sneaky way of getting an upgrade

[airlink diva]

I have a friend that decided to take a HAL cruise (this is due to all the boasting about my last trip on the Westerdam :) ). He's traveling solo and made an intresting room selection that he swears work for getting him an upgrade.

What he does is book a handicap room. My friend stated that on every cruise that he's done this (four so far) either the cruiseline (or TA) contact him with a room assignment that's better or he's finds out at boarding time that he was upgraded. I told him that's this is very sneaky and I'm not sure it will work on HAL. Do you know anyone that tried this??

Frankly I told him just quit being cheap and pay for what you really want.

[mim100]

you have to admire the creativity though !! how does that work...does he have to say he's disabled when he books? and when they upgrade him, isn't HAL basically depriving him of a handicap room...how does HAL know he can handle a non-handicap room? just curious...not thinking about trying it myself...I'd sooner pick the room I want and book it right away....I like to have my ducks in a row :)

[doone]

I don't think this is sneaky, its pretty smart, good for him.

[iceman93]

*ducks and covers* There's going to be a backlash! :D

 

Seriously, each ship only has a very limited number of handicap-accessible rooms. My personal ethics would prevent me from "stealing" one from a passenger who actually needs it, simply in order to boost chances for an upgrade.

 

It makes me wonder in what other parts of his life this guy cuts corners and screws his fellow man in the selfish pursuit of personal pleasure...

[doone]

Iceman, I understand where your coming from and to a point agree with you, but if someone needs a handicapped cabin, I am hoping the cruise line would move this guest to another cabin and give the handicapped cabin to the person in need. That's how I read it in the OP's post.

[missygirl]

I think that this practice is terrible, shame on him. Does the cruiseline have any policy that you have to show that you need a handicap room ( a parking tag, ect.)? I know that anyone with access to a parking tag could just borrow one but its sad that this guy would do this and deprive a hadicap guest of a room.

Missygirl:)

[grest]

Very interesting...on our recent Veendam cruise, we found that my husband had some difficulty with his new hip trying to get into the tub. We asked whether there were any handicapped rooms available. Everything was full, but they suggested that they could check with people in the handicap rooms to see if they would move. These particular rooms were cabins in a lesser category and location than ours, and we opted out, but this says to me that what the OP is saying may be correct...very cheesy, but correct...

[doone]

Missgirl, that's the problem, I do not believe the cruise line requires any documentation to book a handicapped cabin, but I could be wrong. The cruise lines like to sail with a full ship and if it means booking a handicapped cabin to someone who truly doesn't need it, I guess they do it. BUT, I am hoping if someone comes along and requires a handicapped cabin at the time of booking, the cruise line would move that person out of the handicapped cabin. That's how I interpret that OP's post and how this person has been treated in the past. If this is true, I have no problem with how he does it, he's not taking anything away from anyone.

[MagnumGourmet]

So here is the problem with your friends logic.....

 

There are a limited number of handicap rooms in any one category. If people like your friend book all of the HC rooms in one category, or god forbid the entire ship, (there are usually only a couple dozen total on any ship) what happens to the truly HC person that wants to book the cruise??? They call to book a cabin and are told that there are no cabins available. That may be great for your friend that he gets updgraded in the last couple of weeks before the cruise...But that means that truly HC people would have to either book well in advance of the cruise to get the room before your friend or have to try and book travel in the last two weeks (that seems fair to me...)

 

Not trying to preach, but want people to understand the reprocussions of their actions and how it affects people around them.

[Roz]

On my Veendam cruise last December, I booked an inside guarantee. The only category offered was H or HH (I forget which). I thought this was unusual, since most of the handicapped rooms were in that category.

 

As I suspected, I was upgraded. The handicapped rooms are in high demand, especially on a longer cruise with an older clientele. I would never deliberately book a handicapped room, but the methodology works.

 

Roz

[peaches from georgia]

That is a very selfish thing to do. Hopefully he is never handicapped sometime in life and unable to cruise because a non-handicapped person stole one of the few cabins he could occupy in order to get something for nothing. Sorry to be so blunt.

