Cabin Upgrades - Iona

[studentcruiser23]

Hi, 

 

I am due to travel on Iona in the new year and at the time of booking, we chose to go with the inside cabin as it was the cheaper option. However, this is something we are now regretting as we do not like the idea of being in a room with no natural light at all. We chose the select fare as this allowed for us to have the coach included and we liked the possibility of having the cabin upgrade. What are the chances of being offered an upgrade and if there is a chance, how far in advance is such an upgrade communicated to us? Is it possible to contact P&O to upgrade or do we have to wait to see if one is offered? Also, if a cabin upgrade is available, am I correct in thinking that with the select price, this is free?

 

sorry for all the questions!!

[smilesonfaces]

If you booked direct with P & O there is the option to bid for an upgrade.( It is supposed to be being rolled out to travel agents but I’m not sure if this has happened yet) 

invitations are sent out from 81 days before your cruise. The  bid page will show you the minimum bid price acceptable. I bid £10 over the minimum and was successful. You place a bid and you should be notified if you have been successful but this may not  be until about a week before your cruise. Your bid is not guaranteed so it’s a gamble. 

 

Alternatively  ring whoever you booked with for a price. The price is based on what it would have cost when you originally booked. 
 

I believe upgrades are quite rare now. If you are upgraded it is more likely to just be a grade upgrade ie the same type of cabin to a “better” area of the ship rather than from inside to a balcony. P & O’s idea of an upgrade isn’t necessarily going to be the same as the passenger either ! 
 

if you particularly want a balcony I would be ringing who you have booked with for a price. I think an upgrade from inside to balcony is highly unlikely. 

 

 

[Selbourne]

Excellent advice from @smilesonfaces which I agree with. 
 

Upgrades (which, as has been said, may just be to a more midships cabin of the same type) used to be free. There may be the odd free upgrade now but they will be very rare following the introduction of the ‘bid to upgrade’ system.

 

There are two problems with the bid to upgrade system. Firstly, if successful, P&O determine where your cabin will be. As many of the prime cabins will be snapped up by those booking Select fares, there’s a chance that you might end up in a poor position (such as above or below a source of noise disturbance). Secondly, I have seen no compelling evidence yet that the prices quoted for these upgrades are genuine bargains. A few people have quoted what their total outlay has been (original price plus upgrade) and I have often booked a Select fare for their upgraded cabin type for less. Just because the difference in price may be less than it was at the time someone booked doesn’t necessarily make it a bargain if they booked at an expensive time (P&O adopt a ‘fluid pricing’ policy and prices vary hugely between launch and sailing, sometimes by over 100%).

 

As has been said, P&O will allow you to change your booking to a better cabin type and you pay the price difference that applied at the time you made your original booking. This can sometimes work in your favour if you booked at a time when prices were reasonable. However, if prices have dropped a lot since you booked, it could be worth you losing your deposit and making a new booking. Personally, my advice would be that if you can afford a balcony cabin it’s better to book one than put your hope in the upgrade programme. 

[studentcruiser23]

Thank you both so much for your responses @Selbourne @smilesonfaces- they are very helpful.

We booked through a travel agent so do we have to call them to see if we can upgrade or can we just call P&O?

[mickyc123]

You will have to go through your travel Agent

 

the bid for upgrade scheme will pretty much put a end to people getting moved from say inside to balcony for free.(never happened to me mind you)

I think it will also open up to everyone(direct with P&O at present only) soon as it’s a win win for the cruise line

 

the below is a idea what they wanted for upgrade for a inside on ARVIA for october

 

The price is per person so in theory x2

 

the top price is a deluxe balcony

 

you will could in theory be put anywhere,but ocean view are only on the 2 decks( 4 and 5)

 

 

 

 

Edited September 4, 2023 by mickyc123
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[studentcruiser23]

6 minutes ago, mickyc123 said:

You will have to go through your travel Agent

 

the bid for upgrade scheme will pretty much put a end to people getting moved from say inside to balcony for free.(never happened to me mind you)

I think it will also open up to everyone(direct with P&O at present only) soon as it’s a win win for the cruise line

 

 

Thank you - I will contact them today and see what they can do.

