First Upgrade Offer! Laughed At It!

[sunsetbeachgal]

I can't answer about gratuities but I can tell you that if you have travel insurance the price will go up for the additional amount of the upsell

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Richncomp]

I am sailing on the Majestic Princess on May 14 and was recently offered an upsell offer from a deluxe obstructed balcony to a mini suite for $99pp ($198 solo) for the seven day cruise. I thought this was a bargain, as it was over a $1000 value. I took it for the extra space, tub, larger bathroom, larger closet shelves, larger desk, full size sofa, larger balcony table to enjoy breakfast. No, I don't need an extra TV, but the extra space and the comfort that a mini provides will now allow me to invite the friends I am traveling with to come and enjoy drinks before dinner, whereas I could not do that before, Yes, I had to pay all of $11 more for insurance, and a whole $1 a day more in gratuities, but I thought it was a great deal, so I took it. Yes, each to their own, but at that price, SOLD! I don't think I would have paid $500.

[sperkins921]

Curious, does whether you use a TA have any affect (or in this case is it effect?) on whether one is offered an upsell? Does the line call directly, or call the TA?

[Pierlesscruisers]

Curious, does whether you use a TA have any affect (or in this case is it effect?) on whether one is offered an upsell? Does the line call directly, or call the TA?

 

I don't believe it makes any difference whether you use a TA or not. My wife and I have never used one but we've been offered two upgrades. Took one of them but was unable to take the other one.

 

Tom

[dtb55]

Actually, it's $500 that they are wanting me to purchase on a bath tub and an additional TV. That's no bargain IMHO. It's laughable to me and DH.

 

 

 

Unless it was an upsell to a club class mini I agree with you. That $500 could be better spent elsewhere.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Musky Ike]

Curious, does whether you use a TA have any affect (or in this case is it effect?) on whether one is offered an upsell? Does the line call directly, or call the TA?

 

For and upsell it would depend on your TA and how good they are at timely passing on information. As far as I know, offers go through them with no notification directly to you from Princess.

[sunsetbeachgal]

If you booked direct with Princess it is an email with price and a phone number to call if interested.

 

We have taken one upsell which we felt was once in a lifetime as it was to a full suite, several other upsell offers no. None of the ones that we declined to pursue resulted in a free upgrade so assume others jumped on it!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[nhsails]

A free upgrade. I read about people here getting free upgrades. The upgrade fairy called, blah, blah, blah. Well, the upgrade fairy called and the deal sucked.

Because the Upgrade Fairy didn't call. The Upsale Agent did. Jeez

[stoneharborlady]

I never book any cabin below a mini because of the extra room. That second TV comes in a separate room with a sofa and chair and coffee table. Balcony cabins don't have 2 comfortable chairs, just the one barrel shaped chair and a desk chair. For a 10 day cruise $250 PP was a super deal by my standards. Glad you won't take any upsells because you leave them available to people who want them. I have never turned down an upsell, which is from a mini to a full suite and usually is a four digits figure.

 

 

In the Emerald deck mini we had aboard the Caribbean Princess the "separate room" was not really separate, but just a continuation of the bed area. So the second TV was just a scant few feet from the one in the bed section. You really could not turn on both at once, or the sound from one TV would be at war with the sound from the second if you had on two different channels. I never really got the point of having two, just feet from each other, with no wall separating them. Now the larger bathroom, yes, that is a selling point.

[HappyCruiserettu]

In the Emerald deck mini we had aboard the Caribbean Princess the "separate room" was not really separate, but just a continuation of the bed area. So the second TV was just a scant few feet from the one in the bed section. You really could not turn on both at once, or the sound from one TV would be at war with the sound from the second if you had on two different channels. I never really got the point of having two, just feet from each other, with no wall separating them. Now the larger bathroom, yes, that is a selling point.

 

In my experience, one tv is oriented toward the seating area, the other toward the bed. We wouldn't likely have both on at the same time, unless one was tuned to the nav/weather channel. Then I would mute the sound for that TV.

