Question about Upgrades

[MelTed]

My wife and I are first time cruisers, and we'll be sailing on RCL's Rhapsody of the Seas on January 15, 2006. Any suggestions on how to get upgraded?:confused: :D

[Sheffie]

Keep an eye on the prices and if they drop, you can get a "free" upgrade. Otherwise, no one seems to know the secret!

[kitty9]

First timers generally cannot expect an upgrade. Cruise lines usually prefer to reward their frequent cruisers with upgraded cabins. But most importantly, upgrades are fast becoming a thing of the past because ships are actually sailing over capacity----I just read an article that cruise ships are sailing at 105% of capacity. If your cruise is completely booked, like most cruises are these days, nothing is available.

 

What you can try is what's called an "upsell". That means you can ask for a change of cabin, but you will have to pay the full difference between the cabin you have and the one you want. In the past, you could get good deals on upsell cabins on the day of sailing, but that isn't happening anymore. That's the reason I tell everyone, don't just pick a cabin hoping for an upgrade, but chose a cabin you really want, from the very beginning.

 

Also, if the price of your cruise drops, most cruise lines will only give you the difference in price, and not an upgrade. But since prices for cruises are rising the closer they get to the sailing date, not even that is much of a possibility anymore.

[wrp96]

RCI rarely gives upgrades, but what they will do is lower prices to try and sell out the ships. What you can do is look for a drop in prices and see if you can jump to a better stateroom, especially right after final payment is due when some people will cancel. Sometimes the cheaper fares are only for new bookings though so watch out.

[Host Kat]

You can always hope for a visit from the Upgrade Fairy!

[Host Kat]

My 'puter hicupped and posted a duplicate post in error. I, on the other hand, had nothing to do with it! Yeah, right.

 

Kat

[cruisin newbie]

I booked a guaranteed ocean view room (months ago), and ended up in a balcony. You don't get a say in what room or level you are on, but for me, taking the chance paid off!

[lindycanada]

RCI rarely gives upgrades, but what they will do is lower prices to try and sell out the ships. What you can do is look for a drop in prices and see if you can jump to a better stateroom, especially right after final payment is due when some people will cancel. Sometimes the cheaper fares are only for new bookings though so watch out.

 

 

How do I check what the fare is daily? I'm going on Carnival.:(

[kitty9]

That's what you hire a travel agent to do for you.

They have the means and equipment to monitor prices daily. If you didn't use a TA, then you have to do all the work by checking on prices yourself through the cruise line's website.

[wrp96]

How you check yourself is by going online and trying to book the cruise. Of course you have to know your exact category and check daily.

[Sheffie]

How do I check what the fare is daily? I'm going on Carnival.:(

 

TAs don't have time to keep an eye on all of their clients' prices. Be pro-active and check sites such as Expedia and Orbitz. That is how we found out about the price reduction on our last cruise.