Upgrade fairy 🧚‍♂️

[Noesja]

This is my first cruise with MSC. I know some people get complimentary upgrades when booking a guarantee. Could this happen when you can't book a guarantee and are given a cabin# by reservation? Or will the upgrade fairy 🧚‍♀️ only visit guests who have booked a guarantee? 

[CruisingFox27]

2 hours ago, Noesja said:

This is my first cruise with MSC. I know some people get complimentary upgrades when booking a guarantee. Could this happen when you can't book a guarantee and are given a cabin# by reservation? Or will the upgrade fairy 🧚‍♀️ only visit guests who have booked a guarantee? 

Historically the upgrade fairy visited anyone, regardless of cabin or experience booked. Since MSC introduced the upgrade bid programme the fairy is far less common. 

[lisiamc]

I’m travelling with a group of friends next week. We booked four junior ocean view cabins with the same travel agent - three guarantees and one chosen by cabin number. The non-guarantee cabin stayed the same. My friend who organised this and did all the hard work liaising with the travel agent, was upgraded to a junior balcony. Our other friends, (who are first time cruisers) and DH and I were upgraded to Aurea suites. We’re thrilled for the first-timers, but feel mildly guilty about our own good luck. This is the first time, in more than 60 cruises with several different lines, that we’ve had a free upgrade. The upgrade fairy was very good to us! 🤣

[joe/jack]

2 hours ago, lisiamc said:

I’m travelling with a group of friends next week. We booked four junior ocean view cabins with the same travel agent - three guarantees and one chosen by cabin number. The non-guarantee cabin stayed the same. My friend who organised this and did all the hard work liaising with the travel agent, was upgraded to a junior balcony. Our other friends, (who are first time cruisers) and DH and I were upgraded to Aurea suites. We’re thrilled for the first-timers, but feel mildly guilty about our own good luck. This is the first time, in more than 60 cruises with several different lines, that we’ve had a free upgrade. The upgrade fairy was very good to us! 🤣

We have experienced the same

we booked an inside guarantee 

and was awarded a balcony 

Does anyone know if the ships are

sailing at 100% capacity? We are

sailing in 2 weeks on Seaside and

 would love to know this answer.

TY 

[Até]

What I see is MSC is more likely to give complimentary upgrades to those that book (Bella) guarantee.  While it does happen to those who picked their specific cabin there are too often complaints when those are moved.  So MSC tends not to do that if alternatives, meaning guarantee bookings, exist.

[tiercel]

I really can't answer this question, but the upgrade fairy visited me twice on a recent cruise on the MSC Seaside.  I was so impressed with the upgrade suite (aft wraparound balcony on deck 9) that I tried to book the suite on a future cruise on the Seascape, but to no avail.  Those suites were already book.

 

Regardless, it was a very pleasant surprise and experience.   I owe thanks to MSC for this one.

 

[Bethwte]

Does anyone know if once MSC has assigned you a cabin number, if they will change it or upgrade after that? I booked Bella inside guarantee and received an inside stateroom assignment within a few days that I'm actually really happy with location wise, but just curious if I should plan on keeping that room or if it might be changed/upgraded? My sailing date is about 2 months out. 

[StarLi]

I booked a cabin inside and had a cabin number so it was not a guaranteed cabin. MSC gave me a fantastica balcony about a month before the cruise, but I did bid for yacht club upgrade and they gave it to me. If I didn't get the yacht club balcony, I would've received a regular balcony at no extra charge. Loving this about MSC. 

[dustenm]

12 hours ago, joe/jack said:

We have experienced the same

we booked an inside guarantee 

and was awarded a balcony 

Does anyone know if the ships are

sailing at 100% capacity? We are

sailing in 2 weeks on Seaside and

 would love to know this answer.

TY 

 

Was this for the Oct 29th Seaside cruise?  Also did you have a cabin assignment and then they changed it later or was the balcony your first assignment?

[joe/jack]

9 hours ago, dustenm said:

 

Was this for the Oct 29th Seaside cruise?  Also did you have a cabin assignment and then they changed it later or was the balcony your first assignment?

Greetings

26th 3 night and no cabin assignment until about  about 3 weeks after booking 

My thought is this ship does not sail full so they give the unsold balcony’s to new

MSC 1st timers as for a opportunity for

repeat business. (I may be wrong) 

 

[Warm-Water Diver]

1st time MSC cruiser here as well. Booked inside guarantee and received inside on deck 14. Is there a way to ask for a complimentary upgrade to balcony prior to cruise?

