I was my own upgrade fairy!

[basebare]

Since I booked the Splendour of the Seas in Feb. for our upcoming June Greek Isles cruise, I have religiously checked the computer for lower fares. I had to go with an outside cat.F as the balcony categories were just too high with what we had to pay in airfare. Anyway, every morning when I get to work the first thing I do is look to see how many balcony cabins are left and for what price. This morning I noticed RCCL opened up the gty balc category for barely more than I paid for my outside! I immediately called up and switched! I know it is a gamble, I might not get port side (more desirable for sailaway is my understanding) but honestly, with an outside I would have gone on deck anyway. So if need be, I will just go on deck or our travel partners have a JS on deck 8 port side and we will sit with them. I am just so thrilled to have a balcony on my first time ever in the Med! We usually do book balconies so it was hard to "settle" for an outside. I just had to share because I never thought it would actually happen!!!! Patti

[KTMay1917]

Since I booked the Splendour of the Seas in Feb. for our upcoming June Greek Isles cruise, I have religiously checked the computer for lower fares. I had to go with an outside cat.F as the balcony categories were just too high with what we had to pay in airfare. Anyway, every morning when I get to work the first thing I do is look to see how many balcony cabins are left and for what price. This morning I noticed RCCL opened up the gty balc category for barely more than I paid for my outside! I immediately called up and switched! I know it is a gamble, I might not get port side (more desirable for sailaway is my understanding) but honestly, with an outside I would have gone on deck anyway. So if need be, I will just go on deck or our travel partners have a JS on deck 8 port side and we will sit with them. I am just so thrilled to have a balcony on my first time ever in the Med! We usually do book balconies so it was hard to "settle" for an outside. I just had to share because I never thought it would actually happen!!!! Patti

 

Glad to see your stoked. Scoring GTY's is always fun and saves tons of money. Especially on the older ships like Sovereign and Vision class most of the balconies are gonna be great anyway so a GTY works out just fine wherever they decide to put you.

Congrats

[bazarr2]

Since I booked the Splendour of the Seas in Feb. for our upcoming June Greek Isles cruise, I have religiously checked the computer for lower fares. I had to go with an outside cat.F as the balcony categories were just too high with what we had to pay in airfare. Anyway, every morning when I get to work the first thing I do is look to see how many balcony cabins are left and for what price. This morning I noticed RCCL opened up the gty balc category for barely more than I paid for my outside! I immediately called up and switched! I know it is a gamble, I might not get port side (more desirable for sailaway is my understanding) but honestly, with an outside I would have gone on deck anyway. So if need be, I will just go on deck or our travel partners have a JS on deck 8 port side and we will sit with them. I am just so thrilled to have a balcony on my first time ever in the Med! We usually do book balconies so it was hard to "settle" for an outside. I just had to share because I never thought it would actually happen!!!! Patti

 

Congrats on your score, and I also know it doesn't hurt to ask. I had an oceanview guarantee on our last cruise and I was assigned a cabin forward but all of my friends were aft and I looked at the plans and noticed that there was an oceanview guarantee in the same category in the aft. So I thought it doesn't hurt to call and ask if they can move me to the one that was opened.

I was always told that once you booked with a TA that you have to deal with the TA and not the cruiseline. But like I said, it never hurts to ask, so I called Princess and asked them if they could move me in the cabin that was available and same category to the aft and they had no problem with it what so ever.

And then a few days before we were to leave we called if there were any balcony cabins left and I had a weepy story about my husband almost dying with a bleeding ulcer and so on, but He told me that every cabin was booked. Oh well, right. Three hours later I get a phone call from my TA and she told me that we were upgraded to a balcony. YAHhhhhh

 

Moral of the story, it doesn't hurt to ask.:p

[basebare]

thanks guys, I agree. It never hurts to ask! So I just got on RCCL and looked at "my cruises" and I noticed we have a cabin assigned already! So I looked to see what it was. I am thrilled because it is an aft! I have always wanted to try the aft balconies and it looks like we will!!!! I am really excited about this and hope that we get to keep this room. With only 45 days until we leave, I am hopeful that it remains true! I guess it just goes to show you that sometimes checking and rechecking really do pay off!!! Patti

[DVC_Chris]

I just did the same thing today for my cruise on the Legend out of Rome. When I first booked over a year ago, my outside cabin was $2200 pp, and the balconies were $3800 pp. No way I would spend the extra money. But every morning I have checked, getting price drops as they come up, and generally making a nuisance of myself to my TA, and today I check and lo and behold, the balcony cabins were $2200 pp... I am so excited.:):):):)

[basebare]

I just did the same thing today for my cruise on the Legend out of Rome. When I first booked over a year ago, my outside cabin was $2200 pp, and the balconies were $3800 pp. No way I would spend the extra money. But every morning I have checked, getting price drops as they come up, and generally making a nuisance of myself to my TA, and today I check and lo and behold, the balcony cabins were $2200 pp... I am so excited.:):):):)

 

DVC Chris, it is a great feeling isn't it? I wanted a balcony so bad that when I saw it available this morning, I thought maybe I imagined it as true! Such little things to make us so happy!!!!!:):)

[Emi's Mom]

Great job...you deserve a pat on the back. DH checks daily for price drops and on Monday we just got a $252.00/pp reduction on our Feb 2010 JS on the Voyager. :D

[bazarr2]

DVC Chris, it is a great feeling isn't it? I wanted a balcony so bad that when I saw it available this morning, I thought maybe I imagined it as true! Such little things to make us so happy!!!!!:):)

So true, I was so happy they upgraded us to the balcony I cried.:p

[stephanie1]

I selected a balcony guarantee my last cruise. It was a great deal and

still a balcony even though it was the lowest priced balcony offered.