[studentcruiser23]

I have contacted the travel agent and unfortunately at the moment it is £1000+ to upgrade to a balcony and £900+ just to upgrade to seaview which just isn't ideal when at the time of booking it was only £200 extra per person for the seaview and  £150 for balcony 😞 

[mickyc123]

Well Iona is a big ship to fill off season so you never know what might happen

I think the upgrade system will go to all as they will be mad not to open up to more bids for unsold cabins

 

all the best and hopefully you get it sorted

Edited September 4, 2023 by mickyc123

[thornegirl]

1 hour ago, studentcruiser23 said:

I have contacted the travel agent and unfortunately at the moment it is £1000+ to upgrade to a balcony and £900+ just to upgrade to seaview which just isn't ideal when at the time of booking it was only £200 extra per person for the seaview and  £150 for balcony 😞 

You should have been given the cost at the date of your booking, not what the cost is now.  I would go back to your travel agent and remind them of that.

[studentcruiser23]

14 minutes ago, thornegirl said:

You should have been given the cost at the date of your booking, not what the cost is now.  I would go back to your travel agent and remind them of that.

Ah okay - the thing is, I don’t have exact figures, I just remember that is what it was. The only exact figures I have are for the week before we booked and they are lower than what it was at the time of booking. Will the travel agents have the costs of the time when we booked?

[thornegirl]

8 minutes ago, studentcruiser23 said:

Ah okay - the thing is, I don’t have exact figures, I just remember that is what it was. The only exact figures I have are for the week before we booked and they are lower than what it was at the time of booking. Will the travel agents have the costs of the time when we booked?

Yes they will have, and that's the price that they have to go with.

[Winifred 22]

10 minutes ago, studentcruiser23 said:

Ah okay - the thing is, I don’t have exact figures, I just remember that is what it was. The only exact figures I have are for the week before we booked and they are lower than what it was at the time of booking. Will the travel agents have the costs of the time when we booked?

Yes they should do . You should as others have said be offered a balcony or seaview for the exact same price it was when you booked . Don’t let them tell you otherwise. Also considered obscured cabins as they are cheaper and if money is an issue a good way to get some view or fresh air 

[Selbourne]

37 minutes ago, studentcruiser23 said:

Ah okay - the thing is, I don’t have exact figures, I just remember that is what it was. The only exact figures I have are for the week before we booked and they are lower than what it was at the time of booking. Will the travel agents have the costs of the time when we booked?

As others have said, the upgrade

cost should be the one that applied when you booked. The price difference now is irrelevant. Sounds like your TA isn’t very switched on. I’d encourage them to contact P&O and then get back to you with the correct upgrade cost. 

[9265359]

14 hours ago, studentcruiser23 said:

I am due to travel on Iona in the new year and at the time of booking, we chose to go with the inside cabin as it was the cheaper option. However, this is something we are now regretting as we do not like the idea of being in a room with no natural light at all.

 

If you have never experienced an inside cabin but have already booked it, then give it a go rather than dismiss it on the possibility you might not like it.

 

I tend to book either inside or balcony cabins depending on the cruise itinerary - a winter cruise when opportunities for sitting outside are limited then it will be an inside, but a summer cruise when sitting in the evening with a drink then it will be an outside. In my view, outside cabins are just utterly pointless as they give you very little extra for a lot of extra cash.

 

At the end of the day the amount of time spent in your cabin when you are not sleeping will be minimal, and it is not as Iona doesn't have a vast number of areas where you can sit.

 

As for the likelihood of an upgrade from an inside to an outside or a balcony - virtually zero. The best you are likely to get is to a 'better' inside cabin on the ship - although what you think is better and P&O think is better may not be the same thing.

