Meta upgrade

[Babr]

Have you ever marked your booking for a meta upgrade only - one that moves you to the next type of cabin rather than a move within the same category - for instance a balcony to a mini?

 

What was your experience? Did you get an upgrade? An upsell offer?

 

I have not heard much about this new option since it was recently implemented. How's it working?

[KruzPrincess]

I have done that, but I've never received an upgrade or an offer. Mostly, though, I've done it when I was in a mini-suite and knew it very unlikely that I'd get bumped up to a suite.

Edited June 2, 2013 by KruzPrincess

[Working 2 Cruise]

I have done it. No upgrades.

 

With the recent recategorization of cabins, a decent upgrade will be much less likely...

Edited June 2, 2013 by Working 2 Cruise

[cruzsnooze]

I've done it twice no results. Once I had a mini and was offered an upsell but the TA didn't let me know until it was too late. I hate using a TA because I keep better tabs on my own bookings.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Yes, I do it a lot and have never been upgraded or offered an upsell.

[Babr]

I've done it twice no results. Once I had a mini and was offered an upsell but the TA didn't let me know until it was too late. I hate using a TA because I keep better tabs on my own bookings.

 

How disappointing to miss that opportunity! I was under the impression that such offers were targeted to a specific number of passengers because I've read posts of people who missed the original call/email, but still got the offer when they made contact a day or so later.

 

Guess not. You're experience makes it sound like a blanket offer is sent to perhaps all past passengers in a mini, and then they are filled on a first-come first-served basis.

[BarbaraP]

Have you ever marked your booking for a meta upgrade only - one that moves you to the next type of cabin rather than a move within the same category - for instance a balcony to a mini?

 

What was your experience? Did you get an upgrade? An upsell offer?

 

I have not heard much about this new option since it was recently implemented. How's it working?

 

We have marked our booking "Meta Upgrade only" on our last 2 cruises. Both times the upsell offer was so good we took them and didn't wait to see if we would have received and upgrade instead. I do know that there were still some suites available on one of the cruises so probably someone got the upgrade. The second time the offer for the upsell was even better than the first and the suites disappeared over night.

;)IMHO, I think this is a great way for Princess to fill more expensive cabins. It's a win, win situation for both Princess and the cruiser.

[PescadoAmarillo]

We usually like to cruise in a specific cabin location and have our bookings noted as NO UPGRADE, but last August we did B2B Alaska cruises (booked as a 14-night cruise) and did have our booking marked as acceptable to an upgrade to the next higher cabin type. About two weeks prior to the sailing date, we were, in fact, upgraded, from an OV to a covered balcony, about 6 categories higher. We were especially thrilled as we had started in an inside cabin, moved to an OV for less money when prices dropped and ended up in a balcony.

[PhoenixRev]

I just marked my mini-suite reservation on the Golden in October as Meta Upgrade Only particularly because we were able to get E729 with it's extended covered balcony. Although it is pretty close to being as far aft as you can get, I would rather have the more roomy balcony then being mid-ship for convenience.

 

Eh, the walking will do us good once I stake a claim on a table at the IC. :)

[mikeh3t]

I don't know how the upgrades work, but I had booked a Mini suite and told the TA to mark it as no upgrade because I really liked the location of it, and low and behold I got an offer to upgrade to a Vista Suite ! From E-711 to E-733 . Should have bought a lottery ticket that day !

[Working 2 Cruise]

I don't know how the upgrades work, but I had booked a Mini suite and told the TA to mark it as no upgrade because I really liked the location of it, and low and behold I got an offer to upgrade to a Vista Suite ! From E-711 to E-733 . Should have bought a lottery ticket that day !

 

Was this for free? If not this was an upsell

[PunkiC]

We have had three meta upgrades--two to mini-suites and one to a full suite--all from balconies.

 

The funny thing is that we got these upgrades when we were newer cruisers. Now that we are Elite, we no longer get upgrades. Of course, on our next cruise we have marked our cabins as "No Upgrades" as we are in balconies adjacent to our friends with whom we are cruising. It is there first cruise, so we are all pretty excited. :)

[mikeh3t]

Was this for free? If not this was an upsell

 

For Free !:)

[Cruiserkenn]

Where does one find the meta upgrade option? Is it on cruise personalizer?

 

Thanks ...

[Babr]

You have to ask for it. Call your travel agent or Princess.

[Cruiserkenn]

You have to ask for it. Call your travel agent or Princess.

 

Thanks so much!

[Princess Chatterer]

I have marked no upgrade and still received a very sweet suite upgrade offer on a very long repo cruise for very little upgrade money. You've got to move really fast if you get such an offer. The exclusive suite breakfast is to die for.

[Thrak]

I have marked no upgrade and still received a very sweet suite upgrade offer on a very long repo cruise for very little upgrade money. You've got to move really fast if you get such an offer. The exclusive suite breakfast is to die for.

 

You do realize I hope that the last post before yours was made in June of 2013???

 

By the way, you received an upsell - not an upgrade. Big difference. An upgrade is free.

[Interstate]

I booked my Hawaii sailing, T-12 days, on last year's 3 for free and picked an inside. About two months ago I got an upsell notice for a balcony but refused due to price. Then, around the eclipse, I got another upsell for a window that was far more reasonable and took it.

[Colo Cruiser]

Many more upsells now rather than upgrades.

[memoak]

There are indeed more up sells that upgrades nowadays - 2 years ago I was offered a good deal to up sell from a mini suite to a full suite on a Canal cruise and it was worth it - hoping for another on as Trans Atlantic booked for December this year. - time to start crossing fingers - I believe the only true upgrades happen these days if they can't get any takers for an up sell and need to fill cabins at a lower category the they have oversold.

[Martini girly]

Curious as have never been offered an upgrade or upsell...how are u notified? Email? phone call? Thanks!

[Interstate]

Curious as have never been offered an upgrade or upsell...how are u notified? Email? phone call? Thanks!

 

Email to get the offer, then you have to call a number given in the email and share your booking # with the inventory department.

 

p.s. the main guy in Princess' inventory sounds like a robot and will usually have to take your initial call as a voicemail. He will call you back sometime the next day and run your upsell after giving you the stateroom locations.

[polmcs]

I'm more than happy to have a caribe balcony at the front end of a Grand class ship, so if I get a cabin in that location, I'll mark it meta upgrade only and even then, it would depend on the location of the mini suite, before accepting an upgrade. Now if the stars aligned and a suite was offered, then it's pretty much a no-brainer. ;)

 

I've never been contacted for a Meta upgrade, but we did get a mini to suite upgrade on just our second cruise, so that does tie up with some of comments about newbies getting upgrades earlier in their cruising careers.

[partybarbie]

Our last upgrade was in Nov. of 2014, an inside to an obstructed oceanview. Our last upsell was in May of 2017, an inside to a balcony, but we refused due to the cost.