Upgrade Fairy?

[MrsP_29]

I am woefully ignorant about the Upgrade Fairy and her methods. Are there any rules that apply for her to visit? Do you have to be paid in full or can you have a balance? Is there anything we can to to improve our chances at getting a call?

 

It's okay if we don't but it would be nice to be offered a little something more for a nice price.

 

[blueblock]

My understanding is that free upgrades are extremely rare and that there's nothing you can do to make them more likely (except for cruising more, since a high Crown & Anchor status can make you eligible for upgrades - though there are also random stories of first-time cruisers being upgraded). My understanding is that the upgrade calls usually happen after final payment is due, so you wouldn't be carrying a balance at that point. As for paid upgrades, the easiest way to get one is to monitor prices daily, and if you see a category you want drop to a level you'd be willing to pay for (or drop below the level you've already paid), call RCI and upgrade yourself.

[cruisenfever]

I am woefully ignorant about the Upgrade Fairy and her methods. Are there any rules that apply for her to visit? Do you have to be paid in full or can you have a balance? Is there anything we can to to improve our chances at getting a call?

 

It's okay if we don't but it would be nice to be offered a little something more for a nice price.

 

Originally Posted by cruisnseas on 12/3/2012

 

Royal Caribbean has three types of upgrades (excluding you upgrading yourself by paying full fare for the category)

 

1. C&A Upgrade. These are done by Loyalty. They receive a list of rooms they can upgrade members to from Revenue. They then gather a list of members on the particular cruise and rank them by Cruise Points. Price paid is not considered. Category booked is considered when deciding which upgrade to offer. If two members have the same C&A Cruise Points then they look at who booked first and who paid more.

 

2. Revenue Upgrade. These are upgrades because we oversold a category or because we have suites going empty. Revenue needs your room and will offer you an upgrade (sometimes it is free, sometimes at a discount). C&A status is NOT considered here. They look at category booked, when it was booked and the price that was paid.

 

3. GTY Upgrade. This is when you book an inside guarantee and get berthed into an oceanview or you book an oceanview guarantee and get berthed into a balcony, etc. This is due to lack of availability within the category booked. This is done by Revenue. C&A Status is not considered. It is based on berthing availability at the time your room is assigned

[MrsP_29]

This is our first RCI cruise. I know they wouldn't do a free upgrade but I can hope that they'd offer us an upgraded room for a reasonable/nominal charge.

 

Is it a safe assumption that any upgrade calls wouldn't happen until closer to the sailing date?

[Starry Eyes]

This is our first RCI cruise. I know they wouldn't do a free upgrade but I can hope that they'd offer us an upgraded room for a reasonable/nominal charge.

 

Is it a safe assumption that any upgrade calls wouldn't happen until closer to the sailing date?

Monitor for price drops. If the price of your cabin drops before final payment, you may be able to have your price reduced. Or if the price of a better cabin drops (before or after final payment, though more limitations after final), you might be to pay for an upgrade. Do not wait for a phone call. Be proactive.

[eddiet]

so maybe a dumb question, but how do you monitor for a price drop? Do I need to make a dummy reservation every day? Is that the best way?

 

Thanks

[ARCruisinNana]

so maybe a dumb question, but how do you monitor for a price drop? Do I need to make a dummy reservation every day? Is that the best way?

 

Thanks

 

Yes or subscribe to a price monitoring web site.

[vickiw0318]

Yes. That's the best way.