Why a Spontaneous Cabin Upgrade?

[yregrus]

A few weeks ago I booked an 11 night Panama cruise for two December 2014 in a standard balcony cabin that I chose. Yesterday, Princess advised me of a no expense upgrade to a mini-suite balcony in what I've read to be a better deck (Dolphin mid ship) instead of Aloha aft. I checked current cabin prices on Princess and Expedia for the same voyage and they appear higher than my original booking.

 

Mind you, I am not looking a gift horse in the mouth (I've gratefully accepted the upgrade.) As a first time Princess cruiser just wondering what gives?

[shepp]

The short, time-tested answer is: nobody knows why and how upgrades are assigned.

 

Really.

[paul929207]

Princess will sell more balconies than are available and bump some people up to a mini.

[CZEE]

As a first time Princess cruiser just wondering what gives?

 

Well, two things come to mind. Maybe the cruise is very lightly booked and before dumping cabins, they're moving those who have booked up to higher categories. Happened to us.

 

They also may be trying to get you used to a better category of cabin in the hopes that you'll book that in the future. Worked for us. We always had oceanview and balconies until we were upgraded to a minisuite. We don't book anything less now.

 

Or, it could be something totally unrelated. Seems no apparent logic to us mortals on how they process upgrades.

[Whimsy]

That is WONDERFUL! You had a very nice upgrade. Enjoy the mini! With the longer voyage the extra cabin space and full bath will be very nice.

 

As for the upgrade...it's all about what inventory is moving and what is not. If balconies are selling more on your cruise then minis then upgrading some of the balcony cabins to minis frees up inventory to be resold to others looking for a lower price point to book. Also selecting a first time passenger and giving them an nice upgrade sets the tone for a pleasant experience even before boarding. The good will gesture will hopefully entice you to return and sail again and hopefully in a mini suite this time!

[Northender]

Never question the gift horse.:D:D If you like it, go for it and enjoy.:)

[Georgie562]

I received an offer Today for an upgrade but for an additional cost :(

so not free for me. This too will be my first cruise with Princess and currently in a Obstructed Balcony.

Was offered $249 per person for a mini suite.

[GUT2407]

Well, two things come to mind. Maybe the cruise is very lightly booked and before dumping cabins, they're moving those who have booked up to higher categories. Happened to us.

 

They also may be trying to get you used to a better category of cabin in the hopes that you'll book that in the future. Worked for us. We always had oceanview and balconies until we were upgraded to a minisuite. We don't book anything less now.

Or, it could be something totally unrelated. Seems no apparent logic to us mortals on how they process upgrades.

 

 

Isn't t awful how they do that to you, our very first cruise we got upgraded to a balcony :D.

 

Now I am looking at upgrading to a suite on our coming cruise, but I am pretty sure that if we do someone will want one every time :eek:

[GUT2407]

I received an offer Today for an upgrade but for an additional cost :(

so not free for me. This too will be my first cruise with Princess and currently in a Obstructed Balcony.

Was offered $249 per person for a mini suite.

 

 

G'day Georgie

 

$249 for 10 days from an Obs Balcony to a Mini-Suite sounds pretty good to me as long as it's in a good position and I think all the MS's on Pacific Princess are in pretty good positions.

[KarateMan]

To be perfectly honest here the term "mini suite" should be taken with scepticism. To be extremely honest a few years back these were just standard balcony cabins. Princess simply changed the name to "mini suite" to make them sound more appealing. All it is that you have been given is just a slightly different standard balcony cabin in probably a better location with a fancier name.

 

In all my years travelling the term suite is a crass insult to the word. Most cruise ship suites are smaller than the bathrooms of leading hotel suites.

[GUT2407]

To be perfectly honest here the term "mini suite" should be taken with scepticism. To be extremely honest a few years back these were just standard balcony cabins. Princess simply changed the name to "mini suite" to make them sound more appealing. All it is that you have been given is just a slightly different standard balcony cabin in probably a better location with a fancier name.

 

In all my years travelling the term suite is a crass insult to the word. Most cruise ship suites are smaller than the bathrooms of leading hotel suites.

