I'm sorry to hear about your mother's "issues". I'm sure there's help for that.
I can tell you that if any fellow passenger on an international business class flight asked me if I paid full fare or was upgraded, I would be really pissed and tell them to mind their own business. But I can't imagine anyone asking me this question as people in business class pretty much seem to keep to themselves.
I consider myself pretty frugal with my money, usually, but here's how Disney got me to spend more money on my criuises.
Disney has a business reason for upgrading passengers at the port for a discounted price. It allows people like me to experience a higher category stateroom than we would normally book. Then, once you are hooked, you continue to book the higher category stateroom.
Although we have not cruised with
DCL for the past 3 years (I wanted to teach my kids that a real vacation doesn't always =
Disney Cruise), my daughter had been on 14 Disney cruises between the ages of 3 and 8. But after several land-based vacations, they missed their Disney cruise so we are now booked on a September sailing on the Fantasy this year.
Our 1st one was in an ocean view stateroom and we found ourselves looking out the window only to check the weather in the morning. But we get weather information on the TV and the Navigator so we booked an inside stateroom for the 2nd. We found the inside room very cozy, and Disney cruise experience just the same.
On our 3rd, we paid the discounted price at the port to upgrade to a concierge suite. The CM at the check-in counter recommended the upgrade but warned that once we try it, it will be hard not to book it again on future cruises. Well, he was right, and we were hooked
So, for the next 9 cruises, including this September, I have paid DCL an average of approx. $6,000 more per cruise than had they not offered that "teaser" upgrade at the port. That's $54,000 more in revenue for DCL.
The discounted port upgrades have the double effect of advertising their higher category stateroom for people willing to pay for the difference on future cruises, and a "good will" for people who are not. Its not necessarily so the discounted-fare-paying passengers can rub elbows with the full fare passengers.