Navigator - deck 7 midship, 3 doors from the elevator near the Library.

184 sq foot and a nice balcony with 2 chairs. Couldn't complain for

the price!!!

[basebare]

I selected a balcony guarantee my last cruise. It was a great deal and

still a balcony even though it was the lowest priced balcony offered.

Navigator - deck 7 midship, 3 doors from the elevator near the Library.

184 sq foot and a nice balcony with 2 chairs. Couldn't complain for

the price!!!

 

Stephanie, I couldn't agree more. we were willing to take whatever we got just so we could have a balcony and then to find out that we were assigned an aft balcony is almost a dream come true for us. we have always wanted to try one and for whatever reason (the kids, already booked etc) we have yet to try it. so it makes me even more excited for our cruise.....just six more weeks!!!!!

[Jacquelyn11]

Had a 9A on Carnival Legend out of NYC and the Suite gty came up at only $200 more than the 9A. With the few suites they had, it didn't matter to me which cabin I got! We enjoyed the extra room too!

 

Jacquelyn :D

[jules815]

If the RC "Upgrade Fairy" is the one who gives you an upgrade, when do you find out about it? When you receive your cruise docs? When you're checking in?

[BecciBoo]

Been there, done that and scored a great D1 upgrade on our guarantee, but the real coup for you is the aft score!:eek: Woohoo. Will you love it!

We are E1 aft in February. Emi's Mom, are you on the Feb, 21st sailing with us???

[BecciBoo]

If the RC "Upgrade Fairy" is the one who gives you an upgrade, when do you find out about it? When you receive your cruise docs? When you're checking in?

 

It could come at any time Jules. You sometimes just notice it when you check you rez, and other times you receive an email or get to the pier and they let you know your stateroom has been changed then. It's a lottery. You never know. We haven't been visited yet....anybody listening in Miami:confused::D

[SeaTeach]

I'm impressed!!!!

[granddutchess]

I say it always pays to check the prices on a daily basis. We were booked in an E1 AFT cabin on Deck 8 on AOS going out at the end of June. Lo and behold one day I am looking and see that I can get a D2 for the same price on Deck 9 (however not an AFT, but bigger balcony and sofabed). Called my travel agent and she was able to make the change. Then last night I am looking again and see that the cruise has gone down due to being a NYS resident. Call TA again and whola get 252.00 more off the cruise in a bigger cabin. Life is good.:)

[basebare]

I say it always pays to check the prices on a daily basis. We were booked in an E1 AFT cabin on Deck 8 on AOS going out at the end of June. Lo and behold one day I am looking and see that I can get a D2 for the same price on Deck 9 (however not an AFT, but bigger balcony and sofabed). Called my travel agent and she was able to make the change. Then last night I am looking again and see that the cruise has gone down due to being a NYS resident. Call TA again and whola get 252.00 more off the cruise in a bigger cabin. Life is good.:)

 

yes indeed, that really worked out for you! I keep checking anyway, even though I love where RCCL put us and I hope we just stay right where we are! It appears that the balcony gty category that I was lucky enough to score is already gone! it was only there about a day and a half! so yeah, it pays to check!!!

[Falcons07]

I say it always pays to check the prices on a daily basis. We were booked in an E1 AFT cabin on Deck 8 on AOS going out at the end of June. Lo and behold one day I am looking and see that I can get a D2 for the same price on Deck 9 (however not an AFT, but bigger balcony and sofabed). Called my travel agent and she was able to make the change. Then last night I am looking again and see that the cruise has gone down due to being a NYS resident. Call TA again and whola get 252.00 more off the cruise in a bigger cabin. Life is good.:)

 

OK...a stupid question...:o how do you check the rates for the different cabins etc., and which cabins are taken or not ??? We have an E1 for the Brilliance Sept ' 10...and I do keep check on the price changes, but can' t seem to find out how to determine which cabins are available at what rate...Thanks, Terry

[granddutchess]

When I check I start the process as if I am going to book the cruise with RCCL. I then see what cabins are available and the total price. If it is one I want to change to and the price is better I call my TA and ask her to do it. There are not many choices when you do this however. Hope this helps.:)

[Falcons07]

When I check I start the process as if I am going to book the cruise with RCCL. I then see what cabins are available and the total price. If it is one I want to change to and the price is better I call my TA and ask her to do it. There are not many choices when you do this however. Hope this helps.:)

 

I'll give it a try...if I get stuck, I'll let you know. Just not sure at this point how you know what cabins are available..I feel so dumb..lol

[charlsee]

I'll give it a try...if I get stuck, I'll let you know. Just not sure at this point how you know what cabins are available..I feel so dumb..lol

Do not feel dumb at all. Call and ask what cabins are available because often the RCI website doesn't list them all. I recommend pulling up the deck plans that you're interested in and asking the RCI rep what's available. Two days ago I found a residency rate drop but only one deck was displayed for the cabin category I was interested in on the RCI website. When I asked about other decks and cabins, quite a few were availble, and I booked 2 cabins that I was very happy with. Good luck.

[Falcons07]

Do not feel dumb at all. Call and ask what cabins are available because often the RCI website doesn't list them all. I recommend pulling up the deck plans that you're interested in and asking the RCI rep what's available. Two days ago I found a residency rate drop but only one deck was displayed for the cabin category I was interested in on the RCI website. When I asked about other decks and cabins, quite a few were availble, and I booked 2 cabins that I was very happy with. Good luck.

 

 

Thanks....