Paying for upgrade once onboard

[davemorton]

I dont know if it works differently, but in the UK, if you want to upgrade your cabin, they charge you the price it was when you booked, not the current price.  I want to upgrade my cabin, but wondering, is it possible to do once onboard at all?  Many thanks. 

[wowzz]

13 minutes ago, davemorton said:

I dont know if it works differently, but in the UK, if you want to upgrade your cabin, they charge you the price it was when you booked, not the current price.  I want to upgrade my cabin, but wondering, is it possible to do once onboard at all?  Many thanks. 

In pre-covid days,  it was unusual to find any empty cabins at all, so the chances of paying for an upgrade were small.

Also, obviously the higher grade of cabin you booked,  the less cabins of a higher grade wouid be available.

  

[Lady Arwen]

It really depends on how badly you want that upgraded cabin.  If it’s very important, then you should just go ahead and get it now to avoid disappointment when you board.  If it’s not a big deal, then you can wait.  Keep in mind that your chances of getting an upgrade at a less expensive rate, is slim to none.  Now, with all the Covid restrictions, it may be impossible.  

[Tedferg]

2 hours ago, davemorton said:

I dont know if it works differently, but in the UK, if you want to upgrade your cabin, they charge you the price it was when you booked, not the current price.  

Hate to disagree but I find it hard to believe that they can track cost of cabins against the time when a customer booked. Seems like a lot of needless data. OTH I suppose they could keep a file of fare changes by date - just seems odd that they would keep that info.

[Outerdog]

6 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

Hate to disagree but I find it hard to believe that they can track cost of cabins against the time when a customer booked. Seems like a lot of needless data. OTH I suppose they could keep a file of fare changes by date - just seems odd that they would keep that info.

 

Pricing data is very important.  Storage is cheap.

[Steelers36]

9 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

Hate to disagree but I find it hard to believe that they can track cost of cabins against the time when a customer booked. Seems like a lot of needless data. OTH I suppose they could keep a file of fare changes by date - just seems odd that they would keep that info.

I agree.  I don't see how they (on board Pursers) could know anything other than the last pricing before sales closed.  On these early cruises, there may be empty cabins, but when Princess is fully operating, you would pretty much need a no-show to improve cabin after sailing I am thinking.

Edited July 25, 2021 by Steelers36

[skynight]

Usually all cabins are occupied. Now with covid, maybe there will be some unoccupied cabins. Not saying it never happened, but in all my 40+ Princess cruises I have never heard of anyone that paid for an upgrade once on board. . 

[davemorton]

20 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

I agree.  I don't see how they (on board Pursers) could know anything other than the last pricing before sales closed.  On these early cruises, there may be empty cabins, but when Princess is fully operating, you would pretty much need a no-show to improve cabin after sailing I am thinking.

Sorry if there is miss understanding.  I meant if you call to upgrade before you board you are charged the price it was when you originally booked.  It is the same for P&O and Cunard in the UK.  I agree, onboard, they possibly would not have that data.

[wowzz]

1 minute ago, davemorton said:

Sorry if there is miss understanding.  I meant if you call to upgrade before you board you are charged the price it was when you originally booked.  It is the same for P&O and Cunard in the UK.  I agree, onboard, they possibly would not have that data.

You might want to change the title of the thread in that case, as it is misleading. 

[davemorton]

3 minutes ago, wowzz said:

You might want to change the title of the thread in that case, as it is misleading. 

Cant edit it.   So just to clarify.  If you upgrade shore-side, they charge you the rate it was when you originally booked.  I was hoping it would be possible to upgrade once on board at a cheaper rate. (Which is what the original question was/still is)

Edited July 25, 2021 by davemorton

[chrysalis]

23 minutes ago, skynight said:

Usually all cabins are occupied. Now with covid, maybe there will be some unoccupied cabins. Not saying it never happened, but in all my 40+ Princess cruises I have never heard of anyone that paid for an upgrade once on board. . 

We did, on the Crown...last year....asked if we could move to a balcony on the same deck for the next 10 day sailing. Charged us $500 total

 

[Tedferg]

3 minutes ago, wowzz said:

You might want to change the title of the thread in that case, as it is misleading. 

Can you do that ? The thread about Medallion App Updated and now working could do with a change 🙂

2 minutes ago, chrysalis said:

We did, on the Crown...last year....asked if we could move to a balcony on the same deck for the next 10 day sailing. Charged us $500 total

 

But do you know if that was the price difference when you booked or just an upcharge at that time. We were going to change cabin location and move from a BB to a BD $200 less - the cabins are so close, A628 versus A625 that there would be no difference to us. Our TA said it would be a re fare at a higher price and we would lose substantial OBC.

[chrysalis]

1 minute ago, Tedferg said:

Can you do that ? The thread about Medallion App Updated and now working could do with a change 🙂

But do you know if that was the price difference when you booked or just an upcharge at that time. We were going to change cabin location and move from a BB to a BD $200 less - the cabins are so close, A628 versus A625 that there would be no difference to us. Our TA said it would be a re fare at a higher price and we would lose substantial OBC.

that would be the upcharge at the time...no way, at the time we booked, would a 10 day balcony be only $500 (250pp) total price difference from an inside cabin. This was all done by visiting the Future Cruise Consultant on board.

