Did I Just Get a "Bad" Upgrade??

[StknCPA]

About two weeks ago or so, I was able to transfer our CC reservation for our cruise at the end of this month to one of the aft cabins that came open--but it was a handicap access cabin.

 

TA just called and said Celebrity received a call from a handicapped person wanting the room, would I accept an upgrade to a Sky Suite?

 

I was really torn given all the great things I have heard about those aft cabins, but I also could not see not giving up the handicapped access cabin for someone that needs it... Plus, a Sky Suite can't be a bad thing...

 

I guess I will just remember that the Sky Suite is definitely better than the original room we had.

 

Should I be happy or sad about this??? (Do I lose the canapes that everyone just raves about:rolleyes: ?)

[excitedofharpenden]

If a handicapped person needs the cabin, then that 's the deal. Those aft cabins are great and the additional space inside the Sky Suite wouldn't comfort me too much. To be honest, for two people the ordinary aft CC cabins have a great balcony and quite enough space.

 

You'll now have to tip the butler as well. OK, you'll still get the canapes:rolleyes:, but you'll have afternoon tea served too;)

 

Bottom line, if it were me I would be disappointed in the circumstances you find yourselves in, noting also that I would be glad that X were accommodating someone in the handicapped cabin that truly needs it.

 

Phil

[serene56]

Im glad that celebrity will give a HC cabin to a personwho shows need.

(Im impressed)

 

Be glad they offered you an upgrade.

 

We needed a HC cabin on carnival..and the person was booked in a 6B on the empress level was moved to a 6B on the Main level-- no ugrade at all.

 

Did your agent not tell you that the cruiseline could move you?

[nu2sea]

Since you only just moved from a standard CC to an aft HC CC, consider the move as an upgrade from a standard CC to a Sky Suite. That might make it a little more palatable.

 

And a Sky Suite is definitely an upgrade from a standard CC cabin.

 

Enjoy your cruise,

Susan

[Squirrel's Mom]

IMHO, it's a great upgrade. Bigger cabin, canapes plus tea, and complimentary espresso, shoe shines and the satisfaction of knowing that a person who really needs the accessible cabin will have it. (Plus you won't have water running all over the bathroom floor from the accessible shower.)

[StknCPA]

Im glad that celebrity will give a HC cabin to a personwho shows need.

(Im impressed)

 

Be glad they offered you an upgrade.

 

We needed a HC cabin on carnival..and the person was booked in a 6B on the empress level was moved to a 6B on the Main level-- no ugrade at all.

 

Did your agent not tell you that the cruiseline could move you?

 

I was definitely aware that we could be moved.

 

Interestingly, according to the TA, we were ASKED IF we would move, not being told that we have to move (although she did also mention that they have the ability to move us regardless, if they choose).

 

I am also impressed that Celebrity would make the effort to help the handicapped passenger--and that they would upgrade us for the move. I am thankful that they did that.

 

I think Celebrity shines in how they are treating both us and the other passenger--not complaining about that.

 

Just sniffling a little since we are going to miss that aft cabin I have heard so much about.:( Still very excited about the cruise--and experiencing a Sky Suite:D !

[chessbriar]

This exact scenario is one thig that concerns me about my cabin on the Connie next year. We wait listed for an FV cabin and they gave it to us already. I worry about a family needing the cabin and them bumping us. We have added our daughter and have another cabin close by booked. I worry about a family of 5 coming in and needing the cabin. I know they'll look to bump us as there's only 3 in the cabin. I guess I'll wait and see what they want to offer. They'll have to make sure they move the other cabin with us as well.

[6502programmer]

I would probably be disappointed, but I would do it nonetheless. This isn't a "little white lie" of making 5x deposits for FV when you know you're only going to pay 2x passenger fares come final payment. This is someone who wants to go on vacation and needs special accommodations to do so. To you, this is just a nicer room. To them, it's the room that they need.

 

I would say yes to the upgrade to SS, after asking if anyone else who doesn't need the HC aft but is there anyway was offered the same deal. There are only three of them, one of which is yours, so it wouldn't hurt to ask. Echoing what was said before, you should be happy they're willing to offer a category, if not view/balcony, upgrade.

