Marking room no upgrade is no guarantee

[Jules59]

I received an email from Princess yesterday saying I was upgraded. Originally, I had selected cabin C316 because I wanted the big deck. I was upgrade to Baja deck and in my opinion, that was not an upgrade as I lost the big deck. I phoned Princess (within 48 hours) and requested my original cabin. They said I should receive confirmation within 72 hours. So far, my request for my original cabin has not been honoured. I told the agent that the only upgrade I would accept would be to a minisuite or higher. I hope I get my original cabin back.

 

 

FTB

 

Good luck. I hope it is honored for you!

[Fat Bottom Gurl]

Yes Jules 59, my request was honoured. thanks.

 

ftb

[amusea]

One of the main reasons for booking far in advance and paying a deposit to Princess many months before a sailing is so that you can pick the exact room that you desire. If, in the end, Princess changes your room which has been marked as no upgrade, I consider that very bad business practice and bad customer relations since they have accepted the deposit so that you could choose the room you wanted. In over seventy sailings on many lines I have never had that experience and hope that Princess won't be the first!

[St Paul Girl]

We booked the cabin(specific) that we wanted and don't want to be upgraded as we have the highest balcony cabin, mid-ship. I booked directly through Princess on=line, and can NOT find anywhere on=line to request No upgrade. Do I have to call Princess? Thanks;

[Bruin Steve]

Princess' system is designed to presume that movement from any category to a "higher" category in their hierarchy is an "upgrade"...And there are lots of categories. Most often, the difference between one category and the one higher is just which deck or location forward or aft. But, as cruisers, we often choose our cabins based on which side of the ship (if there are views involved)... or proximity to elevators or other amenities...or whether the cabin might be located near or under something noisy--like a disco floor or pool deck.

 

If you've carefully chosen your location by those factors, a move to an identical cabin but on the other side of the ship or to the deck under the pool area or further from an elevator may not be an upgrade in your mind.

 

So, it would be NICE if Princess would just ask first--give you, say, an hour--or even just three minutes--to tell them yes or no.

 

My booking on my Golden Cruise--about two weeks away--is marked "NO UPGRADE"...only because we are cruising with my sister and brother-in-law and have two balcony cabins side by side, Deck 12 Forward.

 

I really wouldn't mind an upgrade--so long as they'd move BOTH cabins together...and if it would be to a location more midship and not under a pool or disco...And I would especially welcome an upgrade to a Minisuite or a full Suite (but NOT a "Window Suite"). So, I wish I could have marked it "No upgrade except to a Suite". Of course, they would have laughed...So, we just left it as "No upgrade"...and hopefully, they respect that...unless they want to call and ask first...

Edited November 6, 2014 by Bruin Steve

[SandyAtSea]

We booked the cabin(specific) that we wanted and don't want to be upgraded as we have the highest balcony cabin, mid-ship. I booked directly through Princess on=line, and can NOT find anywhere on=line to request No upgrade. Do I have to call Princess? Thanks;

 

You have to call Princess and have them note it on your booking. There is no way to do it yourself online. Then you might want to call back a couple of weeks later and double check that it's really marked no upgrade . . .

[JimmyVWine]

We booked the cabin(specific) that we wanted and don't want to be upgraded as we have the highest balcony cabin, mid-ship. I booked directly through Princess on=line, and can NOT find anywhere on=line to request No upgrade. Do I have to call Princess? Thanks;

 

If you are in a "BA" category cabin or a "Premium Balcony" category cabin (which I think is what you mean when you say "highest balcony cabin, mid-ship" as opposed to a balcony on the highest deck), then you shouldn't have to worry. For example, if you are in a "BA" on Baja Deck, an upgrade would move you up to a "Premium Balcony", 95% of which are mid-ship on Caribe which would be better for you. If you are in a "Premium Balcony", the only upgrade you could get would be to a Mini-Suite or a full suite. The odds are against that type of upgrade, and if you were to get one, would you turn it down? If so, call Princess. We almost always book in the "MB" or "MD" categories (Grand Class ships) and we don't worry about the whole upgrade nonsense. If we get upgraded one category from an MD to an MB, we stay on the same deck and just move closer to the center of the ship. And if we book in an MB and get moved one category to an MA, again, we stay on the same deck and get moved closer to the center of the ship. And if they want to bump us all the way to a Suite, I'm not going to complain.

