Tell me about the upsell fairy...

[MaiTaiMary]

How does this work? If the ship has a lot of open cabins in higher categories, Carnival calls with a good deal to upgrade?

How close to the sail date do they usually call?

Do you need to make a decision immediately while you're on the phone, or do they give you any time to contact your significant other and discuss?

[MamaParrotHead]

Yes and I just got the call yesterday for my 11/29 sailing. They were offering $100 pp to upgrade from OV on Main Deck to BL on Verandah. Tempting, but we're travelling in 2 cabins with our 2 small kids, and the fact that no BL's have connecting interior doors was a deal breaker.

[serene56]

Final payment comes around 75 days- people cancel.
Cruiselines regroup their available cabins.

This is when people who booked guarantees are upgraded so the cruiselines can sell the lower category cabins are lower prices.
Local residents are now given the opportunity to cruise for very cheap.

Closer to sailing you will want to look to see whats available.

[firefly333]

Originally Posted by MaiTaiMary

How does this work? If the ship has a lot of open cabins in higher categories, Carnival calls with a good deal to upgrade?

How close to the sail date do they usually call?

Do you need to make a decision immediately while you're on the phone, or do they give you any time to contact your significant other and discuss?

They called someone on my 12/3 Triumph cruise, so they must be working those dates approx. Im with a TA whose customer service is non existent, so they cant call me direct, as I didnt book that leg thru Carnival and havent heard of any upsells for 12/7 date. .. at least not yet.

Yes, they discount the prices to get you to upgrade, but the deals are not as good as they were when they first starting the Upsell Dept. Offer them less and they will have to ask their supvisor, they dont have the power to accept a lower offer, but their boss can... sometimes they will dicker.

PS you cant call them, they have to call you.

If you ask for more time, if its a really good deal, someone they call next on the list may take the deal, and when they get the cabins moved they allocated, they are gone, so calling back, you cant count on the deal still being offered.

[wanderlust402]

Originally Posted by firefly333

They called someone on my 12/3 Triumph cruise, so they must be working those dates approx. Im with a TA whose customer service is non existent, so they cant call me direct.

PS you cant call them, they have to call you.

Is there no way of calling them just so that they have your phone number in case the opportunity comes up? My parents booked our cruise through a time-share travel agency, so I have zero hope of hearing anything more from them!

Originally Posted by MaiTaiMary

How close to the sail date do they usually call?

I sail on 12/19 on Destiny, we are currently in a 8B and would love to move down the hall a few doors for an OS Suite Stateroom. Right now on the web, such an upgrade would be $260 per person. How good do the deals usually get?

[serene56]

Have your agent mark on your reservation that you are willing to upgrade.

[kimcruiser]

We got the call two days ago for our 11/28 cruise and when she called at about 2ish she had 16 cabins she was upselling. well by the time we called everybody to make sure we wanted to do it the time was 6 and she had 2 left.

[firefly333]

Originally Posted by wanderlust402

Is there no way of calling them just so that they have your phone number in case the opportunity comes up? My parents booked our cruise through a time-share travel agency, so I have zero hope of hearing anything more from them!?

If you didnt book direct as I mentioned above ... they cant call you (and you cant call them). They can only deal with your TA that you booked thru. If the TA wants to and gets the call they can pass it onto you.. they arent allowed to call you if you didnt book direct with Carnival.

sorry I wasnt clearer above. Im doing a B2B and only one leg is thru a PVP, so Im in the same boat. (no pun intended lol)