What are the chances for an upgrade?

[Momma Mojito]

Was just wondering if there are more chances of an upgrade if you pick your cabin or go for a guaranteed choice or is it just the luck of the draw?

[OzKiwiJJ]

Probably slightly better if you go for a guarantee but the risk is that you could end up in the worst cabin on the ship instead that upgrade you desire.

 

Don't hold your breath waiting for an upgrade in either case. ;)

 

These days they seem to be doing upsells rather than upgrades anyway.

[Iamcruzin]

Logically speaking I think there would be more of a chance that you would get an upgrade by booking a guarantee if it's close to or after final payment or the category that you want to book is already sold out. If it's a new itinerary or one that isn't selling and there are still a choice of rooms in the category that you want you could be assigned a room immediately.

 

I don't read about too many upgrades on CC like I did when I first joined. The cruise lines seem to be offering up sells instead.

[MCC retired]

We have never booked a Guarantee on any cruise line where we didn't receive at least a 1 category upgrade .

[Sea Hag]

We have never booked a Guarantee on any cruise line where we didn't receive at least a 1 category upgrade .

 

You've had better luck than we have. :) We mostly got the category we booked when I was still booking guarantees.

[paul929207]

We rarely book guarantees and almost always have our reservation marked Do Not Upgrade". However, for Alaska, last summer we booked an ocean view guarantee. About 3 weeks before sailing, we were assigned a cabin in the category we booked. About a week later we got an upsell. The offer was for $250 pp, we would get a balcony. We declined. A week or so later we got a second upsell. This was $200 pp to get a balcony. Again we declined. A couple of days later I checked our stuff on Princess.com and learned we had been upgraded to a mini-suite that did not have a balcony. It was at the very front of the Coral Princess with a nice little observation area 20 feet from our door.

[Momma Mojito]

We rarely book guarantees and almost always have our reservation marked Do Not Upgrade". However, for Alaska, last summer we booked an ocean view guarantee. About 3 weeks before sailing, we were assigned a cabin in the category we booked. About a week later we got an upsell. The offer was for $250 pp, we would get a balcony. We declined. A week or so later we got a second upsell. This was $200 pp to get a balcony. Again we declined. A couple of days later I checked our stuff on Princess.com and learned we had been upgraded to a mini-suite that did not have a balcony. It was at the very front of the Coral Princess with a nice little observation area 20 feet from our door.

 

Thanks for sharing this, I'm glad that you got such a nice upgrade, and you didn't have to pay extra for it!!! Our most of our first cruises I booked guarantee cabin because the price was somewhat less. The last few cruises I haven't because there wasn't a difference in the price, but I think the next cruise I book just might be a guarantee.

[Sea Hag]

We rarely book guarantees and almost always have our reservation marked Do Not Upgrade". However, for Alaska, last summer we booked an ocean view guarantee. About 3 weeks before sailing, we were assigned a cabin in the category we booked. About a week later we got an upsell. The offer was for $250 pp, we would get a balcony. We declined. A week or so later we got a second upsell. This was $200 pp to get a balcony. Again we declined. A couple of days later I checked our stuff on Princess.com and learned we had been upgraded to a mini-suite that did not have a balcony. It was at the very front of the Coral Princess with a nice little observation area 20 feet from our door.

 

Nice! :D

[geoherb]

I usually take a gamble and book us guarantees. We've had some nice upgrades along the way. Most of the time, however, we just get the type of cabin we book--sometimes in a slightly higher category. For instance, for our cruise next month on the Caribbean Princess, I booked us an Cat. IE (inside). We ended up in a Cat. IC--still an inside cabin, but not at the bow of the ship like the Cat. IE cabins I had to chose from when booking. We're happy with the location.

 

On the other hand, on our cruise last December, we booked an obstructed view guarantee and were "upgraded" to an unobstructed view cabin--P201. It's the smallest imaginable cabin--so small that one side of the bed is pushed against the wall and there's only one night stand. The window is recessed about three feet, so much that's it isn't any better than an obstructed view cabin. But we still had a great time on the ship.