[5:00_Somewhere]

This is not a rant or anything; more of an observation.

 

So, we just had our first experience with an unwanted "upgrade". We are addressing it with Princess and - fingers crossed - have been told it should be resolved shortly.

 

My curiosity is more what was considered an "upgrade" in our situation. We had/have Cabin E429 on the Regal, which be chose because it has one of the largest balconies available on the side of the ship, and because - though it's categorized as an "obstructed view" cabin - there is actually no obstruction directly in front of the balcony nor anywhere close really. This cabin is on the "bump out" near the very middle of the ship.

 

The supposed upgrade was Cabin E521, which is the same size cabin (standard balcony), farther aft from midships, has the standard tiny balcony and is obstructed by life boats hanging in front of it.

 

Again, I'm not writing to argue obstructions or upgrades even when you mark your reservation "no upgrade" (which we always do). I'm really just sort of musing about how the cruise line - or their automated systems - categorize cabins. I don't know anyone who would consider E521 to be a superior cabin to E429, given their respective features (or lack thereof). It is, in fact, inferior in virtually every way. Just curious to me.

Edited November 6, 2014 by 5:00_Somewhere

[RDC1]

Just got back from my cruise. Since Princess indicated that they could not give me my initial room back for operational reasons I did walk by my original room while on the cruise. There was no name tag on the door, so they did not give it to another passenger. However, one time when I walked by there was a do not disturb sign in the lock.

 

The best information I could get was that they do use passenger cabins for visiting entertainers and that is most likely the "operational reason" that I was not able to get my cabin back.

[caribill]

Just got back from my cruise. Since Princess indicated that they could not give me my initial room back for operational reasons I did walk by my original room while on the cruise. There was no name tag on the door, so they did not give it to another passenger. However, one time when I walked by there was a do not disturb sign in the lock.

 

The best information I could get was that they do use passenger cabins for visiting entertainers and that is most likely the "operational reason" that I was not able to get my cabin back.

 

The lack of a name tag could just mean that the occupants do not want their name displayed to the public and they simply removed it.

 

A better way to tell is to use the phone in your cabin to call that cabin. If there is an occupant, the name will be displayed on your phone.

Edited November 6, 2014 by caribill

[Bruin Steve]

This is not a rant or anything; more of an observation.

 

So, we just had our first experience with an unwanted "upgrade". We are addressing it with Princess and - fingers crossed - have been told it should be resolved shortly.

 

My curiosity is more what was considered an "upgrade" in our situation. We had/have Cabin E429 on the Regal, which be chose because it has one of the largest balconies available on the side of the ship, and because - though it's categorized as an "obstructed view" cabin - there is actually no obstruction directly in front of the balcony nor anywhere close really. This cabin is on the "bump out" near the very middle of the ship.

 

The supposed upgrade was Cabin E521, which is the same size cabin (standard balcony), farther aft from midships, has the standard tiny balcony and is obstructed by life boats hanging in front of it.

 

Again, I'm not writing to argue obstructions or upgrades even when you mark your reservation "no upgrade" (which we always do). I'm really just sort of musing about how the cruise line - or their automated systems - categorize cabins. I don't know anyone who would consider E521 to be a superior cabin to E429, given their respective features (or lack thereof). It is, in fact, inferior in virtually every way. Just curious to me.

 

I don't think Regal E429 to E521 is an upgrade even in Princess' system...But...maybe? Princess' category system is often confusing...

E429 is Category BV

E521 is category DW

 

Stateroom Number: E429

Type: Balcony (Obstructed)

Category: BV

Location: Midship

Deck: 8 (Emerald)

Bath Type: Shower

Connecting Room: N/A

Total Size: 247 sq. ft.

