cheap upgrades when boarding?

[rhume55]

Sailing on Celebrity Summit next month.

 

Booked the cheapest interior cabin.

 

At boarding time, is there an opportunity to upgrade cheaply to unsold cabins?

 

If so, when and who do you ask about this?

[cruisestitch]

usually not. The ships more often than not sail full. Even though there may appear to be unsold cabins, they are sometimes offered to family of crew, etc. at the last moment and the ship fills. You can try going to Guest Relations on boarding, but don't be surprised to see a sign saying that the ship is full and there are no upgrades available. Oh, and if there are any unsold cabins, they probably won't be cheap, either.

[jelayne]

If there are unsold cabins that Celebrity wants to fill they will make upsell calls to booked passengers offering to upgrade at a discount. These are about 4-5 weeks before the cruise. There isn't any rhyme or reason that we can figure out as to who gets called- we haven't yet.

 

So highly unlikely anything at the pier.

[Kamloops50]

There usually aren't any cabins for upgrades on boarding.

[ChucktownSteve]

You can upgrade your drinks package though once you get on board. :p That way if you drink enough, you won't mind being in the "cheap seats". Enjoy your cruise. Any day on the ship is better than a day at work or on land.

Edited June 8, 2016 by ChucktownSteve

[Cruise Raider]

In nearly 50 cruises, never have I seen an offer for a room upgrade once you board. As others have mentioned, there might be rooms, it would be a cold day before they offer them on the day of boarding.

You can always try and they will even take your name, just don't be disappointed when they tell you there are no available cabins.

 

Your best bet is to try to upgrade if you see prices drop after final payment.

If there is a better cabin for at least $1 more than what you paid for your cabin, you can call to try to get an upgrade at that time. You will stand a much better chance at upgrading at this time than waiting to board.

[love2driveinct]

Not sure if you technically mean upon boarding or if you are also talking about check-in, but we were able to upgrade at check-in right before boarding. This was not a Celebrity cruise, but I thought it was commonplace across the cruise lines. I guess maybe I was wrong about that...

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[surebeatssailing]

In nearly 50 cruises, never have I seen an offer for a room upgrade once you board. As others have mentioned, there might be rooms, it would be a cold day before they offer them on the day of boarding.

 

So you can imagine our shock February 2015...trying an inside cabin for the 1st time ever & at check in we were told our cabin had been changed. We were assigned to a concierge cabin...no additional charge!

 

We believe that inside cabins were needed for contractors who were on board to convert part of the MDR to Luminae on the Eclipse. We saw a lot of workers back & forth in those hallways where insides & OV cabins are. But we don't anticipate this EVER happening to us again but we are thankful for this one time surprise.

Edited June 9, 2016 by surebeatssailing

[GUT2407]

Most ships sail pretty much full, so unlikely.

 

I don't think Celebrity offer this option anyway, but you can ask.

 

Might be better to call a day or two before and ask.

[neverbeenhere]

Our experience is this... Back in the 90's and prior there used to be a sign at the guest relations desk stating that if there were upgrade rooms available or not. Most cruises the sign would say No Upgrades Available, every so often it wouldn't say that. The upgrades never were worth the price (to us) so we never took one, but many did.

 

Do what the Anti-9er fan says and look for an upgrade that is at least $ 1 more than what you originally paid.

[FeelingCruisy]

Contrary to what everyone seem to be writing, there were a few occasions when I went to the guest relations desk and saw upgrades available. Unfortunately, it's not cheap, we're talking almost book price. One time, our room creaked badly and was offered a balcony (from oceanview) even though we were told on that ship that it was sold out. So go figure!

[MarkusToe]

most of the time they do have some spare staterooms ...to move guests in if something happened: p.e. flooding stateroom by broken pipe or so

[chemmo]

Over the years we have spoken to a few couples who have changed cabin mid cruise owing to floods, noise issues...including a CS couple who couldn't get in/out of the bath. So as another post said, they must keep a few rooms to one side for emergencies...I would have thought they would keep the least valuable rooms for this purpose, however, as in the inside ones, which would not help the OP. They must also get an occasional last minute no show owing to emergency illness...

 

I agree with those who suggest you pre cruise try phoning to see if you can get a reduced price upgrade. Also why not ask at check in and again at guest relations on boarding, nothing to loose!

 

Hope you get an upgrade but even if you don't, have a great cruise!

[dodger1964]

I'll bet the guest relations staff wagers each cruise on how many people will come to the desk and ask about upgrading their rooms. closest to actual wins the pot.

[Charles4515]

Over the years we have spoken to a few couples who have changed cabin mid cruise owing to floods, noise issues...including a CS couple who couldn't get in/out of the bath. So as another post said, they must keep a few rooms to one side for emergencies...I would have thought they would keep the least valuable rooms for this purpose, however, as in the inside ones, which would not help the OP. They must also get an occasional last minute no show owing to emergency illness...

