What exactly would be classed as an upgrade/Pacific Dawn

[sherri3802]

Just booked a second cruise-this time on P & O, Pacific Dawn, for a Qld cruise in September.

We booked two twin cabins in J class. These are inside cabins on deck 11, which is as high as you can go without sleeping in the pool.:D

 

Now, when we booked, we ticked the section that says we were open to accepting an upgrade, should one be offered.

 

Here's what i would like to know, though.

What exactly would be classed as an upgrade?

I ask this as I had a surprise last night when looking at the official P & O catalogue-the glossy one that the travel agents carry in their shops.

The price structure bears no relationship to the price structure I was looking at online, okay.

In fact, according to the official catalogue, several of the outside window cabins were priced lower than the inside cabins on higher decks (I wish!!)

 

To give you an example, the T class cabins, which have portholes and bunk beds and are on deck 4, were listed as $130 cheaper than the inside cabins we bought at the top.

 

Now-correct me if I am wrong, but P&O would not 'upgrade' us to a cabin that was cheaper in their catalogue than the cabin we have booked, would they?

I am hoping we don't get bunk beds, you see!

 

I was also suprised to see that officially, the obstructed view outside cabins on deck 8 are listed as cheaper than J class. But the outside cabins on decks 5 and 6 are listed as dearer, from memory.

 

Has anyone here ever booked an inside cabin, high up, and been given an upgrade? As far as I can see, the only upgrade is to an outside cabin but I would be interested in where people actually ended up!

I have this fear we could end up under the theatre.

 

Not sure if we should untick the upgrade option as we are not far from the spas and only one flight up to the buffet.;)

 

But-interested to hear of the experiences of others!!!

[jessica3152]

Typically if you have booked an outside cabin, you will only be upgeaded to another outside cabin higher up the ship unless you are really lucky in which case you get a balcony cabin.

 

We got upgraded on our first cruise and were moved from Caribe to Aloha Deck on Pacific Sky and we were concerned that we would lose our outside cabin but the check-in staff assured us that wouldn't happen and they were right.

[sherri3802]

I guess my worry is we are booked into an inside cabin but it is at the top of the ship, so i can't see how we could be upgraded-there are no inside cabins above us.

The only upgrade that I can imagine could happen would be to an outside cabin, but I am wondering where. That is my main worry.

I was wondering how other past passengers had fared, if they also had originally been allocated inside cabins at the top.

What typically happens?

[rkmw]

Just booked a second cruise-this time on P & O, Pacific Dawn, for a Qld cruise in September.

We booked two twin cabins in J class. These are inside cabins on deck 11, which is as high as you can go without sleeping in the pool.:D

 

Now, when we booked, we ticked the section that says we were open to accepting an upgrade, should one be offered.

 

Here's what i would like to know, though.

What exactly would be classed as an upgrade?

I ask this as I had a surprise last night when looking at the official P & O catalogue-the glossy one that the travel agents carry in their shops.

The price structure bears no relationship to the price structure I was looking at online, okay.

In fact, according to the official catalogue, several of the outside window cabins were priced lower than the inside cabins on higher decks (I wish!!)

 

To give you an example, the T class cabins, which have portholes and bunk beds and are on deck 4, were listed as $130 cheaper than the inside cabins we bought at the top.

 

Now-correct me if I am wrong, but P&O would not 'upgrade' us to a cabin that was cheaper in their catalogue than the cabin we have booked, would they?

I am hoping we don't get bunk beds, you see!

 

I was also suprised to see that officially, the obstructed view outside cabins on deck 8 are listed as cheaper than J class. But the outside cabins on decks 5 and 6 are listed as dearer, from memory.

 

Has anyone here ever booked an inside cabin, high up, and been given an upgrade? As far as I can see, the only upgrade is to an outside cabin but I would be interested in where people actually ended up!

I have this fear we could end up under the theatre.

 

Not sure if we should untick the upgrade option as we are not far from the spas and only one flight up to the buffet.;)

 

But-interested to hear of the experiences of others!!!

 

hi Sherri, if you booked an inside on deck 11 and if you get upgraded the next one is a window cabin on deck 5 or 6 but you can go any where....right at the front or at the back or under the theatre....thats a gamble you have to take.....you have to decide

 

rkmw

[The_Big_M]

Agree with rkmw.

