If I mark my Reservation with Princess as "Will accept upgrade"...

[Coral]

Well, yes and no. I had said that I was a past passenger (in the registration process on a website that matches passengers with competing TA's), but I said I "didn't have my number". In the past I had a TA use my CC number to "hold" a room for me without my permission...so I'm careful about who I give it to.

 

Maybe when I got quotes from competing TA's I should have emailed them back with my CC number.

 

Do TA's need actual CC numbers to get our Past Pax rates?

 

Yes they do. And certain passengers receive different rates then other passengers. It is not that all past passengers receive the same rate...... Strange system but that is what they do.

 

Though - the good news is that if you have not made final payment, if you want, you can still transfer it to an agent who discounts and receive a better price then what you currently have. They will take all of your info from your booking (room, price, etc...) and if they discount, they will discount from that price.

[Lynda90]

The following is quoted direct from Polar Online which is the agent booking section for Princess. Bold highlite is mine.

 

Princess offers complimentary automatic upgrades. Occasionally, a voyage is set for automatic upgrade, and bookings are selected to be upgraded to higher categories at no additional cost to the passengers. These upgrades are automatic and based on availability. Since we are not able to upgrade every booking, you should book your clients in a category in which they will be happy to sail.

 

If an upgrade occurs, it will be automatically added to the booking some time prior to sailing, and a confirmation will be sent to the agency.

 

When the complimentary upgrade is given, a confirmation is automatically sent. If your clients are not happy with the new cabin and category, you may call Princess to have the booking changed. The Reservations Agent will advise the correct department, who will address the issue. In most cases, the booking will be moved back to the original cabin if we are notified promptly. However, if the booking was originally a guarantee, the passengers must accept the upgrade, since there is no cabin to which the booking can be returned.

A total myth as far as I'm concerned. I have had a few upgrades and have never been notified by anyone. Found out by checking cruise personalizer. When I mentioned upgrades to my TA's that I have used, none of them knew about the upgrades, either. I have had two very nice upgrades; in 04 from a mini to full suite and in 07 from an obstructed view to balcony. It does happen, but not often.