Jump to content

Gonna Sound Dumb .. But Can Some Explain 'Upgrade Fairy' ?


F27TW
 Share

Recommended Posts

I've been on 3 RC cruises, a 4th is planned (..definitely more in future!).... and I read about people being blessed by the 'upgrade fairy' often on here.

We are Crown & Anchor members, but can someone explain this to me? How does this work/happen?

Again, I'm sorry to post what is probably a silly question to most of you!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's not a silly question at all because no one really knows the rhyme or reason. That's how it got the label of "fairy"...as though its some imaginary character. :)

 

Ok .. so it's just a random thing? How do u find out if you've been touched by him/her? :p

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok .. so it's just a random thing? How do u find out if you've been touched by him/her? :p

Sometimes you get a call. The two times we've been upgraded, we didn't receive a call, I just noticed that our stateroom had been changed on Royal's website.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Upgrade Fairy is that "mythical" process by which *free* upgrades are granted.

 

Free upgrades can happen 2 ways; 1) if the revenue dept. decides to upgrade people to entice new cruisers with lower cat. cabins - no identifed rhyme or reason as to who is pick.

 

With 2 weeks left to go, the C&A team processes upgrades *if* there any cabins to upgrade to ... the higher your status the better your odds of being upgraded... *BUT* by then, there usually aren't too many options left.

 

Aloha,

 

John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our first upgrade was our 3rd or 4th cruise and we were upgraded from an inside to a balcony. We never got a call and didn't find out until we checked in. We didn't even know what C&A was or if it even existed at the time. We haven't received one since in twenty or so cruises.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I ask this question, as it has been years since we cruised on RCCL. I have cruised for 25 years, using a TA all the time, still do, on Carnival and Princess, Holland American and not always, but generally we are upgraded at the last minute, which is AWESOME. I did ask about RCCL, and was told that very seldom they do upgrading. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have been upgraded twice when booking direct with RCI, never with a travel agent. Both upgrades were on cruises that were overlapping the end of summer school holidays here in Australia. So people who have never or rarely had upgrades might need to check if they are always traveling at peak times?

 

Also we have heard and found that they generally upgrade one level only. So when we were lucky enough to get a grand suite we had already paid full rate for a junior. We did pay a small fee for that upgrade, but $300 for a14 nighter was in our opinion a fantastic bargain.

 

You look at the maths, there are a lot of inside cabins and balconies, and as people get upgrades to suites the flow on has a bottleneck.

 

We also had a couple very unhappy last cruise that we got upgrades from balcony to junior suite. They however had booked their disabled cabin through a TA by ticking the disabled box more than a year in advance. They were getting blisters from all the line dancing and exercise activities they were doing. It was disgusting that they would do that and then still expect an upgrade. Yes I have written to their ta advising that these people are bragging about this loophole.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have always thought a fairy was female (at least in the Disney realm), but that is an interesting perspective F27TW, maybe it is time for the world to have male fairies ( I believe in equality), I could see all the prim and proper conservative types going nuts over that!

 

But seriously, I would almost think we have a better chance of getting torpedoed on our cruise than an upgrade (though an upgrade from our "Steerage Class" outside view to balcony would be nice-torpedoed, uh no...).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I heard one time that the only way you can get upgraded is if you don't book a specific room but just a category. Is that wrong? I always wondered if you booked a certain room and really wanted that one, could you possibly be knocked out of it by the upgrade fairy. Maybe I'm crazy too but to me an interior on the 8th deck is better than an ocean view on the 3rd. Just wondering about that. It was a travel agent that told me never expect an upgrade if you select a cabin...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

but seriously, i would almost think we have a better chance of getting torpedoed on our cruise than an upgrade (though an upgrade from our "steerage class" outside view to balcony would be nice-torpedoed, uh no...).

 

roflmao:d

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I heard one time that the only way you can get upgraded is if you don't book a specific room but just a category. Is that wrong? I always wondered if you booked a certain room and really wanted that one, could you possibly be knocked out of it by the upgrade fairy. Maybe I'm crazy too but to me an interior on the 8th deck is better than an ocean view on the 3rd. Just wondering about that. It was a travel agent that told me never expect an upgrade if you select a cabin...

 

The category guarantee is a more likely way to get an upgrade, but we have found it to be like the original few posters, it is a mystery only known to those that work on it, and maybe not even to them!

 

On Royal Caribbean's website, when you log into your Crown and Anchor section you can set personal preferences. You just need to tick that your preference is not to be auto upgraded, or there are some other options there for certain conditions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been on 16 Royal cruises and have never been visited by the "upgrade fairy". I've paid to upgrade a few weeks before a cruise, but never lucky enough for the free upgrade. Maybe the higher the status, such as Diamond Plus (I'm only Diamond).

 

I believe that your C&A level is a factor. The other thing, going back to sailing off peak times, is also to sail in newer destinations like Australia where there are fewer C&A members. We have sailed twice with people that were a C&A level higher than us and they got upgraded the same cabin types as us, but had more centrally located cabins. When I say they were higher, they were Diamond and we were Emerald, and then second time they were Diamond Plus and we were Diamond. So I believe, and have no problem with, that if there was one less upgrade available they would have had preference. They have done more than twice the number of cruises, so they deserve the treat more - no question of that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is some information about the Upgrade Fairy:D:

 

First of all her name is Mrs. Goldstien(Adam's wife)

 

Second in order to get a call you must pick a number any number and keep it in your head and hold on to that number.

 

Thirdly the Upgrade Fairy only calls during the week and if its the weekend she will be very generous and possibly give you a better cabin than you bargained for.

 

When the Upgrade Fairy or her delegates call you say the following Magic Spell

 

"Upgrade Fairy Upgrade Fairy" Mother of The Seas. Please Bestow an Upgrade on(your name)"

 

Once you got visited by the upgrade fairy possibly you will want to play slots to encounter the "Casino Fairy" now thats an entirely different fairy:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been on 16 Royal cruises and have never been visited by the "upgrade fairy". I've paid to upgrade a few weeks before a cruise, but never lucky enough for the free upgrade. Maybe the higher the status, such as Diamond Plus (I'm only Diamond).

 

Absolute "Ditto" for me too. Have paid to upsell myself many times, as I watch

the pricing on higher cat cabins come down, I become my own upgrade fairy. ;)

 

But a visit from the mythical free upgrade fairy??!! LOL!! I don't think she

exists. I am "D plus" and she has never appeared to me....just in my dreams.

Sigh....... :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: Set Sail on Sun Princess®
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • Cruise Insurance Q&A w/ Steve Dasseos of Tripinsurancestore.com June 2024
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...