Making sense of awarding upgrades

[FamilyCruiseDiva]

Relatives had booked a SkySuite on the Constellation (not their first X cruise) and when they arrived, were told they'd been upgraded to a Celebrity Suite.

 

Knowing that it didn't have a balcony, they turned it down... which seemed to annoy and surprise the check-in agent. They were then directed to sit and wait for things to be sorted out, as they were insisting on the exact cabin they'd selected. Instead, they were offered another Sky Suite that had a larger-than-normal balcony and some OBC.... which they accepted and enjoyed.

No explanation was given as to why they couldn't have "their" SS cabin.

 

:D

[FamilyCruiseDiva]

Not sure why, but the upgrade fairy visited us a few weeks ago. We were booked in a Aqua2. When I went to look at edoc's & order luggage tags our cabin had been changed to a Sky Suite. We have doing the happy 💃💃🏾dance ever since. A true upgrade!

 

This will be our 10th cruise on Celebrity & first time in a suite.

 

Do you know if they'll still give you the same access to the spa that you would have as an Aqua passenger?

 

I'm booked in A2 for our January Connie cruise and they've already tried twice to upgrade us to A1, which we don't want. I'd be hesitant to accept a SS upgrade for fear of losing my spa access, which I'm really looking forward to enjoying. :D

[A Sixth?]

I get upgraded every dinner on Celebrity. :rolleyes:

 

Butter knife turns into a steak knife :D

 

[NCHPcruiser]

Thanks Ed. In the grand scheme of things it's not important. I don't spend a minute worrying about what someone else gets. I'm amazed every day that through lots of hard work we are able to do the wonderful things we have and continue to have the good health to enjoy them.:)

 

Amen!

[kenevenpar]

Do you know if they'll still give you the same access to the spa that you would have as an Aqua passenger?

 

I'm booked in A2 for our January Connie cruise and they've already tried twice to upgrade us to A1, which we don't want. I'd be hesitant to accept a SS upgrade for fear of losing my spa access, which I'm really looking forward to enjoying. :D

 

I think most would take a SS over a A2 or A1, especially with Luminae in play, not to mention butler, 50% more space, specialty dinner. I know I would in a heartbeat.

[CathyCruises]

Perhaps a RS is in your future.

 

That would be a heck of an upgrade from an inside guarantee, the lowest of the lows!!;) But while there's life, there's hope, right??

[jelayne]

Do you know if they'll still give you the same access to the spa that you would have as an Aqua passenger?

 

I'm booked in A2 for our January Connie cruise and they've already tried twice to upgrade us to A1, which we don't want. I'd be hesitant to accept a SS upgrade for fear of losing my spa access, which I'm really looking forward to enjoying. :D

 

I don't know. We have not spoken to our TA or Celebrity about the upgrade - it just showed up. We do not use the spa so that wouldn't matter to us. We do like Blu and that is why we book Aqua, but now we have access to Luminae & Blu.

[jelayne]

This is awesome and couldn't have happened to two nicer people.

 

Congrats and enjoy!!:D

 

Thanks! Wish you were on our sailing. Guess who from our Equinox TA just booked on our TA - Jen and her Mom. Should be fun to see them again.

[Iamthesea]

My husband and I returned Monday from 10 nights aboard the Reflection. We booked a Sky Suite GTY two months prior to sailing date. We received a S2 and were happy with it and thought we got a good value. On the first day of the cruise we became friendly with another couple, first time on Celebrity (one prior cruise on RC). They had booked a regular veranda cabin but were contacted two days prior to embarkation and were offered an upgrade for $500 each to a Celebrity Suite. I am very confused as to how Celebrity decides who to offer upgrades to. While I am not Elite (after our Caribbean cruise in January) I would have expected that someone with some type of status would have been offered the upgrade first. It really bothers my husband who is at the highest level with Delta and Marriott and enjoys the perk of being frequently upgraded. Is there a rhyme or reason as to how upgrades are doled out?

 

I would not pay $500 pp to upgrade ourselves from a SS to a CS. To me, the SS is roomier and not worth another $1000 more. I would, however, accept a free upgrade to the CS if offered, but only because of the extra perks and better/larger bathroom. :D

 

We will be going on our 12th celebrity cruise in 3 weeks. Have three more booked. We were RCCL Diamond when we started making the switch to Celebrity. Never been given an upgrade. We are trying Oceania for the first time next winter. If would be great, as a new "O" cruiser to be upgraded from our regular veranda stateroom to a Suite, but not counting on it. We are looking forward to trying the "O" product and compare to "X". Although a little more expensive, we may want to book others.

