No Upgrade For The Forth Time

[cmyers]

What is the criteria for getting an upgrade? Could it be who we book through? We booked an inside L garantee on the zaandam for Sept 11 to Alaska and that's exactly what we got. We thought for sure this time that we would get at least a one category up/grade to a J inside. Last cruise we book the balcony garantee with no upgrade either. Who do you have to know? I think we will pick our own room from now on as this does not work for us.

[sail7seas]

I don't think it is a question of who you know. It is a question of booking only a cabin category that you can be happy in. If you book something less than that and count on getting better than that for free, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. I don't think it practical to expect to get for free what others have paid for.

[Tinknock50]

I don't think it is a question of who you know. It is a question of booking only a cabin category that you can be happy in. If you book something less than that and count on getting better than that for free, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. I don't think it practical to expect to get for free what others have paid for.
I agree......i like to book guarantees, but i always book a category that I will be happy with if I don't get an upgrade. That being said, I have always gotten a decent upgrade from HAL.

[jhannah]

There is no "trick" to getting an upgrade. It depends on many factors, I'm sure ... none of which are known to mere mortals! ;) If they happen, it's just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. The only thing about a guarantee that's guaranteed is that you will receive the category of cabin you book. That's it. You could get a higher one, but that's only if all other conditions (sales) are right for that particular ship and that particular sailing.

[gliles]

We have a guarantee but will be happy with the category we guaranteed. I am however surprised that you had 4 guarantees and never got an upgrade. We have done 2 before and both times got a modest upgrade. I hope we do again but if not, oh well.

[Aussie Gal]

We always book the cabin we want and have never ever expected an upgrade. In fact I doubt if HAL or any other line would give Aussies that perk, so we always know what we are getting and are happy to pay for it.


Jennie

[iluvcruzin]

I don't have experience with a HAL guarantee but do from past cruises on other lines. What has been mentioned is true - there is no magic. However, the ones I recieved the best upgrades were when I booked far in advance - that meaning 9+ months in advance. Those closer to sailing I booked, I'd ended up in the category I selected.

If you wish to be in an outside cabin and want to risk a guarantee, I would suggest booking the highest inside. They are generally in great areas and if you do get upgraded it will be to an outside.

JMHO

[elmorejj]

Maureen, I totally agree with you. Booking far in advance will usually assure you of A. cabin upgrades, if this is what you wish, and B. guarantees of table size and dining times. Its no good at all waiting for cheap last minute prices then expecting upgrades and tables of choice. As usual, JMHO.......jean :cool:

[cmyers]

I know the risk of booking a garantee - they are what you pay for and we are ok with that. I am just curious how it works as we do book almost a year in advance every time and I hear of people all the time getting these incredible up grades. I don't know what the cruise lines base up/grades ons. Our cruise still has a lot of rooms left according to traveocity - not sold out for Sept 11th.

[ekerr19]

What is the criteria for getting an upgrade? Could it be who we book through? We booked an inside L garantee on the zaandam for Sept 11 to Alaska and that's exactly what we got. We thought for sure this time that we would get at least a one category up/grade to a J inside. Last cruise we book the balcony garantee with no upgrade either. Who do you have to know? I think we will pick our own room from now on as this does not work for us.You know what??? You booked a guarantee! If that is what you got - why complain? There is no rhyme or reason for upgrades - if you want a better cabin, book it.

There is ABSOLUTELY no criteria for getting an upgrade... sometimes a good TA may be able to help, but don't count on it. You booked an L guarantee - and that is exactly what you got - chances are, the cruise is sold out... :)

If you want an "S", book it from the get go - many people (on these boards) talk about getting lucky, but chances are very (mighty) slim... pick your own cabin, sounds like it may work better for you - we always pick ours... that way you won't be disappointed!!! :)

[ekerr19]

I know the risk of booking a garantee - they are what you pay for and we are ok with that. I am just curious how it works as we do book almost a year in advance every time and I hear of people all the time getting these incredible up grades. I don't know what the cruise lines base up/grades ons. Our cruise still has a lot of rooms left according to traveocity - not sold out for Sept 11th.
btw- Travelocity is only allowed to book a certain number of cabins on behalf of HAL - if you really want to know how many cabins on your cruise are selling - call HAL or a reputable HAL dealer.

