Paid-for upgrades

[teenieleek]

I am booked on Regal for next summer but not in the category I want as it wasn’t available.  I have gambled the £100 deposit on being offered a club class from a mini-suite.  Those who have sailed often could maybe advise on whether I’m likely to be offered anything before final payment date.  Thanks.

[franktown]

Usually full suites and club class are some of the first to sell out.

[memoak]

There are not that many club class minis to be had and generally sell out. I have had better success being offered an upsell to a full suite from a mini club class

[teenieleek]

Thanks for the replies.  I asked when I booked to be put on the waiting list for a club class.  Will I be offered a full suite should one become available or should I phone and ask to be put on that list too?  Apologies if these are naive questions but last year was our first cruise with Princess, on Pacific, in a club class mini to Greenland and we really enjoyed it.  I hate standing in queues and loved eating whenever we chose.  Thus my gamble on an upgrade.  

[skynight]

1 hour ago, teenieleek said:

Thanks for the replies.  I asked when I booked to be put on the waiting list for a club class.  Will I be offered a full suite should one become available or should I phone and ask to be put on that list too?  Apologies if these are naive questions but last year was our first cruise with Princess, on Pacific, in a club class mini to Greenland and we really enjoyed it.  I hate standing in queues and loved eating whenever we chose.  Thus my gamble on an upgrade.  

If you want a full suite and none are available then you have to request to be placed on a waiting list. There may be some full suites available now. 

[teenieleek]

Thank you skynight, I know none is available now but I will phone and ask to be put on the list.  

[cr8tiv1]

You are fighting an uphill battle.  When the Regal replaced the Grand, they had to move everyone over.  Suites were in short demand after that move. Club Class  Mini-suites were in high demand.  Your only hope is that many booked passengers will be canceling due to COVID or other transportation nightmares.  

 

Which cruise are you currently booked on?

 

 

[teenieleek]

Cr8tiv1,

Booked for 18th September to Canada and New England.  It’s 24 nights so think I may well be losing my deposit but it’s a long time away and who knows what will happen in the meantime.  I shouldn’t have believed the booking agent who said there was a really good chance of an upgrade.  You live and learn.

[cruzsnooze]

8 hours ago, teenieleek said:

Cr8tiv1,

Booked for 18th September to Canada and New England.  It’s 24 nights so think I may well be losing my deposit but it’s a long time away and who knows what will happen in the meantime.  I shouldn’t have believed the booking agent who said there was a really good chance of an upgrade.  You live and learn.

So you won't go in the mini suite?

[teenieleek]

Not sure, makes me sound uppity I know but don’t fancy queuing for my dinner for 24 nights.  Although by this time next year I might be so desperate for a trip that I’d bunk in a lifeboat and eat ship’s biscuits!

[Daniel A]

1 hour ago, teenieleek said:

Not sure, makes me sound uppity I know but don’t fancy queuing for my dinner for 24 nights.  Although by this time next year I might be so desperate for a trip that I’d bunk in a lifeboat and eat ship’s biscuits!

If you didn't select anytime dining and request traditional dining instead, I don't believe you would need to queue for dinner.  You would have a pre-set time and table and waiters. 

[cruzsnooze]

1 hour ago, teenieleek said:

Not sure, makes me sound uppity I know but don’t fancy queuing for my dinner for 24 nights.  Although by this time next year I might be so desperate for a trip that I’d bunk in a lifeboat and eat ship’s biscuits!

I'm booked on the Canada New England 16 night cruise before you in a full suite so I understand the desirability of Club Class but I also would go in a regular mini if that's all I could get. Here's how I make my decision- .....a club class mini VS a regular mini price.......what is the difference in price? How many times can I eat at the specialty restaurant for dinner at their $29 price with that price difference.   Now I wouldn't eat at a specialty every night ( but would a few times)  but it puts in prospective what I'm paying in club class for the same menu as the regular dining room (with one extra dish). Breakfast and lunch tend to have no waiting time for open seating. 

  Port days usually have open seating with no wait because people stay in port or go to the buffet because they would miss their dinner time.. So how many dinner times would have you waiting in a que when you add up port days and specialty restaurant dinners and a buffet here and there. 

Edited September 25, 2020 by cruzsnooze

[waltd]

Princess doesn't seem to give as many upgrades as they use to.   I've seen more upsell offers so you might want to figure out how much more you are willing to spend if you get an upsell to a Club Class cabin.   Stick with a regular  mini and do traditional dining. Book early and pick the table size you desire.    Other then the first night there are no lines getting into traditional.   You will find if you go 5 minutes after the posted opening you walk right in.  

