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Upgrade - hmmmm


jeanlyon
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Shocked yesterday to receive from my TA new paper luggage labels and copy of e-tickets. Couldn't understand why as already had labels with the cruise book.

 

Then I noticed a different cabin number. Now we booked this cruise on board because Adonia was cancelled and we always choose our cabins carefully. We particularly asked for no upgrade. So we had been moved from D deck up to A deck. Now being moved to below the Lido deck is not my idea of an upgrade.

 

Very sniffy person today at P&O have moved us back to our original cabins, having told me they were showing empty, but sold out! Whatever that means. She also told me it was only my opinion that this was not an upgrade as it was 3 grades higher than ours!

 

Phew, what a relief.

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We have had the same problem from our upcoming cruise. We book directly with P&O and always say no upgrade, two weeks ago I received an email informing me that they were pleased to inform me that we had been upgraded. I immediately rang them but our booked cabin had already been sold so we are basically stuck with a cabin that we would not have booked ourselves so are not impressed and all that they could offer was extra £50 obc as compensation.

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I know why they do it. When you do a dummy booking, I have noticed that we are only offered inside cabins on A deck, so these presumably are the ones they have difficulty selling. We like D deck or C would do. We are near to Tiffanys, not far to go for dinner, nicely in the middle and slightly forward. I distinctly told the girl No Upgrade when we booked on board. My TA has apologised for not checking the booking properly when it was sent through to him, although I don't blame him at all. We always go for no upgrade.

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Hi...I too would be absolutely gutted if P&O decided to give me an " upgrade"...we spend a lot of time choosing the cabin that we want. I suffer quite considerably from motion sickness so we choose lower deck...near the middle. By no stretch of the imagination would being plonked onto a high deck at either end be any sort of upgrade to me...a positive downgrade in my opinion. How on earth they grade their cabins as being an higher grade " up top" as it is common knowledge that lower deck...in the middle ...results in far less movement plus nearer to the main inside amenities. I think if I had spoken to a sniffy person I would have asked for their opinion as to why they are classed as a higher grade to be up on top. If it is a person's choice to be up there fair enough but not to be " shoved" into a cabin that they haven't been able to sell.

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What concerns me are the experiences related by jean and josy both of whom are certain they elected for 'no upgrade' but nevertheless were upgraded. The whole point of paying more to buy Select to many is to have the security of being able to choose their cabin location. For us, at least the other perks are far less important. So I would be really annoyed if I had paid the premium priced fare to then be at the mercy of where some employee or computer programme decided on my cabin allocation.

I can accept that errors may occur but P&O should at least defer reallocating your booked cabin before notifying you and giving you the chance to challenge your 'upgrade' status. Jean was fortunate that hers was reversed, but clearly Josy has a very unsatisfactory outcome.

I think Jean is right, they have their reasons - perhaps nearer to departure if cabins are still unsold, it may be easier to 'upgrade' existing bookings shuffling them up a grade/category to release cheaper cabins which could be easier to sell at a knock-down price but as already mentioned this 'upgrade' may be far from an improvement in the eyes of the passenger and many don't want to take that risk.

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Even more frightening, if my Ta hadn't sent through the new e-ticket and luggage labels, I just might not have realized we had been moved. I took a look at the A deck cabins and the shower is over a bath, so that might be one reason why it's supposedly better. But as you say, I pay Select and I choose our cabins very carefully and our single friend has a cabin next door to us normally or one away, so we absolutely always choose No Upgrade. Good thing I use a TA. I'm sure I wouldn't have noticed until it was too late.

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Even more frightening, if my Ta hadn't sent through the new e-ticket and luggage labels, I just might not have realized we had been moved. I took a look at the A deck cabins and the shower is over a bath, so that might be one reason why it's supposedly better. But as you say, I pay Select and I choose our cabins very carefully and our single friend has a cabin next door to us normally or one away, so we absolutely always choose No Upgrade. Good thing I use a TA. I'm sure I wouldn't have noticed until it was too late.

 

Only been upgraded once but as we booked directly with P&O, they sent an email to tell us. As you passed your booking made onboard onto an agent, P&O will have informed the agent whose job it is to inform you. One of the drawbacks of using an agent rather than booking direct.

