How soon after a cruise's final payment date will upgrade offers arrive?

[farjar]

The final payment date for our upcoming cruise has now passed.  I'm assuming Carnival now knows who is going and who is not.  Any guesses how long before upgrade offers might be sent out?  Thanks.

[cruisingguy007]

The closer to sailing the better the odds. That said, there isn't always an upgrade available. Demand for the sailing and the respective cabin categories will be the deciding factors.   

[RD64]

Upgrade offers should not be an expectation - they may never arrive.

[bamaone]

17 minutes ago, RD64 said:

Upgrade offers should not be an expectation - they may never arrive.

They’ve never arrived for me. I’m not even sure they really exist. Could be a big hoax.

Edited June 22, 2022 by bamaone

[lazydayz]

It seems like most of the upgrade offers are to those in interior and oceanview cabins.  We usually book balconies and rarely receive an upgrade offer from Carnival.  

[mtchg]

I am Platinum, though my upcoming October cruise is my first in a few years. I have never been offered any upgrade, whether free or reduced price. But I know it occurs. I don't expect it or much care at this point.

[pc_load_letter]

Nothing was sent to us per se. We logged in to the website and my wife said there was an upgrade offer. Like stated above, we had an oceanview (4 night on Radiance) room and the upgrade was $140 total to upgrade to a balcony. We took the offer.

 

 

[Elaine5715]

Upsell calls have nothing to do with payment status or VIFP or offers or how much they like you.  Upsells are for the benefit of Carnival so they can move higher priced vacant staterooms or they need it (or one similar) for another guest and so they can resell your original booked cabin.  If you want to increase your chances, book one half of a connected stateroom.  Of course, the odds are good you will be sailing in a connected stateroom with strangers on the other side.  

[Knights on the Beach]

45 minutes ago, lazydayz said:

It seems like most of the upgrade offers are to those in interior and oceanview cabins.  We usually book balconies and rarely receive an upgrade offer from Carnival.  

We had a Lido deck 16 balcony cabin on Mardi Gras in December and had an upgrade offer for a suite on deck 9 for something like $600 more. On MG, cabin location is much more important to us than the cabin type so we passed. Currently we have an inside Lido cabin on Carnival Freedom booked for October and have a $60 upgrade offer to oceanview on deck 2. Still going to pass because we'd rather be on Lido.

[StevenLucia]

Certainly wouldn't hold my breath for any upgrades.  We've been on 35 cruises with Carnival and only received upgrade offers twice.

[Essiesmom]

I booked a 1A inside solo on Ecstasy (I think) from Jax, knowing Spirit was being subbed and I would get a better cabin.  I was assigned a 4K former French door inside.  I had an upgrade offer for balcony $100, but I declined as I already had the space I wanted.  EM

[WendyVF]

I am booked for my 22nd Carnival cruise in September.  Final payment is due Monday.  Yesterday, for the first time ever, I received an email with an upgrade offer.  $340 from an inside to a balcony on a 6 day cruise.  I'm still debating but will probably decline.  

[Virga]

The only upgrade offer I've ever received came in about two months BEFORE final payment is due.  The offer was something like $42 to go from an inside to an oceanview.  We do not value oceanview cabins at all, so we didn't take them up on it. 

[sparks1093]

We received our upsell call about 3 weeks before our February cruise on Legend. $300 to go from a balcony to a Vista suite for three people. I didn't spend much time thinking about it.

[ProgRockCruiser]

In all the sailings we've done, we have received exactly one upgrade offer (and it was not at all worthwhile - additional cost would have taken it to current pricing anyway).  Possibly because we select very specific cabins like aft balconies, and Carnival doesn't see the point in offering an upgrade?

[Florings]

We have received upgrade offers, usually via emails, but also shows on cruise manager if they are being offered.    From porthole to balcony on the same Deck for $150.  I took it.   Then a couple of weeks later, from that balcony to a junior suite.  I did not take that one.

 

We generally book porthole cabins, which are few.  So we do receive upgrade offers on occasion.

[Elaine5715]

19 minutes ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

In all the sailings we've done, we have received exactly one upgrade offer (and it was not at all worthwhile - additional cost would have taken it to current pricing anyway).  Possibly because we select very specific cabins like aft balconies, and Carnival doesn't see the point in offering an upgrade?

No reason to offer you an upsell.  

[Elaine5715]

1 hour ago, WendyVF said:

I am booked for my 22nd Carnival cruise in September.  Final payment is due Monday.  Yesterday, for the first time ever, I received an email with an upgrade offer.  $340 from an inside to a balcony on a 6 day cruise.  I'm still debating but will probably decline.  

Don't wait too long. That upsell offer goes out to your potential neighbors also.  

[carohs]

I received one a few weeks before paid in full. $166 from inside to Oceanview. Did not take it because I don't like the lower decks. Also, they only offered it for one of the two rooms in my reservation. Never would I move half my party to another section of the ship, ***** Carnival?

[Elaine5715]

1 hour ago, carohs said:

I received one a few weeks before paid in full. $166 from inside to Oceanview. Did not take it because I don't like the lower decks. Also, they only offered it for one of the two rooms in my reservation. Never would I move half my party to another section of the ship, ***** Carnival?

Carnival is looking only at specific cabins, not people in them.  Usually when the offer is for a booked inside, they are looking to put a family's minor children in your selected stateroom so they can resell it to the family and upsell the original occupants (you) to a underselling category.

[KnEcruisers]

My last cruise in 2019, I booked an interior room. Got an “upgrade” offer to go to a balcony…. For an additional $700.00….. no thanks…. Def not worth it at that price…. That was my one and only upgrade offer for 4 cruises

[pohlerbear]

We received our first upgrade offer ever last month- it was about a week before our cruise.  I got an email and a voicemail from Carnival. Returned the call and it was a great deal

[ChuckF]

Had a friend just get back from a Viking cruise.  He asked for an upgrade at Guest Services once on-board and got one.  Has anyone ever heard of this working on Carnival??

 

[cruisingguy007]

4 minutes ago, ChuckF said:

Had a friend just get back from a Viking cruise.  He asked for an upgrade at Guest Services once on-board and got one.  Has anyone ever heard of this working on Carnival??

 

 

People have claimed this but I don't believe it. Just don't see it and all the hassles it would cause for Carnival aren't worth it. Imagine the headache? Plus unthankful folks who would come to "expect it" and would book lower categories on purpose and then complain when they didn't get their way. Guest services is crowded enough on embarkation. This would be a nightmare.     

[vwrestler171]

Final payment is still 2 months away for my cruise and we have already received upgrade offers.