friends who are new to Carnival got upgraded and we loyal to Carnival didn't?

[JinxyB]

This happened to my sister and I last summer when we booked a 4-day cruise from Jax. She has cruised with Carnival twice before on 2 short cruises over the last 20 years...I have been on 18 Carnival cruises over the same time period. First, she was given a better past guest rate then me when booking online. It was not a resident rate or anything like that, just $30 cheaper then any rate I found online, so we booked it with her being the primary. I didn't understand this, but didn't care since that was money saved.

 

Fast forward to embarkation day and my sister tells me that Carnival has been calling her and leaving messages on her phone the past week and she has not returned the calls. We are in line to park the car at the port and I gave them a call. A rep was offering a paid upgrade to a balcony from our inside cabin for $200-we passed on this offer. We are in line going through security and her phone rings again. We didn't listen to the voice mail until getting on the ship to our room. It was a different rep from Carnival offering us a FREE upgrade to a balcony and did we want it?! To make a long story short, we ended up getting the free upgrade from an inside room to a balcony cabin, based on her status of not sailing with Carnival a lot. It makes sense-they know I am loyal and I had 2 future cruises booked so there is nothing to do to win me over. I was irritated that I have never gotten a free upgrade, free cruise offer, etc. but I wasn't going to complain!! BTW, my sister still gets random calls from Carnival trying to get her to book a cruise!

[USNUZULOOSE]

I would be happy for them. I could careless about getting up graded. I would be grateful just to cruise.

[sandebeach]

Oh, what cabin number?! I've got a spa balcony on the Breeze on deck 11 in March so would love feedback on them!

 

We liked the Spa Balcony cabin 11222. My hubby found out he liked relaxing in the steam rooms, the heated loungers, and the thallo therapy pool. We liked the cabin because we found the "secret" elevator. if you go forward, way forward, down the corridor, you come to the back of the Spa and can take the glass elevator up to the 14th floor (where the heated loungers, steam rooms, and therapy pool are located) or you can take it to the Serenity deck, which is on the 15th floor. The cabin itself was roomy enough for 2 people. The down side of this location is that you are really forward on the ship, so the balcony was very windy when the ship was moving. Hope this helps!

[MAGNUM PI]

We have taken only one, of our seven Caribbean cruises,via Carnival. A couple of years ago, Carnival offered us, 2 free cruises. Their explanation for this offer:

Because we had utilized a casino card, on that cruise? We are not "high rollers", and spent little money there.

 

We booked the free cruises, however my wife became seriously ill, and we had to cancel them. Carnival did not offer us the chance to re-schedule.

[funinthesun1964]

I have gotten the upgrade deals on every cruise I have taken with Carnival. I have no idea if these are the reasons or not but I have always done the following:

a) Booked my first cruise with Carnival through one of their Vacation Planners.

 

b) Always took the upgrade deal when called a couple weeks before the cruise date (balcony to suite)

 

c) Always pre-paid the gratuities (making them non-adjustable on the cruise)

 

The prepaid gratuities are still adjustable on the cruise. You may adjust them up or down as you see fit by going to guest services and making the request.

[franknberry]

Hi

 

Our friends and us booked a guaranteed outside cabin each on Carnival Legend for a 9 night cruise round Pacific Islands sailing 17th Feb. We both booked on same day (last August) and paid the same price, in full, at time of booking. We were allocated our cabin 1231 about 6 weeks ago, an ocean view cabin near midship which is fine. Our friends were allocated their cabin only last week, (cabin 5166) obstructed balcony. This will be our 5th Carnival cruise which is good going, as Carnival have only been in Australia for about 3 years. On our last cruise, there were a grand total of 21 people at the special past passenger meet the Captain/free drinks event so that gives you an idea of how few people have had a chance to build up loyalty points yet. This is our friends first Carnival cruise so I was surprised that they got an upgrade and we didn't. Happy for them, but a teeny weeny bit jealous as we are the loyal customers and they aren't. Any idea what determines who gets an upgrade and who doesn't? Is it just the luck of the draw?

 

 

You will learn that Carnival prefers first timers!