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Only been upgraded once but as we booked directly with P&O, they sent an email to tell us. As you passed your booking made onboard onto an agent, P&O will have informed the agent whose job it is to inform you. One of the drawbacks of using an agent rather than booking direct.

Since Jean specifically requested no upgrade to the future cruise staff when she booked, you don't somehow think that they had a responsibility to pass the correct data to the TA then?

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Since Jean specifically requested no upgrade to the future cruise staff when she booked, you don't somehow think that they had a responsibility to pass the correct data to the TA then?

 

If P&O made an error in passing on the no upgrade option, of course they take some responsibility. The point I was making is that those who use an agent to handle their booking should not then criticise P&O for not contacting them directly about an upgrade.

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But hold on, I sat with a girl on the ship doing the bookings. She asked me about upgrades and I said no. Why is that the fault of the TA?

 

I accepted that P&O bear some responsibility for the original error but it is not up to them to contact you directly regarding the upgrade, when you have passed the booking on to an agent. I guess the agent sending through the new e-tickets and luggage labels was their way of passing on the information that you have been upgraded. Had you booked directly with P&O, they would have told you rather than an agent so you would have known.

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But hold on, I sat with a girl on the ship doing the bookings. She asked me about upgrades and I said no. Why is that the fault of the TA?

 

I'm with you on this one. We always book well in advance and make sure that we get the cabin that we want. We always say no upgrade and we'd be mortified if they moved us to where they think there is a better cabin! I imagine it is in the small print somewhere though so will be checking our bookings over and over now in future.

 

Not long for us to go now - doesn't seem like 5 minutes since we booked it in November 2016!

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Actually I think if the No Upgrade button is not ticked you are just moved whether you booked through an agent or direct with P&O. I think they only contact you when it is a paid upgrade.

 

I note that these wonderful cabins that they gave us are still available on P&O site, alone with some other cabins that they can't get rid of!

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Actually I think if the No Upgrade button is not ticked you are just moved whether you booked through an agent or direct with P&O. I think they only contact you when it is a paid upgrade.

 

I note that these wonderful cabins that they gave us are still available on P&O site, alone with some other cabins that they can't get rid of!

 

If you look at the cabin grading structure some of the “upgraded” rooms are the ones that most experienced cruisers wouldn’t touch with a 10 foot barge pole. They seem to be deliberately in the middle of the grading so that they can”upgrade”the unwary.

 

My last online booking was last year and while it may now have changed, at that time i could not see anywhere to stop the upgrade. If it was there it was certainly not very obvious. They must catch out many people that way.

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Actually I think if the No Upgrade button is not ticked you are just moved whether you booked through an agent or direct with P&O. I think they only contact you when it is a paid upgrade.

 

I note that these wonderful cabins that they gave us are still available on P&O site, alone with some other cabins that they can't get rid of!

 

I have never suggested that who you book with has any effect on whether you are upgraded or not. All I am saying is that if you book with P&O, they will tell you if you have been upgraded (or at least they did when we were upgraded), if you book through an agent they tell the agent who informs you. Nothing to do with payment.

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If you look at the cabin grading structure some of the “upgraded” rooms are the ones that most experienced cruisers wouldn’t touch with a 10 foot barge pole. They seem to be deliberately in the middle of the grading so that they can”upgrade”the unwary.

 

My last online booking was last year and while it may now have changed, at that time i could not see anywhere to stop the upgrade. If it was there it was certainly not very obvious. They must catch out many people that way.

 

Ha ha, do you think the higher grade cabins are the ones they normally can't get rid of so the new cruisers don't understand that and book them?

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I have heard people say before that they went to print off their e-ticket a few days before the cruise and found they had been "upgraded", so they weren't told. Quite funny actually, as our excursion booklet and luggage labels arrived ages ago for the original cabin.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Maybe slightly off topic but reluctant to start another thread so apologies in advance. We have booked an early booker fare so guarantee cabin is what we have booked and will accept regardless of location. However, should we decide to request a paid upgrade would P&O allow it. Our first P&O cruise so not very au fait with their rules. Thanks

 

 

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