Why You Need a Good TA

[capriccio]

2 hours ago, jtwind said:

I imagine cruise lines occasionally offer last minute cabin upgrades at reduced prices.  If so, how do they prioritize who would get such offers first?

 

Princess, like many other lines, in recent years has changed from offering free upgrades to 'upsells'.  This is how Princess usually handles it.

 

We usually mark our cabins do not upgrade (because we know exactly what we want) but sometimes, especially if it is a last minute cruise, you don't have much choice.  If we have a reservation for a popular cabin category that could be filled easily and there is availability in a more costly, less popular category Princess sends an email burst to a group of passengers usually with wording "due to your elite status we are offering you an upsell for $XX or $XXX" to a new cabin category.  If interested you then call and leave a message saying so.  They respond to those interested in the order the messages were left.  We have had very reasonable upsells for balcony to mini-suites (one I remember was $129 each for a 10 day cruise over Christmas) and mini-suites to full suites (I can't remember the additional costs) and totally (in our mind) unreasonable mini to full suite offers that we turned down.

 

I think NCL and MSC have a system where passengers bid on higher category cabins.  Maybe someone else can describe that process.

Edited December 3, 2020 by capriccio

[rkacruiser]

13 hours ago, Hlitner said:

major travel consortium groups

 

The national agencies with which I have booked have been a member of such consortiums.  That membership has provided me many benefits and lower Business Class air fares over the years.