 

You wouldn't normally go to a T class - an upgrade as such on P&O can generally be understood as only going to classes where the letter is before yours in the alphabet. Price doesn't come into it.

[sherri3802]

Thanks, BigM. I had not thought of looking at it that way.

And it makes sense they would therefore list the bunk bed cabins as T class, as many people would not want bunks for 2, so it takes those cabins out of the equation.

The only problem I would have with your definition of the upgrade is that, looking at the full price fares in the official P&O catalogue, I would not have thought it advisable for any company to upgrade a passenger to a cabin that had an ostensibly lower fare.

I realise that the fare structure of a travel agent may not follow the official P & O structure, there are often various and different sale prices from company to company, but I would have thought that was irrelevant and all that would matter was the P &O price structure as it is P & O that distribute the upgrades..

Going on that, the outside cabins on deck 5 are in fact listed as cheaper than the top inside cabins. Yet they also have a letter of the alphabet that is before J.

So I don't know-maybe you are right.

 

That is why I am so keen to hear from anyone who had had an upgrade from inside to outside and where they were actually put.

[rkmw]

Thanks, BigM. I had not thought of looking at it that way.

And it makes sense they would therefore list the bunk bed cabins as T class, as many people would not want bunks for 2, so it takes those cabins out of the equation.

The only problem I would have with your definition of the upgrade is that, looking at the full price fares in the official P&O catalogue, I would not have thought it advisable for any company to upgrade a passenger to a cabin that had an ostensibly lower fare.

I realise that the fare structure of a travel agent may not follow the official P & O structure, there are often various and different sale prices from company to company, but I would have thought that was irrelevant and all that would matter was the P &O price structure as it is P & O that distribute the upgrades..

Going on that, the outside cabins on deck 5 are in fact listed as cheaper than the top inside cabins. Yet they also have a letter of the alphabet that is before J.

So I don't know-maybe you are right.

 

That is why I am so keen to hear from anyone who had had an upgrade from inside to outside and where they were actually put.

 

hi sherri, just say you paid $1600 for an inside cabin and you got upgraded they would put you in a cabin that was dearer than that but they can put you anywhere on the ship

 

we have had upgrades ourselves but we dont care where we end up

 

rkmw

[bazzaw]

I have had a number of upgrades from Interior to outside cabins in Pac Star, Pac Sun and Pac Dawn.

 

It has not worried me where the upgrades placed me as I had only paid for the very cheapest grade on the ship (usually T grade interior)

 

Don't think that the higher the deck, the superior the cabin (or ride) - as low as possible and in the centre gives the best ride. The only problem with low decks is that you have to use the lifts - or continually climb 5-6 decks to go anywhere.

 

Barry

[sherri3802]

I have had a number of upgrades from Interior to outside cabins in Pac Star, Pac Sun and Pac Dawn.

 

It has not worried me where the upgrades placed me as I had only paid for the very cheapest grade on the ship (usually T grade interior)

 

Don't think that the higher the deck, the superior the cabin (or ride) - as low as possible and in the centre gives the best ride. The only problem with low decks is that you have to use the lifts - or continually climb 5-6 decks to go anywhere.

 

Barry

You have sussed me in one.;)

Last cruise, we were on deck 9 and the buffet was on deck 14(I think).

All I can say is thank goodness there was no deck 13!! I am definitely not as fit as I should be!:rolleyes:

Trouble is, the lifts were so slow you could starve to death waiting.:D

 

In a way, it is kind of exciting to think about an upgrade and not know exactly where we will end up.

A window would be fantastic.

About the only thing that worries me is the idea of maybe being under somewhere noisy, but as someone said, it is the luck of the draw I suppose.

 

I do enjoy hearing about what sorts of upgrades people have had. I wonder what the most amazing upgrade has been-although I would expect most people would only move one category. If at all.