[herb]

I'm actually amazed that HAL ships have so few oceanview/balcony cabins with "showers only"... considering the sizeable amount of guests that sail HAL for whom getting in and out of a bathtub could become a hazardous situation.

[mushroom]

Does anyone know for sure that this guy is not actually handicapped? Maybe he actually DOES qualify for the cabin.

[bdmarine]

We had to supply documentation in order to request a handicapped accessible room. I will not judge the OP, but please know that you will be engaging in false swearing and possibly forgery.

[peaches from georgia]

Mushroom:

 

I don't think you can infer anything else from the OP. She even called him 'sneaky'. If he was HC why would the OP even have posted this?

[Grumpy1]

I've read some posts in the past where the poster said that they were asked if they truly needed a handicap cabin and were not allowed to book when they indicated they did not. This might be one of those things that is handled differently on different cruise lines.

 

If the person is honest, indicates that they do not need that cabin but want that cabin, and would be willing to move if the cabin were needed, then I see nothing wrong with the strategy, if the cruise line is willing to take the booking. This is what the OP's friend appears to be doing. How else would the cruise line know that he could be moved to a non handicap cabin? No handicapped person is being deprived of a cabin, unless they try to book at the very last minute on a full ship.

[airlink diva]

Does anyone know for sure that this guy is not actually handicapped? Maybe he actually DOES qualify for the cabin.

I'm the person that started this thread. No he's not handicap at all. But if you go on some of the major online booking agency, they will allow you to pick your cabin for the category that's available when you purchace.

I agree with everyone, I like upgrades (who don't??) but I don't approve the way he goes about doing it. I'm not old (only 37) but I learn from working with people is some people want the most they can get with the minimal amount of effort.

[MikeT718]

So here is the problem with your friends logic.....

 

There are a limited number of handicap rooms in any one category. If people like your friend book all of the HC rooms in one category, or god forbid the entire ship, (there are usually only a couple dozen total on any ship) what happens to the truly HC person that wants to book the cruise??? They call to book a cabin and are told that there are no cabins available. That may be great for your friend that he gets updgraded in the last couple of weeks before the cruise...But that means that truly HC people would have to either book well in advance of the cruise to get the room before your friend or have to try and book travel in the last two weeks (that seems fair to me...)

 

Not trying to preach, but want people to understand the reprocussions of their actions and how it affects people around them.

 

I have to agree here..Dw and myself would never think of booking a handicap room just to get an upgrade..What if they do not upgrade you and you have now taken a handicap cabin from one who truly needs it..:mad: Maybe this has worked in the past for this person but I hope it will not work on HAL..I also have to wonder how this person would feel if in the future they became handicaped (and I am not wishing any thing bad on them) and wanted to book a cruise and found that all the handicap cabins were booked by someone like they used to be:confused:

[imacrusing]

Well, I AM handicapped and need those rooms..I cant tell you how irritated this makes me. HAL doesnt ask if you are handicapped because I just booked my cruise for November...After I told them I was..I filled out the special form saying I was....They never asked and she said they don't ask if you need it or not.

 

Time for HAl to correct this until after final payment then maybe give to able bodied person.

 

Just my humble opinion.....Hope he doesnt start coming to HAL and keeping someone else from getting one.

[boomerSexyK]