Keep in mind, many people will post they received an "upgrade" - but seriously - what do you consider an "upgrade?'... a very aft cabin may not be considered an upgrade to many...

If you are looking to get upgraded to an "S" - Deluxe Verandah Suite - well, guess what? Those upgrades come few and far between - just ask anyone who's stayed in an actual Suite... if you want it... chances are - you will have to pay for it. :)

[tommy]

I dont know maybe we have just been lucky.But the last 3 times we did guarentees we were upgraded,to higher catagories.Two times to suites.On our Oct sailing we booked a Cat A not even a guarentee.And we recieved a Cat S.We booked with Holland direct and the agent said they would attach on our reservation a request for a complementary upgrade.He told us sometimes it works.We recieved our docs and there it was a CatS.So hang in there with a little effort and luck it does happen. TOM

[trubey]

We're booked on the Prinsendam for September 20th, Lisboa to Piraeus. We booked a guarantee which I would be perfectly satisfied with, but we haven't gotten a cabin assignment as yet.

I finally got nervous (I use that word a LOT talking about this cruise stuff) and called HAL.

The nice man said no, we still didn't have a cabin assignment: and that this was actually a good thing, vis-s-vis an upgrade, as it was getting close to sail date. He said often 'guarantees' aren't assigned until the last week before sailing, and sometimes not until the actual day of departure!

He also said the Immigration Form listing the cabin number wasn't very reliable, as the program that updates it doesn't work very well. (!)

He told me that upgrades are based on many factors, the most important being the last-minute sale of specific cabins. Since this ship is darn near full and the expensive cabins no longer listed as open, I don't hold out much hope for a freebie.

I have heard, however, that upgrades sometimes may be purchased at the dock for very little money. Anybody have any experience with this?

Lane

[Krazy Kruizers]

When we first started cruising many years ago, we didn't book suites and hoped for an up-grade - it didn't happen.

Since we know what we want and where we want to be, we just book the suite we choose.

[sail7seas]

I know the risk of booking a garantee - they are what you pay for and we are ok with that. I am just curious how it works as we do book almost a year in advance every time and I hear of people all the time getting these incredible up grades. I don't know what the cruise lines base up/grades ons. Our cruise still has a lot of rooms left according to traveocity - not sold out for Sept 11th.


While I know there are some complimentary upgrades, I seriously doubt that every one of the upgrades we read about are 'actually so'. I do not always believe everything I read on the BB's.

Do some folks get upgrades? Yes

Are there quite as many as some would believe from all of the postings? No.

[Lisa63]

I'd be willing to bet that there are far more passengers who are not upgraded than passengers who are. It's just that those who get upgraded are probably more likely to share that news on a BB than those who don't get an upgrade.

Remember too that sometimes an upgrade doesn't necessarily get you a better cabin, especially when it comes to location.

[tommy]

If you are just hoping for a upgrade it probably wont happen.But believe me if you do things to help your chances it can happen. TOM

[Druke I]

Book the category you want - and when the upgrade doesn't come through, you are still happy.

[gliles]

btw- Travelocity is only allowed to book a certain number of cabins on behalf of HAL - if you really want to know how many cabins on your cruise are selling - call HAL or a reputable HAL dealer.
Travelocity is reputable and I think he was saying that there still are a lot of cabins showing on their site which of course means that there are more than what he even sees.

[jhannah]

But believe me if you do things to help your chances it can happen. TOMAnd what might that be? We'd all like to know what to do.

[gliles]

A PS guarantee :D

[RedmondCruiser]

Don't feel bad. I have 21 cruises with HAL and have NEVER received an upgrade. We have 129 days on HAL and still no upgrades. We were on Princess and Celebrity this year and recieved very nice upgrades on both. I have no idea how HAL determines upgrades but I'm not doing something right. I realize that I am getting what I paid for but an occasional upgrade is appreciated.