[Thrak]

Curious, does whether you use a TA have any affect (or in this case is it effect?) on whether one is offered an upsell? Does the line call directly, or call the TA?

 

The two actual upgrades I received were when I didn't use a TA. The three upsells were when I was using a TA and I was contacted by my TA immediately when the upsells became available. I am certain that there was no correlation at all and I would have received the upgrades if I had been using the TA. The upsells I might have missed or might not have missed depending on whether or not I was checking or not. Princess let the TA know about the upsells and my TA was on top of it.

 

 

To be fair, my TA is available by phone whether he is in town or not. I have called him and left a message and gotten a call back within 5 minutes and it turned out he was across the country from me. (I'm in California and he was in Chicago for some reason at the time.) Very responsive and on top of things. Your experience with a different TA may well be very different.

[elliair]

On a late-June 10-day sailing out of San Francisco, the price difference between a balcony and a mini is $900 pp. Obviously, somebody out there has a different notion of value than you or else the minis would be priced differently.

 

And by those standards, you were being offered a bargain. Condolences that Princess didn't grasp that you deserved something you hadn't paid for.

 

We never asked for anything nor do we believe we are entitled to anything but what we paid for. Princess can do a sell job on anyone that wants to take the bait. After all these years of cruising why would they think we would take the offer of $500 more for a TV and a bath tub. Someone mentioned some champagne, no thanks. I just raise an eyebrow now at people who claim to get a fantastic upgrade and paid nothing for it. To the OP, why do you think that Princess didn't grasp that I deserved something I hadn't paid for? After all, many stories of people here getting something for nothing, I say BS.

[Thrak]

We never asked for anything nor do we believe we are entitled to anything but what we paid for. Princess can do a sell job on anyone that wants to take the bait. After all these years of cruising why would they think we would take the offer of $500 more for a TV and a bath tub. Someone mentioned some champagne, no thanks. I just raise an eyebrow now at people who claim to get a fantastic upgrade and paid nothing for it. To the OP, why do you think that Princess didn't grasp that I deserved something I hadn't paid for? After all, many stories of people here getting something for nothing, I say BS.

 

You may call me an @$$ or any other nasty thing you may care to call me but call me a liar and we will have major difficulties. I don't give a damn if you wanted your upsell or didn't want it - that is up to you but don't even imply that I am being dishonest regarding free upgrades. There is absolutely no call for it and there is no place for it here on these boards. I received two "absolutely free" upgrades.

 

 

On Star Princess in 2012 I was upgraded - for free and without asking - from Cabin E201 (at that time classed as BE but these days classed as BF) to Cabin A408 which is classed as a BB category.

 

On Crown Princess in 2015 I was upgraded - for free and without asking - from Cabin L249 which is classed as IF to Cabin C301 which is classed as B2.

 

I have the booking docs on my computer and just checked them to verify the categories. "Raise an eyebrow" all you like. Free upgrades are no longer as common as they once were but they are not a myth and for you to "call BS" is insulting and extremely rude to boot.

[shepp]

I just raise an eyebrow now at people who claim to get a fantastic upgrade and paid nothing for it. To the OP, why do you think that Princess didn't grasp that I deserved something I hadn't paid for? After all, many stories of people here getting something for nothing, I say BS.

 

On the Royal's inaugural Transatlantic, hubby and I boarded and only then found out we'd been upgraded from the lowliest inside to a nice balcony. For free. Believe it or not, as you wish; I couldn't care less. At the time, I thought it was maybe because we'd told Princess it was our honeymoon cruise. But maybe we earned it by being nice. Or just by not being nasty.

 

And yes, from the content and your tone of your postings here, it's pretty clear that you take Princess offering you a $900 upgrade at a 70% discount instead of a 100% discount as a personal slight. You know, an "I scornfully laugh at your miserable offer" kind of thing. Like I said, by my count I've been on more Princess cruises than you, and if I book a guarantee and get precisely the category I booked while others have gotten nice complementary upgrades, I don't get all shirty about it.