 

Oh well, whatever-at least we will be cruising somewhere tropical and somewhere I don't have to cook.:p

[Sandielle]

Hi Sherri,

 

We also found the lifts to be a bit slow at times, so we would use the stairs. My calves gave me trouble for the first week of the cruise! :cool:

[Ripeka]

i guess you need to decide what is important to you. I hate noise, am a really light sleeper and tendancy to sea sickness so have gone for the bottom passenger deck, in the centre of the ship. I wouldnt want an upgrade myself. I would be so unhappy being under the pool deck, enterainment lounge, restaruants etc owing to the noise that people talk about, including staff cleaning at all hours. Whereas I dont care about the stairs as climbing them is my plan for trying to keep the calories off while eating at the buffet and I am only moderately fit (walk regularly)

[Sandielle]

Whereas I dont care about the stairs as climbing them is my plan for trying to keep the calories off while eating at the buffet and I am only moderately fit (walk regularly)

 

Me too, Ripeka! ;) However, my fitness didn't improve much as I still got puffed after two flights of stairs. My calves stopped hurting though. :)

[sherri3802]

I think if we do get an upgrade, it will be to a lower deck with a window.

 

I just hope it is not in too noisy a location, but there is no real way to know in advance. We could end up anywhere.

I do like a restful atmosphere but I don't think I can be a light sleeper. We had a whopper of a storm in Melbourne last weekend apparently. Thunder, torrential rain, hail, for ages.

I dozed through it all, missed the whole thing.:D

[Bec84]

I was under the impression they only upgraded you to a higher deck or to outside...that they wouldn't move you down. I have no idea though - I've only been on one cruise :)

 

We were booked on the Sun on an outside cabin on E deck, we waitlisted a D-deck inside to save money...we ended up getting the waitlisted cabin, and then got upgraded to an outside D deck. Cruise got cancelled, but we did get upgraded out, not down.

 

We just got off the Dawn this morning, we were on B, inside...no upgrade. I really wish we'd booked a window though. Waking up in the dark really disoriented me. Get one if you can.

[rkmw]

I was under the impression they only upgraded you to a higher deck or to outside...that they wouldn't move you down. I have no idea though - I've only been on one cruise :)

 

We were booked on the Sun on an outside cabin on E deck, we waitlisted a D-deck inside to save money...we ended up getting the waitlisted cabin, and then got upgraded to an outside D deck. Cruise got cancelled, but we did get upgraded out, not down.

 

We just got off the Dawn this morning, we were on B, inside...no upgrade. I really wish we'd booked a window though. Waking up in the dark really disoriented me. Get one if you can.

 

hi bec, the OP stated they booked an inside on deck 11 which is the top deck....to get an upgrade they can drop down to deck 5 or 6 to a window cabin which is much dearer than an inside cabin on deck 11

[sherri3802]

Hi RKMW,

That was what I thought too, that any upgrade would have to be to a window cabin, only it would be on a lower deck.

I notice you call me an OP, I know it is a bit off topic, but what is an OP (other person?)

I am trying to get used to the lingo:p

I think pax means people, so I'm learning.:D

 

One thing I noticed this time round was that right from the start, after our booking was accepted, we were sent an email that listed our cabin number.

Must say my eyes nearly popped out as I had thought we were just in a category, we hadn't chosen a particular room or anything.

But on the details we also ticked the box that said 'willing to accept P&O upgrades.'

Last time we cruised (Jan 2009) we never knew cabin numbers till we received our tickets a few weeks before sailing.

Is it the norm now to be told actual room numbers, even when open to upgrades?

We are 3 couple going now-I wonder where we all end up?

Or are upgrades relatively rare?

I haven't cruised enough to really have any idea.

[setyoufree2010]

Just booked a second cruise-this time on P & O, Pacific Dawn, for a Qld cruise in September.

We booked two twin cabins in J class. These are inside cabins on deck 11, which is as high as you can go without sleeping in the pool.:D

 

Now, when we booked, we ticked the section that says we were open to accepting an upgrade, should one be offered.

 

Here's what i would like to know, though.

What exactly would be classed as an upgrade?

I ask this as I had a surprise last night when looking at the official P & O catalogue-the glossy one that the travel agents carry in their shops.

The price structure bears no relationship to the price structure I was looking at online, okay.

In fact, according to the official catalogue, several of the outside window cabins were priced lower than the inside cabins on higher decks (I wish!!)

 

To give you an example, the T class cabins, which have portholes and bunk beds and are on deck 4, were listed as $130 cheaper than the inside cabins we bought at the top.

 

Now-correct me if I am wrong, but P&O would not 'upgrade' us to a cabin that was cheaper in their catalogue than the cabin we have booked, would they?

I am hoping we don't get bunk beds, you see!

