Should cruise personalizer show room number if wanting an upgrade?

[BoPippy]

Should the Princess cruise personalizer actually show room number now in the category i booked or just the category?Seems to me it only showed category in the past,but now shows a room number.I wanted to be able to upgrade since i booked a year in advance or did travel agent make an error?

[paul929207]

I assume you booked a guarentee. If it shows a cabin number, that is the one you are assigned to. It is still possible for you to be upgraded, but as always, there is no guarentee of an upgrade.

[Ken076]

If you booked a "Guarantee" and your Personalizer shows a cabin assignment that means that that's the Category and Cabin number that you were assigned in the Guarantee process. If your TA told you that you would get a cabin in a higher category, they misled you!

 

If you booked a specific Category and specific Cabin number then the personalizer shows the cabin number you booked: IF you opted for "I'll accept an upgrade if it's offered" your personalizer may eventually show a new cabin number IF during their cabin shuffling they assign you to another cabin. By opting to accept an upgrade if offered, this does NOT guarantee you an upgrade - if your TA told you this, they misled you!!

 

Ken

[Toto2Kansas]

Should the Princess cruise personalizer actually show room number now in the category i booked or just the category?Seems to me it only showed category in the past,but now shows a room number.I wanted to be able to upgrade since i booked a year in advance or did travel agent make an error?

 

Keep in mind that a guarantee booking 'guarantees' you a stateroom in the category you book or higher. They are not always an upgrade to a higher stateroom category and some actually end up in the category you book. There is no way a travel agent can tell you that you will definitely be upgraded when booking a guarantee no matter how early you book or how many times you have sailed on Princess. If they tried to tell you this was going to happen and not just a possiblity, it would be time for me to find a new travel agent. I have known others to receive great upgrades booking last minute, so I really don't feel that the timeframe you book your cruise has a lot to do with the upgrade process at all.

 

BUT..........there is always a silver lining. Just because you have already been assigned a stateroom does not mean that you might have that change before you sail. Not saying it will for sure, but there is still a chance.

 

The one lesson is to ALWAYS book at least the category you will be comfortable in, just in case an upgrade doesn't happen. This way you are never disappointed and will be happy in the category you actually paid for.

 

Best of Luck!

[BoPippy]

Thanks all.

I e-mailed travel agent and she said i am booked on a guar.cat.and if an upgrade becomes available,i MAY get one.The fact that it now shows an actually room number does not mean anything in the fact that i am still booked as a guarantee wit upgrade still a possibility.She said if i wanted the room number removed from the princess web personalizer,she could do it,but it makes no difference.

I feel better with this info now and if i stay in the cat.it will be great too!:)

[seb530]

I booked a BA cabin on Grand Princess (extra big balcony) and was asked about the guarantee but I was led to understand that it could mean that I could essentially end up in a balcony cabin on another deck (and Im sure it wouldnt necessarily have been a BA grade (albeit they dont all seem to have larger balconies)..

 

Is that right? If I had opted for guarantee could I have been "downgraded" to a BB/BC etc (even though the BA cost more)? or is it a no-lose situation where the worst that can happen is you are guaranteed a BA but just not location?

 

I would have liked to gamble for the upgrade but with 4 peope (yes, I know but it would have been an additonal $2600 for a larger room) I wanted most room for what I could really afford

[NeurosurgeryNP]

I booked a BA cabin on Grand Princess (extra big balcony) and was asked about the guarantee but I was led to understand that it could mean that I could essentially end up in a balcony cabin on another deck (and Im sure it wouldnt necessarily have been a BA grade (albeit they dont all seem to have larger balconies)..

 

Is that right? If I had opted for guarantee could I have been "downgraded" to a BB/BC etc (even though the BA cost more)? or is it a no-lose situation where the worst that can happen is you are guaranteed a BA but just not location?

 

I would have liked to gamble for the upgrade but with 4 peope (yes, I know but it would have been an additonal $2600 for a larger room) I wanted most room for what I could really afford

You won't be downgraded. The pnly time thety may ask you to take a less cat is if they oversold and they will make a deal with you. They will bever automatically downgrade you. If you booked a guarantee BA, you will only get a BA or higher if upgraded. This is my understanding of this, anyway.

[Ken076]

Bopippy - just be aware that your TA seems to be painting an overly optimistic picture of your booking - once you're assigned a Guarantee cabin it's unusual (altho definitely not impossible) that you'll be changed. The real test of your TA will be when you notice price drops (for your now assigned Cabin Category) if she "hard-times" you in getting you the price drop!!! Enjoy!!! ken

[Pam in CA]

I e-mailed travel agent and she said i am booked on a guar.cat.and if an upgrade becomes available,i MAY get one.The fact that it now shows an actually room number does not mean anything in the fact that i am still booked as a guarantee wit upgrade still a possibility.She said if i wanted the room number removed from the princess web personalizer,she could do it,but it makes no difference.

I feel better with this info now and if i stay in the cat.it will be great too!:)

I disagree with your TA; if a cabin is showing up on your booking, you've been assigned a cabin. All bookings by default are marked as "Will accept an upgrade" unless the TA changes that to "No upgrade" so that you are one of just about everyone else on the ship willing to accept an upgrade. An upgrade is a possibility whether you've booked a specific cabin or a Guarantee; booking a GTY in no way improves your chances nor does booking a year or even two years in advance.

 

I'm glad you are willing to be in the cabin category you booked because that's what you will most likely get. Possibly a category or two "upgrade" but if so, it would be the exact same cabin in a different location. Yes, upgrades happen but you've got 2,500 other passengers also hoping for an upgrade.

[Ken076]

NeurosurgeryNP - It sounds that you booked a specific BA cabin and did not opt "to accept a complimentary upgrade if offered" ???? If you had opted for this type of upgrade, you'd only be upgraded to something "better than Cat BA (so no BB, BC, BD....), but the upgradem would happen automatically without consulting you and could be a better Category but not a great location. So, if you booked a BA in a good location, I'd say you did the right thing in "opting out" of the upgrade offer. ken

[BoPippy]

Bopippy - just be aware that your TA seems to be painting an overly optimistic picture of your booking - once you're assigned a Guarantee cabin it's unusual (altho definitely not impossible) that you'll be changed. The real test of your TA will be when you notice price drops (for your now assigned Cabin Category) if she "hard-times" you in getting you the price drop!!! Enjoy!!! ken

Thanks muchly,my travel agent just got confirmation from princess that they will pay for my flight change since my original trip had been cancelled due to the summet on Carribbean Princess and they are asking for an upgrade also,so things are looking up.Not out any cash now and i think we will like the Sea Princess and ports better than the other ship.:)