 

 

 

I agree with those who suggest you pre cruise try phoning to see if you can get a reduced price upgrade. Also why not ask at check in and again at guest relations on boarding, nothing to loose!

 

 

 

Hope you get an upgrade but even if you don't, have a great cruise!

 

 

 

When my room had a maintenance issue that could not be repaired they gave me a list of five or six cabins to pick from.

 

My guess is that these were from last minute no shows. With the amount that sail every week there is always going to be a small percentage who have last minute medical issues, family emergencies, or who miss the ship.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Cruise Raider]

 

so you can imagine our shock february 2015...trying an inside cabin for the 1st time ever & at check in we were told our cabin had been changed. We were assigned to a concierge cabin...no additional charge!

 

nice!!!

[cookiersmom]

If you booked thru a TA, have them contact X a week before or so. I would bet this is your best chance for an upgrade.

Our TA has often been able to get us better and better cabins as the sailing gets closer.

[tercar]

Sometime there will be cabins as I know to our great disappointment last year. I got to Istanbul and had to turn round and go back home, therefore I was a no show. I don't think for 1 moment I am the only one this happens to.

[Xport]

But Captain's Club issued the following announcement relative to reduced rate upgrades/upsells--it's not very specific other than to suggest that loyalty enters into the equation--via e-mail on 5 November 2015...

 

-----

 

I am excited to announce the new Celebrity Cruises Reduced Rate Upgrade Program we have designed based on the feedback from our amazing Loyalty members. We look forward to implementing this program over the next several weeks starting with testing in the North American market, and then expanding this to other regions of the world.

 

What is it?

The Celebrity Cruises Reduced Rate Upgrade Program offers Captain's Club members the opportunity to upgrade their Stateroom or Suite at the "last minute" (within 45 days of sailing) based on availability. To be clear, these upgrades will not be presented for every sailing, or even most sailings. Instead, this is a new way for us to adjust our inventory as we get closer to individual sail dates while giving you the chance to upgrade your stateroom or Suite at a great rate.

 

How does it work?

When these Reduced Rate Upgrades are made available, our valuable Captain's Club members will be given a one-day advanced notice to take advantage of the offer. The notification will be made only by email and sent to you or your travel agent. Should you be the lucky recipient of one of these offers, please call us immediately for details and to check on remaining inventory, as the upgrades are provided on a first-come, first-served basis and are reliant on availability.

 

What can I do?

If you haven't already done so, please make sure to check your email permissions on file with us. If you have "opted out" from receiving promotional emails from Celebrity Cruises, then you will unfortunately not receive these Reduced Rate Upgrade offers, as they are only available to those guests who have "opted in" to receive special promotions from Celebrity Cruises by email. Also make sure that you or your travel agent have added your Captain's Club number to all reservations. Further, it is important that your email address is included on your reservation. Doing these things will ensure that you receive these offers before non-loyalty members and also enable you to receive all your loyalty benefits while on board. If you book through a travel agency, it is essential that your agent is aware of your interest in obtaining an upgrade at a discounted cost if/when they are offered.

 

To check: celebritycruises.com/login > Sign In > Click on 'Profile' > 'Communication Preferences'

 

Important note:

Should you choose to take advantage of a Reduced Rate Upgrade, you will not be awarded Club Points for the higher category of stateroom or suite. Rather, Club Points will be awarded based on the original stateroom or suite category you purchased at the time of booking, as the benefit received is the reduced rate itself.

 

As an example, if you initially booked a 10-night cruise in an AquaClass® stateroom-earning 5 Club Points per night-and then opt to take advantage of a Reduced Rate Upgrade Offer to a Sky Suite-that would normally earn 8 Club Points per night, you will earn 5 Club Points per night for those 10 nights, for a total of 50 Club Points.

 

You asked, and we listened!

Captain's Club members have been asking us to formalize our last-minute upgrade process, and we are excited to announce that it is finally here! Again, Reduced Rate Upgrades will not be available on all sailings, but when they are offered, be sure to contact us right away to improve your chance of securing an upgrade before they are gone.

 

As always, we realize that you have a choice when making your vacation plans, and we greatly value your loyalty to Celebrity Cruises! We are always eager to hear your feedback-that is how we continue to evolve as a company, make program changes such as this, and provide our guests with the best loyalty program at sea.

 

Lee Moreau

Director of Loyalty and Captain's Club

 

-----

Edited June 10, 2016 by Xport

[rhume55]

A quick update.

 

I was on Celebrity Summit from Newark to Bermuda on July 10, 2016.

 

Got a great deal on a guaranteed interior cabin.

 

Was assigned cabin #3067. Googling the cabin I read a review that this was a noisy room so I had some concern.

