Upgrades

[PattiKake]

Pat - Congratulations on your upgrade! If the ship is not sold out and a full suite is available when you go to the purser's desk upon boarding, what is "a small amount"? Is it a few hundred dollars instead of thousands?

 

Todd,

 

Thanks for the good wishes. We have paid $200-$350pp for the upgrade. I'm not sure if it's a standard amount or if it's dependent on the cat. you're upgrading from. It's been discussed on these boards and the amount always seems to be minimal.

 

Pat

[carlywilson]

I am #7 on my upgrade list.....been stuck at #7 for weeks...doesn't look very promising..I guess I will be perfectly happy with an inside room, but it would be a whole lot cooler if I got a balcony or at least an oceanview

[AlaskaGolden]

I am #7 on my upgrade list.....been stuck at #7 for weeks...doesn't look very promising..I guess I will be perfectly happy with an inside room, but it would be a whole lot cooler if I got a balcony or at least an oceanview

 

Carly - Are you on a wait list to be upgraded? Are you then paying for the upgrade if you get a higher category cabin? Never heard of an upgrade list.

 

Todd, Thanks for the good wishes. We have paid $200-$350pp for the upgrade. I'm not sure if it's a standard amount or if it's dependent on the cat. you're upgrading from. It's been discussed on these boards and the amount always seems to be minimal.

 

Pat

 

Pat - Thank you for the information. We're in category AA next month on the Golden. This is something to consider if we don't get a free upgrade and there are still full suites available. Now with those high Internet prices and slow response times, a few hundred dollars seems like nothing to get free Internet in the Internet Café using Princess Computers! Plus, the bigger (at least partially) covered balcony and all the other suite amenities!

 

Thank you again,

[spongerob]

Hi Spongerob - as much as I hate to agree with AAAAmerican, Princess has "offered" me an upgrade in exchange for slightly more money per person. Sam

No sweat, and guess what? With Princess, anything within the realm of possibility can happen. I've even heard of people being asked to downgrade in exchange for cash and OBC's. I just hope your experience isn't part of a new trend.

[carlywilson]

Carly - Are you on a wait list to be upgraded? Are you then paying for the upgrade if you get a higher category cabin? Never heard of an upgrade list.

 

 

 

Pat - Thank you for the information. We're in category AA next month on the Golden. This is something to consider if we don't get a free upgrade and there are still full suites available. Now with those high Internet prices and slow response times, a few hundred dollars seems like nothing to get free Internet in the Internet Café using Princess Computers! Plus, the bigger (at least partially) covered balcony and all the other suite amenities!

 

Thank you again,

 

I am on some kind of list, waiting for an upgrade to either oceanview or balcony big enough for 4 peopole. They told me I would have to pay the difference for the upgrade. I am a newbie at this whole experience.

[AlaskaGolden]

I am on some kind of list, waiting for an upgrade to either oceanview or balcony big enough for 4 peopole. They told me I would have to pay the difference for the upgrade. I am a newbie at this whole experience.

 

OK, this makes sense. You are booked in one category and are wait listed for higher category cabins. And, if you get that a higher category cabin, then you just pay the difference.

[Toto2Kansas]

Being on a waitlist for a different cabin would be totally different then Princess giving you an upgrade. The waitlist you are asking for one, the Princess upgrades are given at no charge. So, if you ask for a different category which is now full and are put on a waitlist for it, then of coarse, you would be charged the difference.

[seacuracao]

Hi folks,

I took the guaranty mini suite and got upgraded from whatever to an aa mini on dolphin deck CB for may 13. It is about a $400 difference, but in looking at my assigned cabin, I see it is in the middle of the ship. Being a hotelier(and on my first cruise), I am guessing that the more to the middle of the ship, the higher the category...and that is because??

 

Dolphin deck is covered balcony?

 

I used my TA's site to check on the sold out info...

Just joined the boards and find I am getting much more valuable info than reading the reviews

Thanks!

