Want to be visited by the upgrade fairy? Here's how!

[Thetrail]

Keep in mind that Royal considers a Boardwalk and Central Park balcony to be an upgrade (higher category) than an oceanview balcony. Passengers might not, but Royal does.

Because an oceanview balcony costs more:confused:

[printingchick]

The site indicates that they will will contact you at the email address you've provided if you become eligible for an upgrade, but I'd like confirmation of this as well. I have an OV booked on Jewel. While I'd LOVE being upgraded to a balcony cabin, I'm not CERTAIN that ANY balcony cabin would necessarily be preferable. Since I've never had a balcony, I clicked yes to auto-upgrade. I think I'd be disappointed, however, if I ended up far away from mid-ship (I'm traveling with a NEWBIE and don't want him to get sea sick), in a cabin next to some very noisy venue or in a highly obstructed view balcony cabin. Since the fairy rarely visits and I'm still a lowly gold level, I guess it's worth tossing the dice.

[racnwdow]

Just tried to do it and it won't let me. It says... "Your request cannot be processed at this time. Please try again later." Guess I will do that.

[Hstergo]

Keep in mind that Royal considers a Boardwalk and Central Park balcony to be an upgrade (higher category) than an oceanview balcony. Passengers might not, but Royal does.

 

I am not quite sure of that considering an ocean view costs more then a boardwalk or Central Park cabin.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Tim,n,Sue]

I did not get the email or the phone call....thank goodness for CC :D

 

Neither did we and thanks to the OP.

[debshomespun]

I booked an X guarantee balcony on Allure. I was told it would be an oceanfacing balcony. The neighborhood balconies were XN. I was assigned a D8 Balcony cabin about 6 weeks after I had booked. At the time I booked, the RC agent told me if I booked an X guarantee, it would be an ocean facing balcony, and NOT a neighborhood balcony. This was what my experience was.

 

I just became D+, and am sailing on Legend in Jan/Feb on a B2B. I have an Oceanview cabin, same cabin both cruises. I marked "NO UPGRADE" as there are no balconies available on either cruise. I prefer to have the same cabin for each leg of the cruise. The way I read the upgrades, it was inside to oceanview, oceanview to balcony, balcony to junior suite, and so on.

[awhcruiser]

IF you choose upgrade but with restrictions, not being UPGRADED to BW or CP balcony is one of the options.

Keep in mind that Royal considers a Boardwalk and Central Park balcony to be an upgrade (higher category) than an oceanview balcony. Passengers might not, but Royal does.

[Ken at the beach]

Sorry Billy but you are incorrect. If you book an X guarantee you most certainly CAN be given a CP or BW balcony cabin.

 

 

I will 2nd your info. You are correct. Royal does view BW and CP balconies as an upgrade from Ocean view balconies.

 

One of the long timers in Crown and Anchor.

lol......Not a proper word but sounded better than old timer.

 

Sorry, not buying your story from an unnamed C&A member when so many respected D+ and Pinnacle members have posted otherwise.

 

Just because they list Boardwalk and Central Park balconies before D's does not mean that hey are an upgrade from a D balcony just simply listing them in alphabetical order.

 

Most of the time Oceanview balconies are priced a lot higher than the Neighborhood balconies.

 

When RCI first gave the Superior Oceanview Balconly the letter D designation I'm sure that they had no idea that one day they would ever have a B and C designation.

 

Also based on everyone's posts that an X guarantee will gt you an Oceanview balcony except in the very rarest of rare circumstances when perhaps they have made a mistake but certainly not a regular occurrence.

[Gil T. Azell]

Sorry, not buying your story from an unnamed C&A member when so many respected D+ and Pinnacle members have posted otherwise.

 

Just because they list Boardwalk and Central Park balconies before D's does not mean that hey are an upgrade from a D balcony just simply listing them in alphabetical order.

 

Most of the time Oceanview balconies are priced a lot higher than the Neighborhood balconies.

 

When RCI first gave the Superior Oceanview Balconly the letter D designation I'm sure that they had no idea that one day they would ever have a B and C designation.

 

Also based on everyone's posts that an X guarantee will gt you an Oceanview balcony except in the very rarest of rare circumstances when perhaps they have made a mistake but certainly not a regular occurrence.

 

I am not posting someones name on an internet message board. I'm sure she would greatly appreciate suddenly being inundated with phone calls. She is one of a few that does the upgrades. I am a Pinnacle member and have gotten to know her quite well over the years. We book what we want so this doesn't effect us. Bottom line.....I don't have a dog in this fight. Maybe she lied. All I know is that we took her at her word.

 

I did just take a look at Royals website at X Balcony guarantee and it doesn't say Ocean view balcony but only says ANY balcony of the ship. Royal also lists their categories from highest value to lowest......using the word value in terms of category and not price. I know that X used to say Ocean view Balcony and it no longer does. Maybe things have changed since I last spoke with her. Personally I think it would make things much easier for everyone if you were assured of an inside balcony guarantee or an outside balcony guarantee.

