The Upsell eMail

[Drinal01]

So I have read a few posts about getting an upsell email from Carnival.

 

What is typical with this?  Who typically gets it (only certain status...anyone?)  Are they typically good deals or like only $100 off?  When does it typically get sent...  days before leave or months or is there "no typical" at all?

 

 

[jdepetris]

My friend got the email this week, the cruise is 355 days away.  She is booked for a balcony on 7th floor the offer was for the 9th floor for $12 more.  She did not take it as we are booked for the 7th floor and want to be close

[disfan13]

It's random. 

[HillBilly Bob]

You will only be contacted re: upsell when they have empty cabins.   You have decided on your original cabin and the upsell might be a non desirable location.  Use with caution.  

[ochelli]

Recieved upsale from an excellent cove balcony to balcony  near back of deck 15 on my Madri gras January 9th 2021 cruise. 38.00 total. I didn’t accept since I picked this cabin and sailing with friends and have 3 cabins  together. On of the others in our group was offered upgrade and declined 2 weeks ago. 

[wrcjr98]

My upsell offer was $1160 to go from a balcony (for 2) on the 9th floor to a suite on the 7th floor.  I declined.  Our offer came 8 months before sailing - Our daughter was given the same offer, but hers was $1600 since they have a cabin for 3.  She declined as well.  My son and his wife were offered an upgrade from an interior room on the 9th deck to an outside cabin on the 2nd deck for $350 - also declined - This is my 6th cruise on Carnival, and the first time I've been offered an upgrade.

[jimbo5544]

There are several factors that influence up sell offers.  The primary one is how that particular sailing is selling.  It used to matter how you booked, but that is no true anymore.  The next factor is type of room booked.  There is also a tie to how many cruises you have taken, but low on the scale.   

[RWolver672]

We were just offered an upsell for our Mardi Gras cruise which was to the day, a year from now.  We are booked on Deck 16 in a balcony.  Brother and SIL are booked in a cabin next to us.  We were offered a suite on Deck 11 for $1138 additional. Comparing it to what we originally paid and what the current pricing for that suite is, it was a savings of roughly $160. 

 

We chose Deck 16 because that's where we wanted to be.  That and a Jr Suite is not that much bigger than a regular balcony cabin plus the gratuities are more in a suite.  

 

Their big selling point was that with a suite, you get priority check in and boarding.  We are Platinum and already get that.  Needless to say, we didn't even give that upsell a thought.  Had to laugh that when I hit "Decline Offer" it said "You won't be offered this opportunity again."  

[Earthworm Jim]

I got one long ago for my cruise next week, and a few days ago got one for my end of February 2021 cruise. Both upgrade offers were exactly the same - $21 each (so $42 total) to go from my cove balcony to a regular balcony  on a higher deck. In both cases the cabin they offered in the email I didn't think was in a desirable location. But both times I just called and they gave multiple other cabin location options, one of which I took.

 

My assumption is since the cove balconies are the cheapest balconies, and there aren't that many of them, they want to keep them available so they have a attractive price available when the websites say balconies start at $xxx price.

Edited February 22, 2020 by Earthworm Jim

[jimbo5544]

2 hours ago, Earthworm Jim said:

I got one long ago for my cruise next week, and a few days ago got one for my end of February 2021 cruise. Both upgrade offers were exactly the same - $21 each (so $42 total) to go from my cove balcony to a regular balcony  on a higher deck. In both cases the cabin they offered in the email I didn't think was in a desirable location. But both times I just called and they gave multiple other cabin location options, one of which I took.

 

My assumption is since the cove balconies are the cheapest balconies, and there aren't that many of them, they want to keep them available so they have a attractive price available when the websites say balconies start at $xxx price.

Your assumption is right on.  They get a little more from you and entice others at the entry level

[FLCruisinMom]

We booked a cruise last weekend that leaves next weekend. I got a call not an email this past Tuesday offering an upgrade from OV deck 2 to OS deck 7 for $100 total. It was a no brainer- we took it. Not sure it matters but we are Platinum.

[Djptcp]

We normally do not book cruises way out because it depends on the good casino deals I receive and most we take are within weeks or a few months of sailing. The upsell emails I receive are usually very cheap (eg. $44 total to go from an ocean view to a balcony in a location we want) and we take them. They are probably random but I'd like to think I get them because we are going on our 39th Carnival cruise, 55th overall, on Monday and are Carnival loyals and Platinum.

[bmwdod02]

I typically get 1-2 of these "upgrade" emails for every cruise I book. Usually, I look up the retail rate of what they are offering and find that it isn't a great deal. I have, only once, in my cruise history actually received an offer that was too good to pass up. 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

Do upsell offers ever come to those who use a ta?

[jimbo5544]

5 minutes ago, PrincessArlena'sDad said:

Do upsell offers ever come to those who use a ta?

Yes, although the TA version is fairly new. 

Edited February 22, 2020 by jimbo5544

[RWolver672]

16 hours ago, PrincessArlena'sDad said:

Do upsell offers ever come to those who use a ta?

 

16 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

Yes, although the TA version is fairly new. 

 

In 2003, we had six balcony cabins in a row booked on the Empress Deck of the Conquest.  One day I was looking at our booking and noticed that our cabin was now on the Panorama Deck.  I called our TA to find out what happened.  She had no idea so she called Carnival and they said that the one cabin that we had three guys in had been changed to a two person cabin.  Carnival called the first couple alphabetically in our group and asked if it was OK to move all of us up for free.  They agreed so Carnival upgraded all of us.  That was the first and last time that we ever got a deal like that.

[boomhower]

They run the gamut.  Ive gotten embarrassing ones where it was massively expensive, didn’t price it but likely more than to have just booked it to start with to the polar opposite.  We once got upgraded to a suite for free.  We dont bite unless it’s a crazy deal.   $300 for a balcony ain’t happening, needs to be less than $100 as the location is assured to be less than preferred.