Wait until after boarding

[iheartbda]

There was really nothing in this article that most people don't know.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tips/what-you-should-know-before-booking-a-cruise-ship-balcony-room/ss-AAkFDnd?li=BBnb7Kz#image=5

 

EXCEPT for #5. I'd sure like to know the many lines that do this.:D:D:D

 

"Don’t purchase your balcony room while booking your trip. Wait until after boarding. According to Roaming Around The World, many cruise lines try to entice their passengers with a Reduced Rate Upgrade Program in attempts to fill balcony state rooms that haven’t been purchased."

[SPacificbound]

The person who wrote that has probably not done a lot of cruising.

[fishywood]

If you click on the link in the slide (which leads to a site with TA ads so we can't copy it here), you will see that while the author claims to have gotten onboard upgrades on three out of four cruises attempted, most of the different "strategies" listed below involve some elaborate machinations either at the time of booking or between final payment and embarkation. So precious little evidence that wait after boarding actually works. And way, way too much time and effort required in proportion to the potential cabin upgrade.

[Essiesmom]

I'm not seeing anything on that link that involves cruising. I was really looking to find out how old the article was. EM

[iheartbda]

I'm not seeing anything on that link that involves cruising. I was really looking to find out how old the article was. EM

Well, that sure is bizarre. At least one poster saw it. It was on MSN.com news and the story is still there but for some reason, the link won't take you to the article.

 

Clicking on the on the link in the slide like Fishywood says only gives tips for scoring an upgrade either by paying or if your balcony prices go down to the price you booked a regular cabin, you can usually switch.

 

The whole premise to waiting til you board and asking doesn't fly and doubtful waiting until after your first port would work either, as the author suggested. Few ships sail with empty inventory.

[easyboy]

I find posts on experiences and advice given here by CC members as more credible than some commercial journalists. IMHO.

 

 

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[Underwatr]

The link in the OP is malformed. You can see that only part of it is underlined so it doesn't take you to the intended article.

 

Try clicking here.

[Sequim88]

I have yet to board a cruise that did not have a HUGE sign at check-in stating "SOLD OUT: No Upgrades Available" (implying "Don't Ask"). If you want a balcony book it - want it a little less expensive, book guaranty and take chances on location.

[sloopsailor]

The link in the OP is malformed. You can see that only part of it is underlined so it doesn't take you to the intended article.

 

Try clicking here.

 

The article is strange, to say the least. Many of the tips are real puzzlers. For example:

 

#4 - "There may not be any furniture on your balcony". That would be a very cheap cruise line if they don't even provide a chair for you!!

 

#7 - Loss of privacy on a balcony because "sometimes you can see/hear your neighbors to each side.” With balconies so close together and side by side, this is not unusual, and is to be expected, especially if your neighbors use theirs often.

 

#8 - "Some ships are completely non smoking". Does anyone know of a cruise ship that is COMPLETELY non smoking? I don't.

 

#10 - A balcony "impinges" on interior space. All the cruise ships I am familiar with have the same interior square footage for both window and standard balcony cabins. If anything, balcony staterooms are often larger.

 

#11 - Book forward balconies instead of aft balconies to save money. I know of very few ships that have forward balconies. The vast majority only have windows for the forward staterooms. It can get much too windy when underway at 20+ knots to spend time out there unless it is heavily protected by a wind barrier of some kind, which would partially defeat the purpose of a balcony.

 

If they were talking about river cruising instead of ocean cruising, then maybe they would have a point on some of these. But, the article does not make that distinction. In fact, the article mentions weather differences in Southeast Asia, Scandinavia, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. These sound like ocean cruising locations, not river cruising.

Edited December 13, 2016 by sloopsailor

[Glaciers]

If you click on the link in the slide (which leads to a site with TA ads so we can't copy it here), you will see that while the author claims to have gotten onboard upgrades on three out of four cruises attempted, most of the different "strategies" listed below involve some elaborate machinations either at the time of booking or between final payment and embarkation. So precious little evidence that wait after boarding actually works. And way, way too much time and effort required in proportion to the potential cabin upgrade.

 

Yeah, I wonder too if being a travel writer might provide a person with a few more perks if the cruise line knows that you could promote them. We have been told many times the ship was sold out and there were no extra cabins.

 

We were on P&O once and had a horrible grease smell in the cabin around lunch and dinner time when they started cooking. Even the staff couldn't stand being in our room. There were no other cabins but we did get a very substantial OBC and the smell went away after a few days. There were no extra cabins.

[Cruisin' Chick]

I decided to google the writer's name and found her linkened (or whatever it's called) account (which is self-written). Her experience is in marketing/promoting with a heavy emphasis in social media, and not in journalism. she's involved in some publication that it some sort of adventure/travel site. I looked around and really more click through or list type of articles.

 

Probably as someone suggested, she probably convinces a cruise line that she will write an article if she gets an upgrade.

[iheartbda]

The bad thing is, a person who knows nuttin' about nuttin' runs across one of these garbage articles and believes what they read. After all, if it happens to be in a travel magazine they think it's tried and true information.

[Hlitner]

Total garbage and very bad advice. After cruisingon more then 70 ships of 14 cruise lines and having spent far more then 1000 days on cruises...we suggest folks come here to CC for good booking strategies. One really wonders where some of these travel writers get their advice. As they MSN, they also assured us that Hillary would be President and Brexit would not happen. Why folks keep returning to sources that are consistently wrong is a true mystery.

 

Hank

Edited December 14, 2016 by Hlitner

[AussieOmni]

Yeah, I wonder too if being a travel writer might provide a person with a few more perks if the cruise line knows that you could promote them. We have been told many times the ship was sold out and there were no extra cabins.

 

 

 

We were on P&O once and had a horrible grease smell in the cabin around lunch and dinner time when they started cooking. Even the staff couldn't stand being in our room. There were no other cabins but we did get a very substantial OBC and the smell went away after a few days. There were no extra cabins.

 

 

As a journalist myself. Most of the time when I review (food or travel) I don't let people know who I am, allows you to give an honest review.

 

 

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[crystalspin]

Hank: Hi-5!

 

If you want a balcony, especially the one you want, book early. If you want to save on it, book early and watch the line's website AND the line's subforum here on CC.

 

Not sure I have seen the No Vacancy signs but I have been offered (and took it) a balcony upsell from OV in the weeks before sailing. Pretty sure line didn't wait until after boarding to fill the higher-end cabins.

[clarkg]

The only balconies left, if any, are going to be under the basketball court or over the theater. Both bad locations. Most cruise lines offer upgrades to regular cruises and put them in the balconies because most of the last minute bookings are going to be insides. If you want a balcony, book one and choose the one you want.

[Vampire Parrot]

What a dreadful article!

 

Unfortunately far too many people think "It's on the internet, therefore it must be true" :(

 

VP