Upgrade to Balcony... 75% of the Time?!?

[caribill]

The claim is 75% of the passengers who book OV gty get upgraded. I suspect less the 25% of Princess cruises are all but fully booked 6 months out. Your example doesn't disprove, or prove, the OPs claim.

 

The claim is that 75% will be upgraded to a balcony, not just upgraded.

 

A large number of oceanview GTYs may get upgraded, but maybe only to a higher category of oceanview.

[Pam in CA]

The claim is 75% of the passengers who book OV gty get upgraded. I suspect less the 25% of Princess cruises are all but fully booked 6 months out. Your example doesn't disprove, or prove, the OPs claim.

You're right. However, I was responding to the post that said I would have no idea whether my cruise was sold out and many upgraded to balconies. My response was that I do know and few, if any, were upgraded. When a ship sells out all categories except for a few random cabins at least six months before the cruise, it's sold out. Nothing to upgrade anyone to. Final payment is coming up this week so there will likely be some cabins available. It'll be interesting to see if it's oversold and move-over offers made.

[ONT-CA]

Then there is the Grand's around the Horn junket which has been sold out for months....no upgrades there.

 

 

Well at least not yet...

[romeyvanb]

We have been lucky to have booked gty OV 6 times and have been upgraded to a balcony 3 times. Each time has been a pleasant surprise as we are just fine with a lifeboat view. We have always booked directly thru Princess. Next week we are going to Alaska and a balcony was a must so we paid for it-the upgrade fairy is not to be trusted :D

[Lookingforfacts]

You're right. However, I was responding to the post that said I would have no idea whether my cruise was sold out and many upgraded to balconies. My response was that I do know and few, if any, were upgraded. When a ship sells out all categories except for a few random cabins at least six months before the cruise, it's sold out. Nothing to upgrade anyone to. Final payment is coming up this week so there will likely be some cabins available. It'll be interesting to see if it's oversold and move-over offers made.

 

Unless you work for Princess you don't know how many, or how few, passengers were upgraded. Given the information you posted I suspect the number is less then the 75% number cited by the OP.:) I think you'll agree the bookings on your cruise isn't typical.

 

Assume Princess oversold (or wants to sell more) OV cabins. Which passenger is more likely to be bumped up? A person who reserved a specific cabin or a person who booked a GTY? Would they upgrade a passenger who selected a cabin in order to free up a cabin to assign to a GTY passenger who doesn't have a cabin assignment? I was under the impression the GTY passenger is more likely to get the upgrade.

 

Do we have any idea how many, or how few, passengers book a GTY?

 

The problem is in the lower categories there may be a big difference between cabins int he same category. Not every obstructed OV cabin is equal. The chance of an upgrade may be higher then we think but the chance of a less desirable cabin if you don't get the upgrade is higher then you suspect.

 

I think the odds vary depending on the ship. Something like 83% of the OV cabins on the Island (and Coral) Princess have balconies. The problem is many of the cabins aren't in desirable locations. I suspect there is a good chance you'll either get the upgrade or get stuck with a cabin many of us wouldn't like.

[patport]

Not sold for months but since 2 weeks after cruise was offered in 3/11. In 8/11 we were 426 on waitlist. Still waiting for our desired room, but did get on ship in more expensive category. Need to save the $5000 for excursions.

[icat2000]

Then there is the Grand's around the Horn junket which has been sold out for months....no upgrades there.

Ahhh, but just getting a cabin on that cruise is an upgrade. :D

[dorisis]

Since the ships have more balcony cabins than oceanview cabins, there likely are many upgrades. But 75% seems unrealistic.

 

~Doris~

[OnVacation11]

Looking at my own Princess cruise history, I came up with 24% for us:

we booked OV on 17 of our 18 cruises and were upgraded to Balcony on 4 of them (no other upgrades). Those 4 upgrades ocurred in the last few years when the economic downturn happened.

[rusty12345]

I am on a Roll Call for a cruise coming up in October, and one of the newer cruisers said their TA told them that 75% of the time, a "Guarantee" Ocean View booking would be upgraded to a Balcony!!

 

I mentioned that 75% was an unreal percentage... and not to expect a balcony.

 

In the vast experience of those on this boards... how many of you have every received that kind of upgrade... Guarantee Ocean View to Balcony???

 

What is a realistic percentage of that happening, if at all??

I do this all

 

the time. I usually book a lowest guarantee ov andbut the price after a while show ov and balcony are the same, I call and change to a guarantee balcony. this next cruise I have a guarantee but notice the ship has only 6 balconies left and about 27 suites and mini suites and we still have a month to go before final payment and hope for one of those is possible. I also on a previous cruise did not like room assigned to me so I called and did not accept upgrade and was given a better room the second time so 75% for me is low if you follow the cruiselines web page and do not use a travel agent as I do all the arrangement direct, I also booked on the ship which gave me on board credit

[cherylandtk]

Looking at my own Princess cruise history, I came up with 24% for us:

we booked OV on 17 of our 18 cruises and were upgraded to Balcony on 4 of them (no other upgrades). Those 4 upgrades ocurred in the last few years when the economic downturn happened.