Unfortunately due to a serious auto accident 4 yrs ago, I have to do most of my travel from a wheelchair (50' or less can be handled by canes). In the 2 years or so I have been on these boards this practice of booking a "non-needed" HC room has always raised my blood pressure. I have heard all the "reasons" from posters. The HC cabins are bigger for the same money ... the HC cabins have larger bathrooms and big showers ... the balconies are bigger ... and now .... I get free upgrades! My wife and I cruise because a land-based vacation to the sunny climes of palm trees and white sand are just not practical for me. Ever tried pushing a wheelchair across a beach? I remember our first attempt at booking a cruise. Sitting with a TA picking various intineraries that would appeal to us only to find that all the HC cabins had been sold out. As previous posters have mentioned there are only a dozen or so of these cabins available for "wheelies". That's not many over 2000 pax! The cruiselines do not record who "REQUIRES" an HC versus somebody "who would move if asked", so there's no way the for the local TA to confirm who really needs from someone who just would like. So we now book at least a year in advance ( no such thing as a last-minute deal in our house!). We already pay a premium for our travel, in time, inconvenience and sometimes in $$$. Consider the need of accessable transport to/from the airport, to/from the pier, strapping the wheelchair in the floor locks on a bus, extra staff at both ends to help with the chair and luggage. You can't take that shore excursion cause it's not accessable. That cute little restaurant at the summit on that island is no good for you cause you can't get there without climbing up 50 steps. A stroll thru the old part of the town is off-limits because there are no curb-cuts for the chair. Listen, I'm don't want anybody saying "poor guy" to me, this is the hand I've been dealt and I live with it everyday and we manage well enough, but when somebody goes out of their way to make my life just a little more difficult I get .... politely ... miffed. This is the same guy who parks in a HC parking space because ..."it's raining"..."I'm only going to be a minute"..."Nobody was using the spot". I've heard them all.

[RevNeal]

One of the few times I've ever booked a Guaranty ROS (it was the latest I have ever booked a cruise, and the only way to get aboard) I discovered, when I got to the pier, that I was booked into a handicap cabin ... G704, way forward on A Deck of the Maasdam. Those are HUGE cabins, and Lord knows I didn't need one, so I told them at check-in that it was a handicapped cabin and I didn't need one. There was some discussion, supervisors were contacted, and I was asked to move over into a waiting area and they would see what they could do. After a bit of conversing between shore staff and ship's staff I was informed that there was someone who needed the cabin that had been assigned to a regular outside F cabin, and would that be ok? I said "absolutely" and the swap was made. In the end I was MUCH happier ... while the cabin was smaller, the location of the F was aft, across from the aft elevators ... and if I'm not going to be amidships I much prefer to be aft than forward.

[elmorejj]

I just can`t understand HALs thinking on this. My husband is disabled and although we don`t need a HC cabin, he does need a wheelchair to board. We always have to fill out a HC request form stating all of his medical problems. Also if we need a sharps container or if we requested a refrig. for meds. Luckily we sail mainly in S cat. and don`t have to request a frig...........jean:cool:

[imacrusing]

Hope you get your friend to read these boards and maybe he will understand why we get upset. Hope he doesnt ever NEED these rooms only to have a well person in them.

 

I once took a hospital official in a wheelchair and asked him to roll into the hospital from the handicap parking...He coluldnt do it...they moved those parking spaces within a couple weeks and re painted the lot in that area

 

Maybe he should take a trip in a wheelchair to the malll or somewhere to understand why they are really there.

[MagnumGourmet]

Just want to provide one more example to drive the point home....

 

I am cruising on the Oosterdam June 3rd to Alaska with 5 couples. One of our group is wheelchair bound due to breaking his back when he was a kid(so needs a fully accessible room).

 

All five couples originally booked outside cabins 8 months in advance so that we would be assured that this pax could get a cabin and join us on the cruise.

 

Two months ago HAL had a sale and it was worth it to all of us to upgrade to balcony cabins. Four of the couples were told that it was no problem and we were given numerous choices on which cabin we would like to upgrade to. The couple with the HC pax was told "so sorry" there are no more HC cabins available so you can't upgrade.

 

I really hope that there are not any able bodied pax in those HC rooms...BAD KARMA!!!!!!

[KAKcruiser]

I really don't think this strategy will work on HAL. How would they know whether this person was or was not handicapped? They would just figure that if he booked a handicapped room, he needs it. I can't image him getting an upgrade. I also don't think they will check with all the handicapped people booked on a cruise. They will just tell a handicapped person trying to book that there are no cabins available.