Free upgrades if ship isn't 100% booked?

[dom89]

Just out of curiosity, would Carnival be willing to let me upgrade if the cruise isn't 100% booked? Maybe change on day of embarkation?

[Katmarha]

I just got an upgrade because the prices dropped so much. I was hoping for some OBC, but the higher category will be fine for me.

[RubyGold]

Short answer, probably not.

 

Normally there are signs saying they always sail full or that there are no upgrades to be had.

 

John Heald posted on his page once about on embarkation day around 30-ish people turned up asking for these upgrades!! (And none of them got one)

 

Best bet is to call up now to see if you can get a deal on an upgrade.

[dom89]

Prices for my category keep going up but I don't cruise until September so rooms can fill up. But then my payment date is June 30th. I was just curious what they allow if they end up with rooms available.

[PNGfan]

Carnival tries to sail with the ship completely booked. It is rare that you get to upgrade your cabin at check in. However with that being said. I went from deck 6 to deck 9 lido when I was on Carnival Destiny before she became the Sunshine. I loved the surprise upgrade.

[dom89]

Did you get the upgrade or did you ask? I know people can ask and get one but I'm more wondering if you can get one just because they happen to be empty. Of course they try to sail at 100% booked but there is a small chance that they aren't.

[jwalk03]

Did you get the upgrade or did you ask? I know people can ask and get one but I'm more wondering if you can get one just because they happen to be empty. Of course they try to sail at 100% booked but there is a small chance that they aren't.

 

 

Its very very unlikely. They make calls and send emails to people pre-cruise offering upgrades for reduced prices, specials, etc and then try to back fill those cabins with cheap last minute deals (or as upgrades from even lower decks, room types, etc) They are always trying to get more people to pay a little more pre-sailing, with the end result being a 100% full ship (or with only the lowest classes of rooms unsold.)

 

I have gotten one of these offers to "upgrade" on every cruise and taken advantage everytime. Typically $20-$50 to move from the bottom deck I booked up to Lido or Panorama Deck! Never had a free upgrade though.

Edited June 24, 2014 by jwalk03

[cruizinisthebest]

Doubt that.

[PNGfan]

For me I did not ask for it. They just did it. I was beyond surprised.

[Tapi]

Carnival is very successful at filling the ship to 100% capacity. Empty cabins on embarkation day are usually no shows.

 

Your chances of getting an upgrade are just a bit above zero.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[sjcruiser]

Embarkation day there is usually signs at check in and at Guest services stated the ship is at capacity, and upgrades are not available.

[smeyer418]

In general the mass market cruise ships sail at about 115% of capacity. 100% means that the 2 per room has been filled. 115% percent means that there are rooms with 3, 4 or more(and yes there will still be some empty rooms). Most ships are not totally full until about 125% of lower 2 capacity. This is a function of the number of rooms and the number of lifeboat seats with a specified margin. If a ship is selling well-not at least 100% full- prices will drop in order to get people to sail(that is why you can call and get an upgrade because the price has dropped). The cruise line might upgrade returning customers(it happened to me once) but for the most part they try to sell the upgrades.

Capacity control is an art. Free upgrades are rare but they do happen now and then.

[Donray]

Just out of curiosity, would Carnival be willing to let me upgrade if the cruise isn't 100% booked? Maybe change on day of embarkation?

 

Why do you think they should upgrade you for free?

 

If you ran a business and someone bought something on the cheap would you then upgrade them for free?

 

If you bought a cheap suit and then said what about an upgrade to an expensive suit for free. Do you think they would even consider this?

[PA Dutchman]

Short answer is No, boy would that be interesting everybody trying to get a free upgrade the day of sailing. We had a suit next to us nobody in it on 2 different cruises and I buggggged the CD to let us move over. No , No, No. I do understand if they did that all the problems it could cause when people found out they would do that.

[irishnyc]

OP, your best bet to upgrade is if you see a better cabin available between now and sailing, call and see what the price to upgrade would be. If it's worth it to you, take it.

