Cunard upgrade policy

[PleasantProspects]

We are taking World Cruise (January 9, 2006) and are booked in a P1 cabin for 109 days. We would like to receive a cabin upgraded to a 'Q'. Is there anything we can do to influence Cunard to select us for an upgrade? What policy or procedure do they use? Does early arrival have any bearing on the selection process?

 

Thanks.

 

Howard

[guernseyguy]

Is there anything we can do to influence Cunard to select us for an upgrade?

 

Unless you can influence how many other passengers book Q grade on the whole cruise and multiple segments of it, no. Have you booked a specific cabin - or a guarantee. Guarantees (if they are available for a voyage as complex as the WC) may have a better chance for an upgrade, on the other hand you may prefer to know your cabin location in advance.

 

What policy or procedure do they use?

Nobody knows, or if they do, they are keeping quiet. Price paid, whether past passenger or not MAY have an influence - on the other hand it often appears completely random.

 

Does early arrival have any bearing on the selection process?

Almost certainly not - again bear in mind the complexity of this voyage, the sale of different segments of it - upgrades are generally decided centrally and not pier-side.

 

Many people who have dined in both prefer the Princess Grill to the Queens Grill - so either be happy in your choice, or if you really want to dine in the Queens Grill, book a cabin there. Which ever you sail in I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time!

 

Peter

[2moose]

We are taking World Cruise (January 9, 2006) and are booked in a P1 cabin for 109 days. We would like to receive a cabin upgraded to a 'Q'. Is there anything we can do to influence Cunard to select us for an upgrade? What policy or procedure do they use? Does early arrival have any bearing on the selection process?

 

Thanks.

 

Howard

after three bookings with cunard there does'nt seem to be any rhyme or reason to thier upgrade program. we have been upgraded twice to the princess grill from a mid range balcony.Once we knew of the upgrade months before sailing and once was a last minute surprise to us> The one time we paid the brochure price for a p-2 we were upgrade to a p-1 ( i dont know the difference between p-1 and p-2) but we were dissapointed that we did not recieve a q catergory. all the cruises were terrific and worth every dime. GO, ENJOY BONVOYAGE

[wotec]

Moral of the story is book what you will be satisfied with and if you get an upgrade, congratulations. If you really want to be in a QG stateroom, then you best book accordingly. You can't count on an upgrade at all. A Q4 is the same size and decor as a P1, the difference being Queens Grill Dining Room vs Princess or Brittania Dining Rooms in P categories. If you want a spacious stateroom, you need to book a Q3, there is substantial difference in square footage between Q3 and P1/Q4. All that being said, many repeat passengers prefer to dine in Princess Grill Dining Room and you will find some passengers who have reserved a QG stateroom for their spaciousness and decor but request a table in the Princess Grill.

[2moose]

Moral of the story is book what you will be satisfied with and if you get an upgrade, congratulations. If you really want to be in a QG stateroom, then you best book accordingly. You can't count on an upgrade at all. A Q4 is the same size and decor as a P1, the difference being Queens Grill Dining Room vs Princess or Brittania Dining Rooms in P categories. If you want a spacious stateroom, you need to book a Q3, there is substantial difference in square footage between Q3 and P1/Q4. All that being said, many repeat passengers prefer to dine in Princess Grill Dining Room and you will find some passengers who have reserved a QG stateroom for their spaciousness and decor but request a table in the Princess Grill.

i couldn't agree with you more> the princess grill was perfect we were just curious about the queens grill. also it is our opinion that new customers stand a better chance of an upgrade than prior customers. best regards

[transat]

I have heard that the Queens Grill can get quite warm in tropical climates (since it is so high up in the ship) also, since there is a promenade deck just outside, you view of the ocean is diminished and other passengers views of you dinning is increased. Stick with the princess grill. It has the most original decor of the ship and wonderful ocean views.

[Prince]

Howard- Good luck on the upgrade! I will be on the final segment of that cruise--from Southampton to Fort Lauderdale. 109 days is a long time to be onboard--so I hope you get what you want! (You might want to tell your travel agent that you would be open for an upgrade--sometimes the polite suggestion might do the trick!)

