Upgrading to balcony after boarding

[Sarachan74]

So we booked our cruise almost exactly a year ago and we still have about 13 months left til it sets sails.  Many things have changed since we originally booked, and we are looking at upgrading to a balcony when we get on board?  How much of a difference does it make waiting realistically speaking?

[tallnthensome]

That won't happen. You have to bid on upgrades. 

Edited August 3, 2021 by tallnthensome

[Two Wheels Only]

...or upgrade now before the balcony category is sold out. 

[BirdTravels]

8 minutes ago, Sarachan74 said:

So we booked our cruise almost exactly a year ago and we still have about 13 months left til it sets sails.  Many things have changed since we originally booked, and we are looking at upgrading to a balcony when we get on board?  How much of a difference does it make waiting realistically speaking?

"I am sorry, the ship is fully booked and no room exchanges are available". That is the permanent sign on the Guest Services desk on all ships. NCL will not entertain any room changes onboard. If you wish to upgrade, you must participate in the Upgrade Advantage program and bid on your room upgrade. 

[deliver42]

I think all the cruise lines use the same sign.

[Alegeeter]

Since you’re still 13 months out you can just rebook now at the current balcony rates.

[ClevelandCruisin]

Never happen once on board. Even at 60% capacity,  they still won't switch your room once you're on the ship.

[SomewhereGirl]

I once switched balconies on an NCL ship.  Another time a few days into an NCL cruise I asked if there were any vacant cabins where I could sleep to get away from a snoring travelling companion.  I want to say they would've let me have the other cabin for a couple hundred dollars.  I declined and suffered on.

 

So never say never, but don't count on it.  I'm sure they keep a couple cabins vacant in case something goes wrong in a cabin.

[Yinster]

9 hours ago, ClevelandCruisin said:

Never happen once on board. Even at 60% capacity,  they still won't switch your room once you're on the ship.

Not quite true. Like someone else said, there will be a few empty cabins in case there's an issue with yours. 

 

On our first cruise, water leaked from the bathroom. We were given another cruise but declined as it was a smaller cabin and worst location. In the end they fitted new carpet in the cabin and we were given OBC.

 

Remember even at 100% capacity, this doesn't mean all cabins are sold out but rather occupancy is full. Some cabins will have more than 2 people in them. It's all about fitting everyone in lifeboats.

 

But to the original question, you need to bid online to upgrade or switch cabins to a balcony now. It won't happen once you are onboard

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 3, 2021 by Yinster

[LaCal]

Call in now and pay to upgrade to a balcony 

 

you can’t do it onboard 

[complawyer]

why take the chance, if you really want a balcony, just book it. you dont  necessarily need the club suite, but a balcony cabin shouldnt be much more than an oceanview. its your vacation, splurge a little more on the cabin, and maybe cut back a little on the frills. check your itinerary, instead of booking a shore excursion through the ship, there are usually boatloads (pun intended) of cabs hovering on the docks, or various shore excursion offers. sometimes, i just take the brochure of an offered excursion, show it to a cabdriver, ask how much it costs (usually you can negotiate) and have him take us around. cheaper, and you arent sharing a bus with 30 of your closest friends.

 

go  on, live a little

[HowardK]

In the past sometimes if the ship wasn't full I was able to upgrade from a studio to a balcony the week before cheaply.

[JamieLogical]

As others have said, upgrades once on board generally do not happen. You should definitely call and offer to pay the difference now or wait until 80 days prior to sailing to receive your Upgrade Advantage offer and bid for an upgrade.