First trip on Cunard

[nancynana9950]

We are new to Cunard. We have just booked the eastbound transatlantic for April 2020. We booked an inside with a bonus double upgrade to a balcony. I imagine it will be obstruted view which is fine. Does anyone know what the usual notification is as to what cabin we will be assigned and about how far from sailing date we will be notified?

[luckymal]

We was give a upgrade, only found.out when checking in.🙄

[babs135]

47 minutes ago, luckymal said:

We was give a upgrade, only found.out when checking in.🙄

Us too.  Lovely surprise.

[bluemarble]

1 hour ago, nancynana9950 said:

We are new to Cunard. We have just booked the eastbound transatlantic for April 2020. We booked an inside with a bonus double upgrade to a balcony. I imagine it will be obstruted view which is fine. Does anyone know what the usual notification is as to what cabin we will be assigned and about how far from sailing date we will be notified?

 

Hi, nancynana9950. Welcome to Cunard.

 

Did you book under the terms of the "Upgrades on Us" promotion currently underway in the US? My understanding for how that "double upgrade" promotion works is that you would actually book a balcony cabin (up to cabin category "BZ" on QM2 which is the lowest priced sheltered balcony) for the same price as the highest category of inside cabin (category "IA"). That is, for that promotion, I think you should already have a booking for a specific grade of balcony cabin (either obstructed view or sheltered), not a booking for an inside cabin with the expectation that you will be automatically upgraded to a balcony cabin in the future.

 

I just wanted you to be aware some booking sites, including Cunard's own US website, are currently showing fares based on the "Chinese New Year Sale" (where the fare for an "IA" inside is lower than that of a "BZ" balcony and there are no upgrades involved) but they still mention the "Upgrades on Us" promotion as if you were actually booking under the terms of that "Upgrades on Us" promotion. I'm finding it all rather confusing myself as I am checking fares.

 

Of course if I have misunderstood and your booking is actually for a balcony cabin category or you have booked under the terms of some other travel agent promotion, then "never mind".

Edited February 3, 2019 by bluemarble

[nancynana9950]

Thanks for responding. We booked with an online agency. We were told we were eligible for double upgrade. We are currently booked into an IF. I thought it was a bit unusual as I always see upgrades like that on the Cunard site as only available to IA or above bookings. We have cruised on three other mainstream lines but have not dealt with this type of booking. I just wondered if anyone else had been in this situation. 

[Bigmike911]

As to when you might find out about your stateroom. I presume you went to the voyager personalizer for already booked passengers, and entered your details if not you should do so.

 

Also have you reserved and fully paid for your accommodation, if not no staterooms will be assigned until it is fully paid. Even then you may not have an assigned stateroom. Many Cunard passengers book a category and a guarantee, which says you will be assigned at minimum a stateroom in the category you booked, but you might be given the opportunity for an upgrade.

 

Guarantees, may not be assigned until the very last minute. If you booked a grade and not a guarantee, about six weeks before the date of your sailing you will receive a travel booklet with your itinerary and further details for your voyage. If you have a stateroom assigned at that time, you will receive luggage labels with your stateroom number, and you will know.

 

If you have a guarantee, you will receive the booklet but with out the luggage labels. When a stateroom is assigned you will find the information on the voyage personalizer and you will be able to print luggage tags. 

 

If you have booked on of the higher grades Britannia Club or the Grills, with a guarantee, you may get your stateroom assignment at check in. That usually means you got a good upgrade. Welcome to Cunard and enjoy. 

[nancynana9950]

Thanks Bigmike. We just booked two days ago and haven’t filled out the voyager personalizer yet but will get to it first thing tomorrow. Also I will call the booking agent for some clarification. 

[Underwatr]

6 hours ago, nancynana9950 said:

Thanks for responding. We booked with an online agency. We were told we were eligible for double upgrade. We are currently booked into an IF. I thought it was a bit unusual as I always see upgrades like that on the Cunard site as only available to IA or above bookings. 

 

I'm concerned for you. That's not how the Cunard "Double Upgrade" promotions work in my experience. Typically when they say something like "Double Upgrade" or "Upgrades On Us" it means that the balcony category is selling for the same price as an inside, but you're free to choose an Inside, Oceanview, or Balcony cabin (up to a certain level) at that price. It does not mean that if you book an inside you will later be upgraded to a balcony.