[cdngrl]

i wouldn't have taken the OP's offer because i travel solo and don't need the space. sorry you feel slighted but like thrak said (i'm agreeing with you a lot today!), don't call me a liar.

i book interiors and half the time only guarantees are left. i have been upgraded for free to obstructed views, ocean views and once (probably never to be repeated) a caribe balcony.

[pablo222]

Marking your booking no upgrade pretty much guarantees that you will not get an free upgrade offer.

 

There are many, many posts here lamenting 'upgrades' people have received even after checking no upgrade.

[pablo222]

After all, many stories of people here getting something for nothing, I say BS.

 

Speaking of BS, I thought you told us you would never cruise on a carnival corporation line again.

 

And, yet you seem to keep having issues with princess, a carnival corporation line.

[GUT2407]

Because the Upgrade Fairy didn't call. The Upsale Agent did. Jeez

Seems to be too hard for someone to grasp;p:o

[azbirdmom]

We never asked for anything nor do we believe we are entitled to anything but what we paid for. Princess can do a sell job on anyone that wants to take the bait. After all these years of cruising why would they think we would take the offer of $500 more for a TV and a bath tub. Someone mentioned some champagne, no thanks. I just raise an eyebrow now at people who claim to get a fantastic upgrade and paid nothing for it. To the OP, why do you think that Princess didn't grasp that I deserved something I hadn't paid for? After all, many stories of people here getting something for nothing, I say BS.

 

What sell job? Upsells consist of a single email with a PDF attachment describing the offer. You can choose to call them back or hit the delete key and move on which is what I do with any unwanted emails.

[tl12356]

Our cruising experience has always left us very happy and comfortable in Balcony.

As long as the restroom is clean and in working order, good bedding, we are good to go. 98 % of our trip is not in the cabin...

Tv...what's that...Tub..haven used one since i was 10 years old.

Free....yeah, we'll take it..........$250-$500 thats for other things...Next trip....

[waltd]

What sell job? Upsells consist of a single email with a PDF attachment describing the offer. You can choose to call them back or hit the delete key and move on which is what I do with any unwanted emails.

I agree, you get an email asking if you want an upgrade with the price. All you have to do is say yes or no. I wonder if the OP has ever seen a mini suite. All she keeps saying is you get a TV and bathtub. Mini Suites have the extra space which makes the longer cruises a lot more enjoyable.

[4cats4me]

 

Free upgrades are no longer as common as they once were but they are not a myth and for you to "call BS" is insulting and extremely rude to boot.

 

 

I agree.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Thrak]

I agree, you get an email asking if you want an upgrade with the price. All you have to do is say yes or no. I wonder if the OP has ever seen a mini suite. All she keeps saying is you get a TV and bathtub. Mini Suites have the extra space which makes the longer cruises a lot more enjoyable.

 

I don't usually sail in a mini as I don't want to spend the extra money and am happy in a "lesser" cabin but I can say that I have sailed in a mini (once) and loved the extra space. The TV and tub didn't do all that much for me but the sofa and extra space were really nice to have. I took the mini as an upsell. :rolleyes:

Edited April 9, 2017 by Thrak

[cflutist]

To the OP, it is not BS. Years ago we got a complimentary upgrade from a balcony to a mini suite on the old Regal Princess where the minis were the size of the current PH suites. In January 2015 we paid full price to sail in PH suite to Mexico. In March I had to cancel our May cruise to Alaska because I underwent an unexpected craniotomy to remove a walnut sized brain tumor. In October 2015, all Captain's Circle Elite and Platinum members booked in a mini suite were offered an upsell via email to a full suite for 399 pp for a 7 night CA Coastal. I jumped on it, called them expecting to leave a message but they answered and we were able to book the same suite C415 that we had earlier, but for a lot less money. Others might say why book a suite since we also get Elite perks? Well we like having the extra space.

[Kenswing]

This has been quite the entertaining thread. Thanks..

 

As far as free upgrades.. OP you are so far out of line calling people liars who have received them. I know for a fact that they exist since we have received two.