Booking Ocean View and getting Balcony?

[stewpapa]

We are booking an Ocean View at the lowest rate (Carnival picks your cabin) for a quick getaway. We have never done this before. What are the odds that you could get put in a balcony? There are very few Ocean View rooms on the ship compared to balconies. Just curious. We will be happy with whatever. We just want on the ship!

[topofE]

I'm just guessing because I've always booked the room I want but I would think they'd offer to upsell all the oceanviews for a little extra $ before they'd give them away for even less $...

[brensr41]

I was lucky enough for this to happen just 3 weeks ago. I was on the Carnival Ecstacy booked 4 days prior to sailing and was assigned a balcony the day before sailing! Super Lucky!

[stewpapa]

Thanks. Both of those answers are helpful.

[BSQ]

In the past I normally get put within the category I booked. (example 1A guarantee - ended up in a 4A - both inside cabins). But my last cruise I booked an IS guarantee last minute and ended up with a Spa Balcony. There were a few people on my sailing that received similar surprise upgrades.

 

I look at that one as a rarity, and go into a guarantee booking knowing I'll be happy if I get a stateroom in the category i booked.

[buddylover]

I suppose it could happen if the ship is not filled and they can't "upsell" the more expensive cabins. On our very first cruise we booked an OV and when we got to the port and on the ship our card wouldn't work in the cabin door for the OV....were told we had been upgraded to a balcony!! YAY, very exciting upgrade if it happens......BTW, we have ALWAYS sailed in a balcony ever since....hooked us!!

[Bobby_Mac]

Several years ago we signed up for a CCL assigned cabin. We got a junior suite.

[crusinpsychRN]

If you do get the balcony, it's one of the best ploys Carnival could use to get you hooked for all future bookings!

 

Somehow I don't think they think like that.

 

Hope you do end up in a great balcony cabin!

[Sue Do-Over]

Our PVP told us that they work top-down... that is, they upsell (rarely free) from balcony to suite, then from OV to balcony, then interior to OV.

 

They then fill in the guarantees, again working top down, often based on what you paid for your booking. Lots of guarantees get better than they paid for, by being moved to a better interior (higher floor, less noisy).

 

By consolidating passengers, they sometimes have an entire section empty -- like the interiors way forward or closest to the engines. That frees up a room steward/team to do other tasks like deep cleaning or other rotated tasks.