Includes Balcony of 54 sq. ft.

Special Notes:

PART OBSTRUCTED VIEWEXTENDED ANGLED BALC

 

Stateroom Number: E521

Type: Deluxe Balcony Obstructed

Category: DW

Location: Mid-Aft

Deck: 8 (Emerald)

Bath Type: Shower

Connecting Room: N/A

Total Size: 233 sq. ft.

Special Notes:

PART OBSTRUCTED VIEW

 

 

But, on a random sailing I checked out, somehow the price for E429 was LOWER than for E521...

 

E521 is considered "Mid Aft", while E429 is considered the preferred "Midship"...

 

I would be calling Princess and SCREAMING....

How dare they arbitrarily DOWNGRADE me!

 

Add: Looking even closer at the Deck Plans...here's the reason Princess considers this an "upgrade": The DW cabin interiors are actually SLIGHTLY larger than the standard Balcony cabin...Of course, it is only slightly larger--maybe a FEW SQUARE FEET....The hallway outside the DW cabins jogs in maybe a foot...

Edited November 6, 2014 by Bruin Steve

[JimmyVWine]

I don't think Regal E429 to E521 is an upgrade even in Princess' system...But...maybe? Princess' category system is often confusing...

E429 is Category BV

E521 is category DW

 

E429 is a Balcony.

E521 is a Deluxe balcony.

 

In every way, shape and form, Princess considers a DX Balcony to be an upgrade from a Balcony. And most passengers would too, with the addition of the sofa. And let's not forget that with all the chatter on the Boards about the standard-size balcony being perfectly sufficient, Princess has every reason to believe that most people would prefer the smaller (sufficient) balcony, with the larger interior and sofa to the larger angled balcony with less interior space. The problem here is that the people (like me and apparently the 5:00 Somewhere) who prefer the larger balcony and who do not find the standard balcony to be sufficient are apparently in the minority.

[RDC1]

The lack of a name tag could just mean that the occupants do not want their name displayed to the public and they simply removed it.

 

A better way to tell is to use the phone in your cabin to call that cabin. If there is an occupant, the name will be displayed on your phone.

 

There were three cabins together in a block that did not have name tags. The steward indicated that they were used for visiting entertainers.

[Bruin Steve]

E429 is a Balcony.

E521 is a Deluxe balcony.

 

In every way, shape and form, Princess considers a DX Balcony to be an upgrade from a Balcony. And most passengers would too, with the addition of the sofa. And let's not forget that with all the chatter on the Boards about the standard-size balcony being perfectly sufficient, Princess has every reason to believe that most people would prefer the smaller (sufficient) balcony, with the larger interior and sofa to the larger angled balcony with less interior space. The problem here is that the people (like me and apparently the 5:00 Somewhere) who prefer the larger balcony and who do not find the standard balcony to be sufficient are apparently in the minority.

 

I didn't realize these had a sofa in them...Room doesn't appear to be that much larger...

But, I've never had a "Deluxe Balcony" on Princess...usually just a "standard" balcony, though usually on the Caribe deck where all the balconies are larger...

I've always been rather disappointed by Princess' standard cabin having no sitting area...I've cruised more on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean where ALL balcony cabins--actually, ALL cabins on most ships--have sitting areas with sofas...

First time I booked a Caribe deck cabin on Princess and walked in and found no sofa, I immediately thought "Something's wrong here"...

Princess claims it's cabins to be approximately equal in size to Celebrity (Princess generally 233 square feet with 45 of them being the balcony, so 188 sf cabin versus Celebrity's standard--for S-Class--190 square feet), but I've basically written it off to the layout. On Celebrity, you walk right into the bedroom area with the closet within the bedroom while, on Princess, they waste a lot of the square footage on hallway and dressing area with the closet off a hallway...hence, Celebrity has more room for a sitting area with sofa and coffee table...

 

I guess that, at some point, I've got to see one of these "Deluxe" cabins myself to see how Princess has wedged a sofa in there...

