Upgrades

[sayvan]

I have been reading where many members are getting calls from Carnival with upgrades. How do you get these? Are there certain conditions that need to apply before someone gets a call from the "upgrade fairy"?

 

Very curious to see how this works....

[firefly333]

Upsells, not upgrade calls. They call you to see if you want to pay a slightly smaller amount for a higher category cabin, often the suites. ... probably only on ships that arent selling as well. Iv never gotten the call. No way to influence it or know which ship will have upsells.

[MikeM]

Good info "Fire"

In 20 years we have never received an up sell call. With that said we have received a call here and there asking us to upgrade for free to a higher cat. This probably occurs due to the wrap cabins we always book when the ship opens for booking, usually 12 to 18 months out. We were asked to upgrade from a Cat 11 wrap to a cat 12 with a $200 OBC on our Alaska/Spirit 2008. We refused.

[arpie05]

We got an upsell call the night before we flew out so be sure your contact number is your cell. It was after 5 pm on a Friday night when they called so they could not have caught me at work or at home the normal numbers I used to have on file. We were booked in a Cheap 1a room and upgraded to a 6D (maybe). It was an exterior with a window. It was nice having the extra space (I noticed how much larger it was) but the window was not a big deal as we usually had the drape closed. I paid $80 for 2 people more for a four day cruise. Originally the price difference between our 1A and the cabin we got was well over $200 so it was a decent deal. We got to try a window and see if it was worth it for use. I liked the bigger cabin so if we get the call next trip - it will depend on how much pp.

[firefly333]

Good info "Fire"

In 20 years we have never received an up sell call. With that said we have received a call here and there asking us to upgrade for free to a higher cat. This probably occurs due to the wrap cabins we always book when the ship opens for booking, usually 12 to 18 months out. We were asked to upgrade from a Cat 11 wrap to a cat 12 with a $200 OBC on our Alaska/Spirit 2008. We refused.

 

The upsell dept just started a little over a year ago, thats why you havent gotten one in the last 20 years. New with Carnival. Rather than give away upgrades, they decided to spend rep time selling them at a discount.

[Kenito]

I have heard the following things regarding upgrades:

 

> The earlier you book, the higher up you are on the list.

> The earlier you pay in full, the higher up you are on the list.

> Certainly past passengers move up the list.

> The free upgrades are usually just the same category, but a better deck.

 

I've had this confirmed, but one never knows exactly what is going on, so it is hard to figure out. And... they seem to change the rules whenever they like! Every cruise is different, and one category vs. another may be more full, so what worked one time, may never come into play the next time.

 

Another question I have not had confirmed:

 

At the time you make your full initial deposit, your room assignment is given, unless you are on a fare plan where you specified that up front. I have been told that if you accept that room assignment, it is done; no further consideration for upgrades. Particularly when booking in a group.

 

However, if you tell them you want to wait on the room assignment, you stay in a pool for possible upgrades. It's like a reward for being flexible... but like a lottery, you may end up with a better room... or a booby prize.

 

So, anyone ever hear these rumors/theories?

 

Are the considerations different for group bookings vs. individuals?