What is the best upgrade you have ever gotten for FREE?

[edgars]

We were going to the S. Carib on the Dawn Princess (1st cruise with them) and we booked online and as the months went by our rock bottom inside cabin changed once to a better quality inside cabin and then when we showed up at the ship we found out our room number had changed (again) so as we were walking down the hall we had our fingers crossed that it may be an outside cabin and lo and behold it was an outside cabin on a better deck with a nice window. Not too shabby. We are hoping it happens again with our cruise on the Grand Princess in Feb05.

Many are asking how you get these. In our case, it just happened. We did not ask for it.

[juliejulz]

How did you all get these incredible upgrades??

[edgars]

They just happened. We didn't ask for any but I guess sometimes they do this. Although I have only had it happen once and that was on the Princess cruise and we have been on a total of 6 cruises so far. I guess you just need to keep your fingers crossed.
Jerry

[Dreamer58]

We were booked in a Royal Suite and got upgraded to the Penthouse for nothing on the Celebrity Century. But it was right after 9/11 and people had cancelled. But what a treat it was!!!

[CharityGeo]

We're doing our honeymoon on Celebrity Galaxy, does anyone know the best way to get an upgarde???

Thanks
Charity

[hazeleyez3]

I am treating both my parents for their birthdays Mother's Day and Father's Day (they all fall within a month of each other) on the Sea - we sail 5/7/05. I booked a Cat CC Superior Oceanview through a discount online TA. Is there anyway to get a free upgrade that way? I'd love to treat her to an Owner's Suite (2 cat upgrade). Am I reading it correctly that if I mention its for Mother's Day (which we will be on the ship for) it will "help" to get an upgrade? Also, its her 60th birthday, but its about a month before, should I mention that or would you need proof upon embarkation?

We sailed on the Crown in October/November and had booked a suite. Two weeks before we were told that we could upgrade to an Owners Suite, but it would be another $1000.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. She isn't looking forward to this birthday, so I want to give her the best treatment I can.

[Jenni]

Carnival Spirit - March 2003 - honeymoon cruise.

Had paid $967 a person about 9 months out for a balcony - I think it was a 8A? About six weeks before sailing, price for same category had dropped to $580. It was about the second time the price had dropped. I had requested an upgrade or credit before and was denied. The second time I requested, I mentioned it was our honeymoon and the significant price drop. We were upgraded to a Cat 9A, which is a larger balcony room. I only wish I had asked for a SUITE now! The price of the 9A was comparable to what we had paid. We were happy. It was on the rear of the ship, and we were one deck below the Windjammer, which was mostly a good thing.

[lidorose]

We got an upgrade from an outside bottom deck foreward cabin to an outside mid-ship one deck up - from an HH to a D.

[bnairuni]

Great posts, hopefully we will get an upgrade. I sent an e-mail to my travel agent.....

[Wolfman994]

[b]So how do you get the upgrade![/b]

[b]We are going on our first cruise in may and I would like to see if we have this option for free!!!![/b]

[gr81]

When I booked my cruise comming up in April, my TA said that to get the possibility of an upgrade I had to go for a guaranteed room minimum as oposed to getting a room # assigned. She said the pro (as mentioned in an earlier post here) is I would get the best room available based on my # in line of ppl taking the guaranteed room and how full the ship is closer to sailing. Con was location fore/aft is impossible to guess at (which supposedly is only a problem if ya get notice the movement of the ship and dont take that well if you know what I mean). Not a big deal in the scheme of things for my wife and I. Being its only a 3 day tho, we took the assigned room and hope that we can get the upgrade thrown our way on a longer cruise later this year.

[technic]

My wife and i leaving tomorrow feb 5 for a cruise. We were booked on a 11 day cruise to panama and 2 weeks ago my ta phoned and said the cruise company phoned and wanted to know if i would be willing to change my itinery. i was flexible so they gave me a 15 day cruise upgraded me from a cat I gty inside to a cat 8 outside. they also refunded half my cruise cost plus paid for my extra nights accomadation. they would also have paid for any additional airline costs but i did not need it. i should point out that is was due to overbooking and maybe should have been posted under that subject but it was certainly a nice way to start a holiday

[jeanjaye]

Upgraded on Princess twice. Once from the highest inside cabin to an outside cabin and summer 2 years ago from a balcony room to a mini-suite. Am sailing 4/10 on NCL POA. Have an inside and would love an upgrade to an outside cabin.

