Paying to upgrade on arrival at the ship

[aquanaut1]

Hi there ,

Was wondering if you can ever upgrade and PAY at the dockside prior to embarkation?

Not looking for a comp upgrade . I know they sail with some empty cabins , it would be from a 1C to a suite .

We are travelling ex Southampton on the Eclipse

 

 

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Edited July 17, 2016 by aquanaut1

[dkjretired]

Hi there ,

Was wondering if you can ever upgrade and PAY at the dockside prior to embarkation?

Not looking for a comp upgrade . I know they sail with some empty cabins , it would be from a 1C to a suite .

We are travelling ex Southampton on the Eclipse

 

 

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Yes you can but the ships have been pretty much sailing full.

[jelayne]

Chances are slim to none particularly for a suite. Celebrity will contact cruisers before sailing and offer upgrades for a price on any unsold cabins. How they decide who to contact remains a mystery. So by the time of boarding ship is full.

[CruisersTimesThree]

Very rarely have I seen upgrades available at the port of any cruise I've taken the day of sailing.

Suites tend to get booked pretty quickly, especially with some of the offered perks lately, so I'd be surprised if one was available the day of.

You might consider calling Celebrity (or if you used a TA, have them do it) and see if they have any upsells available, but it probably would cost you the difference between what you paid for your cabin and what the current cost of the suite is.

No harm in asking, but I wouldn't count on it when you arrive at the port.

[morechances]

Hi there ,

Was wondering if you can ever upgrade and PAY at the dockside prior to embarkation?

Not looking for a comp upgrade . I know they sail with some empty cabins , it would be from a 1C to a suite .

We are travelling ex Southampton on the Eclipse

 

 

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I just spoke to Celebrity about the same thing. They told me to ask at embarkation as nothing was available right now.

 

I have been told the same thing thrice. So it is not just one agent's comments.

 

The one this morning pointed out that it never hurts to ask.

[Xport]

From the desk of Lee Moreau

 

 

Greetings XXXXX,

 

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.

 

Looking forward to seeing you back on board soon!

 

Lee Moreau

Director of Loyalty and Captain's Club

[Hydrokitty]

I just spoke to Celebrity about the same thing. They told me to ask at embarkation as nothing was available right now.

 

I have been told the same thing thrice. So it is not just one agent's comments.

 

The one this morning pointed out that it never hurts to ask.

 

True it never hurts to ask....but that doesn't mean you stand any chance of getting one! I think if they have last minute cancellations or no shows they will seek out frequent customers and offer it to them before anyone else. DD was on board in her cabin when she got a call asking if she wanted to upgrade to a small suite.....at no extra charge....but this was like her 10th cruise.

Edited July 17, 2016 by Hydrokitty

[kevinyork]

I've only ever seen signs on embarkation day at guest relations saying the ship is full and there are no upgrades available. I think it's very rare for a ship to sail with empty cabins as their fluid pricing and pre cruise upgrade offers are designed to fill the ship.

 

 

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[villauk]

I've only ever seen signs on embarkation day at guest relations saying the ship is full and there are no upgrades available. I think it's very rare for a ship to sail with empty cabins as their fluid pricing and pre cruise upgrade offers are designed to fill the ship.

 

 

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Me too, and they have to keep a few a cabins spare for emergencies etc.

 

OP,

 

May I ask why you didn't book a suite rather than the 1C when you made your initial reservation if you do intend paying for the upgrade anyway? Were there no suites available at that time? If so, have you checked the inventory to see if one has become available?

[DrivesLikeMario]

I haven't seen paid upgrades at the port since our first cruise in 1999.

[aquanaut1]

Me too, and they have to keep a few a cabins spare for emergencies etc.

 

 

 

OP,

 

 

 

May I ask why you didn't book a suite rather than the 1C when you made your initial reservation if you do intend paying for the upgrade anyway? Were there no suites available at that time? If so, have you checked the inventory to see if one has become available?

 

 

Because we are in the process of moving house any day now , and we kept some aside for that . We usually sail in a suite , but the lovely big house this year took priority , no other reason . Happy ?

 

 

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[aquanaut1]

Me too, and they have to keep a few a cabins spare for emergencies etc.

 

 

 

OP,

 

 

 

May I ask why you didn't book a suite rather than the 1C when you made your initial reservation if you do intend paying for the upgrade anyway? Were there no suites available at that time? If so, have you checked the inventory to see if one has become available?

 

 

Plus uk residents cannot change reservations without losing a huge amount of money unlike the US

A shame

 

 

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[villauk]

Because we are in the process of moving house any day now , and we kept some aside for that . We usually sail in a suite , but the lovely big house this year took priority , no other reason . Happy ?

 

 

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Plus uk residents cannot change reservations without losing a huge amount of money unlike the US

A shame

 

 

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The reason I asked was because if there were no suites available when booking initially, had you checked the inventory to see if there were any available at all now. That's why I asked :eek:!

