What are the chances of getting an up-grade?

[opheliaj]

We booked a category D suite on the Regent Mariner, 9/9/09, Vancouver to Seward cruise. I just checked Regent's website and discovered all the categories below ours are wait-listed and our category D suite and the penthouse C (the category immediately above ours) are fully booked but not wait-listed. We booked, along with another couple, our cruise in July of '08.

 

My question is, does anyone know what are the chances of Regent up-grading us so that they can free up some of the lower category suites; or, if we decide to spend some extra money to up-grade ourselves, how much might that cost at this point in time?

 

I'd ask our TA but it's Sunday and he's not in the office until later next week.

 

Thanks for any information from some of you more experienced cuisers. :)

[Travelcat2]

There are times you can pay for an last minute upgrade -- there isn't a standard cost to doing this. You really need your TA to call Regent and check with them. If Penthouse C is waitlisted, you would have to upgrade to a "B" or higher -- that could be quite costly (although less than if you had booked the category originally). Good luck!

[opheliaj]

Thanks for the info.

 

We were just wondering given the fact that so many of the rooms are wait-listed. It would seem that Regent would do better to allow cheaper upgrades to booked passengers when they have so many higher-end cabins empty and so many people waiting for a lower-priced cabin to become available.

 

I will talk to my TA when he gets back into the office. In the meantime, we'll keep our fingers crossed for some positive action.

 

Thanks again.

[OrpingtonT]

I book directly with Regent (albeit in the UK). My booking was for the lowest cost, H suite on a GTY basis. 8 days before sailing they rang me to offer an upgrade to a cat B Penthouse at an additional cost of £250 pp (about $400) Considering the initial extra cost was around £1600pp (about $2500), it seemed a good deal, which I gratefully took.

[Travelcat2]

I book directly with Regent (albeit in the UK). My booking was for the lowest cost, H suite on a GTY basis. 8 days before sailing they rang me to offer an upgrade to a cat B Penthouse at an additional cost of £250 pp (about $400) Considering the initial extra cost was around £1600pp (about $2500), it seemed a good deal, which I gratefully took.

 

For some reason, passengers from the UK get incredible pricing (not complaining -- just noticing):) We paid a LOT more than that to upgrade to a cat B Penthouse (but, this was 3 years ago).

[Wendy The Wanderer]

We were just wondering given the fact that so many of the rooms are wait-listed. It would seem that Regent would do better to allow cheaper upgrades to booked passengers when they have so many higher-end cabins empty and so many people waiting for a lower-priced cabin to become available.

 

This is what happened to us on the PG last December. We were offered an upgrade to a C GTY for a very attractive price, to make those cheaper cabins available. But this was fairly close to the cruise, about 3 weeks as I remember.

[opheliaj]

That's what we were hoping -- that as it got closer to the sailing date and there were still rooms available in the upper categories but none in the lower, we may have an opportunity.

[Travelcat2]

This is what happened to us on the PG last December. We were offered an upgrade to a C GTY for a very attractive price, to make those cheaper cabins available. But this was fairly close to the cruise, about 3 weeks as I remember.

 

Wendy -- we also received an upgrade on a "H" (or whatever the bottom category is) on the PG to a C on the PG back in 2004. Loved the "C" with a balcony. IMO, the difference on the Mariner between a regular suite and a Penthouse is huge. Penthouse suites on the Mariner are really lovely (in spite of the wasted space -- small closets and huge bedrooms). In general, Regent gets a lot more money to upgrade to a Penthouse on the Mariner than on the other ships (probably because there is zero difference in square footage on the Navigator and only 15 square feet more on the Voyager -- plus the butler).

[parisbully]

That's what we were hoping -- that as it got closer to the sailing date and there were still rooms available in the upper categories but none in the lower, we may have an opportunity.

 

Did you get a call from Regent yet? We did a couple weeks ago and didn't like the price. Then got another call yesterday with a better price and upgraded from a E to penthouse A. We ae on the Sept. 9 Mariner.

[Travelcat2]

We got an email today regarding upgrades on our September 7th cruise. When people upgrade to higher suites, it opens up categories that had previously been full. If we had booked the suite we upgraded to originally, it would have cost a LOT more. It is a first come, first serve, situation and, you have to pay immediately.