When my bargain basement cruise goes into YOLO mode!

[SwimCarrie]

I originally booked an aft interior cabin thinking, "Hey, any cabin is a good cabin when I'm on a cruise! Woohoo, cruising again!" Then about 3 days later, I thought, "Oh, maybe I'll get an upgrade!" Then a few days after that, I found myself obsessively checking this page for people bragging about their upgrades, (but mostly heard crickets), so I panicked! I continued to check the prices and decided an upgrade from an obstructed oceanview would probably result in a decent upgrade to at least an oceanview, so I changed to that. Next, I obsessively checked out how many cabins are available (so many!) and thought, maybe I should pay for an oceanview and get upgrade to a balcony? I started daydreaming about the balcony and clearly a balcony is the only way to go! So last night, I checked rates for the umpteenth time and lo and behold, the price of a balcony went down!

 

And there you have my YOLO moment. Forget the upgrade...I'm spending the money, picking my cabin and sticking with it!!!! After all, think of all the money I saved on all those cancelled cruises! (Justify, justify, justify)

 

I'm sure my PVP thinks I'm a delight! 🤣

 

Get out there, fellow cruisers!!!! YOLO!

[Ombud]

4 minutes ago, SwimCarrie said:

I'm sure my PVP thinks I'm a delight! 🤣

I'm pretty sure mine's regretting each email 😅🤣😂

[AnyMajorCruiseDude]

We used to do this too!  Now we just book what we really want.  It’s just easier 

[Sea Hag]

I like this notion of "YOLO moment." I'm going to save that up to use on my hubby.

[jwattle]

17 minutes ago, SwimCarrie said:

I originally booked an aft interior cabin thinking, "Hey, any cabin is a good cabin when I'm on a cruise! Woohoo, cruising again!" Then about 3 days later, I thought, "Oh, maybe I'll get an upgrade!" Then a few days after that, I found myself obsessively checking this page for people bragging about their upgrades, (but mostly heard crickets), so I panicked! I continued to check the prices and decided an upgrade from an obstructed oceanview would probably result in a decent upgrade to at least an oceanview, so I changed to that. Next, I obsessively checked out how many cabins are available (so many!) and thought, maybe I should pay for an oceanview and get upgrade to a balcony? I started daydreaming about the balcony and clearly a balcony is the only way to go! So last night, I checked rates for the umpteenth time and lo and behold, the price of a balcony went down!

 

And there you have my YOLO moment. Forget the upgrade...I'm spending the money, picking my cabin and sticking with it!!!! After all, think of all the money I saved on all those cancelled cruises! (Justify, justify, justify)

 

I'm sure my PVP thinks I'm a delight! 🤣

 

Get out there, fellow cruisers!!!! YOLO!

That is the way to live, YOLO!!!!🥂

[Peckishpixie]

I feel so blessed to be able to afford vacations and it really brings so much joy to our lives. My partner and I have the in for a penny in for a pound rule when it comes to cruises. We always book the balcony, if we get at it before they are all gone the deluxe ones on the aft. You are already spending a few thousand dollars, whats a few hundred more to make it perfect?

[Daniel A]

Our very first cruise was a surprise retirement gift for DW.  I wanted it to be special so I booked a minisuite on Star Princess.  BIG MISTAKE!!!

 

Now, DW will not even consider anything on any ship on any line that doesn't have a balcony...  

 

We got a free upgrade to the Haven on a NCL Med cruise once.  Now, if we are sailing on NCL... well, you can guess the rest...🤑😏

[fluffybunny22]

8 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

Our very first cruise was a surprise retirement gift for DW.  I wanted it to be special so I booked a minisuite on Star Princess.  BIG MISTAKE!!!

 

Now, DW will not even consider anything on any ship on any line that doesn't have a balcony...  

 

We got a free upgrade to the Haven on a NCL Med cruise once.  Now, if we are sailing on NCL... well, you can guess the rest...🤑😏

I refuse to book anything higher than an aft facing balcony because if I give my husband a taste he expects it going forward. He refuses to travel in anything with out a balcony. Usually we book as soon as an itinerary is released so he can get his aft facing one.

[bjkTX]

40 minutes ago, Peckishpixie said:

I feel so blessed to be able to afford vacations and it really brings so much joy to our lives. My partner and I have the in for a penny in for a pound rule when it comes to cruises. We always book the balcony, if we get at it before they are all gone the deluxe ones on the aft. You are already spending a few thousand dollars, whats a few hundred more to make it perfect?

Couldn't agree more 🙂  After a few years of saying "no more cruises" we booked a British Isles cruise for next Sep for our 50th anniversary.  Originally looked at the 12 day version and made the comment IF one of our favorite cabins had been available I probably would have asked for a quote - but they were all gone.  Then I noticed C753 and C752 were both available on the 10 day version.  For us those aft facing corner balcony cabins make a cruise perfect.  Booked :-)

[Dreamer333]

16 hours ago, SwimCarrie said:

 Next, I obsessively checked out how many cabins are available (so many!) 

 

 

How do you check to see how many cabins are available?

