Upgrade Offer!

[skivoodoo]

So excited! We are leaving Saturday on the Horizon for 8 night Southern cruise. We were booked in a Havana Cabana and got called today for a great offer to upgrade to the Havana Suite. It’s my hubby’s birthday so it will make it that much better!

 

If anyone wants any info from our cruise, just blew me know! I’ll report out for you!

[Elaine5715]

1 hour ago, skivoodoo said:

So excited! We are leaving Saturday on the Horizon for 8 night Southern cruise. We were booked in a Havana Cabana and got called today for a great offer to upgrade to the Havana Suite. It’s my hubby’s birthday so it will make it that much better!

 

If anyone wants any info from our cruise, just blew me know! I’ll report out for you!

How much was the upsell cost?

[skivoodoo]

$502 for 2 of us. I expected it to be much more and was ready to say no. 

[Haljo1935]

53 minutes ago, skivoodoo said:

$502 for 2 of us. I expected it to be much more and was ready to say no. 

That's a great score! Enjoy 

[skivoodoo]

I’m interested in seeing if the sailing is full. The woman that called me said the room popped open last minute. I’m going to see who has our old room and see when they upgraded. 🌺

[dabomb6608]

Are upgrade inquiries from Carnival just luck of the draw or do you request to be put on a list? We have a CCL Planner guy that we have used for each of our 3 cruises (plus 2 that were canceled during Covid) and have never received any kind of upgrade offer. 

[Pyxie]

57 minutes ago, dabomb6608 said:

Are upgrade inquiries from Carnival just luck of the draw or do you request to be put on a list? We have a CCL Planner guy that we have used for each of our 3 cruises (plus 2 that were canceled during Covid) and have never received any kind of upgrade offer. 

 

It's kind of luck, but the easier Carnival thinks they can sell your current cabin, the more likely you are to get an offer to move to something else.

[dabomb6608]

9 minutes ago, Pyxie said:

 

It's kind of luck, but the easier Carnival thinks they can sell your current cabin, the more likely you are to get an offer to move to something else.

 

That makes sense. We have always had either Ocean View or on our most recent a Balcony. I guess if there isn't much "upgrade" from what you currently have booked that would also reduce your chance of getting a call. 

[StephPS79]

1 hour ago, Pyxie said:

 

It's kind of luck, but the easier Carnival thinks they can sell your current cabin, the more likely you are to get an offer to move to something else.

 

Definitely the part where Carnival thinks they can sell your cabin.  It's whatever is going to maximize the profit.

[john91498]

Nice upgrade.

 

On one of our 2022 cruises, we got an offer from balcony 8D to an Ocean Suite for $350. Literally one of the best offers we ever had. 😎

[dlphn501]

I know it's a huge long shot, but I'm hoping someone will cancel a 3-person Havana cabin on my Horizon Easter cruise so that I maybe get an upsell on my lido cabin.          

[Elaine5715]

10 hours ago, dabomb6608 said:

Are upgrade inquiries from Carnival just luck of the draw or do you request to be put on a list? We have a CCL Planner guy that we have used for each of our 3 cruises (plus 2 that were canceled during Covid) and have never received any kind of upgrade offer. 

Upsells are always based on your assigned cabin location and type

[skivoodoo]

FYI, we did not ask to be put on an upgrade list. We were content with the Havana cabana. It is my husbands birthday during the cruise, so that did increase the odds we would accept this upgrade. Not sure if that played into the offer but it was mentioned by the person that I upgraded with.👀

[Elaine5715]

2 hours ago, skivoodoo said:

FYI, we did not ask to be put on an upgrade list. We were content with the Havana cabana. It is my husbands birthday during the cruise, so that did increase the odds we would accept this upgrade. Not sure if that played into the offer but it was mentioned by the person that I upgraded with.👀

There is no upsell list

[TiredTrucker]

16 hours ago, dabomb6608 said:

Are upgrade inquiries from Carnival just luck of the draw or do you request to be put on a list? We have a CCL Planner guy that we have used for each of our 3 cruises (plus 2 that were canceled during Covid) and have never received any kind of upgrade offer. 

