Is the upgrade fairy biased?

[lipoppop]

I saw on another thread, don't remember where, but somebody said your chances of an upgrade are better if you book directly with HAL than through a TA. Anybody have thoughts on this?

[dakrewser]

Wishful thinking....

[Alzarine]

I don't think lipoppop is so far off the mark. I booked a cruise on Travelocity last week for the Zuiderdam. It will be my fourth cruise on HAL. My friend booked the same cruise a few days later directly with HAL. It will be his second HAL cruise. He was asked if he wanted to be considered for a complimentary cabin upgrade. Naturally, he said of course. I didn't get any suggestion of such a perk through the Travelocity website. It remains to be seen if it actually happens...... but the offer was there!

[DFD1]

I believe HAL makes it a policy now to ask those who book direct if they want to be considered for an upgrade. As to actually getting the upgrade, I don't know if those who book direct get priority or not.

[Sierrachik]

I don't think lipoppop is so far off the mark. I booked a cruise on Travelocity last week for the Zuiderdam. It will be my fourth cruise on HAL. My friend booked the same cruise a few days later directly with HAL. It will be his second HAL cruise. He was asked if he wanted to be considered for a complimentary cabin upgrade. Naturally, he said of course. I didn't get any suggestion of such a perk through the Travelocity website. It remains to be seen if it actually happens...... but the offer was there!

 

Our TA (we did not book directly with HAL) asked us if we wanted to be considered for an upgrade, I wonder if your internet agency just doesn't bother with it because it would require extra work on their part.

[dakrewser]

Our TA asked us if we wanted to be considered for an upgrade, I wonder if your internet agency just doesn't bother with it because it would require extra work on their part.

 

Our TA's on-line booking form also "asked" if we'd like to be considered....

[lidorose]

We booked our first cruise ever on HAL last year and used a HAL TA. We got upgraded from an H to a D (nice upgrade). We had only booked the cruise 5 months out, and we found the ship was completely booked when we embarked. We talked to some folks on board who had booked nearly a year in advance and they didn't get one. Oh yes, we also had a table right next to a window - great view!

 

We have booked our next cruise on the Rotterdam using HAL's TA. Again, we only booked four months out and booked an H guarantee. I will let you all know if we got another upgrade. If so, this theory could prove correct.

[scluvsrain]

I've booked 4 out of my last 5 cruises with HAL directly. Once, I booked 2 cabins and requested that they be next to each other, put in for the auto upgrade, got no upgrade. Second time, booked a Cat BB verandah, asked for upgrade, got no upgrade. Third time, booked an aft suite, got no upgrade, but hey, it was already an awesome cabin. Fourth time, booked a suite, got an auto upgrade upon checkin to the penthouse suite. Oh man, was that ever cool. This last time, booked with a TA. No upgrade so far, but we're in for an auto upgrade. If it happens, great. Trouble is, the way the cruise is going, I don't think it will happen, as the cruise appears to not be anywhere close to being sold out/full.

[Candy]

We will either book thru our TA or thru HAL and have our TA pick up the booking. It seems like if we travel with friends (same cat, close together, linked dining) we do not get an upgrade. When we go alone, we get a 1-2 cat upgrade. Maybe they feel a single cabin will be more flexible, or if they up one they have to up the other... it remains a mystery. I always tell my TA that I will only accept an upgrade upon approval so I don't get that cabin NOBODY wants under the disco or next to the anchor.

 

Candy <-- 4th Zuidy comin' up soon

[Cally]

We were on the Amsterdam in October and received a suite upgrade and I booked through a TA. We had booked a 1A Balcony and was surprised upon checking in. Very nice room.

[PennyB]

I've booked 4 out of my last 5 cruises with HAL directly. Once, I booked 2 cabins and requested that they be next to each other, put in for the auto upgrade, got no upgrade. Second time, booked a Cat BB verandah, asked for upgrade, got no upgrade. Third time, booked an aft suite, got no upgrade, but hey, it was already an awesome cabin. Fourth time, booked a suite, got an auto upgrade upon checkin to the penthouse suite. Oh man, was that ever cool. This last time, booked with a TA. No upgrade so far, but we're in for an auto upgrade. If it happens, great. Trouble is, the way the cruise is going, I don't think it will happen, as the cruise appears to not be anywhere close to being sold out/full.

 

So, I'm confused. I thought you would stand a better chance of getting an upgrade when the cruise was NOT sold out. A nice-i-ty to pass along because the cabin would be empty anyway. Do they happen more on sold out cruises?

[jhannah]

I would think they happen more on nearly-sold-out ships. When they have higher cabin grades that are not sold, and don't appear to have much chance of selling, it's in the cruise line's best interest to move people up into those cabins and have the cheaper digs available for sale. If only a few cabins remain, and those are the higher-dollar offerings, they won't stand too good a chance of selling those where they can sell the cheaper ones. If the ship is still fairly open and probably won't sail full anyway, then there's no advantage of moving people around.

[Candy]

It seems that if I'm in a more luxurious cabin I somehow feel pampered, more "special" and tend to spend more money at the spa and casino. This means a greater potential for onboard revenue for HAL and a more pleasurable cruise experience for us.