[Sparky2]

I have gotten the upgrade deals on every cruise I have taken with Carnival. I have no idea if these are the reasons or not but I have always done the following:

a) Booked my first cruise with Carnival through one of their Vacation Planners.

 

b) Always took the upgrade deal when called a couple weeks before the cruise date (balcony to suite)

 

c) Always pre-paid the gratuities (making them non-adjustable on the cruise)

 

Were your offers "free" upgrades or "upsells"?

[asalligo]

Upgrades may be luck of the draw, I cannot attest to that really, but I am convinced that Carnival is tracking activity and basing perks on that in some manner. Here is what I base that on.

 

My Wife and I have taken the same number of cruises as they have all been together. I though, am on the site logged in and on the phone with Carnival much more often, where she is never logged into the site and has never called them. Sometimes when I check her VIFP rate, it is cheaper. We have the same address, Same cruise history, the only difference I am aware of is gender and activity.

[Viesczy]

Well, that could be the "plan" to secure future cruisers... bump up the new cruisers so that they're more apt to come back.

 

I'd actually put it more on RNGesus.

[Savlamara]

When I was new and had gone on only 2 CCL cruises I got offered a free cruise twice in the same year. I had to decline both times because we needed room for 3 and the offers were strictly for 2 cruisers only. After that I never got another special offer.

 

Looking back I could have kicked myself for passing on free, but I digress...

[crusinpsychRN]

In the olden days you could ask for upgrade at check in and snag one. I have friends who visited Miami and went to the port and hopped on a cruise. That was before 9/11.

 

I've been on 25 Carnival cruises, never an upgrade. I called my PVP for my next and said I'd "reluctantly" give up my OV because all that's left is balconies! Maybe someone really doesn't want to pay the outrageous price for the balcony but would do an OV. We'll see.

[TaDaaa!]

I and many other here would like to know the magic formula for determining who gets and elusive upgrade or upsell. I have sailed 11 times and paid for those 11 plus 5 additional staterooms. All of this in just over 4 years. That sounds loyal, right? I have never had an upgrade or upsell call.

 

No magic formula. Roll of the dice. Nothing to worry about.

[kicia]

Our cruise in two weeks will be number 50 on Carnival and have two more booked this year. We have also done 13 cruises on other cruise lines. We have never had a free upgrade or paid upsell on any of those cruises. Guess we're not on the "good" list. We're still waiting.

[dollbanks]

Sorry to hear you did not get an upgrade and since you still have a few more days perhaps it's not to late.

 

Does anyone know if you book with a travel agent, will the upsell/upgrade phone call still happen?

[winddawn]

First time cruisers seem to have the best luck for upsells and upgrades. It was that way the first few times I cruised, I'd get calls for good upsells. But now if I'm lucky they offer an upsell for the same type of room in an undesired location and deck which I politely decline.

I agree with this. I think a strategy among Carnival brands lately has been to try to impress newer passengers to try to promote loyalty in new customers. I say this after getting great upgrades and upsells on HAL after only one cruise under my belt with them, but I never get upgrades on Carnival with 29 Carnival cruises under my belt with them.

 

I think it is a marketing strategy. I'm not complaining though. I get great offers from Carnival on the front end that don't depend on later possible upgrades. As long as I get those from Carnival, I will continue to sail with them.

Edited February 9, 2016 by winddawn

[winddawn]

[quote name='FloridaGram']My thought, which is only speculation and has no basis whatsoever, is that first timers get a higher priority because they hope they will come back. If we are loyal and keep coming back with no upsells, why would they offer us one? They KNOW we will be back.

We met someone on our last cruise that it was their first and they got an upgrade.

That said, I know others have gotten them randomly and I imagine it really is random. But I sure wish I would get one some time![/QUOTE]
I think it all depends on one's definition of upgrade too. Some people consider the same cabin type on a different deck to be an upgrade. And really and truly, most of the time it's not. I'm only impressed with Carnival "upgrades" when they bump you from one category type to another--such as from an oceanview to a balcony. That is pretty rare on Carnival and happens only very occasionally when it seems to benefit Carnival.