Cabin upgrades

[clarksnavy]

We are 1st time cruisers traveling with 4 other families. We started out booking an inside cabin about 5 months ago. We sail on the Norwegian Jewel in June. Due to price drops and specials we have now upgraded to Mini Suites. I have read online about people doing last minute upgrades to a "real" suite for as little as 400 dollars. How do you find these? There is nothing, of course, on the cruises website about this. Thank you,

Counting the days:p

[jillsy0927]

I am also interested in finding out how to get those reduced rates and upgrades. Our last cruise in November on the Grandeur of the Seas was for 11 nights. We paid about $400 more per person than some others. I realize the Sr. Citizens got better rates for that reason, but some couples were our age (mid 40s) and still got the rock-bottom prices. I've been searching online on the cruise ship sites, as well as the discount sites and still cant find anything. Also, how do the Guarantee rooms work? I've also talked to some folks from that same cruise and they said they did a last-minute reservation w/ a Guarantee room and it was dirt cheap. They said they always do that and if a room isn't to their liking, the ship will get then another that is...not sure how this works. Any ideas? Thanks!

[tiyana4]

It comes down to capacity, supply and demand. If the ship is sailing full there will rarely be upgrades or upsells available. Most cruiselines with cabins available will generally begin contacting pax to see if they want an upsell vs. an upgrade. On our last NCL cruise, we sailed full but many people were given free upgrades based on the type of cabin they were in. A friend of ours was upgraded from a Cat C oceanview to a balcony.

 

As to the pricing, very rarely will you pay the same price as the next person unnless you are part of a group reservation. Due to cruise specials, past passenger discounts, military rates, senior discounts, resident discounts, cruise rewards, future cruise credits (get my drift), the variables are too great. Sometimes it is better not knowing what someone else has paid for the same accommodations.

[firefly333]

RCL you can do this at the port, thru a pier co-ordinator. Carnival has been doing last week type upsells to suites. Iv heard NCL also does upsells.

 

I havent heard of this on Princess, but you might also post this question on those threads, someone will know.

[beachchick]

I am also interested in finding out how to get those reduced rates and upgrades. Our last cruise in November on the Grandeur of the Seas was for 11 nights. We paid about $400 more per person than some others. I realize the Sr. Citizens got better rates for that reason, but some couples were our age (mid 40s) and still got the rock-bottom prices. I've been searching online on the cruise ship sites, as well as the discount sites and still cant find anything. Also, how do the Guarantee rooms work? I've also talked to some folks from that same cruise and they said they did a last-minute reservation w/ a Guarantee room and it was dirt cheap. They said they always do that and if a room isn't to their liking, the ship will get then another that is...not sure how this works. Any ideas? Thanks!

 

Cruise fares are similar to air fares. It's best not to spend any time whatsoever comparing what you paid to what someone else paid. (Of course, I don't think discussing those specifics is a great idea to begin with because what someone else paid is none of my business and what we paid is no one else's business.) Book at a fare you feel is fair; look for lower fares along the way and ask for a reduction if one comes up and you qualify; then spend your cruise enjoying yourself. That's my advice.

 

Booking a GTY is exactly what it sounds like. You agree to accept a specifc cateogory or type as a minimum and often for less than choosing your own specific cabin. You also agree that the cruise line can put you anywhere on the ship that they want, as long as they assign you to at least your GTY level. Sometimes that means an upgraded cabin, but it does not mean "I can book a GTY inside cabin and they'll upgrade me to a suite!" Almost always the "upgrade" is within type (book cheapest GTY inside category and get assigned to best inside category). Sometimes pax are upgraded to the next type (book an oceanview GTY and get assigned to a a balcony cabin). It's like winning the lotto to get anything more than that: Happens to a few people from time to time, but it's a millions to one shot.

 

As far as telling the cruise line, "I don't like my GTY cabin assignment, get me one I do like." If there is availability in the exact category you've been assigned to, the cruise lines sometimes will allow you to move within that category. You cannot say, "You assigned me to the minimum GTY category, but I want an upgraded cabin." If that's how someone feels, they shouldn't book a GTY at all. You can also ask to be put back into the GTY pool and hope for a better assignment, but must keep in mind that you could receive a "worse" assignment too. As far as "dirt cheap" fares for GTYs and last-minute fares: It's sometimes true, but more often not. And if you book last-minute, you must remember that there will be a limited number of cabins available for assignment. Usually the best cabins will already be booked, so you must know that your chances of getting "the best for almost nothing" is slim at best. The people who fed you that line probably cruise with the same line often and have high status in the cruise line's loyalty program. That gives them an "edge" in situations like that. As well, they could also have been bragging and exaggerating.

 

Free upgrades? You can't "go about" getting them. If it was that easy, everyone would get them. Discounted upsells? Some lines offer them at the pier for open cabins. Some lines call pax and offer them a higher category at a discount. Those calls are generally based on what benefits the cruise line (how the cruise is selling; what's selling well/not selling well; what they think they can upsell and then resell the original cabin; and so on).

 

I don't mean to sound like a wet blanket. I really don't. But you need to realize the realities of fare pricing, upgrades, and upsells so that you aren't disappointed and so that you can simply enjoy your cruise rather than wondering/asking "Who got a better fare than I did?" IMO, that's a real waste of what should be a wonderful time. (But yes, I do wonder about it sometimes and I do scout for reduced fares after we book. I just don't let it fret me too much and I never worry about it once we're onboard.)

 

Happy cruising and best of luck finding excellent fares! (Truly, I hope you are able to find some really wonderful discounts!):D

 

beachchick