Edited June 24, 2014 by irishnyc

[cruzinlisa]

If the cruise is not selling well, then they drop prices. From what i have seen, it likes like Carnival's main method is to upsell people to higher categories and then do a pack and go or special rate for a guarantee cabin on the lower categories or just drop prices on them. My last couple of carnival cruises were late April, after Easter. Its an off peak time because kids are back in school for spring break, but not out for the summer. Neither sold especially well. The prices dropped and dropped. One cruise I booked early saver and the other I did not (could have saved $250 if I did!). Your best bet for an upgrade is to watch prices and see if there is something in a higher category at a price you are willing to pay.

[kylenyc]

Cruise lines have upselling down to a science and do that well before the sail date. There's next to nil chance of an upgrade the day of sailing because they absolutely want to sail 100% booked. Your best opportunity is to be proactive an look for price drops or use the Cruise Critic price drop tool on the homepage. If you see a better cabin for a modest price difference, call them and ask to pay the difference to upgrade. You maybe get into a significantly better cabin for a modest upcharge.

Edited June 24, 2014 by kylenyc

[dom89]

Why do you think they should upgrade you for free?

 

If you ran a business and someone bought something on the cheap would you then upgrade them for free?

 

If you bought a cheap suit and then said what about an upgrade to an expensive suit for free. Do you think they would even consider this?

I wasn't saying that they should. But if the room is unoccupied, what difference does it make whether I'm in an interior or a oceanview?

[dom89]

Cruise lines have upselling down to a science and do that well before the sail date. There's next to nil chance of an upgrade the day of sailing because they absolutely want to sail 100% booked. Your best opportunity is to be proactive an look for price drops or use the Cruise Critic price drop tool on the homepage. If you see a better cabin for a modest price difference, call them and ask to pay the difference to upgrade. You maybe get into a significantly better cabin for a modest upcharge.

I tried the cruise critic price checker but for some reason it wasn't able to find my particular ship and date.

[kylenyc]

I tried the cruise critic price checker but for some reason it wasn't able to find my particular ship and date.

There's another popular "cruise price drop" site out there (CC doesn't allow mentioning of names) that you can easily find with a Google search. You can also just go through the motions of doing a mock booking on Carnival.com to check current prices. Good luck!

Edited June 24, 2014 by kylenyc

[dom89]

There's another popular "cruise price drop" site out there (CC doesn't allow mentioning of names) that you can easily find with a Google search. You can also just go through the motions of doing a mock booking on Carnival.com to check current prices. Good luck!

I've been doing mock bookings so far. Prices just keep going up though.

[kylenyc]

I've been doing mock bookings so far. Prices just keep going up though.

Then you've gotten a good price already! :D :p

 

P.S. I'd keep checking periodically or just use a price drop tool. Yah never know.

Edited June 24, 2014 by kylenyc

[Elaine5715]

Last minute cabin changes aka "surprise upgrades" happen because of a mechanical failure in your pre-assigned cabin.

They get a better bang by assigning any unsold cabins to those sailing on "guaranteed" bookings so those folks are more likely to book another guarantee and if they get stuck with a poor location the next time, they still are willing to book because they could win again.

There is no upside to onboard upgrades for the cruise lines.

[teetime213]

I would doubt it if you waited until embarkation but back in the day we used to get free upgrades all the time. We would book the lowest cabin at the cheapest price and more times than not, we would be up 2 to 3 decks before sailing. The first time it happened, we asked Carnival Rep about it and she said, when it gets close to time for sailing, it is easier for them to sell the cheaper room and fill the ship. We were paid so Carnival already knew we would be going so they upgraded our rooms.

 

This was back in the 90's though, like everyone else said....this is probably a thing of the past. They try up sells and that sort of thing now.

[Taters]

Last minute cabin changes aka "surprise upgrades" happen because of a mechanical failure in your pre-assigned cabin.

They get a better bang by assigning any unsold cabins to those sailing on "guaranteed" bookings so those folks are more likely to book another guarantee and if they get stuck with a poor location the next time, they still are willing to book because they could win again.

There is no upside to onboard upgrades for the cruise lines.

 

We've sailed in guarantee cabins many times (though not every time) and have never gotten a bad location. So far we have been upgraded every time. Knockin' on wood here...