 

 

Every MS I've ever seen on Princess has been larger than the balconies on the same ship. You are not going to get a cabin on a ship of the same size as you get in a hotel it's all about cost of building per sq ft, it is comparative.

[SapphireHoneymoon]

My mini suite had a tub instead of a small shower and a living room with extra TV.

 

 

Sent using the Cruis

[geoherb]

To be perfectly honest here the term "mini suite" should be taken with scepticism. To be extremely honest a few years back these were just standard balcony cabins. Princess simply changed the name to "mini suite" to make them sound more appealing. All it is that you have been given is just a slightly different standard balcony cabin in probably a better location with a fancier name.

 

In all my years travelling the term suite is a crass insult to the word. Most cruise ship suites are smaller than the bathrooms of leading hotel suites.

On the Grand-class ships and others built since, the mini suite cabins were always mini suites. They were never balcony cabins redesignated with a new name to make them more appealing.

[lfk60]

To be perfectly honest here the term "mini suite" should be taken with scepticism. To be extremely honest a few years back these were just standard balcony cabins. Princess simply changed the name to "mini suite" to make them sound more appealing. All it is that you have been given is just a slightly different standard balcony cabin in probably a better location with a fancier name.

 

In all my years travelling the term suite is a crass insult to the word. Most cruise ship suites are smaller than the bathrooms of leading hotel suites.

 

On all the Princess ships I've seen, the mini suites are quite different from the balcony rooms. They have a full tub/shower combo, rather than a shower stall, and a separate sitting room with its own TV, which can be curtained off and used as a private second sleep space....no scepticism required. :)

[BruceMuzz]

The short, time-tested answer is: nobody knows why and how upgrades are assigned.

 

Really.

 

I have posted the answer to this question many times on CC over the past decade.

It seems that many people are just not paying attention.

 

Most of the Carnival Corp brands share a booking system named POLAR. It's an acronym for something that really doesn't matter.

In any case, POLAR is a very powerful and intuitive system that monitors and predicts booking patterns on each ship for every cruise.

If the system sees that a certain category of cabin is selling above a preset level, people who are already booked in that category are automatically upgraded to a higher category that is not selling as well. This allows POLAR to release those previously sold cabins to be sold again.

Very simple. No mystery.

This allows the cruise lines to maximize fare revenues (yield) on every sailing.

 

Unfortunately it is nearly impossible for the consumer to predict which categories will be most popular on any given cruise. And it seems that the most popular categories change very frequently.

[shredie]

I have posted the answer to this question many times on CC over the past decade.

It seems that many people are just not paying attention.

 

 

As usual, Bruce, hanging on your every word. :rolleyes: I think the person who asked the question is new to CC and, thus, is not aware that your word is the definitive one on all subjects. Indeed, it is possible this person did not even know you exist. :eek:

[shepp]

I have posted the answer to this question many times on CC over the past decade.

It seems that many people are just not paying attention.

 

Yes, teacher, I do understand the general principle of why there is upgrading. Perhaps I wasn't sufficiently clear: no one can outthink the Upgrade Fairy and determine why some people get tapped for upgrades, sometimes repeatedly, and others don't. I.e, "why and how upgrades are assigned."

 

So do you (or POLAR) know why the OP got chosen for the upgrade, while others booked in their category presumably did not? I do know the "hook the first-time cruiser" theory, as well as the untenable higher-the-status-more-likely-the-upgrade theory. All there is is anecdotal evidence, AFAIK.

 

E.g., the best comp upgrade I got was on the Royal's inaugural TA, where I was wafted from the lowliest of insides to a full balcony, this on my 10th Princess cruise, on a completely sold-out ship full of Elites while I was still Platinum (and the Future Cruise Consultant expressed amazement that anyone at all got an upgrade). Is it because I informed Princess it was my honeymoon and the Upgrade Fairy is sentimental? Dumb luck? My abundant charm? Who knows?

Edited November 13, 2014 by shepp

[BruceMuzz]

These "hook the first time cruiser" and "punish the loyal frequent cruiser" stories are a lot of rubbish. You may notice that those stories are told only by those who did not get the free upgrade they are convinced the cruise line owes them.