 

I didn't ask about changes or upgrades during the boarding/check-in process. I figured if the room was noisy, I would gently complain the next day when on board.

 

Turns out the room was fine! Nice little room, tight, but clean and newish and plenty of space for what we needed for two, including having breakfast in bed most days.

 

We did hear a little bit of stairs and/or door slamming noise early a couple of the mornings (6am-ish) ... this is probably what others were complaining about ... but it didn't really bother us at all. I wouldn't be surprised to hear such noises in any room on the ship.

 

Great cruise ... highly recommended! This was our first cruise with an interior cabin and we didn't miss the window at all. A balcony is nice, but I'd be surprised if I ever pay for more than an interior cabin in the future.

 

Also our first cruise with Celebrity. Nice relaxing vibe on the ship which we liked. The only thing is the after 11pm night life was a bit sleepy, would have been nice to have better late night parties.

[funship freddy]

We used to always ask when checking in. On two occasions we were able to upgrade to suites (once on Celebrity to the next biggest) for not a lot of $$. I have no idea why we quit asking but haven't tried in a long time. 39th cruise will be MSC Divina in October. Then again we have never receive a call offering an upgrade. Might be because we book balconies already. Maybe I should book insides and wait by the phone. :D

[gold1953]

But Captain's Club issued the following announcement relative to reduced rate upgrades/upsells--it's not very specific other than to suggest that loyalty enters into the equation--via e-mail on 5 November 2015...

 

-----

 

I am excited to announce the new Celebrity Cruises Reduced Rate Upgrade Program we have designed based on the feedback from our amazing Loyalty members. We look forward to implementing this program over the next several weeks starting with testing in the North American market, and then expanding this to other regions of the world.

 

What is it?

The Celebrity Cruises Reduced Rate Upgrade Program offers Captain's Club members the opportunity to upgrade their Stateroom or Suite at the "last minute" (within 45 days of sailing) based on availability. To be clear, these upgrades will not be presented for every sailing, or even most sailings. Instead, this is a new way for us to adjust our inventory as we get closer to individual sail dates while giving you the chance to upgrade your stateroom or Suite at a great rate.

 

How does it work?

When these Reduced Rate Upgrades are made available, our valuable Captain's Club members will be given a one-day advanced notice to take advantage of the offer. The notification will be made only by email and sent to you or your travel agent. Should you be the lucky recipient of one of these offers, please call us immediately for details and to check on remaining inventory, as the upgrades are provided on a first-come, first-served basis and are reliant on availability.

 

What can I do?

If you haven't already done so, please make sure to check your email permissions on file with us. If you have "opted out" from receiving promotional emails from Celebrity Cruises, then you will unfortunately not receive these Reduced Rate Upgrade offers, as they are only available to those guests who have "opted in" to receive special promotions from Celebrity Cruises by email. Also make sure that you or your travel agent have added your Captain's Club number to all reservations. Further, it is important that your email address is included on your reservation. Doing these things will ensure that you receive these offers before non-loyalty members and also enable you to receive all your loyalty benefits while on board. If you book through a travel agency, it is essential that your agent is aware of your interest in obtaining an upgrade at a discounted cost if/when they are offered.

 

To check: celebritycruises.com/login > Sign In > Click on 'Profile' > 'Communication Preferences'

 

Important note:

Should you choose to take advantage of a Reduced Rate Upgrade, you will not be awarded Club Points for the higher category of stateroom or suite. Rather, Club Points will be awarded based on the original stateroom or suite category you purchased at the time of booking, as the benefit received is the reduced rate itself.

 

As an example, if you initially booked a 10-night cruise in an AquaClass® stateroom-earning 5 Club Points per night-and then opt to take advantage of a Reduced Rate Upgrade Offer to a Sky Suite-that would normally earn 8 Club Points per night, you will earn 5 Club Points per night for those 10 nights, for a total of 50 Club Points.

 

You asked, and we listened!

Captain's Club members have been asking us to formalize our last-minute upgrade process, and we are excited to announce that it is finally here! Again, Reduced Rate Upgrades will not be available on all sailings, but when they are offered, be sure to contact us right away to improve your chance of securing an upgrade before they are gone.

 

As always, we realize that you have a choice when making your vacation plans, and we greatly value your loyalty to Celebrity Cruises! We are always eager to hear your feedback-that is how we continue to evolve as a company, make program changes such as this, and provide our guests with the best loyalty program at sea.

 

Lee Moreau

Director of Loyalty and Captain's Club

 

-----

I received an upgrade with this program. I paid for an oceanview and upgraded to Aqua Class for $300 ca for the 2 of us on a 2 week cruise. They offered balcony for $100 but since we were sailing with friends in Aqua it was perfect. The rep said it was not easy to sell the Aqua as so many people were dining with friends in the MDR