[Reese1717]

My hubby and I are Air Traffic Controllers so when we fly we book coach but fly first class. (Before you board show them your FAA card and/or CTO and they upgrade you for free if there are seats available). I wonder if captains of ships can do this same thing. :)

[Lenora1426]

Went from an inside cabin on deck 2 to a superior balcony room on deck 7. That was a GREAT surprise. We didn't find out until we were on board and our room key didn't work at the cabin on deck 2. :D

Love AAA Travel!

[stapsaway]

Wow, did we ever score on a free upgrade on our last cruise in summer 2001. Our TA, Ralph Bias, of amazingcruises.com told us when we booked that due to the large volume he does with Celebrity he might be able to get us an upgrade. Boy did he ever! We booked a small suite for 4 of us, and a few weeks before sailing he called with our new cabin assignment, a Royal Suite, over 500 sq.ft., with 130 sq. ft. balcony. It included a private bedroom with king bed, living room, full dining room (where we ate our breakfasts served by our butler!), huge bathroom with both large stall shower and oval tub, a big walk in closet, even an actual entry way! Couch in living room was a full sofa bed and we had plenty of room to bring in extra bed,too. Absolutely incredible, loved to see how the wealthy live! Way to go , Ralph!

[KarateLois]

Sounds like most upgrades are when schools are open! As a public educator I can only cruise Easter, Christmas and summer. (5 years to retire and sail "off school season"). I am on the NCL Dawn 3/27...three weeks. We book the lowest category we can so we can afford to cruise every year, sometimes twice a year but not often. We booked this cruise on guarantee and, whoopee, they upgraded us to the same (inside) room one deck higher (now we are on the second from bottom). This is my 12th cruise, first on NCL. Someday I hope to get ugraded to something special. Any ideas? I assume since we are sailing on Easter we will be packed! Maybe they only or mainly upgrade on ships that are not filled?!

[kimtursiella]

Just got our cabin assignment on Thur. paid for 1A Guarantee got upgraded to Cat 6 Veranda! Yippie:D

[booboo4031]

On RCCL Rhapsody of the Seas a few years ago we had booked a regular oceanview cabin and were upgraded to an owner's suite!

[cruisingfreak]

We were upgraded from a oceanview promenade cabin on the old Pacific Princess, to a huge suite. Unfortunately, none of the cabins on that ship had balconies.


Minette

[Wennfred]

On the Carnival Spirit I went from a 4a to a 12a, Cabin 7301 rocks !!!

Thanks Carnival !!!

[Shorty331]

Last night I booked inside GTY on Adventure of the Seas for Apr 17. I sure would love an upgrade. This is my second cruise. Last cruise on Explorer I did manage a $700.00 refund when there was a price drop. I would have used that for a balcony but they wanted another $500.00 on top of the $700.00 so I said forget it and took my money. Maybe I didn't say the right things. At first my TA wasn't even going to give me the 7 hundred back but I called the cruiseline and they said all TA had to do was call them and they would give it. So I kind of shamed the TA into giving it to me.

This time I decided to deal directly with RCCL. Maybe it will work in my favout this way, but it seems most upgrades were due to a great TA going that extra mile and sometimes I guess it's just luck.

[blackpool belle]

Never had a free upgrade but I must have had the bargain of all time. In January 2003 I booked a junior suite for a Baltic cruise for later on in the year for just a little over a £1000. The same cruise now in this years brochure is about £5,000. It was so cheap at the time because nobody was booking to go anywhere with the uncertainty of the impending Gulf war.

[cruzinrph]

Is Upgrading Pretty Standard With All Cruise Lines??

[surfsup]

Can you get an upgrade when boarding? Or is it always before you get your docs they do this?

Mine is a "different" situation with my TA so unfortunatly I can't go thru her. She's great, just do to some circumstance I don't want to call again.