Unwanted Upgrade on Royal

Hello,

I went through old threads to find some information on this topic, but did not find the specific answer I was looking for. I apologize if this topic has been beaten into the ground!

Tonight I received an email from Princess for my Jan 2017 10 day Southern Caribbean cruise telling me that I'd been upgraded from a Balcony to a Balcony Deluxe ... FIVE floors down from our original cabin on the Marina Deck to the Dolphin Deck. That's definitely not an upgrade in our opinion. We like higher decks and chose that specific cabin because my sister stayed in it a couple years back. We thought it would be fun to stay in the same room.

I contacted Princess immediately, within two hours of receiving the email. The representative was friendly and pleasant, but vague and not very forthcoming with much information. She insisted that we were getting a much better room and I thanked her for that opportunity, but told her that we want the cabin that we selected and booked. She said she would have to send our request to their "Yield Department" to see if they could accommodate our "request" and that I should hear from someone soon. I'm a little frustrated. I suspect we're getting screwed here. If the upgrade was on the same or higher floor we'd be very grateful, but five floors down and right next to the stairway to boot is just not desirable.

Does anyone have any recent experience with this topic, and has anyone been successful in having their original cabin restored? I'm aware that Princess has the right to move cabins, etc. but when it happens against a passenger's wish, are they usually accommodating to make up for it?

Thanks in advance for any insight or advice that anyone might have that can point me in the right direction of resolution!

Hello,

 

I went through old threads to find some information on this topic, but did not find the specific answer I was looking for. I apologize if this topic has been beaten into the ground!

 

Tonight I received an email from Princess for my Jan 2017 10 day Southern Caribbean cruise telling me that I'd been upgraded from a Balcony to a Balcony Deluxe ... FIVE floors down from our original cabin on the Marina Deck to the Dolphin Deck. That's definitely not an upgrade in our opinion. We like higher decks and chose that specific cabin because my sister stayed in it a couple years back. We thought it would be fun to stay in the same room.

 

I contacted Princess immediately, within two hours of receiving the email. The representative was friendly and pleasant, but vague and not very forthcoming with much information. She insisted that we were getting a much better room and I thanked her for that opportunity, but told her that we want the cabin that we selected and booked. She said she would have to send our request to their "Yield Department" to see if they could accommodate our "request" and that I should hear from someone soon. I'm a little frustrated. I suspect we're getting screwed here. If the upgrade was on the same or higher floor we'd be very grateful, but five floors down and right next to the stairway to boot is just not desirable.

 

Does anyone have any recent experience with this topic, and has anyone been successful in having their original cabin restored? I'm aware that Princess has the right to move cabins, etc. but when it happens against a passenger's wish, are they usually accommodating to make up for it?

 

Thanks in advance for any insight or advice that anyone might have that can point me in the right direction of resolution!

First off, next time you pick a cabin that you really, really want, have them mark it NO UPGRADE. Secondly, moving from Marina to a better category on Dolphin is definitely considered an upgrade. Most folks want to be lower and midship and the cabins are priced accordingly.

So, yes, when an upgrade such as this is performed, they have basically satisfied guarantees that booked your original category. They have to go back to Yield to move you back. In most cases, this will be done. You may have to wait a few days. Good luck!

That's why, having chosen my cabin carefully, I mark my booking "No Upgrades". Many upgrades aren't.

However contact Princess, if you booked direct, or your TA and see if you can get the old cabin back.

Hello,

 

I went through old threads to find some information on this topic, but did not find the specific answer I was looking for. I apologize if this topic has been beaten into the ground!

 

Tonight I received an email from Princess for my Jan 2017 10 day Southern Caribbean cruise telling me that I'd been upgraded from a Balcony to a Balcony Deluxe ... FIVE floors down from our original cabin on the Marina Deck to the Dolphin Deck. That's definitely not an upgrade in our opinion. We like higher decks and chose that specific cabin because my sister stayed in it a couple years back. We thought it would be fun to stay in the same room.