[Toto2Kansas]

,

Dolphin deck is covered balcony?

 

With the mini suites mid ship, the balcony is uncovered. But, it won't be a problem, at least it never has been for us.

AA's are often given when you book a mini suite guarantee, as they are usually the highest priced minis and they seem to sell last.

Mid-ship cabins tend to be some of the higher priced. Access to a lot on the ship and tend to be more stable then towards the front or the back.

 

Our last AA mini on the Caribbean Princess was D414, totally exposed balcony.

[seacuracao]

Thanks for the info, toto anyone looking down can get a good pic of my bald spot...now all I have to do is squeeze that bottle of Dewar's into my dress socks and I am on my way!

[hotmike98]

Seacuracao: Dolphin deck balconies on your class of ships are uncovered.

Did you know you can preorder scotch (I think its 750 ml) delivered to your cabin for about $19.00? To me the minimal price differential is worth not having a bottle confiscated or break en route.

[Toto2Kansas]

Did you know you can preorder scotch (I think its 750 ml) delivered to your cabin for about $19.00? To me the minimal price differential is worth not having a bottle confiscated or break en route.

 

Rules have changed this past year. Yes, you can still order liquor to be consumed in your cabin, but not by brand name, they only offer certain ones and they also only will sell you 375 ML (pint) bottles with mixers. The list of what they have, and the brands they allow (1 brand for each rum, scotch, etc) is listed on the Princess website gift section.

[Paparam]

This subject always make me mad. .

 

 

Relax...no point in getting a stroke over this one. Demanding, pushy, aggressive, feeling entitled....all these are characteristics that are on the rise here in the USA. When you give people an inch they want a yard. One sees this across the board, not only in the cruising community. The business industry has to understand that the dynamics have changed....it is no longer "the customer is always right" Instead one has to focus on setting boundaries. At our office we have to tell customers not to park on the lawn, not to flush hand towels in the toilet, not to use cellphones in the waitng room, not to dump dirty diapers in the waiting room waste paper baskets and so on. These are educated, working adults we are talking about. The worst thing one can do is not to be consistent with the rules. They have to be applied equally and fairly and in a transparent way (i.e evorybody is informed of the rules) The cruise industry, like many others, is creating a monster by not having strict boundaries. Rules are constantly changing according to the business needs so they should not be shocked that customers feel like they too have to change the rules for a benefit, real or imagined

Peace

Al

[aaerobear]

I would guess the thing that really puts them off are those "first time cruisers" that march up to the check-in desk and say "my TA told me you would give us an upgrade" hmmmmmmmmm, now why or how on earth would they give you an upgrade?? They explain that upgrades are NOT given out just for the fun of it and your TA should know that.

 

Many times they inform people at the pier that they have had a "cabin change" Most of the check-in staff do not know what type of cabin you had or what type you have been given, it is all a number to them.

 

The best chance of "changing" cabins is to do it WAY ahead of time through someone at the head office or wait till you are onboard and then check with the Purser's desk.

[SoFloDeb]

We booked the Sun Princess out of Seattle for Sept 2, 2007. At first we booked a JJ cat cabin, because everything involved with this cruise is expensive - airfare from Florida to Seattle, shore excursions, etc. A little bit later, they lowered prices of some of the oceanview cabins, so paid a little more and upgraded to an oceanview guarantee. Then they lowered the prices on the Cat BF balcony cabins to a price we could afford. So we upgraded (and paid the difference) for the BF. Only problem was that we could only do a guarantee. We figured "so what", any balcony would be better than no balcony. So I've been obsessively checking the cruise personalizer and yesterday, whoppeeee, we got a cabin assignment - BA category, Cabin R325. Very, very happy with the upgrade (within type - balcony to balcony). So I go home, sign into the personalizer to show DH and pooffff! Our cabin number is gone! It still says BA category, but just no cabin number now. We don't usually book guarantees because we try to get an aft cabin but this time it was different due to the much higher cost than the Caribbean. So we did get an upgrade from BF to BA, but no cabin assignment right now. Still a very happy camper, though.

