Did I make a mistake?

[pthjudy]

We are booked on 3 seven day cruises on the Regal in January. We booked the first 2 as a 14 day to maximize the OBC. I usually book the lowest category and actively pursue upsells or upgrades. Well this morning I see the 14 day is sold out. There are many open cabins on each of the 2 segments. I WOULD consider taking an upsell and moving after the first 7 day segment. However, I will never be offered that option since my 14 day is “sold out”. Ordinarily I would check the roll calls to see upsell posts, but the roll calls are not that active. My TA will not receive upsell offers because my 14 day has no more cabins. Princess will refer me to my TA. Did I make a mistake in how I booked those 2 cruises? Any suggestions?

[nukesubsailor]

1 hour ago, pthjudy said:

We are booked on 3 seven day cruises on the Regal in January. We booked the first 2 as a 14 day to maximize the OBC. I usually book the lowest category and actively pursue upsells or upgrades. Well this morning I see the 14 day is sold out. There are many open cabins on each of the 2 segments. I WOULD consider taking an upsell and moving after the first 7 day segment. However, I will never be offered that option since my 14 day is “sold out”. Ordinarily I would check the roll calls to see upsell posts, but the roll calls are not that active. My TA will not receive upsell offers because my 14 day has no more cabins. Princess will refer me to my TA. Did I make a mistake in how I booked those 2 cruises? Any suggestions?

No.  By booking as a 14-day you locked in a sure thing in the additional onboard credit.  Getting an upgrade or upsell offer is far from a sure thing. Never count on getting one.

[elliair]

I never  book a cruise to "actively pursue upsells or upgrades."  So I think you made a mistake booking thinking you would get an upgrade or upsell.  In all the years we have been cruising, I only got 1 "upsell" call.  It wasn't even a good upsell, more like a ripoff.  Why not book what you want, the cabin you want and be satisfied with that?

[Colo Cruiser]

Common to see the combined voyage sold out and the segments having available cabins. Giving the option to book the shorter cruises without having to book the longer voyage. Marketing by Princess. Don’t book based on an upgrade/up sell.

[Coral]

I always book them independently for the sole purpose of price decreases more often happens on a 7 night compared to a 14 night.

[pthjudy]

33 minutes ago, elliair said:

I never  book a cruise to "actively pursue upsells or upgrades."  So I think you made a mistake booking thinking you would get an upgrade or upsell.  In all the years we have been cruising, I only got 1 "upsell" call.  It wasn't even a good upsell, more like a ripoff.  Why not book what you want, the cabin you want and be satisfied with that?

I am perfectly satisfied with what I booked. The differential between interior and balcony  will be greatly reduced with an upsell and I have taken advantage of that on 4 of my last 5 Princess Cruises. My question was how I can take advantage of an upsell offer for any of the segments when I will not be advised of the offer due to how I booked this as one 14 day cruise. I agree that you should never book a cabin with the idea of needing to upgrade. You can, however, leave yourself open to any advantageous upsell or upgrade. 

[CineGraphic]

You can't take advantage of what doesn't exist. Stop worrying, you can't change the way things are now.

Enjoy your cruise.

[elliair]

"Did I make a mistake in how I booked those 2 cruises? Any suggestions? "

 

Your mistake was hoping to get an upsell or upgraded.  You booked the lowest category "I usually book the lowest category ."  So, I think that's what you're stuck with.  Did you make a mistake?  Depends.  You got and paid for the lowest category."  Buyer's remorse?  Being a seasoned cruiser, I only expect to get what I paid for and nothing more.  You win some and lose some.

[Bill B]

How does one actively pursue upsells or upgrades? 

[SeaMatesNYC]

You only made a “mistake” if it was more advantageous to you to have the potential for the up sell/upgrade than it was to have the enhanced OBC in this scenario of sold out 14 day, but with openings on the 7 day. Some posters don’t understand your (historically successful) strategy, but don’t explain since you’ll just create competition for yourself! 😎

[skynight]

19 minutes ago, pthjudy said:

I am perfectly satisfied with what I booked. The differential between interior and balcony  will be greatly reduced with an upsell and I have taken advantage of that on 4 of my last 5 Princess Cruises. My question was how I can take advantage of an upsell offer for any of the segments when I will not be advised of the offer due to how I booked this as one 14 day cruise. I agree that you should never book a cabin with the idea of needing to upgrade. You can, however, leave yourself open to any advantageous upsell or upgrade. 