 

I contacted Princess immediately, within two hours of receiving the email. The representative was friendly and pleasant, but vague and not very forthcoming with much information. She insisted that we were getting a much better room and I thanked her for that opportunity, but told her that we want the cabin that we selected and booked. She said she would have to send our request to their "Yield Department" to see if they could accommodate our "request" and that I should hear from someone soon. I'm a little frustrated. I suspect we're getting screwed here. If the upgrade was on the same or higher floor we'd be very grateful, but five floors down and right next to the stairway to boot is just not desirable.

 

Does anyone have any recent experience with this topic, and has anyone been successful in having their original cabin restored? I'm aware that Princess has the right to move cabins, etc. but when it happens against a passenger's wish, are they usually accommodating to make up for it?

 

Thanks in advance for any insight or advice that anyone might have that can point me in the right direction of resolution!

The exact thing happened to us last year when we sailed on the Regal in November 2015 (7 day Western Caribbean). Got the email and I responded as soon as possible to turn it down. We had selected our original balcony room because we liked the location. And their "upgrade" to deluxe balcony was going to put us under the Horizon Court and I'm a light sleeper. I told them that I didn't want the upgrade.

They told me the same thing they told you. They'd have to put my request in because someone might already be assigned to our original room. I asked if they could give those people the upgrade instead. We did get our room back in about 2-3 days. I can't remember how we found out we got our original room back. Maybe I checked cruise personalizer every day. My hubby says that he thinks I called them every day.:D

Same thing here. We got an upgrade a few years ago that we did not want. I requested our original cabin back and it was reversed the next day.

Thank you so much for your replies, folks. :)

Moving down six floors is definitely not an upgrade in our opinion. We enjoy the higher decks and close proximity to sun decks, pool, etc. We booked online and never received an option to select in order to avoid upgrades - I learned just this evening while researching this topic that you must speak with a TA directly to request no upgrades. And I will, just as soon as this is resolved!

I sure appreciate the advice from all the CC experts onboard (see what I did there) here. :)

Thank you so much for your replies, folks. :)

 

Moving down six floors is definitely not an upgrade in our opinion. We enjoy the higher decks and close proximity to sun decks, pool, etc. We booked online and never received an option to select in order to avoid upgrades - I learned just this evening while researching this topic that you must speak with a TA directly to request no upgrades. And I will, just as soon as this is resolved!

 

I sure appreciate the advice from all the CC experts onboard (see what I did there) here. :)

If you book direct, once your booking is complete, just call Princess and they can mark it no upgrade. Not a problem.

Thank you so much for your replies, folks. :)

 

Moving down six floors is definitely not an upgrade in our opinion. We enjoy the higher decks and close proximity to sun decks, pool, etc. We booked online and never received an option to select in order to avoid upgrades - I learned just this evening while researching this topic that you must speak with a TA directly to request no upgrades. And I will, just as soon as this is resolved!

 

I sure appreciate the advice from all the CC experts onboard (see what I did there) here. :)

You're welcome! That's how we learned about the "no uograde" too!

The best negotiating tactic in my experience is to phone the cruise line. I know you have already done so but I suggest you phone again. Thank them for upgrading you and let them know how you realise how much better the cabin is. At this point you have the option of saying "if it was a full suite you would be over the moon" Pause and listen to the response. Then say you really base what you like on the position of the cabin and are a high deck cruiser and that's why you originally booked Xxxx. Someone must be in that cabin now, probably through an upgrade and you are confident that if they are happy to be upgraded they could be upgraded again - to the deluxe cabin you are being removed from on your way back to the originally booked cabin. If she comes back at you with "The new people have specifically booked your original cabin after you were upgraded and put no upgrades on their booking", you come back with there must be someone in that area who would like an upgrade as you are a specific deck cruiser who will swap. Then point out that it will absolutely make those people really happy and you will be pleased too. This tactic has worked on other lines I know.

