long time out or do the luggage tags assume the dream is over? Has anyone ever got upgraded after this point? (And yes, our booking has the option of accepting an upgrade.)

Hello all! Booked a round-trip TA with Cunard for the 2nd year in a row which is still more than 2 months out. Although we booked the room we wanted (same cabin as last year) we received a mailing with our luggage tags with cabin number. Just wondering if there remains a possibility of an upgrade since we are still a long time out or do the luggage tags assume the dream is over? Has anyone ever got upgraded after this point? (And yes, our booking has the option of accepting an upgrade.)

There remains a possibility right up until check-in, albeit the nearer you get the less likely. The fact that luggage labels have been produced will not in itself prevent an upgrade. If you are upgraded new luggage labels will be available in the Voyage Personaliser for you to print off. Good luck!

The one and only time we have been upgraded (on an eastbound crossing), the upgrade appeared on voyage personaliser 5 days before departure, well after we had received the pre-voyage documentation with the printed luggage tags for the cabin we had originally booked. So yes, it can and does happen.

Hi,

I have received nice upgrades on my two most recent cruises on the QM2. In September 2016, I booked an inside stateroom (as a solo) and was upgraded to one of the new outside single staterooms. I found out about the upgrade approximately two weeks prior to the cruise. In April 2017, I was again upgraded from an inside stateroom to one of the new outside single staterooms. I did not learn about this upgrade until I checked in at the pier. Thus, it is possible (but probably not likely) to receive an upgrade at the pier. Don't give up hope. :)

Chuck

Upgrades will sometimes happen at checkin. When this happens it is sometimes quicker to locate your luggage from the previous attached luggage label stateroom, rather then wait for the luggage to be delivered to the upgraded Stateroom.

Hello all! Booked a round-trip TA with Cunard for the 2nd year in a row which is still more than 2 months out. Although we booked the room we wanted (same cabin as last year) we received a mailing with our luggage tags with cabin number. Just wondering if there remains a possibility of an upgrade since we are still a long time out or do the luggage tags assume the dream is over? Has anyone ever got upgraded after this point? (And yes, our booking has the option of accepting an upgrade.)

I found it interesting that you got a mailing with your luggage tags, as I haven't seen that in more than five years. We are forced to print the tags out, fold and staple them and they look dreadful. I liked the old way better. Out of curiosity, what do the luggage tags you received in the mail look like?

We always get our tags in the mail in the back of our Cruise booklet with all of the excursions listed. They are perforated and made of a heavy plastic material. They have come to us this way the last 4 sailings we have taken.

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We had an upgrade on T/A . Checked in at Brooklyn to find that we had been upgraded from sheltered balcony to deck 10 balcony. Didn't realise until looked at luggage labels

We got an upgrade on a TA. Checked in at Southampton and found we were moved from an inside cabin to an obstructed view balcony. First balcony we've ever had and despite the lifeboat we could still see the sea :D.

Holding a gty inside cabin for our next cruise and have fingers, toes and eyes crossed that we might get an upgrade as we are now past the final payment date.

 

Holding a gty inside cabin for our next cruise and have fingers, toes and eyes crossed that we might get an upgrade as we are now past the final payment date.

When you get your assignment, you must let us know, otherwise we will be left in suspense!!!;)

Of all the times we have been with Cunard, either booking in the Grills or a balcony cabin we have never once had an upgrade. Last Thursday our documents arrived by post for the November trip to the Caribbean on the QV and we still have the cabin we chose. At least we know it is a nice one, and happy to be in for 25 days.

Hello all! Booked a round-trip TA with Cunard for the 2nd year in a row which is still more than 2 months out. Although we booked the room we wanted (same cabin as last year) we received a mailing with our luggage tags with cabin number. Just wondering if there remains a possibility of an upgrade since we are still a long time out or do the luggage tags assume the dream is over? Has anyone ever got upgraded after this point? (And yes, our booking has the option of accepting an upgrade.)

Yes, I went from a Q6 to a Q5 and after printing my tags I got upgraded further to a Q1. Needless to say, I didn't begrudge reprinting my tags.

We always get our tags in the mail in the back of our Cruise booklet with all of the excursions listed. They are perforated and made of a heavy plastic material. They have come to us this way the last 4 sailings we have taken.

 

 

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The follow up question for posters is this? If you booked a guarantee, and have not gotten your cabin assignment did you get labels in your cruise booklet. After diligent and 5 minute speculation, I have tentatively concluded that since I book guarantees, they just don't know at the time the booklet is prepared where they are going to put me. If others who book guarantees got booklets with out luggage tags, that may be the answer.

I found it interesting that you got a mailing with your luggage tags, as I haven't seen that in more than five years. We are forced to print the tags out, fold and staple them and they look dreadful. I liked the old way better. Out of curiosity, what do the luggage tags you received in the mail look like?

