Are you obligated to take the free upgrade?

[Ashland]

You have one of the most coveted mini-suites on the ship. Extended, covered balcony, very private and quiet. Run, don't walk, and call ASAP to change it to "Do not upgrade." You are far more likely to be upgraded, if you're upgraded at all, to perhaps a mini at the very front of Dolphin deck with the standard, exposed balcony with everyone looking in. Princess once tried to "upgrade" me that way (without telling me plus my booking was linked to my sister and BIL next door) and fortunately, my TA was able to get my cabin back. It was a close call.

Thanks Pam..I just called Princess..I checked online and couldn't find any "Do Not Upgrade" box..The CSR I spoke to said it had been checked (good surprise for me) and said she wasn't really sure where the box was either..Oh well..I may be new to Princess but I have read enough to know that I seem to have lucked out booking E731 2 weeks ago during their 3 day sale for a Feb'12 cruise..Maybe it was a cancellation ?

 

BTW: How often does Princess have sales? I got a great price and would love to get something comparable for Feb '13..Maybe wait until I get onboard?

[Ashland]

I wouldn't take the risk if I were you. The last "upgrade" we got on Princess did not seem like one to me and you have a great balcony.

 

Did you find something on Jewel? If not, be sure and check out their facebook page as they have some helpful information on there.

RCI TA Jewel Aug 31st.. No not yet only saw some insides :(..I'm not a facebooker and have no clue how to find it..A link perhaps...Thanks so much..

[smixsell]

I was recently notified by e-mail that I had been upgraded from a guaranteed "BE" category to a "BB" on the Sapphire Princess Aloha deck (A411) which was right below the pool area. The e-mail stated that if I had a problem with the room I should notify them within 48 hours.

 

I called Princess the next morning and told them that I have serious noise sensitivity (true) and would rather keep my original cabin than risk having the sound of scraping chairs over my head. The Princess agent offered to transfer us to a different room on the aloha deck in the same category (A308) which is directly below a stateroom on the Lido deck. I checked the dek plan and it seemed like a good room so I accepted. The impression I got was that I could have refused the upgrade if the accommodating room they offered me was not acceptable to me.

 

Hope this helps!

[Traveling Bob]

Good luck with that. You may or may not be notified (there's no guarantee they will) and you could be stuck with a cabin you don't want.

Can this happen even when you pick a sepcific cabin (not a guarantee)?:eek:

[Pam in CA]

Can this happen even when you pick a sepcific cabin (not a guarantee)?:eek:

Absolutely. It makes little difference whether you book a GTY or specific cabin. I booked my first GTY on my March 2013 cruise; have always booked specific cabins.

[lovevacadays]

I called Princess and they tell me that they will send an upgrade notification email. They do automatically give it to you, yes, but, you have 2 days to contact them and refuse it to get your original cabin back. So, I guess, I'll just have to keep my eye out for the emails. :p

 

You may have been told that and in a perfect world I'm sure they plan things to work that way. However, there have been many, many posts on these boards from cruisers that were stuck with an "upgrade" they didn't want. If you are willing to take the risk, go for it. But, really, there are no absolute guarantees it will work out in your favor.

[lovevacadays]

Thanks Pam..I just called Princess..I checked online and couldn't find any "Do Not Upgrade" box..The CSR I spoke to said it had been checked (good surprise for me) and said she wasn't really sure where the box was either..Oh well..I may be new to Princess but I have read enough to know that I seem to have lucked out booking E731 2 weeks ago during their 3 day sale for a Feb'12 cruise..Maybe it was a cancellation ?

 

BTW: How often does Princess have sales? I got a great price and would love to get something comparable for Feb '13..Maybe wait until I get onboard?

 

Ashland, you did luck out and it probably was a cancellation and your timing was great. Princess has sales all the time. I get things in the mail every week. In regards to Feb 2013, you could wait until you get on board but for those amazing cabins people book them far in advance. Again, you most likely were the lucky recipient of a cancellation on your 2/12 cruise.

[Pam in CA]

Thanks Pam..I just called Princess..I checked online and couldn't find any "Do Not Upgrade" box..The CSR I spoke to said it had been checked (good surprise for me) and said she wasn't really sure where the box was either..Oh well..I may be new to Princess but I have read enough to know that I seem to have lucked out booking E731

Good for you! Here's a photo of "your" balcony. It's the lower one that's covered. You can see that it's a lot larger than the one next to it, and that isn't shabby. :)

 

[Ashland]

Good for you! Here's a photo of "your" balcony. It's the lower one that's covered. You can see that it's a lot larger than the one next to it, and that isn't shabby. :)

 

Thank you so very much Pam...The excitement grows ...:D

[jealdaka]

RCI TA Jewel Aug 31st.. No not yet only saw some insides :(..I'm not a facebooker and have no clue how to find it..A link perhaps...Thanks so much..

 

Check with windycitybarb at yahoo dot com. She mentioned giving some cabins up a couple of weeks ago on the Jewel roll call.

[Adventures ahead]

I'd venture 99.9% of the time the upgrade notification isn't received in time occurs when booking through a travel agent who fails to forward it.

 

I just check 'My Princess' on the Princess website every day over morning coffee. I know about my cabin assignment before my TA does, and I'm calling her to contact Princess to keep it or not.

[beshears]

All I can say is MY TA notified me about a week before, and what a NICE surprise is was for us.:) In fact she said she had never seen anyone moved 6 decks, from a window to a balcony. To say the least we were pleased.:)