 

Personally, what bothers me more is the "Obstructed" part...I once had an obstructed view on Princess--but I carefully chose my cabin location where the obstruction was actually minimal and about two-thirds of my view remained clear...I don't think I'd find ANY move to a completely obstructed view to be an upgrade...unless, maybe, it was from an inside cabin. Some of those obstructions have you staring smack at the side of a large lifeboat! It would be like getting a cabin inside the engine room...

Edited November 6, 2014 by Bruin Steve

[Bruin Steve]

There were three cabins together in a block that did not have name tags. The steward indicated that they were used for visiting entertainers.

 

Once, on a long cruise, I hung out late night with, among others, a couple of the entertainers...and, one night, one of the entertainers invited me (along with a young lady I was hanging with...and the onboard comedian)...to his cabin for drinks. They had stuck him in a cruddy Ocean View cabin...not a Suite by any means...

 

Maybe it depends on how good you are at negotiating your contract!

[JimmyVWine]

Princess claims it's cabins to be approximately equal in size to Celebrity (Princess generally 233 square feet with 45 of them being the balcony, so 188 sf cabin versus Celebrity's standard--for S-Class--190 square feet), but I've basically written it off to the layout. On Celebrity, you walk right into the bedroom area with the closet within the bedroom while, on Princess, they waste a lot of the square footage on hallway and dressing area with the closet off a hallway...hence, Celebrity has more room for a sitting area with sofa and coffee table...

 

I guess that, at some point, I've got to see one of these "Deluxe" cabins myself to see how Princess has wedged a sofa in there...

 

You've pretty much nailed it. On other cruise lines, you get a sitting area and squished storage space. On Princess, you get no seating area until you get up to a Mini-Suite on Grand Class ships, or a Deluxe Balcony on Royal Class ships. But you get storage space out the wazoo. Pick your benefit. Two things that you will see and hear repeatedly from people who try Princess for the first time is that they loved having their cabin ready for them upon boarding and they loved the storage space. What you will never hear is how much they loved the sitting area!

[SoCal Cruiser78]

...What you will never hear is how much they loved the sitting area!

 

The couches in standard cabins on Celebrity and HAL (to name two) are really too small to lounge on, but are perfect for open suitcases. I hate packing and unpacking, so I just dress out of my luggage on shorter cruises. Of course I do hang the things that I don't want to wrinkle, but that just takes a minute.

[RDC1]

Once, on a long cruise, I hung out late night with, among others, a couple of the entertainers...and, one night, one of the entertainers invited me (along with a young lady I was hanging with...and the onboard comedian)...to his cabin for drinks. They had stuck him in a cruddy Ocean View cabin...not a Suite by any means...

 

Maybe it depends on how good you are at negotiating your contract!

 

On the Pacific Princess they usually give them the smaller obstructed ocean view cabins. For some reason on this trip they moved some of them to larger inside cabins (which is what I got bounced out of). They initially tried to give me the obstructed ocean view that they usually use and tried to call it an upgrade.

[St Paul Girl]

On the Pacific Princess they usually give them the smaller obstructed ocean view cabins. For some reason on this trip they moved some of them to larger inside cabins (which is what I got bounced out of). They initially tried to give me the obstructed ocean view that they usually use and tried to call it an upgrade.

 

We are booked on the Pacific Princess in a BA category on deck 7, only suites above us, no lounges etc. The only upgrade for us would have to be a mini-suite. Not to likely to happen, so I will just leave the booking alone.

Thanks for all of the great information.

[critterchick]

Exactly.

 

FYI, upgrades or changes are made electronically by Yield Management. There aren't elves deciding where to move passengers. It's based on supply and demand, category-by-category.

 

I actually got a call offering me an upgrade the other day.

 

Princess' system is designed to presume that movement from any category to a "higher" category in their hierarchy is an "upgrade"...And there are lots of categories. Most often, the difference between one category and the one higher is just which deck or location forward or aft. But, as cruisers, we often choose our cabins based on which side of the ship (if there are views involved)... or proximity to elevators or other amenities...or whether the cabin might be located near or under something noisy--like a disco floor or pool deck.

