upgraded

[eightofninekev]

 

I got an email from P&O telling me they have upgraded my booking. I booked an inside early saver ,I was excited thought it might have been a balcony (wishful thinking) or at least an outside. But it doesnt seam to be an upgrade only difference is the cabin grade PF to PC is that an upgrade?

 

Edited May 22 by eightofninekev

[Selbourne]

13 minutes ago, eightofninekev said:

 

I got an email from P&O telling me they have upgraded my booking. I booked an inside early saver ,I was excited thought it might have been a balcony (wishful thinking) or at least an outside. But it doesnt seam to be an upgrade only difference is the cabin grade PF to PC is that an upgrade?

 

P&O consider that to be an upgrade, even though few people would. All it usually means is that your cabin is in a slightly more midships position but is otherwise identical, although this can sometimes bring problems if you chose a cabin in a quiet location and your new cabin is above or below a potential source of noise.
 

You used to be able to specify that you only wanted to be considered for a complimentary upgrade if it was to a different type of cabin (e.g. non-balcony to balcony) but that option may have gone now that most upgrades are achieved through the bid to upgrade (extra cost) system. 

[Josy1953]

What a cruise company considers to be an upgrade is not always a good move. We always say no upgrade when we book because we like to be in a quiet cabin with no public spaces above or blow that may disturb us.

[terrierjohn]

13 minutes ago, Josy1953 said:

What a cruise company considers to be an upgrade is not always a good move. We always say no upgrade when we book because we like to be in a quiet cabin with no public spaces above or blow that may disturb us.

But that can only be done by booking a select fare, and many people prefer to book a saver fare which does not give the option of choosing a cabin location, other than a specific grade, which is likely to have cabins in many different li locations.

[Harryjacobs]

5 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

But that can only be done by booking a select fare, and many people prefer to book a saver fare which does not give the option of choosing a cabin location, other than a specific grade, which is likely to have cabins in many different li locations.

Its a perk of paying the extra fare.

[majortom10]

9 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

But that can only be done by booking a select fare, and many people prefer to book a saver fare which does not give the option of choosing a cabin location, other than a specific grade, which is likely to have cabins in many different li locations.

So therefore they have to accept by booking the lower Saver fare there is the risk that they could end up in a poorly positioned cabin which could impact on the enjoyment of their cruise They then should not whine about the cabin allocated which many seem to do on here.

[Eglesbrech]

42 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

So therefore they have to accept by booking the lower Saver fare there is the risk that they could end up in a poorly positioned cabin which could impact on the enjoyment of their cruise They then should not whine about the cabin allocated which many seem to do on here.

I agree with you re the principal (though I must have missed the many who are whining?).
 

I often book saver fares but do so in the full knowledge that I could end up with the very worst cabin in the grade. For that reason I am very careful about the grade I pick (and those in the same cabin type grades above it just in case I am “upgraded” to above the disco). On some ships it’s fairly easy as there is not much between one cabin and another, on others it’s a definite gamble so not worth the risk.

 

In the unlikely scenario that I get a meta grade upgrade, I’ll happily take that….. but it hasn’t happened yet.

 

If you book a saver you need to be aware of the risks that go with it. If you must have a certain area or a certain dining time then it’s not for you. The problem is that it seems this is rarely explained fully to new cruisers, which is a shame.

[Thejuggler]

Upgrade merely means moving to a cabin which is more expensive.

 

Reality is an upgrade could be moving one cabin along the corridor due to the huge number of cabin grades.  The upgrade cabin may only cost £10 a night more because it is deemed to be a better location, but its an upgrade all the same.

[SquishTheWhale]

Interesting you got an email though- I was moved from a larger inside to a seaview and only realised when I logged into the booking for something else!

[jeanlyon]

P&O once moved me from my chosen PF mid-forward on D Deck to a "higher" grade mid-aft on A deck.   A deck is not an upgrade for me.  I would never choose to be up there.  They had to move me back as I had booked Select and chosen No Upgrade!

[MyriamS]

3 hours ago, Eglesbrech said:

I agree with you re the principal (though I must have missed the many who are whining?).
 

I often book saver fares but do so in the full knowledge that I could end up with the very worst cabin in the grade. For that reason I am very careful about the grade I pick (and those in the same cabin type grades above it just in case I am “upgraded” to above the disco). On some ships it’s fairly easy as there is not much between one cabin and another, on others it’s a definite gamble so not worth the risk.

 

In the unlikely scenario that I get a meta grade upgrade, I’ll happily take that….. but it hasn’t happened yet.

 

If you book a saver you need to be aware of the risks that go with it. If you must have a certain area or a certain dining time then it’s not for you. The problem is that it seems this is rarely explained fully to new cruisers, which is a shame.

Fully agree. After choosing the Saver fare, one is prompted to choose the area of the ship they'd like their cabin to be in on a map, but one must not do so. Instead, as you described, one has to open the deck plan for the ship, look at all the cabin grades in their chosen category (of which there can be half a dozen) and make sure they are alright not just with the location of a certain grade but anything above it as well. Then come back to the website and match their chosen grade to the map. 

 

I just did a mock booking on Select instead and, while selecting a particular cabin was straightforward, I could not find the "No upgrade" box. I guess it's either at a latter booking stage or tucked away somewhere. Honestly I'm not even sure I would have ticked it had I chosen Select when I first booked, as I probably would have assumed an upgrade to be a good thing. 

[happy v]

The box pops up when you get further into the booking

[Megabear2]

And then of course there's the Select Fare which only gives a guarantee cabin ... 

 

It isn't really as clear cut as it used to be.  There have been a couple of questions about cabin allocated from select passengers too.

 

 

[terrierjohn]

12 hours ago, Thejuggler said:

Upgrade merely means moving to a cabin which is more expensive.

 

Reality is an upgrade could be moving one cabin along the corridor due to the huge number of cabin grades.  The upgrade cabin may only cost £10 a night more because it is deemed to be a better location, but its an upgrade all the same.

But in the main saver fare passengers will only know the cabin number and location when P&O allocate them a short time before the cruise. Unless they picked a specific grade and find their allocated cabin is in a higher level.

[tring]

18 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

P&O once moved me from my chosen PF mid-forward on D Deck to a "higher" grade mid-aft on A deck.   A deck is not an upgrade for me.  I would never choose to be up there.  They had to move me back as I had booked Select and chosen No Upgrade!

 

We always ask our bookings to be marked as no upgrade when we book by phone or on a ship, but often you need to make sure you ask for that when booking as we are not always ask about our choice re that.  This is something people, (especially new cruisers to P&O who are not used to that system), as even people booked on select fare could find their cabin changed and not be able to do anything about it.

 

[david63]

18 hours ago, MyriamS said:

I'm not even sure I would have ticked it had I chosen Select when I first booked

From memory the box it already ticked and you have to untick it if you don't want an upgrade (very easy to miss) and as far as I can recall it does not show anywhere which option you have selected.

 

Also once you have completed your online booking there is no online option to change it - you have to phone the call centre

Edited May 24 by david63

[Denarius]

21 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

P&O once moved me from my chosen PF mid-forward on D Deck to a "higher" grade mid-aft on A deck.   A deck is not an upgrade for me.  I would never choose to be up there.  They had to move me back as I had booked Select and chosen No Upgrade!

Neither would I.

Azura and Ventura are a particularly fraught area. Many people choose an outside cabin on C deck because of the large balconies on that deck but can find themselves "upgraded" to an identical cabin with a smaller balcony on another deck because the latter is in a higher grade.