 

The POLAR computer has no idea who is who.

When the pre-set parameters kick in, the computer starts randomly upgrading people who happened to buy just the right cabin category at just the right time.

 

On any given cruise, there are at least 50 couples on their honeymoon cruise - and 150 more couples who claim that it is their honeymoon, hoping to get something for nothing.

On most cruises, exactly half the passengers claim it is their birthday cruise - forgetting that they have already given us their real birth dates when they booked the cruise.

 

Stories like that - true or not - will not get you very far anymore.

[MarkSeattle]

...

On any given cruise, there are at least 50 couples on their honeymoon cruise - and 150 more couples who claim that it is their honeymoon, hoping to get something for nothing.

On most cruises, exactly half the passengers claim it is their birthday cruise - forgetting that they have already given us their real birth dates when they booked the cruise...

 

This is hilarious. I've cruised over birthday and anniversary dates before and I never click the special celebration stuff. I don't want stupid balloons on my door or embarrassed in the dining room.

[shredie]

Bruce, why do you hate cruisers?

[shepp]

Bruce, why do you hate cruisers?

 

Because they spit in the sink? ;)

[RickEk]

I'd guess that POLAR stands for Princess OnLine And Reservations... or not.

 

Many years ago, I worked for a company that developed some new software that they called ZEUS, it was just made up, but we called it "name of company" Employees Under Stress. :p

 

This is hilarious. I've cruised over birthday and anniversary dates before and I never click the special celebration stuff. I don't want stupid balloons on my door or embarrassed in the dining room.

 

I don't mind the balloons... makes it easier to find my cabin. And we tell the waiter that we'll take the dessert...but no singing.

Edited November 13, 2014 by RickEk

[2wheelin]

These "hook the first time cruiser" and "punish the loyal frequent cruiser" stories are a lot of rubbish. You may notice that those stories are told only by those who did not get the free upgrade they are convinced the cruise line owes them.

 

The POLAR computer has no idea who is who.

When the pre-set parameters kick in, the computer starts randomly upgrading people who happened to buy just the right cabin category at just the right time.

 

On any given cruise, there are at least 50 couples on their honeymoon cruise - and 150 more couples who claim that it is their honeymoon, hoping to get something for nothing.

On most cruises, exactly half the passengers claim it is their birthday cruise - forgetting that they have already given us their real birth dates when they booked the cruise.

 

Stories like that - true or not - will not get you very far anymore.

 

"randomly" EXACTLY!

[shepp]

"randomly" EXACTLY!

 

Well, yeah, random chance seems as good as anything to me...though I doubt that you have any evidence at hand to prove that, and Princess won't tell.

 

But - since we're getting all hair-splitty - we do all know that "randomly" and "having bought just the right cabin at just the right time" are not precisely the same thing, right?

[EddieCruzer]

 

Most of the Carnival Corp brands share a booking system named POLAR. It's an acronym for something that really doesn't matter.

In any case, POLAR is a very powerful and intuitive system that monitors and predicts booking patterns on each ship for every cruise.

If the system sees that a certain category of cabin is selling above a preset level, people who are already booked in that category are automatically upgraded to a higher category that is not selling as well. This allows POLAR to release those previously sold cabins to be sold again.

Very simple. No mystery.

This allows the cruise lines to maximize fare revenues (yield) on every sailing.

 

Unfortunately it is nearly impossible for the consumer to predict which categories will be most popular on any given cruise. And it seems that the most popular categories change very frequently.

 

Another factor that plays into the equation, is the PRICE the passenger paid for their cabin, regardless of category.

 

I had a conversation with my TA about upgrades. Their agency is super high volume Princess. She explained upgrades this way.

 

Cruise Newbie pays $2800 for the highest inside category cabin. Basically list price.

 

Joe Elite pays $2400 for an ocean view. Joe is now a savvy cruiser and knows how to price shop.

 

A balcony upgrade is about to happen. Flash sale now has balcony for $3100. Cruise Newbie is now upgraded to balcony from inside because he paid more for his cruise.

 

So I guess, the more you pay, the better the upgrade. ;)