Regards John

Hello,

 

I went through old threads to find some information on this topic, but did not find the specific answer I was looking for. I apologize if this topic has been beaten into the ground!

 

Tonight I received an email from Princess for my Jan 2017 10 day Southern Caribbean cruise telling me that I'd been upgraded from a Balcony to a Balcony Deluxe ... FIVE floors down from our original cabin on the Marina Deck to the Dolphin Deck. That's definitely not an upgrade in our opinion. We like higher decks and chose that specific cabin because my sister stayed in it a couple years back. We thought it would be fun to stay in the same room.

 

I contacted Princess immediately, within two hours of receiving the email. The representative was friendly and pleasant, but vague and not very forthcoming with much information. She insisted that we were getting a much better room and I thanked her for that opportunity, but told her that we want the cabin that we selected and booked. She said she would have to send our request to their "Yield Department" to see if they could accommodate our "request" and that I should hear from someone soon. I'm a little frustrated. I suspect we're getting screwed here. If the upgrade was on the same or higher floor we'd be very grateful, but five floors down and right next to the stairway to boot is just not desirable.

 

Does anyone have any recent experience with this topic, and has anyone been successful in having their original cabin restored? I'm aware that Princess has the right to move cabins, etc. but when it happens against a passenger's wish, are they usually accommodating to make up for it?

 

Thanks in advance for any insight or advice that anyone might have that can point me in the right direction of resolution!

Sure do hope you get your original cabin back. Others have advised about the no upgrade so I will not repeat...but I would add that our first cruise on Royal was in a deluxe balcony, next cruise on Regal was regular balcony, I much prefer the regular balcony to the deluxe, there is more storage space and the fridge is not up against the desk and the desk is bigger...the deluxe is not worth the extra money in my opinion...no matter where the deluxe would be located I'd rather keep my regular balcony...now if the balcony was actually larger with the deluxe, then that would be a different story.

Best wishes and enjoy your cruise

Y'all have been extremely helpful and nice - I really do appreciate it.

As of now, our cabin is showing as available if I try to create a new booking. So hopefully that's a good sign that it's still available and as was said earlier, Princess was just trying to do us a solid with what is usually considered a desirable upgrade. Maybe I'm a weirdo, but I just love the long look down, the peek into the bridge, and the rocking of the boat. I'm definitely a high deck cruiser (not a high plains drifter - lulz).

I'll follow up to report the outcome and any tips that I pick up, and of course I'll go to sleep now keeping in mind that 10 days in a tiny broom closet next to the boiler room on a cruise is better than getting up and going to work!

We have received to upgrades. Both were really excellent upgrades. Once from a really poor balcony cabin to a great balcony cabin and once from a really low classification of interior cabin to a really great Caribe balcony cabin. Sorry you are unhappy with your upgrade. As others have said, if you love the cabin you have booked, mark it as "no upgrade" We once turned down an upsell (not an upgrade) from our aft-facing Caribe deck balcony to a mini-suite for about $100 each. No way. We booked the cabin we wanted and kept it. :) (It was already marked as "no upgrade" but they still offered the upsell.)

I was very polite to the Princess representative and told her that we very much appreciated the upgrade opportunity, but that we were really happy with our selected cabin and did not want to be relocated so much lower on the ship. Our selected cabin is on the port side of the Marina deck in a quiet area with nothing but a public restroom above us, and is close to food and the pool. What more could we want? I don't mean to seem ungrateful, but there is surely someone else on that cruise who would rather have the room that they moved us to. They can have it! :D

All cabins are automatically marked "Will accept an upgrade" as the default so Princess was just following your preference. Your TA should have advised you. If you booked directly, then you're responsible.

Unless your Marina balcony is beneath another cabin, you would not want to be on Marina deck. I've had balconies on both Marina and Emerald, and I'd take Emerald deck every single time. Marina deck was awful. Horrible. Noisy starting at 3:30am. Loud enough to wake me up every single night. I'd thought, "I'm beneath the carpeted Horizon Court. How bad could it be?" Oy! I sure found out the first night.