 

 

Edited September 4, 2023 by 9265359

[Megabear2]

14 hours ago, studentcruiser23 said:

Hi, 

 

I am due to travel on Iona in the new year and at the time of booking, we chose to go with the inside cabin as it was the cheaper option. However, this is something we are now regretting as we do not like the idea of being in a room with no natural light at all. We chose the select fare as this allowed for us to have the coach included and we liked the possibility of having the cabin upgrade. What are the chances of being offered an upgrade and if there is a chance, how far in advance is such an upgrade communicated to us? Is it possible to contact P&O to upgrade or do we have to wait to see if one is offered? Also, if a cabin upgrade is available, am I correct in thinking that with the select price, this is free?

 

sorry for all the questions!!

Hi, when you say New Year which cruise you sailing on? Is it the January 13th Canaries sailing where it's the "offer of the week" at the moment starting at £849.

 

I ask because the current special offers on Mediterranean and Canaries cruises ends today.  Generally with the ending of an offer there will be a price adjustment at the same time.  I note you wanted the coach travel and on looking the current offer gives only that not reduced OBC and the coach as often happens. 

 

When did you book your cruise, was it recently under this offer orvquite some time ago under a different one?

 

I assume that as you are select you had the option of choosing your benefits, do you only have the coach or some OBC as well, at the moment the offer for OBC is £360 for inside and £640 for outside.  I know nothing about coach travel but would it cost £640 for you to travel down to Southampton.  As far as I know when I changed my booking on Britannia for an upgraded cabin in May I received the current offer not the one at the time of booking and my price was based on what it was the day I booked.

 

As has been suggested by others ask your t/a to check the price at booking date.

 

If the price is indeed considerably more in the next few days after the double OBC offer ends you may well see the price fluctuation leading to a reduction in fares.  Presumably your balance isn't due until October so if you can not sort it today watch the price force few days in case cancellation and a new booking turns out to be better for you.

Edited September 4, 2023 by Megabear2

[studentcruiser23]

1 minute ago, Megabear2 said:

Hi, when you say New Year which cruise you sailing on? Is it the January 13th Canaries sailing where it's the "offer of the week" at the moment starting at £849.

 

I ask because the current special offers on Mediterranean and Canaries cruises ends today.  Generally with the ending of an offer there will be a price adjustment at the same time.  I note you wanted the coach travel and on looking the current offer gives only that not reduced OBC and the coach as often happens. 

 

When did you book your cruise, was it recently under this offer orvquite some time ago under a different one?

 

I assume that as you are select you had the option of choosing your benefits, do you only have the coach or some OBC as well, at the moment the offer for OBC is £360 for inside and £640 for outside.  I know nothing about coach travel but would it cost £640 for you to travel down to Southampton.  As far as I know when I changed my booking on Britannia for an upgraded cabin in May I received the current offer not the one at the time of booking and my price was based on what it was the day I booked.

 

As has been suggested by others ask your t/a to check the price at booking date.

 

If the price is indeed considerably more in the next few days after the double OBC offer ends you may well see the price fluctuation leading to a reduction in fares.  Presumably your balance isn't due until October so if you can not sort it today watch the price force few days in case cancellation and a new booking turns out to be better for you.

Hi, yes it is the 13th Jan canaries cruise.

we booked it at the end of July so it was not under the current offer that they have. We opted for the coach and for our inside cabin we also get £90 OBC with the select price. 
As we booked through a travel agent, our balance is due on the 15th of this month however we have already paid it off. I looked at just cancelling and rebooking it and losing the deposit but with the current offer they have on, it is not worth doing. We do not need that much obc. I will take a look again over the next few days and see if the prices move again with the offer ending and I will also give the travel agents another call to see if them honouring the price that the cabins were when we first booked makes any different. Otherwise, we will just make the most of what we have. It may well be perfectly okay but the more I think about being in a cabin with no natural daylight, even if it is only to sleep, the more horrifying it sounds 😅