 

We booked about 7 months before our March cruise.  We had one early upsell from the cove balcony to a higher floor that we weren't interested in, and probably 4 or 5 offers to upgrade our inside cabin to either a higher floor or an oceanview but the costs were extremely high for most of these offers. 

[skivoodoo]

6 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

There is no upsell list

Thanks for highlighting that. That was what I tried to convey. lol.

[dlphn501]

9 hours ago, skivoodoo said:

FYI, we did not ask to be put on an upgrade list. We were content with the Havana cabana. It is my husbands birthday during the cruise, so that did increase the odds we would accept this upgrade. Not sure if that played into the offer but it was mentioned by the person that I upgraded with.👀

 

My guess is that when you booked the cruise, you mentioned your husband's birthday.  I just did that for the birthday cruise I booked for my daughter's 18th bday next Feb, and I can see the "birthday celebration" listed in my booking.  So they probably just mentioned that to you to increase THEIR odds of you accepting the offer, lol.  But either way, sounds like it's a win-win 🙂

[dlphn501]

7 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

There is no upsell list

Right.  I actually enquired with my TA about a possible "list" and how I can get on it because I really wanted a Havana cabin.

*Side note: I didn't know that Havana was a thing when I booked.  Lesson learned.*

[Elaine5715]

2 hours ago, dlphn501 said:

 

My guess is that when you booked the cruise, you mentioned your husband's birthday.  I just did that for the birthday cruise I booked for my daughter's 18th bday next Feb, and I can see the "birthday celebration" listed in my booking.  So they probably just mentioned that to you to increase THEIR odds of you accepting the offer, lol.  But either way, sounds like it's a win-win 🙂

That was a big trend a few years ago whenever I booked a cruise or a hotel. "are you celebrating anything?".  It made people feel good to be asked and created a sense of anticipation.  

[dabomb6608]

A slight derail from OPs question but related to upgrades overall...

 

When there is a sale active that says "Free Room Upgrades" what exactly does that mean? 

 

[Pyxie]

10 minutes ago, dabomb6608 said:

A slight derail from OPs question but related to upgrades overall...

 

When there is a sale active that says "Free Room Upgrades" what exactly does that mean? 

 

 

It means that you'll move to a higher category/higher deck within your same room type. What it does not mean is that you'll go from ocean view to balcony, for example.

[dabomb6608]

14 minutes ago, Pyxie said:

 

It means that you'll move to a higher category/higher deck within your same room type. What it does not mean is that you'll go from ocean view to balcony, for example.

Does this move occur automatically during booking or once you select your room you get offered the upgrade. Or is it a "to be assigned" type booking that they select the upgrade for you?

 

I've seen those sales plenty in the past but never fully understood how it worked.

[Pyxie]

1 hour ago, dabomb6608 said:

Does this move occur automatically during booking or once you select your room you get offered the upgrade. Or is it a "to be assigned" type booking that they select the upgrade for you?

 

I've seen those sales plenty in the past but never fully understood how it worked.

 

When you see that being advertised, the rooms you are able to select from are automatically in the higher category. Honestly, it's not really much of an "upgrade." It's more of a marketing gimmick to make you feel like you're getting something.

[dabomb6608]

26 minutes ago, Pyxie said:

 Honestly, it's not really much of an "upgrade." It's more of a marketing gimmick to make you feel like you're getting something.

My suspicions exactly.   

[TiredTrucker]

13 hours ago, dabomb6608 said:

Does this move occur automatically during booking or once you select your room you get offered the upgrade. Or is it a "to be assigned" type booking that they select the upgrade for you?

 

I've seen those sales plenty in the past but never fully understood how it worked.

 

Not Carnival but I asked the Rep at a different cruise line and was told that it essentially reduced the advertised cost of the room down a set number of room codes.  In that instance the agent told me the room cost with the promo applied and removed.  It wasn't a lot.