 

Relatives had booked a SkySuite on the Constellation (not their first X cruise) and when they arrived, were told they'd been upgraded to a Celebrity Suite.

 

Knowing that it didn't have a balcony, they turned it down... which seemed to annoy and surprise the check-in agent. They were then directed to sit and wait for things to be sorted out, as they were insisting on the exact cabin they'd selected. Instead, they were offered another Sky Suite that had a larger-than-normal balcony and some OBC.... which they accepted and enjoyed.

No explanation was given as to why they couldn't have "their" SS cabin.

 

:D

 

I don't blame them, but the reason they could probably not get their original stateroom back was because the new occupants may have already checked in. ;) Sounds like they made out like bandits! :)

[ClassicalSax]

We are fortunate to have been truly upgraded twice. The first time was just as a previous poster mentioned on our second cruise with RCI - from oceanview to balcony - I must say the tactic worked, since we have been booking balconies ever since... The second time was an unusual situation where a large online TA mistakenly booked us into an accessible room, which we did not need (a year in advance...). When we caught the mistake a couple weeks before the cruise, I called the TA who basically said "don't worry about it" and then I called C&A and asked to be put on the list of people willing to move to a non-accessible balcony cabin if it was needed. When we got to the port we found we were given a junior suite. It was a nice touch by RCI to upgrade us and a good feeling for us to know that the cabin was indeed needed and that someone got to use it.

[florisdekort]

Relatives had booked a SkySuite on the Constellation (not their first X cruise) and when they arrived, were told they'd been upgraded to a Celebrity Suite. Knowing that it didn't have a balcony, they turned it down...

 

 

Balconies were added to the CS Suites on M class ships during a series of dry docks years ago. I hope this is a very old story because otherwise your relatives made a very unfortunate mistake :)

[chemmo]

I love to feel that it like Santa knowing which girls and boys have been really good this year....

 

I always hope the upgrades will go to those who have worked and saved like mad to get on board, those who have had a tough year or are really celebrating something special.

 

I always imagine the upgrade fairy having a bit of a sense of humour, never sticking to the same rules for too long, just to keep us busy hoping, wishing and guessing...

[wieslaw]

Thanks, but as I've said before I get more than I deserve from my "Celebrity family" . An upgrade would be appreciated, but not expected or required. I'm grateful to just be on a ship with fine people.

I think that it would be nice if a honeymoon couple or a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary would get an upgrade.

 

Wow, what a nice post - I really like what you have posted. You must be a very nice and humble person ......

[Jane2357]

I love to feel that it like Santa knowing which girls and boys have been really good this year....

 

I always hope the upgrades will go to those who have worked and saved like mad to get on board, those who have had a tough year or are really celebrating something special.

 

I always imagine the upgrade fairy having a bit of a sense of humour, never sticking to the same rules for too long, just to keep us busy hoping, wishing and guessing...

 

I love this sentiment! I too love the feeling that for those that get the magical, true upgrade - that it is a special treat that came at the proper time. I'd love a true upgrade but never spend a second thinking of one as I think it is very rare. :D

 

Most people call an up-sale an up grade but that is not the same animal as an up grade. I've 3 cruises booked at the moment - on two of those - 1 in an aft, aqua and 1 in a Celebrity suite - I'd turn down an up-sale as I very much want the cabins that I booked. Just me.

Edited September 27, 2015 by Jane2357

[awhfy]

Never had an upgrade or a call for an upsell. Of course, id probably turn one down as I spend a good deal of time selecting our cabin

[Glendakayself]

We were booked on our 8th Celebrity cruise in a sweet 16 (6035 Summit) on our September 6 cruise. We had 6030 on Connie several years ago and loved the larger balcony for the 2C price. We did have a S1 on Century in 2014. About a week before the Summit cruise, we were offered an S2 for "$850 total." We turned it down and found a lounge chair added to our sweet 16 just as we did on Connie. We were happy with our choice!

Edited September 28, 2015 by Glendakayself

[PartyAllDaTyme]

Relatives had booked a SkySuite on the Constellation (not their first X cruise) and when they arrived, were told they'd been upgraded to a Celebrity Suite.

 

Knowing that it didn't have a balcony, they turned it down... which seemed to annoy and surprise the check-in agent. They were then directed to sit and wait for things to be sorted out, as they were insisting on the exact cabin they'd selected. Instead, they were offered another Sky Suite that had a larger-than-normal balcony and some OBC.... which they accepted and enjoyed.