You can take advantage of an upsell if offered, you can not if not offered. I think you already know this. We generally book b2b's a single segments to make us more flexible, even if there is slightly more cost. We also book the cabin we want and mark it no upgrade. We don't like to switch cabins mid cruise.

[pthjudy]

28 minutes ago, Bill B said:

How does one actively pursue upsells or upgrades? 

There is only one way to actively pursue an upsell, and as a previous poster said, if there are none there is no way to get one.  First step is monitoring cabin availability and price drops for new bookings. Little availability and stable price equals no upsells. I check prices and cabins on my booked cruises at least daily. Second step is to monitor your roll call. If an upsell comes in, often someone will post the offer and you can check with your TA about why you weren’t notified. Additionally, calls to Princess about possible upsell opportunities could help but not a particularly viable route. If you are using a TA, all offers come through that office. On our Hawaii cruise in February, an upsell from inside to balcony was offered for $400 pp. (When I booked the cruise the difference was $1200 pp). My TA did not send the offer. I saw it on my roll call. I called Princess and was told there was no availability left. I spoke with a supervisor who put us on a waiting list. She gave us a free Crown Grill dinner for not being able to accommodate us. Two days before we left for LA, we got a call about a balcony that opened up. We gladly paid the $400 pp. Persistence is key as well as wanting to play the “game”. I enjoy the challenge but am perfectly content to sail in the cabin I originally booked. Please excuse the length of this post. As a writer, it’s difficult for me to be brief sometimes. 😂

[jagoffee]

Yes, It is clear to me that based on your comments, you did make a mistake.  If the opportunity for an upsell is valuable to you, it would have been better to book your 14 day cruise portion as two 7 day cruises.  It is clear (now) that if your booking is for 14 days, Princess is not likely to offer you an up-sell for half of the cruise.  Basically you have limited your options.

You can consider this on your next booking. The extra OBC vs the opportunity for an up-sell.

 

Good luck and enjoy your cruises.

 

[rockdoctor]

As others have said, don’t book a cabin you wouldn’t be comfortable in and be happy to get an upsell rather than needing one. You didn’t make a mistake. You cannot make a mistake on something you have no control over. We have gotten one up sell in more than 20 cruises - on Celebrity from a Sky Suite to a Penthouse Suite. If you really want an upsell, book in the shoulder season when fewer people travel. Don’t give up hope.

[LarryL]

5 hours ago, pthjudy said:

I am perfectly satisfied with what I booked. The differential between interior and balcony  will be greatly reduced with an upsell and I have taken advantage of that on 4 of my last 5 Princess Cruises. My question was how I can take advantage of an upsell offer for any of the segments when I will not be advised of the offer due to how I booked this as one 14 day cruise. I agree that you should never book a cabin with the idea of needing to upgrade. You can, however, leave yourself open to any advantageous upsell or upgrade. 

I think booking and being open to cabin changes can be advantageous. On our upcoming, 17 day, TA cruise we started with an inside guarantee and decided to upgrade if the opportunity came up. We had intended to stick it out to see if we could survive an inside but changed our minds.  We waited patiently and have, since, upgraded to an aft balcony for $400 each. We couldn't be happier. Normally we book early to get the cabin we want. This time we changed our minds and it fell into place just right.  Good luck.

[pthjudy]

37 minutes ago, LarryL said:

I think booking and being open to cabin changes can be advantageous. On our upcoming, 17 day, TA cruise we started with an inside guarantee and decided to upgrade if the opportunity came up. We had intended to stick it out to see if we could survive an inside but changed our minds.  We waited patiently and have, since, upgraded to an aft balcony for $400 each. We couldn't be happier. Normally we book early to get the cabin we want. This time we changed our minds and it fell into place just right.  Good luck.

On the two TA we took, we were able to upgrade to balcony. They were both Oceania and those cruises can be costly. Patience is the key word along with persistence. Enjoy your cruise. 

[Bill B]

6 hours ago, pthjudy said:

Additionally, calls to Princess about possible upsell opportunities could help but not a particularly viable route. 

 

I always assumed if one called to ask, Princess would say "We will let you know."

Edited November 16, 2018 by Bill B

[Colo Cruiser]

2 hours ago, Bill B said:

 

I always assumed if one called to ask, Princess would say "We will let you know."

I agree if it will happen it will happen.

One can't manipulate the process.