I did not receive them last year but other friends did. Called Cunard and found out my account was set up not to receive mailings. Might want to check the status of that option on your next booking.

I found it interesting that you got a mailing with your luggage tags, as I haven't seen that in more than five years. We are forced to print the tags out, fold and staple them and they look dreadful. I liked the old way better. Out of curiosity, what do the luggage tags you received in the mail look like?

We got our luggage tags a few weeks ago for our future cruise on QE at the end of October. They are at the back of the excursion booklet sent out to I assume those that book Select fare.

We booked a guarantee last year and our booklet didn't have any tags.

We were once upgraded on check-in on Queen Victoria at Civitavecchia from Princess Grill to Queens Grill.

The Butler sorted the luggage.

Not necessarily an upgrade, but received an email for an upsell and took it the day before we board. Luckily I was at work when it popped into my inbox and was able to accept the offer immediately.

If people don't take the upsell I am sure there will be some free upgrades going on.

We were once upgraded on check-in on Queen Victoria at Civitavecchia from Princess Grill to Queens Grill.

 

The Butler sorted the luggage.

I would jolly well hope so too !

I’ve been on two Cunard cruises and never received an upgrade on either. Both were early saver fares, with a promotional code also applied.

I’ve seen references on this site to the Carnival Polar system, but presumably not all passengers need to be upgraded from a particular fare grade. Pure speculation on my behalf but I’d have thought the key factors would be one or a combination of:

- how well the cabin grade you originally booked is selling

- price paid

- status, albeit many first timers seem to have received upgrades

- early saver vs Cunard fare

- whether you are on an upgrade list or not. I always double check when I book, but clearly it has not worked to date

- anticipated revenue from charged upgrades.

The airline model often involves upgrading status passengers first. Do cruise lines not do that? I appreciate there may be some variation between voyages but I wonder what percentage of passengers are World Club gold, platinum or above?

I'm platinum, usually book a Britannia balcony, and I haven't had any upgrades including one guarantee booking.

We had, I think, a couple of one cabin category upgrades when we booked guarantee fares back in 2009 & 2010. I think they were both from obstructed view balconies on deck 8 of the QM2 to unobstructed balconies at the bow (which was great - we were only crossing the North Sea to the fjords so the seas were calm and we could enjoy the scenery).

Since Cunard introduced the policy of only guaranteeing your choice of dinner sitting if you booked the Cunard fare, we have never had an upgrade - we always book this fare so we know we will have late sitting. (Eating at 6pm just doesn't work for us. )

To be honest, we've always been happy with deck 8 balconies on QM2 & QE, so the prospect of a single cabin upgrade within Britannia has never been appealing. Since 2010 I've moved up from Platinum to Diamond WC status and my other half has worked his way to Platinum - whilst I am sure there is some luck involved, I lean to the view that new passengers & those returning to Cunard after a break, might be at the front of the queue for upgrades. (When we did our first trip together in 2009 it was my first time on a Cunard ship since 2002).

On the other hand, in the mid 1990s, my late mother & I did have two consecutive upgrades on QE2 from Caronia to the Queens Grill. These were obviously lovely and totally unexpected!

We're diamond members and never had an upgrade. So much for loyal customer benefitts!

Location, location. Matters to us. And why we prefer to book and secure a specific cabin rather than a guarantee. And why we always ask that the reservation be flagged "no upgrade". We've been told that otherwise if you are upgraded (and often it's just being shuffled around the same restaurant class), you won't get your original cabin back if you attempt to decline the upgrade. It's all done by computer of course with no regard for location preference etc. I don't mind frankly but my wife is a poor sailor and getting "upgraded" from dead amidships on a low deck to the pointy ends on deck 9 is... no favour. Upgrades done at the pier are another matter but I can't imagine they are very common, either.

We were sent new documents last year following a “free upgrade” from our inside deluxe cabin to an ocean view. I got straight on the phone to my Cunard specialist and said I wanted my old cabin back as I did not consider this an upgrade. She advised that Cunard see it as an upgrade. I explained that when we booked we could have had an ov cabin for less than the inside deluxe and she could listen to our original booking when I stated I preferred to pay a little more as the inside deluxe had a lot more space and that the ov cabin they gave us was much smaller.

Within 10 minutes I had a returned call advising that we were back in our original cabin. I guess that’s one of the benefits of booking directly with Cunard.

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Within 10 minutes I had a returned call advising that we were back in our original cabin. I guess that’s one of the benefits of booking directly with Cunard.

I'm happy you were able to get your original cabin reassigned.

However I take issue with your conclusion. In fact, my experience is exactly the opposite. By working with a travel agent who knows my preferences, any upgrades would have been run past him and he would refuse those I did not consider preferable. Furthermore, he also would be the one dealing with the frustration. This has happened to us on a couple of occasions. Also, (disclosure - this was the old Cunard, years ago) working with an agency to which Cunard was close resulted in two different upgrades to Queen's Grill from the main dining room, Caronia.