Upgrade Fairy Questions?????

[sherin65]

DH and I have decided on a long term savings plan(3 yrs) to take a Mediterranean cruise for our 25th anniversary.

 

If we book a balcony room, is there a chance of getting upgraded to a jr.suite? How do upgrades usually work?

 

If I comment during booking that it's a trip for our anniv, does that make us more likely to get an upgrade?

 

How many levels can you get upgraded? Could we still get a nice upgrade if we had an inside room?

 

Has anyone been upgraded enough to see a pattern of how it works?

 

Are upgrades even given on the European cruises?

 

Sher

[kazzercruise]

Hi Sher,

We're setting sail on 2nd May in IOTS and we booked a Promenade cabin. We've now been upgraded to a D2 Balcony Cabin, so we are so thrilled!! :D I think that's the best upgrade we've ever had in years of cruising!!

 

! We booked a Balcony cabin when we were married onboard, and we did get an upgrade to a Junior Suite, so you might be lukcy as it's your anniversary!

 

We always put on our booking form that we're happy to accept and upgrade, though of course you have no say whereabouts in the ship that upgrade is.

 

There's no harm in asking and the worst they can do is say no! ;)

 

Good luck and enjoy whichever cruise you get booked on!

Kind regards

Karen

[wrp96]

Book the cabin you want. Do NOT book expecting an upgrade. Upgrades are NOT common on RCCL and I say this as someone who has been visited by the upgrade fairy.

 

Even when the upgrade fairy does visit it is usually within the same category (i.e. inside to higher inside, oceanview to higher oceanview, etc).

[petel]

Book the cabin you want. Do NOT book expecting an upgrade. Upgrades are NOT common on RCCL and I say this as someone who has been visited by the upgrade fairy.

 

Even when the upgrade fairy does visit it is usually within the same category (i.e. inside to higher inside, oceanview to higher oceanview, etc).

 

I agree with Wrona about booking the cabin you want. Upgrade is a marketing tool used by CCL but not RCI. Usually any upgrades on RCI cruises go to the highest diamond plus member or someone with special needs. The last Grand Suite or higher will be given away in a specail bingo game. Sometimes near a cruise date you can get a balcony guareentee for the price of a D2 and end up in a junior suite but that isn't really an upgrade as much as it is you get what ever isn't sold. Most of the junior suites are sold out first. Anything with a balconey in Europe is likely to be reserved a long time before the cruise date.

 

All this to say, "Book the cabin you want as soon as you can." Enjoy :)

[cb at sea]

There will be a TON of others with anniversarys and birthdays and honeymoons.....you get the picture--so don't plan on an upgrade because of that!

Go ahead--book a JS right off the bat--it's really, really comfortable and roomy. It's a great way to celebrate!

[lady cruise alot]

Out of 17 cruises, we have never gotten an upgrade. Diamond plus members and still no upgrades.... So like mentioned before, book the cabin you want, as an upgrade may not happen.

[madforcruising]

DH and I have decided on a long term savings plan(3 yrs) to take a Mediterranean cruise for our 25th anniversary.

 

If we book a balcony room, is there a chance of getting upgraded to a jr.suite? How do upgrades usually work?

 

If I comment during booking that it's a trip for our anniv, does that make us more likely to get an upgrade?

 

How many levels can you get upgraded? Could we still get a nice upgrade if we had an inside room?

 

Has anyone been upgraded enough to see a pattern of how it works?

 

Are upgrades even given on the European cruises?

 

Sher

 

 

Yes I´ve been upgraded once but I don´t think there´s a pattern. I think it´s totally random and as been said before with ships sailing near full or at full capacity there´s not much room for upgrades anyway and those being D+ will be upgraded first, though it seems to be rarely even for them.

 

I don´t think your anniversary actually means anything. There´s so many anniversarys, birthdays, honeymoons and whatever people celebrate on cruise ships that the ships would need suites only to upgrade all of them.

 

Of course tell them about your anniversary and you might get an invitation to a get together of anniversary couples but an upgrade, I don´t think so.

 

Sorry to burst your bubble, but book what you are happy with.

[madforcruising]

I forgot, one thing and that´s the only one that might get you a little upgrade would be to book a guarantee. You have to be ready with this to get the least desirable cabin in the category you booked, but you might end up in a higher category as well, though it´s not likely to be a huge one. Mostly it´s within the same range like lowest inside to a higher inside, or lowest oustide to a higher outside.

[csk]

we have been on 33 Royal Caribbean cruises, and only one upgrade, the revenue dept called me about two weeks from cruise and ask if I would move from a e1 hump, which I booked about a year out, to a js, I said yes, think someone really wanted my cabin and the js was really great, but that is the only time. Like others have said , book the cabin you really want. have a great cruise

[alexkrn46]

I agree Diamond member and never got an upgrade, but I did have a wonderful cruise.

[sherin65]

Thanks for all the responses and insights. You know, I really counted on my anniversary being the most important one on the ship.:p

 

I won't book a guarantee for this trip, I'll most likely go with a balcony room and book far enough in advance to get the room I want. We probably won't be able to spring for a suite. I'd like to be ready with some extra money for lots of shopping in Italy and Greece. Now I have to search ships and itineries to figure out exactly which cruise we want to take.

 

 

Sher

[cruisegirl1]

DO NOT expect an upgrade. We have over 30 cruises with RCCL and NEVER received an upgrade. We even booked a guarantee once and got the least desirable cabin on the lowest category of the guarantee.

 

We book the type of cabin we want for the particular cruise and are happy with that.