 

As you appear to have made a US booking well in advance, I recommend that you contact someone at the online agency and have them verify whether you should expect an upgrade or if you'll likely remain in your inside stateroom, and cancel for a full refund if the news isn't what you're expecting, then rebook the desired balcony category (you should be able to book a BZ forward sheltered balcony at the IA inside price under the current promotion).

 

 

Edited February 4, 2019 by Underwatr

[bluemarble]

One potential complication for the OP is that if they booked at the fares most US sites have been displaying the past few days, they may well have booked under the terms of the "Chinese New Year Sale" which runs February 1-8. Cunard's terms for that promotion include a $100 non-refundable deposit. Just one more detail for the OP to keep in mind when checking with their online booking agency to verify the exact terms of their booking.

 

In case this helps the OP any to determine what promotion they may have booked, for the 7-night April 25, 2020 Eastbound Crossing, here are some of Cunard's US base fares (before taxes and fees).

 

"Chinese New Year Sale"

Inside IF = $888

Inside IA = $1188

Sheltered Balcony BZ = $1488

 

"Upgrades on Us"

Inside IF = $1299

Inside IA = $1699

Sheltered Balcony BZ = $1699

[Underwatr]

Ooh, that confirms my suspicion about "free" upgrade promotions

 

If I go to the "Cruise Deals" section of cunard.com I don't see the Chinese New Year sale. Is there a way to enter a promotion code on the new, improved Cunard site? I haven't seen a place to do that. As an example, the current Upgrades on Us promo is code N2B.

Edited February 4, 2019 by Underwatr

[bluemarble]

1 minute ago, Underwatr said:

Ooh, that confirms my suspicion about "free" upgrade promotions

 

If I go to the "Cruise Deals" section of cunard.com I don't see the Chinese New Year sale. Is there a way to enter a promotion code on the new, improved Cunard site? I haven't seen a place to do that.

 

I haven't been able to find a place to enter a promotion code on the new Cunard US site. And I'm not seeing the "Chinese New Year Sale" listed under the "Special offers" section of the new US site either.

 

What I have found is that some voyages will now show "Multiple offers available" in the voyage search results on the US site. The OP's May 25, 2020 crossing is one such voyage. And when I click on "Multiple offers available" for that voyage, it allows me to choose between "Upgrades on Us" and "Chinese New Year".

 

I had assumed that's how you picked which promotion you wanted to book on the new US site (rather than entering a promotion code). But here's the rub. Regardless of which promotion I select, it proceeds to show me only the lower fares for the "Chinese New Year" promotion. I see no way of booking that voyage under the terms of the "Upgrades on Us" promotion, even though that's still an active promotion and one of the listed "Multiple offers available".

 

More proof, if any was needed, that the new site is not ready for prime time.

[nancynana9950]

It is as I suspected. I spoke to someone with Cunard. Bookings in the IF (lowest) are not eligible for upgrades with the promo we booked with. I wasn’t aware it was Chinese New Year promotion but no matter we got the $888 rate for eastbound and $1188 for our westbound return on May 24, 2020. I am happy with my booking. But not so thrilled with the online agency giving me incorrect information. Lesson learned. 

 We are planning land tours of England and Ireland and visiting friends in Cheshire while we are there so lots of planning ahead. Thanks to all who posted. 

[Underwatr]

As long as your heart wasn't set on a balcony stateroom, I'm happy, too. Enjoy your English holiday. 🙂

[bluemarble]

For what it's worth, Cunard has now added the "Chinese New Year Sale" to the "Special offers" section of their US website.

To the OP, I'm glad we could help and rest assured your voyage will be much more enjoyable than the bumpy start you ran into concerning the booking terms and conditions for the fare you chose.
 

Edited February 4, 2019 by bluemarble

[Toffeegirl68]

You may well find that you are rarely in your cabin and will therefore not necessarily miss having a balcony anyway 🙂

 

[nancynana9950]

Yes. While we are greatly looking forward to the Cunard experience it is primarily our transport to Ireland and the UK. One of us does not fly🙁. We will be spending  3 weeks over there. We are retired, not wealthy so this trip is a pretty big deal. Any info or advice appreciated.