 

I was also suprised to see that officially, the obstructed view outside cabins on deck 8 are listed as cheaper than J class. But the outside cabins on decks 5 and 6 are listed as dearer, from memory.

 

Has anyone here ever booked an inside cabin, high up, and been given an upgrade? As far as I can see, the only upgrade is to an outside cabin but I would be interested in where people actually ended up!

I have this fear we could end up under the theatre.

 

Not sure if we should untick the upgrade option as we are not far from the spas and only one flight up to the buffet.;)

 

But-interested to hear of the experiences of others!!!

 

Hi Sherri,

 

Just returned from the White Wonders cruise (Feb 20 - March 6) where my fiance and I were lucky to receive an upgrade from an inside D cabin to an outside C cabin, we were pretty chuffed with that. Unobstructed views as well. We had just got engaged and it was birthday 2 days prior, both of which our travel agent knew about, so maybe they said something?

 

Regardless I was very pleased! I was hoping we'd get an upgrade this time as I'd heard on the board here that it happens so often and we lucked out. Wonder what you have to do to get the upgrade to a cabin with a balcony, now that would be a treat.

 

Cheers

[bazzaw]

On the 2 night Pac Dawn relocation cruise, we came across a father and son combination who had been upgraded from an inside cabin to a balcony!! :eek:

 

The boy was 14 years old - and I don't think we have ever met a more agreeable and companionable 14 year old ( especially a boy!! :))

 

 

Barry

[sherri3802]

On the 2 night Pac Dawn relocation cruise, we came across a father and son combination who had been upgraded from an inside cabin to a balcony!! :eek:

 

The boy was 14 years old - and I don't think we have ever met a more agreeable and companionable 14 year old ( especially a boy!! :))

 

 

Barry

 

Barry, that is just amazing.:eek:

Maybe the cruise had a lot of empty balcony cabins? No matter, how exciting for them to get a great upgrade like that.:)

 

Setyoufree-I am so glad you and your fiance lucked out:)

What a lovely engagement/birthday present.

 

I am pretty happy with the location our presently allocated cabins are in. If we don't get an upgrade, it won't be any big deal as it will be exciting to be near the spa and buffet and we are going to enjoy ourselves anyway.

But if we are fortunate enough to be upgraded to a window cabin, having natural light would be excellent, too.

[sherri3802]

I meant to say-the other day I was browsing and looking at number of cabins left etc on each deck of the ship we are booked to cruise on.

I got a surprise as I was able to click something and it actually came up with a list of the exact cabin numbers that were left.

 

It was really useful as a dear friend of ours contacted me after we had made our booking, and I was able to tell her that I had seen that a couple of cabins right near us, almost next to us were still available if she would like to book.

And she did.

 

But there's the thing. I am pretty sure (about 99%)I was looking not at any travel agent site, but at the official P&O site, only in Britain, and somehow got to the aussie cruises through there somehow.

I certainly can't find a link on the P &O au website that shows exact cabins.

 

But now, I can't get back to wherever I was looking that day.

Does anyone have a link?

I would love to have another look to see what is available as now we have a couple of other people who want more details and are thinking of going.

[Sandielle]

So would I Sherri. Aaaghh! Did you have to tease us like that???:D

 

Someone, puhleeease post the link.

[sherri3802]

So would I Sherri. Aaaghh! Did you have to tease us like that???:D

 

Someone, puhleeease post the link.

 

Yes, it is frustrating me no end.

I can remember the click showed me that on the deck where I have booked, there were a couple of vacant (inside) cabins over more towards the back of the ship, a couple almost next to us and 3 wheelchair accessible cabins, all available.

Yet I can't recall the exact site.

I would almost swear it was an official P & O site though.

I was in a hurry and clicked out, thinking I would go back later.

Think I can find it again??:confused::(

If I do, I will post the link as it is useful to know not just how many cabins are available but where they are situated.

_______________________________-

Righto. I have found it!! :-)

 

Here's what you do.

Go to the official P & O website and do the search by date/ship or whatever till you come up with the cruise you are interested in.

Now at that stage, I normally click on 'more details' to find out prices etc

But don;t do that-click on 'book now'.

This will give you a list of all available types of cabins (and their prices) and you then just click the blue 'availability' link.

Hope this helps someone.

[Sandielle]

Thanks Sherri, that's great. I'll do it now. :)