 

If you've carefully chosen your location by those factors, a move to an identical cabin but on the other side of the ship or to the deck under the pool area or further from an elevator may not be an upgrade in your mind.

 

So, it would be NICE if Princess would just ask first--give you, say, an hour--or even just three minutes--to tell them yes or no.

 

My booking on my Golden Cruise--about two weeks away--is marked "NO UPGRADE"...only because we are cruising with my sister and brother-in-law and have two balcony cabins side by side, Deck 12 Forward.

 

I really wouldn't mind an upgrade--so long as they'd move BOTH cabins together...and if it would be to a location more midship and not under a pool or disco...And I would especially welcome an upgrade to a Minisuite or a full Suite (but NOT a "Window Suite"). So, I wish I could have marked it "No upgrade except to a Suite". Of course, they would have laughed...So, we just left it as "No upgrade"...and hopefully, they respect that...unless they want to call and ask first...

 

I think that Princess is good about keeping cabins together if the bookings are linked. I linked with a friend on the Golden cruise we were on together last year and his obstructed OV guarantee became a balcony, as did my assigned OV.:D I think that I benefitted from that linking. And I have fellow passengers on this weekend's cruise that were upgraded together.

 

And don't knock the WS - they are fantastic cabins. We turned down an upgrade to a suite w/balcony because the location was better (and it's only a short cruise - for a longer cruise I'd have jumped on it).:)

[5:00_Somewhere]

E429 is a Balcony.

E521 is a Deluxe balcony.

 

In every way, shape and form, Princess considers a DX Balcony to be an upgrade from a Balcony. And most passengers would too, with the addition of the sofa. And let's not forget that with all the chatter on the Boards about the standard-size balcony being perfectly sufficient, Princess has every reason to believe that most people would prefer the smaller (sufficient) balcony, with the larger interior and sofa to the larger angled balcony with less interior space. The problem here is that the people (like me and apparently the 5:00 Somewhere) who prefer the larger balcony and who do not find the standard balcony to be sufficient are apparently in the minority.

 

*snip*

Add: Looking even closer at the Deck Plans...here's the reason Princess considers this an "upgrade": The DW cabin interiors are actually SLIGHTLY larger than the standard Balcony cabin...Of course, it is only slightly larger--maybe a FEW SQUARE FEET....The hallway outside the DW cabins jogs in maybe a foot...

 

You are both correct, of course. Funny, this was my first thought, as well; but when I looked at the deck plans - without hovering my cursor over the cabins - I noticed that E521 appeared as if it might be a couple square feet bigger - as mentioned by Bruin Steve - but it did not look large enough to be classified as a Deluxe Balcony cabin to my eyes, so I didn't realize this was the reason it would be considered an "upgrade".

 

But, as JimmyVWine said, this is NOT an upgrade to us.

 

I would be calling Princess and SCREAMING....

How dare they arbitrarily DOWNGRADE me!

 

Yes, we had a "spirited conversation" with Princess CS as soon as we were notified of the change. To their credit, they were very accommodating (once a supervisor was involved), and they say they are working to remedy the situation. It's doubly complicated because we are travelling with friends who have the cabin right next to E429. Still, fingers crossed that they will be able to make this right.

[5:00_Somewhere]

And, if anyone is interested, we did get our original cabin back. We were firm but friendly and polite - no screaming - and I personally think that had a lot to do with it. Plus, the fact that we called as soon as we got the notice of the "upgrade", although they did initially tell us that they had given our cabin away already.

 

But, all's well that ends well.

 

Looking forward to boarding on Sunday and exploring the new ship. :)

[SoCal Cruiser78]

And, if anyone is interested, we did get our original cabin back. We were firm but friendly and polite - no screaming - and I personally think that had a lot to do with it. Plus, the fact that we called as soon as we got the notice of the "upgrade", although they did initially tell us that they had given our cabin away already.

 

But, all's well that ends well.

 

Looking forward to boarding on Sunday and exploring the new ship. :)

 

Good for you! Sometimes persistence pays off!