Why people think a higher deck is better I will never know, the last place you want to be is under the sun deck, never forget being on the Island with a wake up call every morning of scraping deck chairs

Hello,

 

I went through old threads to find some information on this topic, but did not find the specific answer I was looking for. I apologize if this topic has been beaten into the ground!

 

Tonight I received an email from Princess for my Jan 2017 10 day Southern Caribbean cruise telling me that I'd been upgraded from a Balcony to a Balcony Deluxe ... FIVE floors down from our original cabin on the Marina Deck to the Dolphin Deck. That's definitely not an upgrade in our opinion. We like higher decks and chose that specific cabin because my sister stayed in it a couple years back. We thought it would be fun to stay in the same room.

 

I contacted Princess immediately, within two hours of receiving the email. The representative was friendly and pleasant, but vague and not very forthcoming with much information. She insisted that we were getting a much better room and I thanked her for that opportunity, but told her that we want the cabin that we selected and booked. She said she would have to send our request to their "Yield Department" to see if they could accommodate our "request" and that I should hear from someone soon. I'm a little frustrated. I suspect we're getting screwed here. If the upgrade was on the same or higher floor we'd be very grateful, but five floors down and right next to the stairway to boot is just not desirable.

 

Does anyone have any recent experience with this topic, and has anyone been successful in having their original cabin restored? I'm aware that Princess has the right to move cabins, etc. but when it happens against a passenger's wish, are they usually accommodating to make up for it?

 

Thanks in advance for any insight or advice that anyone might have that can point me in the right direction of resolution!

I can confirm that I have had a similar experience and pushed so hard that I did get my original room back. I insisted that they would have to move whoever booked my room into the "upgrade" they gave me if the upgrade was so good.

These telephone agents have no idea what they are talking about most of the time. I find it amusing how they told you that you were getting a "much better room" the room would be exactly the same except the location is different. It is quite condescending to a seasoned cruiser to have telephone operator try to make you a fool by convincing you something you know not to be true.

Keep pushing and you will get what you want.

I would also suggest writing to the customer relations team with a suggestion that they change their system. When I cruised with the competition Royal Caribbean they allowed upgrade requests in the online booking. You had the ability to select boxes like "yes I will accept upgrades but not to a lower deck", "yes I will accept upgrades but not to a higher deck" and "yes I will accept any given upgrade".

I think the system should be changed because I am exactly like you and prefer the upper decks unless they upgrade me to a full suite which is what they did on my last cruise.

You received all the comments about how to preserve your cabin selection in the future. Personally I would accept the move to the deluxe balcony on the lower deck. From experience this is a better location, with less activity and less motion in case of rough seas. The Marina deck is underneath the Lido deck which has lots of activity areas.

Hello,

 

I went through old threads to find some information on this topic, but did not find the specific answer I was looking for. I apologize if this topic has been beaten into the ground!

 

Tonight I received an email from Princess for my Jan 2017 10 day Southern Caribbean cruise telling me that I'd been upgraded from a Balcony to a Balcony Deluxe ... FIVE floors down from our original cabin on the Marina Deck to the Dolphin Deck. That's definitely not an upgrade in our opinion. We like higher decks and chose that specific cabin because my sister stayed in it a couple years back. We thought it would be fun to stay in the same room.

 

I contacted Princess immediately, within two hours of receiving the email. The representative was friendly and pleasant, but vague and not very forthcoming with much information. She insisted that we were getting a much better room and I thanked her for that opportunity, but told her that we want the cabin that we selected and booked. She said she would have to send our request to their "Yield Department" to see if they could accommodate our "request" and that I should hear from someone soon. I'm a little frustrated. I suspect we're getting screwed here. If the upgrade was on the same or higher floor we'd be very grateful, but five floors down and right next to the stairway to boot is just not desirable.

 

Does anyone have any recent experience with this topic, and has anyone been successful in having their original cabin restored? I'm aware that Princess has the right to move cabins, etc. but when it happens against a passenger's wish, are they usually accommodating to make up for it?