HAL has a good product but they are making some changes that rub me wrong.
(1) mandatory tipping - though a good idea i normally tipped more than the required and with tipping being mandatory the crew, though still efficient, are not quite as friendly - ie. the stewards now do 15 cabins rather then 12 and the waiters have more tables to serve. (possible explanation) (2) no liquor in the cabin. In past cruises you purchased a bottle for a 20% surcharge. Now they want you to purchase your drinks from the bars or an overpriced drink package. (maybe its a good time to stop drinking) (3) the Vista ships have no self service laundry. They want $120 for unlimited washing and pressing ???

This is in an evironment where prices are firming and going back up. Going on a 21 day cruise in October so I'll see if anything has changed. --- I'm not hoping for an upgrade though I have a guarenteed "C".

[Markandrews]

HAL has a good product but they are making some changes that rub me wrong.
(1) mandatory tipping - though a good idea i normally tipped more than the required and with tipping being mandatory the crew, though still efficient, are not quite as friendly - ie. the stewards now do 15 cabins rather then 12 and the waiters have more tables to serve. (possible explanation) (2) no liquor in the cabin. In past cruises you purchased a bottle for a 20% surcharge. Now they want you to purchase your drinks from the bars or an overpriced drink package. (maybe its a good time to stop drinking) (3) the Vista ships have no self service laundry. They want $120 for unlimited washing and pressing ???


I think 2 things contribute to changes at HAL.
1. Expenses to the cruise lines continue to increase as have the number of available cabins. Cruise Lines prices have remained flat to fill the berths. They have to cut the perks and scramble for onboard revenue to make money.

2 Anytime Carnival is running something the bottom line will always come first.

On the subject of upgrades: Even if the better cabins remain unsold, the cruiselines will always try to upsell before comping someone to a better cabin.

I have only sailed HAL on 3 full ship charters. These were cruises that always sell out so there is not a chance of an upgrade. At NCL there is a special department that does nothing but try to upsell passengers as the sailing date nears. I am sure that HAL has something like this as well.

That being said, If we want an S we buy an S.

[cruzinchar]

Hi! I just got back last week from a wonderful 7 day Alaska cruise on the Statendam. We were very lucky to have received a free upgrade to a suite from a BB guarantee, and we were definitely not the only ones. I wasn't really going to tell a lot of people about it, yet still, in conversation, it came up, and I'll bet I met at least five other couples who got the same upgrade. So, who knows how many other people there were. I personally thanked the hotel manager for this wonderful good fortune and he told me that first they got on the phone just before the cruise and tried to sell upgrades into suites (at a price) to people. When they still had empty suites, they moved people like us into them as free upgrades, and then had more cabins to sell. He said the bottom line is that they want to sell out the ship (which they did), and he also told me that these lucky upgrades into suites are much more likely in late August and September rather than June. I guess once school starts, suites don't get booked as often (don't understand why). I found out about the upgrade by checking the immigration form daily (at least!) and finally about three days before the cruise it popped up! I also felt that the longer HAL waited to assign me a cabin, the better sign that was. By the way, our cruise was supposedly sold out at least one month before we sailed, because our friends got the "last" inside cabin, so upgrades still happen on a full cruise. Now, why did we get a free upgrade and not a phone call, I have no idea. I did meet one lady who got a phone call and paid quite a bit of money (I thought) for an upgrade into a suite, but she said she didn't care, cause her cruise was "free". Now, maybe HAL knew that, therefore she had to pay for her upgrade. We booked a year ahead, so maybe that was in our favor. I think the system they use is very complex. We'll never figure it out.

[Tinknock50]

Glad you enjoyed Alaska! Two more weeks for me!

[ryansmemom]

I admit I am totally ignorant and clueless regarding this matter. I am not old. I am not from the boondocks, however I would like someone to tell me when an upgrade became an entitlement. I thought it was something that happened [U]rarely[/U.] I thought it was at the whim and for the convienience of the cruise line. I thought that to expect it, to feel entitled to it would be setting myself up for great disappointment. I also thought that it was not always the good deal that it seemed to be on the surface in that the catagory may be higher but the location may be poorer.