 

Perhaps one day an upgrade will come through – but we are not expecting it.

Enjoy your anniversary cruise.

M

[Bible27]

Can you get an upgrade from a JR Suite to a Grand Suite as DM & I booked about a month ago and our trip isn't until December 7,2008 and we should have it paid off by June or July and their are a good amount of Grand Suites left is their a chance the price will go down for the Grand Suite or maybe we get an upgrade.

[beachchick]

Bible27: Your cruise is quite a ways off. It's not surprising that there are many cabins and suites available now. The chance of those GSs remaining open is pretty slim. Sure, you could maybe get an upgrade, but the odds are extremely small. If you really want a GS, keep checking the fares and leap on one if there's a price drop (and if it's not for new bookings only). If you are positive you want a GS, book it now and then watch for any price drops. Unless the reduced fare is for new bookings only, you should qualify for the lower price.

 

The bottom line to "can you get an upgrade" is yes...but it's a snowball's chance in, well, you know where. The bottom line to "is there a chance the price will go down" is yes...a more likely possibility than a complimentary upgrade.

 

beachchick

[rubrrick]

Although we have received a couple of upgrades...........not expected, for the most part RCCL does not give out upgrades.

 

If this is a very important cruise, book what you want, and intend on staying there.

 

Rick

[Lisichka]

I read a post here once by a frequent poster who said she receives upgrades 90% of the time. And she had cruised about 20 times. She alluded there was a way to make this happen, but refused to share.

 

Wish I knew how..... :confused: :confused:

[cruisePRN]

I'm diamond Plus and received no upgrades to date.

[rednancy1]

Hey Rick!!!

 

We always book what we want and are never dissapointed.

 

We love you and Bobbie!!!:) :) :)

[iheartbda]

I read a post here once by a frequent poster who said she receives upgrades 90% of the time. And she had cruised about 20 times. She alluded there was a way to make this happen, but refused to share.

 

Wish I knew how..... :confused: :confused:

 

 

Hmmmm...sounds like when some person said her parents are ALWAYS invited to the Captain's table. Who knows what is fact and what is exaggeration?;)

[rubrrick]

Hey Rick!!!

 

We always book what we want and are never dissapointed.

 

We love you and Bobbie!!!:) :) :)

 

 

Hey Nancy!! It's a true story that it's better to be safe than sorry when booking.

 

We have been so fortunate to have been visited a couple of times, but we don't count on it. For the lady that claims to have been visited so many times on so few cruises..........is her name MACOP????

 

Nancy...........that's a two way street.........the love part!!:) :D :)

 

Rick

[emilygrace]

Like CSK, we booked our hump balcony cabin (D1, Serenade) a year in advance. Prime real estate, so to speak. 6 weeks before our sail date I went online to check something and saw that our cabin # was different. They had upgraded us to a JS, which is great, but it is waaaaay in the back of the ship where there are no passenger stairways. We did not get a call, an email or anything and neither did our TA. She checked for faxes too, but nothing in the way of notification. Now I realize that this is a nice upgrade, but I did not appreciate the way they just snatched our carefully hand picked cabin out from under us with no warning. I know that if I had put up enough of a fuss she could have tried to get our original cabin back for us, but DH thought that since it is a 14 night cruise we would appreciate the extra space (and he's right).

 

BTW, other than location, our original cabin was nothing special....capacity was 2 people, not 3 or 4, so I don't think they needed it for that.

[wrp96]

For the lady that claims to have been visited so many times on so few cruises..........

 

Rick, we were thinking about the same person!!

[mom1247]

I'm new to this board so I don't know if I am posting correctly, so bear with me. My TA booked us an oceanview room guarantee F category. He says that since Oceanview Category F is sold out, we have to be upgraded to a balcony. Is he telling me the truth. I don't want to be put on a lower deck in an Oceanview. I would rather pay the extra and get the blacony, but he keeps saying that we will get it as an upgrade. We are leaving on the Brilliance of the Seas on October 20 to cruise the Med.

[beachchick]

I'm new to this board so I don't know if I am posting correctly, so bear with me. My TA booked us an oceanview room guarantee F category. He says that since Oceanview Category F is sold out, we have to be upgraded to a balcony. Is he telling me the truth. I don't want to be put on a lower deck in an Oceanview. I would rather pay the extra and get the blacony, but he keeps saying that we will get it as an upgrade. We are leaving on the Brilliance of the Seas on October 20 to cruise the Med.

 

Get it in writing and then you'll have leverage with your TA when he or she is wrong! If/when RCI assigns you into a Cat F, you can insist that your TA honor his or her word and pay the difference to put you into a balcony. I bet that as soon as you demand written promise of the "upgrade," your TA says, "Oops, there's no guarantee."

 

Just because the oceanview cabins are sold out now, doesn't mean they will be for the next 5 months. This is especially true after the final payment date because people sometimes cancel right before then to avoid penalties. RCI can assign GTYs into cabins at any time and can move GTYs around all the way up to the cruise date.

 

Is it possible you'll get upgraded to a balcony with a Cat F GTY? Sure it is. Is it likely? Hard to say. Should you count on it? Not unless your TA gives you that written guarantee.

 

beachchick

 

p.s., Sorry to sound like such a wet blanket. If you stay with the GTY, I hope you do get assigned to a balcony. But if you're positive you want a balcony, book it (and then smile because balcony cabins are so wonderful).:D

[mom1247]

Thanks beachchick,

 

I'm going to call him now and book a balcony!