 

Robert

[PatrickS]

"A Q4 is the same size and decor as a P1, the difference being Queens Grill Dining Room vs Princess or Brittania Dining Rooms in P categories. If you want a spacious stateroom, you need to book a Q3, there is substantial difference in square footage between Q3 and P1/Q4."

 

Just a few comments; all P categories are in the Princess Dining Room. A P1 is not the same size a Q4. I was in a P1 room & next door was a Q5. If you compaired balconies the Q5 was longer then the P1. As per Cunard's website a P1 is described as a junior suite 381 sf, Q5 is a suite 506 sf & Q4 is a penthouse 758 sf.

 

Enjoyed the Princess dining room but would have preferred a larger room. We were a party of three.

[dougnewmanatsea]

I was in a P1 room & next door was a Q5. If you compaired balconies the Q5 was longer then the P1. As per Cunard's website a P1 is described as a junior suite 381 sf, Q5 is a suite 506 sf & Q4 is a penthouse 758 sf.

All the above info is perfectly correct - but you've got the wrong ship.

 

This thread is discussing QE2 - but that's not really obvious unless you knew that the 9 Jan 2007 world cruise, 109 days, is hers...

[eroller]

Moral of the story is book what you will be satisfied with and if you get an upgrade, congratulations.

 

 

 

Good advice. Basically just book what you can afford and makes you happy ... and anything else is icing on the cake.

 

Ernie

[ocngypz]

If you are a long time Cunarder, forget anything you ever knew about upgrades.

 

Cunard's revenue management is now operated like that of Princess. And you can't influence upgrades! However I will say that generally speakng the Princess revenue management system can work towards the passengers' benefit.

 

Polar-Online has been down since last evening, otherwise I could tell you what inventory was available in QG class. If memory serves me correctly, the last time I looked, it categories were either closed or waitlisted.

[PleasantProspects]

Hey Folks - thanks so very much for the comments. It is a great help. I apologize for not clearly stating I was on the QE2. If someone had not mentioned "maybe you will be selected for an upgrade" I would have gone on my merry way happy with the P1. I am sure I will be happy with P1, but since the trip is 103 days I thought a little larger square footage would make me even more happier.

Thanks again.

Howard

[ocngypz]

Hello Howard:

 

Q4 is on gty, there is some availability in Q3, Q2 is on gty and 1 QS.

 

There are two factors which can influence a complimentary ugrade: how early you booked and how many times you have sailed with Cunard. That's the official statement in our reservation system.

 

Now you must make sure your agent has the little box ticked "yes" to complimentary upgrade in your reservation.

 

What revenue looks at is what you have paid versus the next category. Generally speaking if you have paid 80% of the next rate, AND they need your category, you'd be in a pretty decent position for an upgrade. However, it is big jump from Princess to Queens Grill.

 

Right now there are 6 P1 cabin assignments available and they are selling 3 gty's.

 

Good luck and have a fabulous voyage!!

[eroller]

 

There are two factors which can influence a complimentary ugrade: how early you booked and how many times you have sailed with Cunard. That's the official statement in our reservation system.

 

 

 

That may be Cunard's "official" statement, but personally I think it is a crock. Upgrades are generally not given out of the goodness of the cruise lines heart. They are given because of operational requirements and yield management strategies. I've sailed on over 60 cruises and have been complimentary upgraded less than 10 times. Many times the upgrades were given the very first time I sailed the line and never again. I don't buy the "loyalty" bit for one second. I receive upgrades now far less than I ever did in the past. Cruise lines have also gotten clever and started offering "paid upgrades" at the last minute at a far better value then months before the cruise. This has also eliminated many comp upgrades.

 

Your chances of an upgrade are better if you book the lowest category on a "guarantee". Often times the cruise line will oversell the lowest inside/outside/balcony categories to offer an attractive "lead-in" price. Some passengers will have to be upgraded since there are not enough cabins in the category to accommodate everyone booked.