[jerseygirl3]

I would gladly take the upgrade to the Sky Suite and give the handicapped cabin to the person who needs it. Actually, that's great that Celebrity is giving you an upgrade. I read elsewhere on this board that someone booked with NCL and they were put (didn't ask) in a handicapped cabin. There are no other cabins available for their sailing within that particular category and NCL told them that if someone needs the handicapped cabin, they will be bumped to another cabin and if there's nothing available within their booked category (which, as of right now, there isn't), they will have to pay the add'l $$$ for a higher category. And also they will have to pray that there will be a quad cabin available. So I think Celebrity is being very generous.

 

I do think, though, that the cruiselines should not offer those handicapped cabins until after final payment. At that time, if no one needs it, then I believe it should be up for grabs. If someone then needs a handicapped cabin after that, they would have to be told it's unavailable. I don't think it's really fair to bump someone out of there and possibly have them not to be able to take the cruise at all because a handicapped person books after final payment. And if that's not politically correct, then the cruiselines should just not offer it...period...and if it goes unclaimed at the time of sailing, so be it. The cruiseline can then either give someone a complimentary upgrade or let it go unoccupied.

[serene56]

Just sniffling a little since we are going to miss that aft cabin I have heard so much about.:( Still very excited about the cruise--and experiencing a Sky Suite:D !

 

 

isnt it just funny though that hc cabins are always the furthest away from stairs and elevators--located more forward and more aft then really should be necessary for a wheelchair.

 

I love the afts-- have tried a side balcony once.. and came back to the afts always

[Bruin Steve]

Maybe I'm crazy...

But I, for one, PREFER the Sky Suite to the aft CC...

I'd much rather have the bigger cabin and better amenities than the bigger balcony (and remember the sky suite balcony is, by nature, one and one-half time the size of the "typical" balcony...

 

And I certainly don't mind paying the measley little extra tip to the butler either...Even though the Butler service is a bit of overkill in my book, we certainly enjoy the extra attention...

 

We booked two sky suites to Alaska a couple of years back and really enjoyed it...we don't do it often, largely due to the cost...but, if they would give me the Sky Suite at CC price, I'd do it any time...even over an "aft" CC...

 

And knowing a handicapped person could actually use that handicapped cabin would just be icing on the cake...

 

Personally, I would NEVER even book a "handicapped" cabin...I really feel strongly that those should be set aside for people who really need it...

[DC2OC]

Some ships like the Mercury have some huge ss balcony's.I would love the upgrade...............Frank:)

[StknCPA]

Maybe I'm crazy...

But I, for one, PREFER the Sky Suite to the aft CC... <snip>

 

And I certainly don't mind paying the measley little extra tip to the butler either... <snip>

 

.. if they would give me the Sky Suite at CC price, I'd do it any time...even over an "aft" CC...

 

And knowing a handicapped person could actually use that handicapped cabin would just be icing on the cake...

 

Personally, I would NEVER even book a "handicapped" cabin...I really feel strongly that those should be set aside for people who really need it...

 

Thank you for helping me feel good about this change!

 

Do want to let you know that we did not book this cabin until in became available at/after the final payment date. (We transferred into it just a few weeks ago.) I originally thought I just got lucky with a last minute cancellation when I transfered. Later, I found out it was an accessible room. When I first found out it was a handicap accessible room, I felt bad, briefly, but I then figured that it became available at that late date as it was a cancellation and/or as Celebrity had decided it would not sell/was not needed.

 

Perhaps the fact that we had just recently transfered into the room and it is now after the final payment date contributed to Celebrity's decision to provide an upgrade to us. Also, according to Celebrity's website, the CC category has been sold out for several days now (I *think* this is true.) This also makes this situation interesting. Celebrity could have just indicated to the new passenger that the category is full.

 

My take on my situation and also from what others have posted in other threads is that Celebrity seems to be very fair with upgrades and compensation. I like the way Celebrity handled this. They get on the ship, I get an improved room, Celebrity gets more fare revenue. Triple win.:D :D :D

 

Not to say that I won't wonder what that balconey would have been like--especially if we end up with some warmish weather.

 

BTW, I had not thought about the extra tip I am now in for until it was mentioned a couple of times in this thread. One other tip drops a little bit, so the overall increase in suggested tip is $42. Even though I have no idea what a butler does, I think I can handle that.:)

[Lsimon]

... Also, according to Celebrity's website, the CC category has been sold out for several days now (I *think* this is true.) This also makes this situation interesting. Celebrity could have just indicated to the new passenger that the category is full.