[cruzsnooze]

8 minutes ago, waltd said:

Princess doesn't seem to give as many upgrades as they use to.   I've seen more upsell offers so you might want to figure out how much more you are willing to spend if you get an upsell to a Club Class cabin.   Stick with a regular  mini and do traditional dining. Book early and pick the table size you desire.    Other then the first night there are no lines getting into traditional.   You will find if you go 5 minutes after the posted opening you walk right in.  

If you read the thread title he's not asking for a free upgrade but a PAID one .

[voljeep]

11 minutes ago, cruzsnooze said:

If you read the thread title he's not asking for a free upgrade but a PAID one .

FCD's FCC's Upgrade Upsell - kinda run together sometimes on Princess and here on CC

[waltd]

21 minutes ago, cruzsnooze said:

If you read the thread title he's not asking for a free upgrade but a PAID one .

I read the title and it's as clear as mud.   But thank you for clarifying  it for me.    Me bad.

[Daniel A]

3 minutes ago, waltd said:

I read the title and it's as clear as mud.   But thank you for clarifying  it for me.    Me bad.

To clear up the terminology, an 'upsell' is where you pay extra for the upgrade.  An 'upgrade' is when you get it for free.  I've read on these posts where very experienced Princess cruisers say there's no rhyme or reason behind who gets offered upsells or upgrades.  As I understand it, there is no way of enhancing one's chances of being offered either.  I've not heard of any kind of a waiting list for an upsell.  I've heard of some people getting an 'upgrade' to a higher category cabin without even being asked.  Sometimes they were not wanted as the original cabin was exactly where they wanted to be.  We are booked in a minisuite exactly where we want to be on an upcoming cruise.  We had our TA code our booking to indicate we wouldn't accept any upgrades.  I hope this helps.

[voljeep]

28 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

  I've read on these posts where very experienced Princess cruisers say there's no rhyme or reason behind who gets offered upsells or upgrades.

First time cruisers so Princess can 'set the hook' for future cruises ?

 

on our 'drive to port' - we've accepted both a "move over" and an "upsell ( BB to PH ) - not sure if that helps us for future offers or not, but at least Princess knows we at least look at them

 

we did 'reject' an upsell from an inside to a mini at a ridiculous price ...

[teenieleek]

So sorry that I’ve confused folks with my inaccurate terminology.  I said upgrade when I should have said upsell.  Upsell is a word I didn’t know existed.  Cruzsnooze (good name) makes a good argument about decision making and it makes a lot of sense except we ate in Sabatini’s last year and weren’t impressed.  Didn’t try the steak house.  Maybe there are others on the bigger ships.  I will look at that.  

 

I am grateful that people have taken the time to give me their thoughts.

 P.S. I’m a girl (or was once).

[teenieleek]

For Daniel A, there is definitely a list for upsells.  We were on it and got one last year but it was within three weeks of sailing.  Mini to cc mini which was what we wanted in the first place.  The lesson here is book early to get what you want.

[jennybenny]

In the past I’ve had success in making a booking for a wait listed category.  This was a holiday cruise in 2014. At the time I couldn’t book a room for 4, like I needed, and I was willing to pay the refundable deposit.

We received our wait listed category after final payment was due and people dropped out of their bookings. 
However, I did check in regularly with Princess to check on the status of my wait listed cruise. They never contacted me. I found out during one of those calls that there was a cabin available. We had every possible category we were willing to take on our wait listed reservation. It’s possible my available waitlisted cabin would have eventually lead to a call from Princess but I find it’s better to be proactive unless you don’t care if you do or don’t go.
So, I’d add all available categories to your wait list and call regularly to check if anything is available.

[teenieleek]

Thanks jennybenny, will do.

[Tak8]

Especially with the FCCs from all the cancelled cruises, I can't imagine there are going to be many paid or free upgrades.  Add to that, cruises will sail less than full capacity and the odds are very small.

[Daniel A]

1 hour ago, teenieleek said:

For Daniel A, there is definitely a list for upsells.  We were on it and got one last year but it was within three weeks of sailing.  Mini to cc mini which was what we wanted in the first place.  The lesson here is book early to get what you want.

Was that a waitlist for 'upsells' or was that a waitlist for that category of cabin?  I think upsells usually involve a last minute opportunity to move to a higher category at somewhat of a discount.  I have never waitlisted a cabin before.  Does it work like a rebooking where you would be paying the currently listed fare for the cabin or is it discounted so Princess can fill the cabin?

[teenieleek]

It was a waiting list for that particular category of cabin. We were on the list from the day we booked (nearly a year in advance), as were the friends we were holidaying with.  They got the desired cabin weeks before we did but it all worked out in the end.  We paid for the upgrade, £300 pp for eighteen nights.  It wasn’t a rebooking just an amendment. I don’t know if this is relevant but we hadn’t been allocated a cabin number before that, just guaranteed a mini suite.  We do have a cabin number this year so that might make a difference.  I’m not sure how it all works which was why I asked the original question.