 

Additionally, you don't have to book in the UK, you can reserve in the US. If you think you want to make changes to bookings, then it's another reason to consider booking in the US ;).

[morechances]

True it never hurts to ask....but that doesn't mean you stand any chance of getting one! I think if they have last minute cancellations or no shows they will seek out frequent customers and offer it to them before anyone else. DD was on board in her cabin when she got a call asking if she wanted to upgrade to a small suite.....at no extra charge....but this was like her 10th cruise.

 

That brings me to another point. If a top suite suddenly becomes available and someone takes it as an upgrade, naturally their original suite would become available. And so on and so on.

So, by your logic, depending on the cabin that opens up, there could be 4 or 5 upgrades in total.

[Mynki]

Plus uk residents cannot change reservations without losing a huge amount of money unlike the US

A shame

 

 

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That depends where you book through. We just booked two 2018 cruises onboard. We did this to gain additional perks and additional OBC which was not offered by Celebrity UK.

 

We then had the ship future cruise vacation staff send our booking to our US travel agent who added an additional $250 OBC per room. In addition to this we know have fully refundable and fully transferable deposits.

 

The catch..... Of course there's always one! It is now booked in US$. Our booking was made when £1 = $1.31. So, if the pound continues to fall against the dollar our cruise becomes more expensive, but we do have a $250 'buffer'. If on the other hand it strengthens, we actually get a better price.

 

Alternatively we can pay it all now and fix the price. Of course, as we've booked with a US travel agent we also have the additional flexibility when it comes to rebooking if the prices fall etc.

 

Food for thought?

 

* Just so there is no confusion though, the on board staff claim UK guests can only do this if they have used a US travel agent previously. I'm unsure how much due diligence they actually apply here though.

[aquanaut1]

The reason I asked was because if there were no suites available when booking initially, had you checked the inventory to see if there were any available at all now. That's why I asked :eek:!

 

 

 

Additionally, you don't have to book in the UK, you can reserve in the US. If you think you want to make changes to bookings, then it's another reason to consider booking in the US ;).

 

 

We are uk residents though and cannot amend the booking via the us if booked in uk by uk tour operator

 

 

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[aquanaut1]

The reason I asked was because if there were no suites available when booking initially, had you checked the inventory to see if there were any available at all now. That's why I asked :eek:!

 

 

 

Additionally, you don't have to book in the UK, you can reserve in the US. If you think you want to make changes to bookings, then it's another reason to consider booking in the US ;).

 

 

We are booking via the USA next time !!! Never thought we could but just checked and we can , stood British booking conditions .

Just checked our cruise , all suites are full , hey ho never mind we will have a great time anyhow !!!

Thanks everyone !!!! Appreciated xx

 

 

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[villauk]

We are uk residents though and cannot amend the booking via the us if booked in uk by uk tour operator

 

 

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Which is the point I was trying to make. If you book in the UK, you're more or less locked into the booking. This is one issue to take into consideration when making any reservation - if you are likely to want to make changes, then it's usually better to book in the US. If I make any booking in the UK, then it's a definite as 9 times out of 10 it will cost me more to make any changes.

[villauk]

Must have been posting at the same time ;). It's always worth checking both sides of the pond before you book ;).

[Project_gal]

Plus uk residents cannot change reservations without losing a huge amount of money unlike the US

A shame

 

There is never an extra charge by Celebrity for paying to upgrade your accommodation in the UK. They are always happy to take extra money. There is a fee (was £35 - may have changed) for making other amendments. If you are being charged more, it is likely to be your travel agent making the charge.

 

As you say all suites are now booked, you can request to be waitlisted for a suite. I am not sure that this really works so you may be better just watching for suites to open up - they often do for a short time. If you see one, you can place a courtesy hold on the room and contact Celebrity to make the switch. I would not wait until you board. Any suite that opens up is likely to be taken by then.

Edited July 18, 2016 by Project_gal

[aquanaut1]

There is never an extra charge by Celebrity for paying to upgrade your accommodation in the UK. They are always happy to take extra money. There is a fee (was £35 - may have changed) for making other amendments. If you are being charged more, it is likely to be your travel agent making the charge.

 

 

 

As you say all suites are now booked, you can request to be waitlisted for a suite. I am not sure that this really works so you may be better just watching for suites to open up - they often do for a short time. If you see one, you can place a courtesy hold on the room and contact Celebrity to make the switch. I would not wait until you board. Any suite that opens up is likely to be taken by then.

 

 

I always speak to celebrity not my agent , as I'm an ex travel agent and cut out the middle man whenever I can [emoji12]

They said if I wanted to amend my booking I would have to cancel and rebook , but I will recheck

 

 

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[Johnnyocean1959]

When is a good time to check for available up sells?

 

 

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