[wowzz]

26 minutes ago, davemorton said:

Cant edit it.   So just to clarify.  If you upgrade shore-side, they charge you the rate it was when you originally booked.  I was hoping it would be possible to upgrade once on board at a cheaper rate. (Which is what the original question was/still is)

OK - I see what you are getting at.

I think that any answer you get will be hypothetical anyway, given the lack (normally) of empty cabins. 

[Steelers36]

57 minutes ago, chrysalis said:

We did, on the Crown...last year....asked if we could move to a balcony on the same deck for the next 10 day sailing. Charged us $500 total

 

 

42 minutes ago, chrysalis said:

that would be the upcharge at the time...no way, at the time we booked, would a 10 day balcony be only $500 (250pp) total price difference from an inside cabin. This was all done by visiting the Future Cruise Consultant on board.

 

$25/pp/day is indeed a very good upgrade price to pay (from an Inside I presume).

 

[Roberto256]

1 hour ago, Tedferg said:

Can you do that ? The thread about Medallion App Updated and now working could do with a change

 

Sooner, or later (hopefully) it will be true.

[tuckerintexas]

I don't think I've been on a cruise yet (50 plus) that I haven't seen a sign on the front desk saying it is a full sailing and no upgrades available (lol).  

[Hlitner]

A majority of our cruises (and we have been on far more then 100) have had that sign "no cabin changes or upgrades" or something similar.  That being said we really love our embarkation day and start our cruise the moment we are aboard.  We have seen long lines at Guest Relations where folks wait for long periods of time (on embarkation day) just to get to the counter to deal with their issues, upgrades, etc.  It is not the way we want to start our cruise.   While some are waiting (impatiently) at Guest Relations we will often be enjoying a long lunch at Alfredo's.  

 

If that upgrade is important just spend the money and deal with it prior to your cruise.  If you are OK with your cabin then live with it!

 

Hank

[caribill]

14 hours ago, chrysalis said:

We did, on the Crown...last year....asked if we could move to a balcony on the same deck for the next 10 day sailing. Charged us $500 total

 

But that was for the next cruise, not an upgrade for the cruise you just started.

 

 

4 hours ago, tuckerintexas said:

I don't think I've been on a cruise yet (50 plus) that I haven't seen a sign on the front desk saying it is a full sailing and no upgrades available (lol).  

 

100% my experience also.

[asgoodnow]

They have been without ongoing revenue for more than a year so surmise that they will not be offering any deals on upgrades.  Regarding the data, I would be surprised if they don't track everything from date booked, prices on date booked, any price changes etc.  They rely on guests spending money on spa, excursions, casino, drinks (who are not on the package), extra charges for specialty dining to help make extra revenue.  

 

Below is an interesting article:

https://thehustle.co/the-economics-of-cruise-ships/

[caribill]

15 hours ago, asgoodnow said:

They rely on guests spending money on spa, excursions, casino, drinks (who are not on the package), extra charges for specialty dining to help make extra revenue.  

 

Below is an interesting article:

https://thehustle.co/the-economics-of-cruise-ships/

 

Royal Caribbean yester had a stock analysts presentation. 

 

They said that onboard spending since cruises have resumed is much higher than expected on everything from shore excursions to spas to Internet to bars. 

 

They said that the passengers are so glad to be experiencing cruising again they are willing to open up their wallets to have a good experience.

[geoherb]

I just received an upsell offer from Princess through my TA. I'm going to pass. It was to move from an inside cabin to a balcony in two weeks on the Majestic for $398. I'm sailing solo, so it was double for me what it would be for people sailing double ($199 per person). It's still a great deal compared to the $1,000 more the balcony cost when I booked this cruise. 

 

I've also seen the signs about no cabins being available. 

[memoak]

Most if not all upsells take place prior to cruise date

[DougH]

1 hour ago, geoherb said:

I just received an upsell offer from Princess through my TA. I'm going to pass. It was to move from an inside cabin to a balcony in two weeks on the Majestic for $398. I'm sailing solo, so it was double for me what it would be for people sailing double ($199 per person). It's still a great deal compared to the $1,000 more the balcony cost when I booked this cruise. 

 

I've also seen the signs about no cabins being available. 

I got the same offer but passed because I'm also sailing single and $400 is more than I want to spend. I even asked about an upgrade offer to an obstructed balcony but they said no offers on those

[geoherb]

1 hour ago, DougH said:

I got the same offer but passed because I'm also sailing single and $400 is more than I want to spend. I even asked about an upgrade offer to an obstructed balcony but they said no offers on those

 

Are you on the August 22 as well? I am waiting for a cabin assignment. I booked an inside guarantee. I'm hoping they assign my cabin soon. It will be interesting to see how the new Covid rules and subsequent cancellations by some people will affect this cruise.