[cruzingqueen]

It seems that if I'm in a more luxurious cabin I somehow feel pampered, more "special" and tend to spend more money at the spa and casino. This means a greater potential for onboard revenue for HAL and a more pleasurable cruise experience for us.

 

I think I agree with Candy....so following her philosophy...

 

If I were upgraded from my inside stateroom (DARK 24/7) to an outside cabin, maybe I would be awake more which means a greater potential for onboard revenue for HAL. LOL..

 

But I travel with HAL almost every 2 months so you'd think that would help my upgrade abilities. I haven't noticed it really helping too much though. Do they look at how frequent you travel with them or is it more about how much you spend on your cabin? Since I travel solo normally, I have to book the most economical.

[KAKcruiser]

I have been told so many different things about upgrades by HAL reps that I don't know what to believe. We usually book a suite so an upgrade for us would be penthouse suite. Some reps say you have a chance. But, right before our cruise last time I talked a rep into contacting inventory control because a penthouse suite was available and they said no way would they do a complementary upgrade to a penthouse suite.

[JDee]

I have been told so many different things about upgrades by HAL reps that I don't know what to believe. We usually book a suite so an upgrade for us would be penthouse suite. Some reps say you have a chance. But, right before our cruise last time I talked a rep into contacting inventory control because a penthouse suite was available and they said no way would they do a complementary upgrade to a penthouse suite.

 

Suppose all the suites were fully booked, but 1 penthouse is available. In comes a request for a suite. I think HAL would upgrade one of the existing suite patrons into the penthouse, and then take the new booking for the suite. At least they get some additional reasonable revenue....

 

Happy upgrades.....

[dakrewser]

I have been told so many different things about upgrades by HAL reps that I don't know what to believe. We usually book a suite so an upgrade for us would be penthouse suite. Some reps say you have a chance. But, right before our cruise last time I talked a rep into contacting inventory control because a penthouse suite was available and they said no way would they do a complementary upgrade to a penthouse suite.

 

Well, they were wrong as I know from our recent Oosterdam cruise. A fellow Cat S couple was moved up to the penthouse during the week before sailing.

[Emmie]

I haven't even left on my first cruise yet, but I wanted to jump in here with my two cents.

 

When we bought our cruise through our TA, she told us we could be considered for an upgrade. What she told us was that we would get any availible upgrade IF we didn't pick our cabin when we booked. I posted about this during the past week or two. As I found from folks on these boards, we might go up a level or two, but get a less desirable cabin anyway. For example: give up a midship E cabin for a C at the front of the ship and get seasick due to the motion. (If I am giving a bad scenario, I apologize, I am trying to illustrate a point. Please correct or give a better example if you can!)

 

One thing I have learned: it never hurts to ask. Could you call your TA, or HAL, and ask about the upgrade? It might make all the difference.

 

Good luck,

Emmie

[jhannah]

What she told us was that we would get any availible upgrade IF we didn't pick our cabin when we booked.

We have always picked our cabins ... and we've been upgraded several times. Also, not picking your cabin doesn't mean you'll automatically get an available upgrade.

 

I talked a rep into contacting inventory control because a penthouse suite was available and they said no way would they do a complementary upgrade to a penthouse suite.

As Dave said, this is incorrect. Our tablemates on the Rotterdam were upgraded to the Penthouse when their S cabin was needed by pax who were doing back-to-backs and didn't want to change cabins. Man, was that a beautiful cabin!

[KAKcruiser]

I guess you never know what will happen and you can't totally rely on what HAL reps tell you. I do know that I wrote a letter and requested the penthouse suite and I called the day before sailing and they said no. When I went on that cruise I asked at the front desk and that penthouse suite was empty and they said nobody would be upgraded to it unless it was paid for. I do believe that if it is in HAL's best interest they might upgrade somebody to the penthouse suite to sell a regular suite. I don't know why they wouldn't do it in this instance but they wouldn't.

[ekerr19]

I think a lot of it depends on HAL's need for your cabin... if you are in a triple or quad and they need it to fill another requirement, you stand a better chance of an upgrade. The same applies to the handicapped equipped cabins.

 

We have had friends who were upgraded from an S to the PS as well - they were very surprised and pleased, certainly it was very unexpected. I think HAL likes to keep it that way. You may stand a better chance if you don't ask.

 

I think the same applies to dining at the Captain's table.

[arzz]

Booked Zaandam on Travelocity in March '03 - minimum category outside guarantee -- ended up with a mid-ship category E -- that may not have been thanks to Travelocity. We had issues with them as we never received a receipt for our payment or any documentation that we were actually booked and we called HAL to confirm it for us (as well as a confusion about my name) -- there was some discussion with HAL re: cabin type and that is how we ended up.

 

Booked through my TA for Christmas -- paid for a BB guarantee and got a Navigation deck A -- great upgrade but unfortunate for our wallet it has created a desired standard of cruise ship living for us -- this could be an expensive habit that is hard to break.

 

For this March once again booked Zaandam with our TA. Booked a category B guarantee which we think may do well for us as there were only two category B's left at time of booking. Our feeling is that with category B and above we can't lose and will be equally happy anywhere.

 

In the end, no matter where you are you are on the ship and get to enjoy the ship life and that is what matters.

[cru1s1ng]

I'd take the smallest, darkest, deepest cabin comapred to the day at work I'm having right now.