[Ombud]

Started by always booking obstructed outside. Then PVP talked me into an unobstructed oceanview behind art gallery. So I'd only book P301 or P303. Then I got a free upgrade to balcony. Now I only book obstructed balcony where the obstruction is looking down. Then I was offered a free upgrade to a mini-suite.  So glad I didn't get to go or my new 'minimum category' would be a mini-suite.  Lifestyle creep. when I get the one I want (E321 or E325 on Royal Class) I mark it NO UPGRADE and refuse moves.

 

But I still look for more OBC. Used to pay $$$$ at the end, recently $0

 

Edited September 30, 2021 by Ombud

[cruisequeen4ever]

Enjoy your balcony!!

[awhcruiser]

No chance on our cruise when a balcony cabin costs $1000 pp more than an inside.

[Steelers36]

A Balcony is nice if we can get a decent sized-one at good value.  We are happy with our usual Inside.  Don't spend a lot of time in the cabin outside of sleeping, bathroom, dressing.  We like having plenty of funds to book small-group/private tours for a more personal experience.  Highest category we have been in this far is a Deluxe Obstructed (tried that as a GTY once and didn't get anything better).  So far, the odd Balcony hasn't stopped us from going back.  We have never had an Oceanview - prefer not to be down that low.  But there is a cabin for everyone and the ship sells out in normal times.  When Sanctuary came out, we were still regularly cruising in Caribbean and I preferred putting my money there and keeping the Inside.  Now, on Royal Class, most of the balconies are very small.  The largest we ever had was a Caribe one on the Golden.

 

[SwimCarrie]

6 hours ago, Dreamer333 said:

How do you check to see how many cabins are available?

I just keep looking at the sailing and seeing lots of open cabins.

[SwimCarrie]

52 minutes ago, awhcruiser said:

No chance on our cruise when a balcony cabin costs $1000 pp more than an inside.

Well, that is a deterrent! Lol.

[awhcruiser]

37 minutes ago, SwimCarrie said:

Well, that is a deterrent! Lol.

Yep.  Prices have only gone up since I booked this cruise almost a year ago!

[Steelers36]

After we booked in JAN 21 for OCT 22, the prices went up and up for most voyages, most of the time.  Recently, with a year to go, prices are now lower than they were in JAN.

 

[bjkTX]

9 hours ago, fluffybunny22 said:

I refuse to book anything higher than an aft facing balcony because if I give my husband a taste he expects it going forward. He refuses to travel in anything with out a balcony. Usually we book as soon as an itinerary is released so he can get his aft facing one.

Several years ago we booked a cruise with our favorite aft facing corner balcony cabin.  For many cruises we had booked mini suites because that's what I booked on our first cruise never expecting to do any others (23 and counting...) - but I much preferred the aft facing cabin.  Shortly before the cruise we were offered an upgrade to a mini-suite in a really good location - I said no - I was over ruled 🙂  Not long after that they called and offered a $100 upgrade to a full suite!  We took it and ended up with the aft facing suite right next to the cabin we had originally booked!  Once in a lifetime :-)

[Tedferg]

Our first cruise, Princess, was a balcony. TA said she'd enjoyed her balcony so much she would never change. We were upgraded tp a mini-suite but did not find the love seat that useful to pay for mini again. Mostly we book Aft and on Grand class that is convenient for Horizon.

 

Looking at a 5 day California Coastal on Ruby and Mid Ship is only $60 pp more.

 

7 Day Mexico Riviera Aft to Mid is just $69 pp more -

11 Day Baltic Aft to Mid is just $99 pp more.

 

I have not given location much thought previously. Aft was fine. Is Mid noticeably more convenient.

[Daniel A]

I'm just a little bit confused.  Are these posts citing 'upgrades' or 'upsells'?  How often does Princess offer free upgrades?  Princess has never yet offered us even an upsell never mind an upgrade.  Am I booking the wrong type of cabin?  I'll usually book a Deluxe Balcony on Royal Class or a minisuite on the smaller class ships.

[JF - retired RRT]

22 hours ago, Dreamer333 said:

How do you check to see how many cabins are available?

Start a "fake" booking. When you get to the "choose your cabin" page, you can see what's available to pick. 

That only gives you a guesstimate, since you have no way to see how many have a guarantee that hasn't been assigned, yet.

[bjkTX]

2 hours ago, Daniel A said:

I'm just a little bit confused.  Are these posts citing 'upgrades' or 'upsells'?  How often does Princess offer free upgrades?  Princess has never yet offered us even an upsell never mind an upgrade.  Am I booking the wrong type of cabin?  I'll usually book a Deluxe Balcony on Royal Class or a minisuite on the smaller class ships.

They don't do it enough to even think about it 🙂  We have 17 Princess cruises and it happened to us the one time - it was a dandy, but as everyone says, book the cabin you'll be happy with because that's the one you will end up in 99.9% of the time :-)

[Daniel A]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears you were referencing upsells in your post at #19?  If so, how often were you offered upsells from Princess?

[Tedferg]

38 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears you were referencing upsells in your post at #19?  If so, how often were you offered upsells from Princess?

We have never been offered an upgrade / upsell - I wonder if it is because we book through a TA. Perhaps offers do not get forwarded. I think Upsells require a quick response and maybe they get lost in the noise with TA.