 

You have a much bigger statistical population than anyone else posting on this thread, and are probably the most accurate in the actual percentages.

 

My experience has been 0%. Two OV bookings, neither upgraded to balcony, but both upgraded to a higher OV.

[DougH]

I typically book either an inside or an obstructed gaurantee cabin. I have never been upgraded out of either category into the next. (inside to obstructed, or obstructed to outside) Any upgrade I have gotten is always within the same category cabin I booked.

[AmberTeka]

While my husband and I have cruised a bit, we have not even stuck a toe in the water compared to some of the almost professional cruisers on this board. And I say that with admiration..not scorn.

On Upgrades.....on Carnival, HAL, NCL, Princess, Celebrity were we have at one time or another had Guarantee Cabins..usually balcony or OV...We have ONE Time been upgraded out of category.

On the Princess Star..we were Guaranteed a Balcony BB category, and wound up with a minisuite.

Other than that..in the same category..Like OV A ....up six grades to OV E...which is a higher deck usually..or Balcony E--to Balcony C..that happens a lot.

We have had one guarantee that we were unhappy with....we had booked an inside..were upgraded to an outside on HAL.....that cabin had no airconditioning. Or none that worked. It was the Volundam. Some people were protesting by sleeping in the Lobby..while others were so chilled they hated to go into their cabin. After complaining one day, a young lady at the Pursars Office told me she would ck it out. I wandered off...when reparir folks came..my husband was on the bed in his shorts..and it was hot. The cruise was in September to Puerto Rico.St. Thomas..St. Martin.

STILL.. We had a great time. The fresh flowers were lovely. We ate like we had not seen food in a month. The Ice Cream Bar..where they make Sundaies and such....at eleven..before bed..."cooled" us off.

It is hard to have a bad cruise. Norvo is about the only thing that can do it for me.

[minabruuke]

We've been on two cruises with Princess and both times have had a "real" upgrade.

 

On our last cruise we went from a fully obstructed window to a Caribe balcony.

On our first cruise we went from the lowest category interior to a partially obstructed window.

 

Both had been guarantees and we were upgraded twice for both cruise. (interior to better interior to window and window to highest window to highest balcony)

 

I know that we were very lucky but we're at 100%!

[geoherb]

We just finished our 12th cruise on Princess. Almost all of them were guarantee bookings except for a couple. Our most recent cruise was on biggest upgrade--from an obstructed view to a deluxe ocean view (with balcony). Those are the cabins only on the Diamond and Sapphire at the front of the ship. When these ships were built, they intended them to be full balcony cabins. But someone the furniture got blown around by the winds. They've removed the furniture. There's also a restriction on lights after dark. We had to keep our curtains fully shut then. But we loved the upgrade and would love to get another one. Some people, however, would hate this location at the very front of the ship. It is the rockiest location you can get when the seas are rough. For our Alaskan cruise, I felt the motion only during the second night. But sailing the Inside Passage is usually not that rough.

 

Never book a guarantee if you won't be satisfied with any cabin in that category and every category above it.

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

Only had one up grade and that was still within the same cabin type,

 

had quite a few small upgrades like a cabin four down from where we booked.

 

yours Shogun

[bajacoral]

Oh the upgrade fairy continues to have secrets. I usually book the cabin I want, but there are days when I seek the unknown and book a guarentee. They add to the fun, to the excitement, to the disapointment. On my last fling in to the misterious world, I found not only an upgrade fariy, but also a wicked witch. Two cruises booked at the same date. First I recieved an "ugrade"of a couple of steps within the catagory - but only if you used the current cabin rating system. If you use the new system going in effect in May, I was downgraded to the worst cabin on the ship. I played the game and lost. But I will enjoy the cruise. On the second booking the "good" fairy visited. A whopping 17 catagory upgrade. You have got to select a real cheap guarentee for a 17 catagory upgrade to even occur. So sometimes you win and some times not so much. Great cruising with a great cruise line in either case. Does any one have the upgrade fairys number?

[Seabreeze8]

We were upgraded from oceanview guarantee to a balcony, even after we were assigned a cabin number so it can happen but don't count on it. 75% is certainly too high. Not enough 7.5%. Same advice here, don't book the category unless you are happy with it. And happy to be on a cruise instead of at work. :)

[Lancer1568]

I am on a Roll Call for a cruise coming up in October, and one of the newer cruisers said their TA told them that 75% of the time, a "Guarantee" Ocean View booking would be upgraded to a Balcony!!

 

I mentioned that 75% was an unreal percentage... and not to expect a balcony.

 

In the vast experience of those on this boards... how many of you have every received that kind of upgrade... Guarantee Ocean View to Balcony???

 

What is a realistic percentage of that happening, if at all??

If I had to guess, I would say that 75% of the time you book a guarantee you do in fact get an upgrade but not to a different class of cabin. For example a couple of cruises ago we had a guarantee booked and there were only 4 of the type cabin that we had booked on the entire ship so it was pretty obvious that we would get an "upgrade" but it was still the same type cabin. In 4 cruises with Princess, I have booked a guarantee each time and always got "upgraded" but not to a different type of cabin just a better inside, balcony or mini-suite as the case may be.