 

Our best upgrades were from an obstructed view to a cabin with a balcony on the Sapphire and several times from the lowest category of balcony cabin to balcony cabins on the Caribe Deck. We love those extra large balconies. Once we received a handicapped accessible cabin and enjoyed it's extra large bathroom and width.

 

I do not recommend people book guarantees unless they can be happy no matter where they end up. On our HAL cruise this past February, we were upgraded from an obstructed view to an unobstructed one right under the galley. Fortunately I'm an early riser, so the noise did not bother me. And DH can sleep through anything, so it did not bother him either.

[sandy999]

3 days to go and we are still waiting for our cabin assignment. We booked an Ocean view guarantee OC, at the time we couldn't choose a cabin, only GTY cabins were available.

 

I assume OB is the only upgrade from OC in that category?

 

I know we will enjoy the cruise no matter which cabin we are assigned but I am still hoping for an upgrade :) We didn't get a call for an upsell or moveover and I haven't seen any posts related to upsell/moveover on CC about our cruise -Crown Princess July 8th Baltic. There were some posts for a similar cruise later in July.

[Nein2]

Upgrades a thing of the past. Upsells maybe. Buy the room you want.

[xroadrunnerx]

Doing a b2b in October/November. Booked a deluxe balcony obstructed view and were just upgraded to a deluxe balcony mid-aft. First time this has ever happened to us!!

[Momma Mojito]

Doing a b2b in October/November. Booked a deluxe balcony obstructed view and were just upgraded to a deluxe balcony mid-aft. First time this has ever happened to us!!

 

Fantastic!! Enjoy your upgrade

[Lucky TGO]

Upgrades a thing of the past. Upsells maybe. Buy the room you want.

 

I agree with you.

Tony

[satxdiver]

In the last two years all I have received are upgrade offers for $$$. In addition the offer has increased in price making them very unacceptable.

[sandy999]

Just got my cabin assigned - no upgrade, but we are close to the Piazza for the morning coffee run :)

Been upgraded 3 times. Once on celebrity as we complained about a really noisy cabin outside to premium balcony, once on Airtours inside to outside just as we got to the pier, and once on NCL when we hit a hurricane and I was sick - cabin on the highest deck at the back didn't help, inside to mid ship inside.

[boca7]

Was just wondering if there are more chances of an upgrade if you pick your cabin or go for a guaranteed choice or is it just the luck of the draw?

We just received a very good upgrade on the 4th as well as other cabins next to me, now I see why, our previous cabin price category was just reduced & were still in no cancellation penalty, still I`m delighted with the better cabin on a 14 day cruise.

[john watson]

Was just wondering if there are more chances of an upgrade if you pick your cabin or go for a guaranteed choice or is it just the luck of the draw?

 

If you book a guarantee cabin, you are really contracting to a minimum grade guarantee or in other words your cabin must not be a lower grade than the one you have contracted but you have not actually booked a specific grade. If you were allocated a grand suite technically this is not an upgrade it is precisely what you booked but have done exceptionally well.

 

Regards John

[SadieN]

Be a new to Princess cruiser. First three cruises we were given upgrades, not upsells. We booked specific cabins on cruises that were not selling well.

[geoherb]

Upgrades a thing of the past. Upsells maybe. Buy the room you want.

Upgrades are not a thing of the past. Princess still sells a lot of guarantees in the lowest category of a cabin type and upgrades the passengers to slightly higher cabins--such as we received for our cruise next month. We could have paid the extra $40 to get the cabin we ended up receiving. But we would have been happy in any cabin on this cruise, so it wasn't worth paying extra to pick a location.

 

 

I don't recommend guarantees for people who are picky about their cabin location. Most people would not have been happy with our "upgrade" on the CB in December from an obstructed view cabin to an unobstructed one because of its size and location.

[delliemd]

Was just wondering if there are more chances of an upgrade if you pick your cabin or go for a guaranteed choice or is it just the luck of the draw?

I have sailed with Princess about 15 cruises now, everyone has been a guaranteed .I have never been disappointed have gotten an upgrade always.Now that usually means same type cabin ,better location.