Cabin upgrades???

[redflag216]

I am wondering if anyone has had any experience in being offered a cabin upgrade on X? I ask because I was booked on a Carnival ship about a year ago and, prior to boarding, received a call from a Carnival rep asking if we would like to upgrade our two balcony rooms to suites. Of course I jumped on the chance! For a little bit of an extra cost it was so nice to have so much more room. Has this happened to anyone else??

[Leviathan2772]

I've been approached by X for about 1/2 the cruises we've done for upgrading our room. But for me, I generally browse available cabins from two weeks to two days before departure. If the price is right, I upgrade. I've been offered many different types of deals. From full retail upgrade to a complementary upgrade - about 1 in 4. If you want a suites, just see what type of deal they'll offer? If you're upgrading two cabins, you may get a better deal possibly?

 

One issue with this gamble, no suites available to upgrade to. I've only had the happen twice in over twenty cruises with X. I guess it just depends on how much you want the suite cabin. For me, they're worth every nickel. My wife doesn't think so until the cruise has ended and then realizes the special service we received from our immediate staff. Now with new suite amenities, it's probably even more valuable to the cruisers that appreciate the suite experience and the perceived value it offers.

 

Good luck in your upgrading to the suite life...

[Denny01]

When you first mentioned an offered upgrade, I thought you were referring to a freebie then you said there was a 'little bit of cost'.

 

I've not received a free 'real' upgrade - got a few upgrades from a 2B veranda to a 2A veranda type but not a major one. Very early on, we got an offer for a small price to go from an oceanview to a veranda. And of course have never gone back and always now go with a veranda. That's why I joke about not accepting a free Suite...too dangerous!

 

Enjoy!

 

Den

[WestCoastFlyer]

Anytime that I have called Celebrity about an upgrade I am told "you booked your reservation through a travel agent. You have to call them, we can't help you". When I call the travel agent they tell me that I can pay the difference between my cabin price and a different booking class, but it will equate to a rebooking and any promos, such as 123, will be lost. I have stopped asking. If there is a better way to approach this I would love to know it.

[Cruizen Susan]

Anytime that I have called Celebrity about an upgrade I am told "you booked your reservation through a travel agent. You have to call them, we can't help you". When I call the travel agent they tell me that I can pay the difference between my cabin price and a different booking class, but it will equate to a rebooking and any promos, such as 123, will be lost. I have stopped asking. If there is a better way to approach this I would love to know it.

 

Yes, that's been my experience too. The only upgrades I get are upon initial booking, the typical loyalty category upgrade (no extra charge). Only once about 10 years ago did the TA call me about a week before the cruise to offer me a suite from a balcony. No charge. Those were the good 'ol days when I used a Mom and Pop store front travel agency. Now I do it all online and it's just not the same kind of customer service. Although the deals are more competitive online!

[hughdm]

We were offered an upgrade from a Sky Suite to a Royal for $1200 for a 7 day cruise. We jumped on it and Denny01 is right, it's dangerous. Now I keep trying to get in the Royal!

[Project_gal]

redflag216

 

If you really want to book a suite, I would suggest that you do this when you make your initial reservation. If you want the best price, book when the cruise is first released [often a couple of years pre-cruise]. The new suite perks are making suites very popular, they sell early and the best price is usually the release price.

 

One of our cruises [a Caribbean cruise in mid-January 2016 - nothing special about the cruise or date], has nothing left available for Concierge Class and above and it has been like that for about three or four weeks. The suite prices never dropped.