We always book what we want, Suites. We have never expected nor received an upgrade. Let's face it, there is not very far to upgrade. We have saided on the Rotterdam with 3 of the 4 PH's empty, the offer for paying for the upgrade made to suite passengers was declined by all.

So, as Denzil Washington said in the movie Philadelphia, "Explain it to me like I'm a three year old." I am ignorant and cluless in this matter.

Linda

[iluvcruzin]

Welcome to cruise critic Redmondcruiser! Please share with us sometime of your 21 HAL sailings. Welcome aboard :) (or if you just changed your name... welcome back)

Linda - you aren't ignorant.. It just may be hard to relate to the subject if you are one to book a suite. Most do not book the suite category but something lower in hopes (not expecting) to be placed in a better location on the ship. Its a gamble. For someone to be disappointed is a normal reaction. Also being curious on how the system works is normal too.

(hey.. aren't you the psychologist here? I thought you'd understand this ;) ).

[cmyers]

No Flamin.......No Complainin...... If you read my post I mentioned that we were ok with the category we booked. By no means did we expect to get a suite or wanted one . Although we were hoping for an inside J our cabin will do just fine. If we wanted a s suite we would have booked that. We were just curious how upgrades work and how they pick and chose who gets one?

[sail7seas]

It is one of the great mysteries of life. :)

[gliles]

No Flamin.......No Complainin...... If you read my post I mentioned that we were ok with the category we booked. By no means did we expect to get a suite or wanted one . Although we were hoping for an inside J our cabin will do just fine. If we wanted a s suite we would have booked that. We were just curious how upgrades work and how they pick and chose who gets one?
I completely understand, I really hope we get an upgrade, that is why we did the guarantee but if we don't, I will be ok and curious like you!

[scamper]

Well, I don't mean to sound boastful, but we've always been upgraded. My t/a has a great HAL rep and although we've paid some truly bargain fares we have always been assigned the highest outside category that are just below the verandah categories. I've heard that the ships are a lot fuller than they have been in the last few years. I was looking at average fares for January, 2005 and they are a lot higher than they used to be. Seems like in the past January was a month for cheap rates...not anymore...at least not on the HAL website which I used basically as a guideline.

[sail7seas]

Scamper....

Have all of your upgrades been from an Inside Guarantee to the 'highest outside' just under a veranda category?

[ryansmemom]

Welcome to cruise critic Redmondcruiser! Please share with us sometime of your 21 HAL sailings. Welcome aboard :) (or if you just changed your name... welcome back)

Linda - you aren't ignorant.. It just may be hard to relate to the subject if you are one to book a suite. Most do not book the suite category but something lower in hopes (not expecting) to be placed in a better location on the ship. Its a gamble. For someone to be disappointed is a normal reaction. Also being curious on how the system works is normal too.

(hey.. aren't you the psychologist here? I thought you'd understand this ;) ).


I understand the hope, I don't understand the feeling of entitlement. That is what concerns me. It's that feeling of entitlement that get's people hurt and so ddeply disappointed so often. They feel cheated out of something that they "should" have gotten. They are just setting themselves up, in my opinion. Hey if that's what you want to do, fine. I'd rather not do that to myself.

If you book what you will be happy with and get an upgrade that is wonderful. If you book something you won't be satisfied with expecting that you "should" be upgraded and then you are not you may be angry and disappointed and it will affect your hard earned vacation. You may then blame the cruise line for cheating you out of something you were never entitled to in the first place. It's a set up.

I just want to know when upgrades became expected. I thought they were something that happened rarely at the whim of the cruise line. We do ourselves a disservice if we expect this to happen. We are just setting ourselves up, in my opinion.

Linda

[scamper]

Scamper....

Have all of your upgrades been from an Inside Guarantee to the 'highest outside' just under a veranda category?

No, we have paid the lowest outside category rate and have been assigned the highest outside category room that is not a verandah.

[tommy]

Thank you Scamper,I was saying the same thing.We take it a step further.We book the highest balcony we can get a guarentee on,and if you check Holland web site daily it always becomes available at sometime.We have been upgraded every time we have done this. TOM