 

Maybe that is why they asked instead of just telling you to begin with. I agree that if the accessible cabin is all there that's left it should be first come first served. But if cabins of the same class are available, then it seems reasonable for them to bump you. I also think it was nice that they upgraded you.

 

BTW - we did have an aft accessible CC cabin once, we asked our TA for an aft cabin, and got assigned the accessible one around 2 weeks before the cruise. I do know what you mean about feeling a little odd taking the accessible cabin, but apparently there was no wait list for accessible cabins or we would not have gotten it.

[Cruise Arizona]

One of the perks I like in the aft cabins is that as the ship is docking and they fire the aft thrusters, you get this wonderfull loud noise and the whole room vibrates.... and there you have it..... a free massage at 5:00 on port days. :)

 

 

Ok, I know that not every body appreciates my sense of humor... but we are a family of 4 that prefers to share a room, and the Family Cabins on the back are a pretty good value for the money. (Price has gone up on the Merc now that they added the balconies.)

 

What was I saying.... oh yes... the aft cabins do tend to feel the positioning thrusters a bit more than mid ship... so if you are a light sleeper like me, and they moved you more center ship, then you may just be rewarded with a better nights sleep, or morning sleep-in.

 

Sky Suites are a nice size and I think that there are so many other factors that go into a crusie other than your cabin, that this shouldn't effect your cruise enjoyment.

[StknCPA]

One of the perks I like in the aft cabins is that as the ship is docking and they fire the aft thrusters, you get this wonderfull loud noise and the whole room vibrates.... and there you have it..... a free massage at 5:00 on port days. :)

 

 

Ok, I know that not every body appreciates my sense of humor... but we are a family of 4 that prefers to share a room, and the Family Cabins on the back are a pretty good value for the money. (Price has gone up on the Merc now that they added the balconies.)

 

What was I saying.... oh yes... the aft cabins do tend to feel the positioning thrusters a bit more than mid ship... so if you are a light sleeper like me, and they moved you more center ship, then you may just be rewarded with a better nights sleep, or morning sleep-in.

 

Sky Suites are a nice size and I think that there are so many other factors that go into a crusie other than your cabin, that this shouldn't effect your cruise enjoyment.

 

Free massages sounded great, but not at 5:00 am!

[bububr]

look at it this way..

 

NOW you have an excuse to book another cruise so you can try out the aft cabins:D .

 

Besides while the afts are nice, I personally would take the sky suite, Especially on the sky deck. Less traffic in the halls and quieter.

 

Dave:eek:

[Bruin Steve]

...Even though I have no idea what a butler does, I think I can handle that.:)

 

Well, we had that Sky Suite with Butler on the Summit...and we're still not sure of all of what the butler does...but it was nice...

 

There may be a whole lot he does that we never really took advantage of (we're simple folks with simple needs)...BUT, for one, we just got a lot more attention and a lot more service than normal...

 

We had one Sky Suite and we had our then 18 and 20 year-old daughters (lucky girls) in their own Sky Suite next door...We always seemed to have three crew members hovering around right outside our doors (a butler, a cabin steward and an assistant cabin steward)...We rarely had to even open our own cabin doors...Whatever we wanted or needed, we got virtually instantly...Our daughters liked to eat breakfast in the room (or on their balcony) and the Butler would not only deliver the food to them but also set up the meal and took everything away when they were done...

 

There were DVD players in the cabins and the girls kept requesting DVDs and the Butler brought those for them...

 

Pretty much he acts as your "personal assistant", dealing with any requests you have...

 

To some folks, the attention given by your cabin steward is enough--far more than we're accustomed to at home...but the Butler takes it to another level...

 

Another thing we appreciated about the Sky Suite was the more reasonably-sized bathroom...far nicer than the typical phone booth-sized ones in the standard cabins...

 

Enjoy...

[FinelyCruising]

Yes...next cruise you can take a 'downgraded' cabin....but, what happens if after this your really like the Sky Suites....:eek: :D

[StknCPA]

Yes...next cruise you can take a 'downgraded' cabin....but, what happens if after this your really like the Sky Suites....:eek: :D

 

That really could be a problem!