No explanation was given as to why they couldn't have "their" SS cabin.

 

:D

 

On our 2011 Summit cruise, I had originally taken a 2A for the price of a 2C with onboard booking, but when a price drop made an aft C1 available for the same price, I grabbed it. We fell in love with that cabin with its huge balcony, and when I checked the booking a few days prior to the cruise and found it now showed we were in a Sky Suite, I was not happy. A quick call to our TA got things straightened out. I was know on our roll call as the crazy guy who turned down a suite upgrade until people on a cabin crawl saw it. They never contacted me about the upgrade, and I had had our booking flagged as "no upgrades."

 

This also means that X will do an upgrade for (to?) someone with a TA, though it might be true they do give more consideration to those who book directly and stay with them-- we had transferred our booking to our TA for the extra perks she offers.

[Gracie115]

Relatives had booked a SkySuite on the Constellation (not their first X cruise) and when they arrived, were told they'd been upgraded to a Celebrity Suite.

 

Knowing that it didn't have a balcony, they turned it down... which seemed to annoy and surprise the check-in agent. They were then directed to sit and wait for things to be sorted out, as they were insisting on the exact cabin they'd selected. Instead, they were offered another Sky Suite that had a larger-than-normal balcony and some OBC.... which they accepted and enjoyed.

No explanation was given as to why they couldn't have "their" SS cabin.

 

:D

 

Sure hope this was before the balconies were added to the CS ....... assuming it was....

 

We were upgraded at check in from a CS to a RS on Millie many years ago...no explanation either and no additional cost.... THAT'S an upgrade anything that costs anything is an "upsell" not an upgrade in my opinion.....

[uktog]

I like the Azamara system. Purchased one upgrade through it, to me it was fantastic value as I would not have been in the room I was in if I had had to pay the advertised price.

 

Otherwise, I see all upgrades in the same light, be it cruises, hotel rooms or the magic bing at the boarding gate of a plane

 

who knows

and in the big scheme of things, who really cares

[KKB]

First cruise on Princess booked a dirt cheap interior GTY & were given OV.

 

Since then I have gotten smart; I book cruises when there are great sales, maximizing perks. I have learned to watch for upgrades for a pittance the 4-6 weeks before sailing.

 

2 years ago, I booked OV & was able to upgrade to AQ for $20 pp (for the WEEK)

 

Last year, I booked OV (3 rooms); upgraded to Sweet Sixteen & a nearby OV on the same floor (for our teens) for $75/pp/wk & upgraded to FV (my parents) for $150/pp/wk--SO wish we had booked FV for all 3 rooms--it was AWESOME! (and the floor we originally booked was full of spring breakers...)

 

So I guess they know I seek my own low priced upgrades!

[shrekaus]

I really wish that experienced cruisers would realise that new cruisers have no idea what they are talking about when they use abbreviations for cabin categories. We have no idea what "Sweet Sixteen" means. and what is "Connie" ???

[C 2 C]

I really wish that experienced cruisers would realise that new cruisers have no idea what they are talking about when they use abbreviations for cabin categories. We have no idea what "Sweet Sixteen" means. and what is "Connie" ???

 

Connie is the affectionate name for Constellation. The sweet 16 are the eight balcony cabins on both sides on deck six forward. They have much larger balconies than the standard.

[asmith19]

Connie is the affectionate name for Constellation. The sweet 16 are the eight balcony cabins on both sides on deck six forward. They have much larger balconies than the standard.

 

Not to take this thread off track, but are the two balconies on each side of the forward slant section on the Silhouette bigger, too, in addition to the sweet 16? Specifically, I'm on deck 9.

[Gracie115]

Not to take this thread off track, but are the two balconies on each side of the forward slant section on the Silhouette bigger, too, in addition to the sweet 16? Specifically, I'm on deck 9.

 

The balconies on the side of the hump are deeper, especially the first one off the hump. The width and length pretty much the same, but deeper by at least a foot or two.. We had an AQ room on Silhouette(1610) first one off the hump....very nice balcony!

[Glendakayself]

Sorry. The sweet sixteen are the first 8 forward balconies port and starboard on Millenium class ships only. The balconies are 2C (cheapest category), and the balcony size is exactly double the standard balcony. We have never found a Celebrity rep that knows about these bargain cabins.

Edited September 28, 2015 by Glendakayself