 

Again I have no dog in this fight and was just reporting what I was told from a reliable source. It's entirely possible she gave me the wrong info or things have changed since I last spoke with her. Over the years she has always treated us very well so I never thought to question the information that she has shared with us.

[FLACRUISER99]

Yes :D "Welcome, Eileen" on top and I can view my upcoming December cruise. I signed up for Crown & Anchor over the phone last summer when I realized there was a $100 savings certificate on my cruise. I had never signed up after my first RCCL cruise several years ago.

 

Don't know why I can't choose upgrade preferences. I do recall that the phone rep answered my questions about upsells and upgrades. I "think" she put me down for a desire to be called for an upsell or upgrade .

Another dumb question for you, are you D+ or P? From C & A "We may, in our sole discretion, offer complimentary upgrades to Diamond Plus and Pinnacle members if stateroom upgrades are available. Please provide the upgrade preference information requested below, which will be considered if a stateroom upgrade is offered to you. Neither upgrades nor upgrade preferences are guaranteed."

[heziggy]

I can say, we were first time cruisers, no level on C&A and we were upgraded from 3rd deck OV to 8th deck balcony, both approx. mid ship. we were not called or emailed nor did our TA tell us she ok'd upgrade. found out 5 days before sailing. LOVED IT!!

[Big_G]

So you're telling me the old story that the upgrade fairy only visits those who store old sea passes under their pillow, click the heels of their Royal Caribbean slippers together, and recite 'The Sea is calling' is all bunk? :mad:

[Moondawgie]

And we have had the phone call, got the e mail so what is new in your posting?

 

I did not get phone call or e-mail. So, thanks Keith for posting this - I am now updated in preferences.

[ARCruisinNana]

Revenue does MOST of the upgrades ahead of time. They also do "upsells". IF they decide to turn over a few cabins at the last minute to C&A for upgrades, they start with Pinnacle Club, then D+. The chart listed is for those upgrades. Upgrades are few and far between.

[LilMermaid]

Do they send a notification that you cabin has been changed? Or do you have to just keep checking your reservation to find out? Can/do they make changes right up until debarkation day?

 

 

After 26 RC cruises, we were upgraded last month on the Enchantment for the very first time. We are D+ and have always had our Cruise Preferences set at Automatic Upgrade. We were not notified by RC about the change - if I had not checked our reservation (almost daily the final month) we would have been surprised at the port. The upgrade came 5 days before sailing, and it was a MIGHTY pleasant surprise! We had purchased an outside cabin and they upgraded us to a D1 balcony.

 

MOST of the time I leave our preferences at Automatic Upgrade, but I do change it to No Upgrades before any next cruise that we would prefer to keep the booked cabin. Such as a B2B cruise that I don't want us to change cabins, or for our upcoming Allure cruise that I scored a farthest aft Boardwalk Balcony cabin :)!

[cruisnseas]

I am not posting someones name on an internet message board. I'm sure she would greatly appreciate suddenly being inundated with phone calls. She is one of a few that does the upgrades. I am a Pinnacle member and have gotten to know her quite well over the years. We book what we want so this doesn't effect us. Bottom line.....I don't have a dog in this fight. Maybe she lied. All I know is that we took her at her word.

 

I did just take a look at Royals website at X Balcony guarantee and it doesn't say Ocean view balcony but only says ANY balcony of the ship. Royal also lists their categories from highest value to lowest......using the word value in terms of category and not price. I know that X used to say Ocean view Balcony and it no longer does. Maybe things have changed since I last spoke with her. Personally I think it would make things much easier for everyone if you were assured of an inside balcony guarantee or an outside balcony guarantee.

 

Again I have no dog in this fight and was just reporting what I was told from a reliable source. It's entirely possible she gave me the wrong info or things have changed since I last spoke with her. Over the years she has always treated us very well so I never thought to question the information that she has shared with us.

 

As of yesterday, Revenue (you know, the ones that do the upgrades) confirmed that a neighborhood balcony is an upgrade from an oceanview balcony.

 

And Royal does not list their categories alphabetically. They list them from highest category to lowest.

 

But some people will keep insisting on spreading misinformation. It is one of the reasons I so rarely post these days - it will take years for CC to realize they were wrong and then they'll act like they were always right haha

[Angelsea57]

Thanks for the info.

Hope it happens to me on my up coming cruise.

Would gladly accept it!!

[Beach4me]

I did not get phone call or e-mail. So, thanks Keith for posting this - I am now updated in preferences.

 

 

I didn't get it either...so I add my thanks, too!

[irisheileen]

Another dumb question for you, are you D+ or P? From C & A "We may, in our sole discretion, offer complimentary upgrades to Diamond Plus and Pinnacle members if stateroom upgrades are available. Please provide the upgrade preference information requested below, which will be considered if a stateroom upgrade is offered to you. Neither upgrades nor upgrade preferences are guaranteed."