[dustenm]

7 hours ago, joe/jack said:

Greetings

26th 3 night and no cabin assignment until about  about 3 weeks after booking 

My thought is this ship does not sail full so they give the unsold balcony’s to new

MSC 1st timers as for a opportunity for

repeat business. (I may be wrong) 

 

 

Yes, that might be the case.  I am diamond and sailed many times with MSC so no luck for me.

 

 

2 minutes ago, Warm-Water Diver said:

1st time MSC cruiser here as well. Booked inside guarantee and received inside on deck 14. Is there a way to ask for a complimentary upgrade to balcony prior to cruise?

 

Usually the only way is to do the upgrade bid if they send you an email.

[Saab4444]

7 minutes ago, Warm-Water Diver said:

1st time MSC cruiser here as well. Booked inside guarantee and received inside on deck 14. Is there a way to ask for a complimentary upgrade to balcony prior to cruise?

Why should they give this to you? Others pay for it.

[Tagsalong]

why ask why???  We booked inside guarantees for Seaside Oct 26 and Oct 29.  They assigned us a Bella experience balcony for each cruise.  We are at Diamond level with over 20 cruises on MSC so it's not just 1st time cruisers.  We then bid for the Inside Yacht Club and got a Yacht Club balcony for the 7 night Oct 29 cruise, 

 

There are certain web sites which show all available cabins which cannot be mentioned on Cruise Critic.  These two dates still have many unsold cabins in all categories.

[dustenm]

1 hour ago, Tagsalong said:

why ask why???  We booked inside guarantees for Seaside Oct 26 and Oct 29.  They assigned us a Bella experience balcony for each cruise.  We are at Diamond level with over 20 cruises on MSC so it's not just 1st time cruisers.  We then bid for the Inside Yacht Club and got a Yacht Club balcony for the 7 night Oct 29 cruise, 

 

There are certain web sites which show all available cabins which cannot be mentioned on Cruise Critic.  These two dates still have many unsold cabins in all categories.

 

could you message me that site.  I tried to do a Google search but cannot find it.

[Essiesmom]

23 minutes ago, dustenm said:

 

could you message me that site.  I tried to do a Google search but cannot find it.

There is no messaging function on CC, with the exception of Mods who can message you and each other.

I booked Fantastica inside gty for two short cruises solo and was assigned Fantastica balconies for both (but not the same cabin).  I then won bids for Aurea balconies for both…again, not the same cabin.  I am currently booked in a fantastica OV for a 10 day cruise.  I doubt I will be upgraded because it is also sold as a 3 and 7 so cabins for 10 days might not be available for upgrades.  For the same reason I doubt I will get an invitation to bid for an upgrade.  
Prior to the upgraded cruise I was Diamond with four MSC cruises.  EM

[MPH711]

3 hours ago, Tagsalong said:

 We then bid for the Inside Yacht Club and got a Yacht Club balcony for the 7 night Oct 29 cruise, 

Congrats! I also bid on an Inside Yacht Club for October 29…still waiting. When did they notify you that you won your bid?

[Tagsalong]

13 hours ago, MPH711 said:

Congrats! I also bid on an Inside Yacht Club for October 29…still waiting. When did they notify you that you won your bid?

For the Oct 29, they did a counter offer that we accepted.  The counter was for a YC balcony came two days after our bid (minimum)  for the YC Inside, which we immediately accepted and it was confirmed within 24 hours.  YC Balconies 18015 & 18025 are still available, so you may get one.

 

We also put a bid in for a YC inside on the Oct 26 cruise one week ago but have not received a counter offer as of today.  Still hopeful since there are 11 YC Balconies available and all insides are booked,

 

 

[MPH711]

30 minutes ago, Tagsalong said:

For the Oct 29, they did a counter offer that we accepted.  The counter was for a YC balcony came two days after our bid (minimum)  for the YC Inside, which we immediately accepted and it was confirmed within 24 hours.  YC Balconies 18015 & 18025 are still available, so you may get one.

Thanks for the info. Just over a week ago we bid (the maximum - $980 total) for YC inside. I saw those two YC balconies are still available so fingers crossed.