 

Thanks in advance for any insight or advice that anyone might have that can point me in the right direction of resolution!

I hope you get your original cabin back; however, consider your location on Marina deck. It's definitively a noisy deck unless you are under the Sanctuary. We had originally booked a Marina deck cabin as well, and read tons of reviews.. most of them stating how noisy this deck is.

Another option would be to see what other deluxe balcony cabins are available that are in an acceptable location and contact Princess. They are usually happy to switch. I agree with Pam, Marina (the deck under Lido) is the least desirable to me.

I had an deluxe obstructed balcony on the regal and the balcony was huge

I have an obstructed balcony on my upcoming cruise really looking forward to it again

When I book an inside on royal I book lido sideways cabin. Don't want an upgrade unless it is to a balcony. Always mark do not upgrade also. I know darn well they will upgrade me out of there so they can resell for more that I paid last year. The upgrade will be to an inside down and below ...no thanks!

Like being on lido because my huge balcony is right down the hall:D

Reader

Thank you for all your replies. A couple points -

We made a very careful cabin selection as we do for every cruise we take. Our cabin on the Marina Deck is our choice because we actually like being up high, the motion of the ship, the long view down to the water, and the quick steps to the sun decks and pool. Everybody obviously has their own personal preferences; the deck and cabin we chose fits ours. We did our homework and chose a cabin underneath a non-public non-noisy part of the Lido deck above. So no, being moved down six floors to a cabin smack dab against the stairs simply isn't better for us than what we picked. To each their own!

Princesses' U.S. website neither allows you to opt out of upgrades or informs you to contact Princess directly in the event that you wish to opt out. Apparently the UK version has that feature, but alas, the U.S. version does not. I now know moving forward that online bookings must be followed up with a phone call to request an opt-out of upgrades. But that unfortunately doesn't help me now in this situation. Lesson learned!

I'm thankful for the advice given here and if I don't hear back from Princess today I'll follow up with another call out to them. I also sent an email to the Reservations Dept. Thank you for your replies!

Thank you for all your replies. A couple points -

 

We made a very careful cabin selection as we do for every cruise we take. Our cabin on the Marina Deck is our choice because we actually like being up high, the motion of the ship, the long view down to the water, and the quick steps to the sun decks and pool. Everybody obviously has their own personal preferences; the deck and cabin we chose fits ours. We did our homework and chose a cabin underneath a non-public non-noisy part of the Lido deck above. So no, being moved down six floors to a cabin smack dab against the stairs simply isn't better for us than what we picked. To each their own!

 

Princesses' U.S. website neither allows you to opt out of upgrades or informs you to contact Princess directly in the event that you wish to opt out. Apparently the UK version has that feature, but alas, the U.S. version does not. I now know moving forward that online bookings must be followed up with a phone call to request an opt-out of upgrades. But that unfortunately doesn't help me now in this situation. Lesson learned!

 

I'm thankful for the advice given here and if I don't hear back from Princess today I'll follow up with another call out to them. I also sent an email to the Reservations Dept. Thank you for your replies!

Good luck, and when you get it back tell them to mark it no upgrade so they don't do it again :)

Reader

That's why, having chosen my cabin carefully, I mark my booking "No Upgrades". Many upgrades aren't.

 

However contact Princess, if you booked direct, or your TA and see if you can get the old cabin back.

Yep! We had a Caribe balcony cabin and they moved us to the Aloha deck right under MUTS! 15 day cruise to Hawaii and it was the worse. Now for all cruises we tell them NO UPGRADE. Never been upgraded since. I will cancel the cruise if they ever try to pull that on us again.

 

I'm thankful for the advice given here and if I don't hear back from Princess today I'll follow up with another call out to them. I also sent an email to the Reservations Dept. Thank you for your replies!

You've got to stay on them and demand to be put back to the cabin you chose. Stay on them like a fly on ****. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Go to a higher level - supervisor if you have to. Good luck.