 

We are lowly Gold Members. :) This December will be our 2nd cruise with RCCL. We had a great experience on Explorer to Bermuda out of Bayonne. We are looking forward to sailing RCCL again, this time on Grandeur out of Baltimore. We have an inside Qty and were assigned deck three. For this cruise, we'd be happy with any cabin, especially an upgrade!

[Gil T. Azell]

As of yesterday, Revenue (you know, the ones that do the upgrades) confirmed that a neighborhood balcony is an upgrade from an oceanview balcony.

 

And Royal does not list their categories alphabetically. They list them from highest category to lowest.

 

But some people will keep insisting on spreading misinformation. It is one of the reasons I so rarely post these days - it will take years for CC to realize they were wrong and then they'll act like they were always right haha

 

I don't know if it's the agents giving out wrong information or if people are making assumptions due to the fact that they have an XN guarantee so they assume that the X must be ocean view. On the website for X it clearly says ANY balcony. Like you I am going to trust the info the person who has told me that the neighborhood balconies are considered an upgrade over an ocean view balcony.

 

I also agree with you that Royals site is not alphabetical. I was going to point that out to the other poster but decided to let it slide. LOL Of course....they do use letters of the alphabet but they also use number to identify the different cabin types. Whoever thinks that RS, SL, L1, L2, OS, GS, JS, W is in alphabetical order then they clearly need to go back to school to learn the basics.:rolleyes:

[cruisnseas]

I don't know if it's the agents giving out wrong information or if people are making assumptions due to the fact that they have an XN guarantee so they assume that the X must be ocean view. On the website for X it clearly says ANY balcony. Like you I am going to trust the info the person who has told me that the neighborhood balconies are considered an upgrade over an ocean view balcony.

 

I also agree with you that Royals site is not alphabetical. I was going to point that out to the other poster but decided to let it slide. LOL Of course....they do use letters of the alphabet but they also use number to identify the different cabin types. Whoever thinks that RS, SL, L1, L2, OS, GS, JS, W is in alphabetical order then they clearly need to go back to school to learn the basics.:rolleyes:

 

;) I get told I am wrong quite often around here. Considering the positions I held with the company, I often understand it on a far deeper level than most (even the experienced) consumers. Luckily for me I don't take it personally - but I also don't like seeing new cruisers get wrong info.

[Ken at the beach]

I don't know if it's the agents giving out wrong information or if people are making assumptions due to the fact that they have an XN guarantee so they assume that the X must be ocean view. On the website for X it clearly says ANY balcony. Like you I am going to trust the info the person who has told me that the neighborhood balconies are considered an upgrade over an ocean view balcony.

 

I also agree with you that Royals site is not alphabetical. I was going to point that out to the other poster but decided to let it slide. LOL Of course....they do use letters of the alphabet but they also use number to identify the different cabin types. Whoever thinks that RS, SL, L1, L2, OS, GS, JS, W is in alphabetical order then they clearly need to go back to school to learn the basics.:rolleyes:

 

 

Well, I guess that today I had not one but two C&A reps give me wrong information. I was on the phone with RCI twice today for other reasons and asked both reps point blank the following;

 

1. Does an X guarantee mean you ill be assigned a superior Oceanview balcony and only a superior Oceanview balcony...YES

 

2. Does RCI view a Neighborhood balcony as an upgrade to an Oceanview Balcony...ABSOLUTELY NOT.

 

The rep also stated that the XN category was created to eliminate the confusion that occurred when the X guarantees first started appearing for the Oasis.

 

The rep also stated at yes he balcony cabins are listed in alphabetical order which is by co-incidence and not by superiority.

 

Again, I will as I am sure most others will continue to trust the RCI reps as well as he long time posters on this board.

[gnocchi_mommy]

For the person who asked if you have to be D+, for what its worth we are only gold...

 

however when I go to upgrade preferences it offers me the option:

 

 

Your Crown & Anchor Tier:GOLD

Your Crown & Anchor Points:11

Upgrade Preferences:

I prefer an automatic upgrade

I do not wish to upgrade my stateroom

I would like an upgrade but have restrictions"

 

(and then all the subrules, eg. not to boardwalk)

 

I don't see anything on the page that says you can only be upgraded as a D+ or above. Also, the linked page that started this whole thread makes no mention of such a restriction.

[Thetrail]

So you're telling me the old story that the upgrade fairy only visits those who store old sea passes under their pillow, click the heels of their Royal Caribbean slippers together, and recite 'The Sea is calling' is all bunk? :mad:

Thats pretty darn funny!...K.O.:)

[stretchcruz]

In Jan we had our accounts marked no upgrade, and we AND our friends, (we both had corner afts on the Vision) were "upgraded" to Jr Suites midship. No email, no phone calls, I just happened to look at my reservation and saw it. Took our TA several days to get us both moved back where we wanted to be, in our corner aft balcony cabins.

 

In Feb we are on the Legend, and I have a panoramic ocean view, and I marked my preferences for upgrade only on the same deck or above. We are on Deck 7, there are balconies on Deck 6 but the cabins are smaller than our Panoramic Ocean View.

 

We are Diamond.