[Megabear2]

3 hours ago, studentcruiser23 said:

Hi, yes it is the 13th Jan canaries cruise.

we booked it at the end of July so it was not under the current offer that they have. We opted for the coach and for our inside cabin we also get £90 OBC with the select price. 
As we booked through a travel agent, our balance is due on the 15th of this month however we have already paid it off. I looked at just cancelling and rebooking it and losing the deposit but with the current offer they have on, it is not worth doing. We do not need that much obc. I will take a look again over the next few days and see if the prices move again with the offer ending and I will also give the travel agents another call to see if them honouring the price that the cabins were when we first booked makes any different. Otherwise, we will just make the most of what we have. It may well be perfectly okay but the more I think about being in a cabin with no natural daylight, even if it is only to sleep, the more horrifying it sounds 😅

It really isn't that bad on the inside.  The cabins on the two modern ships are actually very nice and comfortable with a good design.  Which deck are you on and what cabin number?

[purplesea]

I haven't had an inside cabin on Iona, but on Azura last year for the first time and was very apprehensive, as only having had outside or balcony cabins previously. But it was no where as bad as I thought it woudl be. As my OH has a tendency to get up in the night I took battery operated tea lights to provide a little light, so he didn't need to turn on the main lights.

 

[studentcruiser23]

2 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

It really isn't that bad on the inside.  The cabins on the two modern ships are actually very nice and comfortable with a good design.  Which deck are you on and what cabin number?

I can’t remember the cabin number off the top of my head but I know that it is deck 12. From looking at the deck plans it seems an okay deck to be on as it is not directly below anything although please feel free to correct me if that’s wrong! 

[studentcruiser23]

4 minutes ago, purplesea said:

I haven't had an inside cabin on Iona, but on Azura last year for the first time and was very apprehensive, as only having had outside or balcony cabins previously. But it was no where as bad as I thought it woudl be. As my OH has a tendency to get up in the night I took battery operated tea lights to provide a little light, so he didn't need to turn on the main lights.

 

From the pictures online they do seem relatively nice. Our only comparison are those that we have seen into on previous cruises with Royal Caribbean and they didn’t seem so appealing! 

[Megabear2]

1 minute ago, studentcruiser23 said:

I can’t remember the cabin number off the top of my head but I know that it is deck 12. From looking at the deck plans it seems an okay deck to be on as it is not directly below anything although please feel free to correct me if that’s wrong! 

It should be good. Most of the noisy ones, inside, balcony etc are lower down, particularly deck 9 balcony cabins aft, deck 5 insides midships and those near the dome on deck 15. 

 

Be aware regarding upgrades you have no control where you end up.  Having accepted a free upgrade from an inside to a small balcony on deck 9 of Arvia I can say with certainty that a good located inside cabin is vastly better if you want a good nights sleep before 1.30am.

 

 

[purplesea]

As I said I haven't had an inside cabin on Iona, but this is the inside cabin we had on Azura.

[studentcruiser23]

6 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

It should be good. Most of the noisy ones, inside, balcony etc are lower down, particularly deck 9 balcony cabins aft, deck 5 insides midships and those near the dome on deck 15. 

 

Be aware regarding upgrades you have no control where you end up.  Having accepted a free upgrade from an inside to a small balcony on deck 9 of Arvia I can say with certainty that a good located inside cabin is vastly better if you want a good nights sleep before 1.30am.

 

 

That’s good to know - well just see what happens and go from there!

[studentcruiser23]

2 minutes ago, purplesea said:

As I said I haven't had an inside cabin on Iona, but this is the inside cabin we had on Azura.

That really doesn’t look that bad at all. That has made me feel better 😅

[Megabear2]

17 minutes ago, studentcruiser23 said:

That really doesn’t look that bad at all. That has made me feel better 😅

Iona's will be much more modern decor as well which will make it seem even lighter.