 

We better just really enjoy the Suite. CC was already a stretch for us--went for it because it 1) is for our 20th anniversary and 2) I wanted to be able to watch the Alaska scenery with my DW from the room.

 

The Suite is gravy; we will enjoy it. We'll see if it is addictive!:)

[shipshape sam]

There are only 3 HC 'CC' category cabin to my understanding and all 3 are aft.

 

I personally think it is GREAT that X is making an effort to work with a handicapped passenger AND offering OP an upgrade to a suite. X could have just kept the HC cabins in inventory till time to sail then released them.

 

We had a situation in 2006 whereby X's computer showed cabins next to each other in their computers and in reality they were 3 cabins apart. They worked with me and offered a passenger an OBC to basically 'flip' to the other side of the ship and allow us to have contigious rooms with our traveling friends.

 

IMHO, I think it is GREAT that you, maybe, have taken a lesser cabin to HELP someone! I always applaud that! :) :) I have seen the suites and they are very nice. We had cocktails twice with some 'new' friends we met on Infinity in their suite. The butler was very nice addition. I would look at this as a GREAT opportunity to enjoy/experience a suite with a butler!

 

Have a GREAT cruise. Also, go meet the people in the HC cabin, introduce yourself and tell them the story. I did to the person that helped us and we had her over to our balcony for drinks. She related the 'story' she was told by her TA.

[StknCPA]

Have a GREAT cruise. Also, go meet the people in the HC cabin, introduce yourself and tell them the story. I did to the person that helped us and we had her over to our balcony for drinks. She related the 'story' she was told by her TA.

 

Thanks for all of your GREAT thoughts!:)

 

I was considering visiting the CC cabin--just to see what it looked like. But then two things came to mind:

 

1. If it is fantastic, I don't want to get into a mindset where I am thinking about THAT room instead of enjoying MY room. (Yes, I agree that would be petty. Unfortunately, I might be susceptible to such a thought.)

 

2. I am not sure how my visit might be perceived by the occupant of the CC stateroom. They might see it as obnoxious--"Hey, I'm the guy that gave up this room for you." Also, would not want to make them feel bad about the situation.

 

I guess I could stop by and be sure that my attittude of "I'd like to thank you for the room upgrade!" showed, couldn't I?

 

I don't know; I'll ponder this a bit.

[Blazerboy]

Mike, I'm NOT a fan of the aft cabins, but some of my best friends are!;) (Sounds like I'm trying to prove a lack of prejudice against the "aft dwellers!")

 

Here are some things I think you'll like about the Sky Suite:

 

1. More closet space than normal. Ours was actually deep enough to store our luggage in there.

 

2. Nicer bathroom, bigger, with both tub and shower (only down side is if you're over 6'2"- then you have to duck a bit.) The shower/tub also has a window from it into the bedroom...odd, but interesting.:D

 

3. The foot of the bed faces the sliding door, so both of you can wake up and look out to sea....ahhh.

 

4. There really is enough room to have a few people in comfortably for a drink in the cabin...we did it several times. In aft cc's, it felt a little cramped, but of course, they have the bigger verandah.

 

5. You get a cool different colored room key/sea pass card, identifying you as a suite resident, and you get to pretend you get better service when you flash it...:p

 

(Just kidding on that last one.)

 

We usually book a CC cabin- we have our favorites, but the time spent in the SS was wonderful....

 

I'd always take the upgrade for free....we just think that the cc is a better value. Our favorites are the ones among the suites, because it really is so quiet on deck 6...and so close to the martini bar!;)

 

Enjoy,

 

Andrew

[brigittetom]

[quote name=Bruin Steve;10381829

 

We had one Sky Suite and we had our then 18 and 20 year-old daughters (lucky girls) in their own Sky Suite next door...We always seemed to have three crew members hovering around right outside our doors (a butler' date=' a cabin steward and an assistant cabin steward)

 

Enjoy...[/quote]

 

Do you think that possibly this wasn't about the Suite as much as two very attractive young ladies. :D

[FinelyCruising]

Hi B...I am guessing it was the girls.;)

 

OP....you will really enjoy the SS. I have been in an aft and there is a nice amount of balcony room, but I think I would enjoy the SS just as much possibly even more. The more square box configuation gives you a really nice layout. Perfect for an Anniversary, you'll be very happy.