 

There are other scenarios as well where an upgrade is warranted.

 

Howard, I have heard that upgrades are rare on full world cruises. One of the reasons is that many full world cruisers get to know each other after 100 days together, and the cruise line doesn't want anyone to think they are playing favorites. Hard feelings can become very uncomfortable for 100+ days! Everyone on a full world cruise is paying a lot of money, so the cruise lines have to be very careful about giving complimentary upgrades. We are not talking 7-day cruises to the Caribbean here.

 

Anyway, good luck. I'm envious of you. It's a dream to take a World Cruise someday.

 

Ernie

[ocngypz]

Hi Ernie:

 

Now that Cunard IS using Princess revenue management there are more upgrades being done.

 

But of course, all the planets have to be aligned for them to work.

 

With my Princess clients booking Cat AC and under early, I'm running an 80% upgrade rate from Princess. With Princess.. early is the key. Don't be booking Flash promotions and expect to get upgraded. And I don't book my clients on guarantees, I book assigned cabins and tick the complimentary upgrade box or tell the rez agent at time of booking.

 

Unfortunately for Howard, right now, there's not much call for the upper categories.. while there is still some push for the lower. There's going to have to be more push, which I don't see happening at this late date (even folks wanting to still book the wb transat leg.... can't get decent priced air at this point..even my consolidators are expensive.

 

And just before running the manifest is when I call the cruiselines if my clients are at 80% of the next category.... and beg. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But most sailings are going out full... and it's a moot point.

[eroller]

Hi Ernie:

 

Now that Cunard IS using Princess revenue management there are more upgrades being done.

 

 

 

Generally I find Princess upgrades more than anyone, but also 9 times out of 10 the upgrades are more perception then something substantial. Princess has an exorbitant number of categories on their ships, which is all part of their yield management strategy. Some of those categories only have four cabins in them or even less. Of course they oversell them and passengers booked in those categories end up with an upgrade. The passenger is happy because they have been "upgraded", but in reality the cabin is no different. Maybe it's a little more midship or a deck higher, but that is about it. It's all about perception.

 

It all works very well for Princess. The passenger ends up loving Princess because they were "upgraded" and feel special, and Princess is able to fill their ships when needed with "lead-in" pricing.

 

Princess has already added more categories to Cunard since they took over, and in time we may see even more categories added. Princess not only categorizes cabins based on the deck, but also how midship they are. It's overkill but it seems to work for them.

 

I will say Princess/Cunard has the best reservation system around. It's excellent. If only POLAR would let you access availability of "segments" on long voyages. For those you still have to call the line direct.

 

Ernie

[dougnewmanatsea]

Generally I find Princess upgrades more than anyone, but also 9 times out of 10 the upgrades are more perception then something substantial.

This is certainly true - but while it will hold true on QM2 as well, even a one- or two-category upgrade on QE2 can be substantial. For example, consider a two-category upgrade from a C3 to a C1 - this could be a bit difference. On the other hand on Princess ships you could easily upgrade five or six categories and get a perfectly identical cabin in a different (not even better) location.

 

There are enough different types of cabin on QE2 that if Princess added their usual exorbitant number, based on location as well as the actual type of cabin, she'd probably wind up with about 75 cabin categories ;) ...

[eroller]

 

There are enough different types of cabin on QE2 that if Princess added their usual exorbitant number, based on location as well as the actual type of cabin, she'd probably wind up with about 75 cabin categories ;) ...

 

 

Agreed. I was thinking more along the lines of QM2 and QV. The Princess yield management strategy of excessive cabin categories and upgrading only works well on new ships with cookie cutter cabins. Even so, a couple new categories were added on QE2. C6 for example is new category with only two cabins. Your chances of an upgrade if booking a "guarantee" in this category are almost certain.

 

The QE2 is a different breed all together. She is a ship that must be managed (from a yield standpoint) far different than a Grand Class or QM2.

 

Ernie