[Admiral Horatio Nelson]

I would guess the thing that really puts them off are those "first time cruisers" that march up to the check-in desk and say "my TA told me you would give us an upgrade" hmmmmmmmmm, now why or how on earth would they give you an upgrade?? They explain that upgrades are NOT given out just for the fun of it and your TA should know that.

 

Many times they inform people at the pier that they have had a "cabin change" Most of the check-in staff do not know what type of cabin you had or what type you have been given, it is all a number to them.

 

The best chance of "changing" cabins is to do it WAY ahead of time through someone at the head office or wait till you are onboard and then check with the Purser's desk.

 

There are many people who try this on when they get onboard, it's a form of intimidation to try and bully the purser into thinking that these people have been told by some third party there are entitled to an upgrade. They don't fall for it of course and when they tell them they are not getting one that's their excuse to start getting loud and calling the company names. I've seen it many, many times before.

 

Obviously not all people do that, but it is increasing, it's like the other poster said, you give them an inch they take a yard. They use the fact that crew have to try and accommodate people's requests and they just try to take it one further.

 

The people at embarkation don't know who has what cabin at all, all they know is which keys to give out. All of the keys are prepared by the Computer officer and assistant and taken out to the embarkation desks in the morning. They have no authority to offer any changes so it's pointless asking.

 

Most upgrades happen because the cruise lines needs to make changes to fill the ship. Very few people get upgraded because they simply ask for it. They have a waiting list merely to accommodate the people asking so they will leave the purser's alone and they will leave feeling they have been somewhat successful. Very, Very rarely will they ever get it.

[AlaskaGolden]

...The people at embarkation don't know who has what cabin at all, all they know is which keys to give out. All of the keys are prepared by the Computer officer and assistant and taken out to the embarkation desks in the morning...

 

If the people at embarkation don't know who has what cabin, then how do they give the correct keys (cruise cards) to the correct passengers?!? :)

 

But seriously, if they don't know what the original cabin was, then how do they know if a passenger's cabin changed for whatever reason? (Like an upgrade at the Pier - which I know is very rare, but does happen on occasion.)

[Admiral Horatio Nelson]

If the people at embarkation don't know who has what cabin, then how do they give the correct keys (cruise cards) to the correct passengers?!? :)

 

But seriously, if they don't know what the original cabin was, then how do they know if a passenger's cabin changed for whatever reason? (Like an upgrade at the Pier - which I know is very rare, but does happen on occasion.)

 

I meant the people don't know if your cabin is a suite or an inside cabin. Any changes are made onboard and then are filtered down to the embarkation team as and when they are made. Changes are being made usually right up until the day before embarkation, we even had changes on the morning of embarkation and had to go into the keys cabinets to change keys around.

[aaerobear]

Those at check-in know there is a change because your docs say one cabin and when they enter it in the system a different cabin comes up, hence the term, "cabin change" is used INSTEAD of upgrade as they don't know what type of cabin either one was.

[AlaskaGolden]

Those at check-in know there is a change because your docs say one cabin and when they enter it in the system a different cabin comes up, hence the term, "cabin change" is used INSTEAD of upgrade as they don't know what type of cabin either one was.

 

Thank you. This makes perfect sense. We'll have to watch for something like that on our upcoming cruise since many of the categories are wait listed, and anything might happen.

[Admiral Horatio Nelson]

Those at check-in know there is a change because your docs say one cabin and when they enter it in the system a different cabin comes up, hence the term, "cabin change" is used INSTEAD of upgrade as they don't know what type of cabin either one was.

 

Of course if a change is made then it reflects on the system when you arrive. However they don't know which type of cabin you are getting, they just know your cabin number has been moved. They only know what they are told by the officers in charge of checkin nothing more.

[aaerobear]

Thats what I said.