Upgrades?

[Morgans]

After many years of ocean cruising, we are intending booking a River Cruise for next year . Can anyone tell me if the River Cruise companies offer upgrades similar to Cunad, P&O etc?We know the grade of cabin we want and will book it accordingly but just curious if upgrades do get offered - we are particularly thinking of Avalon and its Danube cruises.

Many thanks for any help.

[wheezedr]

You really need to understand that river and ocean cruising is about as comparable as apples and oranges. In one case they are both fruits, in the other they are both done on ships. A river ship of 140-190 passengers will have 70-95 cabins, perhaps in 2-4 categories at most. The cruises will sell out for most voyages. The likelihood of an "upgrade" while small on a liner with 3000 passengers is virtually nil on a river ship. I highly recommend doing some research on river cruising. We did our first after 22 ocean cruises. A very different experience, we thoroughly enjoyed it but my DW would rather stick to the ocean side. The people we have met who were unhappy with their river experience seemed to have approached it with unclear expectations. Many of the things they were used to were quite different. River cruises are port and tour intensive as you are somewhere every day. Look extensively at the itinerary to see that it interests you. The Danube is in fact a very good choice.

[INSIDERS CABIN]

We think Avalon provides a wonderful cruise experience. Yes, after boarding last fall there was apparently a last minute cancellation leaving one of the larger suite cabins vacant. We were offered an upgrade for a price- don't remember how much- but probably close to full fare and no one on board exchanged cabins. Agree, check itineraries and start/end cities- and do your research re ports, ships and airfare before picking. We find 7 days too short, unless you are "testing" first to see if you like this type of cruising and a particular line. Have fun planning!

 

 

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[candkd]

As a previous post stated River Cruising is all about the ports and the daily excursions. Unless you book a suite, generally the cabins are all the same size and the level of services is no different than other cabins. The lowest level cabins have windows that are at the level of the water so you can't open the windows. The other cabins generally are the same size with the "type" of window being different--window, balcony, French Balcony. The difference in the cost is the deck you are on in relation to common areas. The upper most level (most expensive) is directly below the common area so you might hear people walking above you especially in the morning. River cruise ships are very small in comparison to ocean liners so going from a common, upper area to you cabin is very quick. We have taken 3 river cruises and have always booked a middle deck.

[Jack1]

May have been a freak occurrence but last year when we booked an Amawaterways Mekong river cruise our cabin was upgraded a few months before we cruised. We had booked the second from lowest category (lowest floor) and they upgraded us to the next floor up at no cost. We didn't request it and were surprised. So it can happen, just not sure how often.

[laverendrye]

Uniworld used to offer upgrades to members of its River Heritage Club (repeat travellers), and I received one on all of my trips after the first one (including two in 2016). However it appears that this perk has now been dropped, likely because of the increasing popularity of river cruising.

[amd1234]

We received an upgrade on our upcoming cruise in August on Uniworld. We are Heritage Club members and it is a one catagory upgrade... Do they give upgrades if you are not members probably not!

[OneSixtyToOne]

May have been a freak occurrence but last year when we booked an Amawaterways Mekong river cruise our cabin was upgraded a few months before we cruised. We had booked the second from lowest category (lowest floor) and they upgraded us to the next floor up at no cost. We didn't request it and were surprised. So it can happen, just not sure how often.

 

I have a theory on upgrades. If the cruise is under booked a few months out, they may upgrade repeat customers. The demand is higher for the lower price rooms so they are easier to sell than the upper deck premium cabins. Their goal is to make sure the boat sails with a full complement of paying customers. This more than covers the fixed overhead. Remember they also make money on the optional tours, etc, so the more passengers, the higher the profit. It's also smart business to reward repeat customers. Brand loyalty reaps long term benefits

[CaroleLee]

After many years of ocean cruising, we are intending booking a River Cruise for next year . Can anyone tell me if the River Cruise companies offer upgrades similar to Cunad, P&O etc?We know the grade of cabin we want and will book it accordingly but just curious if upgrades do get offered - we are particularly thinking of Avalon and its Danube cruises.

Many thanks for any help.

Hi,

Usually I would have agreed with other posters as upgrades are hard on a small vessel. That being said just rechecked our reservation and we were upgraded form a B to an A cabin on AMA

Carole

[TeaBag]

We just finished our first cruise with AMA, a 15 day cruise. We also booked a lower category (swan room!) as the CDN $ was in the tank. We were upgraded to a balcony at no extra cost. We did so enjoy it. Thank you AMA.

[H2Otstr]

We were supposed to get an upgrade, if a room was available on our AMA trip. It is a perc from traveling with them several times, but our PD wanted to charge us $1000 extra, and then on the next to last day he told us we could upgrade at no extra charge :o. A couple rooms were unoccupied. Not worth packing and repacking for one night.

[Morgans]

Thank you for all the responses - all very interesting.

 

We realise that river cruising will be very different from ocean cruising - that is why we want to give it a go. We have seen the river boats on several of the European rivers and decided it looks very tempting. On checking late availability for this year (for UK passengers we tend to get flights included in the cost) I noticed that most (not all) departures had the lowest priced cabins left (E grade on Avalon) so I wondered if passengers were being upgraded to free those up. Thanks to Candkd for pointing out that the top cabins may be affected by the walking above. We will probably go for an A or B grade.

 

We are looking at a Danube cruise which includes Prague and Budapest and Avalon does offer such an itinerary which is 13 days. Any of the others do similar - we do want more than a week.

 

Once again many thanks to all who responded - it is appreciated.

[CaroleLee]

Thank you for all the responses - all very interesting.

 

We realise that river cruising will be very different from ocean cruising - that is why we want to give it a go. We have seen the river boats on several of the European rivers and decided it looks very tempting. On checking late availability for this year (for UK passengers we tend to get flights included in the cost) I noticed that most (not all) departures had the lowest priced cabins left (E grade on Avalon) so I wondered if passengers were being upgraded to free those up. Thanks to Candkd for pointing out that the top cabins may be affected by the walking above. We will probably go for an A or B grade.

 

We are looking at a Danube cruise which includes Prague and Budapest and Avalon does offer such an itinerary which is 13 days. Any of the others do similar - we do want more than a week.

 

Once again many thanks to all who responded - it is appreciated.

Hi,

 

It appears that all the brochures /adverts offer "rack rates" and only when you actually read the pricing or in some cases request a quote do you realize that the companies are quoting their least expensive cabin.Some pax pay for a 1 level upgrade ("C" to "B" etc )Check the vessel diagram for where you want your cabin-not under the gym for example.Then compare itineraries, what's included/excluded etc and make your choice.

Have a great trip

Carole

[Gourmet Gal]

Thank you for all the responses - all very interesting.

 

We realise that river cruising will be very different from ocean cruising - that is why we want to give it a go. We have seen the river boats on several of the European rivers and decided it looks very tempting. On checking late availability for this year (for UK passengers we tend to get flights included in the cost) I noticed that most (not all) departures had the lowest priced cabins left (E grade on Avalon) so I wondered if passengers were being upgraded to free those up. Thanks to Candkd for pointing out that the top cabins may be affected by the walking above. We will probably go for an A or B grade.

 

We are looking at a Danube cruise which includes Prague and Budapest and Avalon does offer such an itinerary which is 13 days. Any of the others do similar - we do want more than a week.

 

Once again many thanks to all who responded - it is appreciated.

 

On the Uniworld and Tauck cruise I've booked I noticed the higher priced cabins and suites tend to sell first. The lowest priced cabins are usually at the water line or in the rear which can be a little more noisy.