Getting bumped up to a higher room category

[ljql_5969]

Just curious how many of you have booked a cruise and then got bumped up to a better category room? If you did, how early had you booked, what catgory did you originally book and what did you end up with? Just curious here!

 

[yamahaboy]

both cruises booked with in 2 months of cruise. first time we got bumped from a 9 to 8 i think. and second cruise we got bumped from a 8 to 5 i believe

 

[Lloyd Dobler]

I've taken over 20 cruises on different lines. 13 on DCL. I've never once been upgraded.

I was once upgraded from the middle seat to the aisle seat on a flight to Orlando, though....

 

[ljql_5969]

First of all. I love your screen name - I love the movie Say Anything!

My husband and I have been on 2 cruises and we got bumped up on both. I have just booked a family cruise for July 2006 in category 11 staterooms. We booked a total of 5 rooms and was just wondering what the chances might be.

They already assigned us room #'s though. Wasn't sure if that meant that we did not have a chance to get bumped up.

 

[kshabare]

Lloyd,

I'm with you friend. We're going on our 4th DCL cruise and no upgrade. But that's alright - I'll be cozy down on 2. Just as long as Mickey and I are on the same ship, I'll be fine.

Kim

 

[ADisneygirl]

We have been on two Disney cruises and we got bumped up categories once. The first cruise we were assigned a room number right away within our category. Second cruise we were asked if we would accept booking at a gty -- they guarantee a room in at least the category you booked at. This was the cruise we got upgraded.

Take what you want from that, but to me there seems a more likely chance of being upgraded if you do not already have a room assigned to you. Of course, the risk in this situation is that you do not know what room you will end up in. For example, say you want a stateroom with a window. With the gty category, you can only know that you will have a outside stateroom. You may get one in a location that you find undesirable. That's the risk in a gty booking, but for us, it is worth it to have a chance of being bumped up.

 

[diz_cruise_rocks]

I haven't,BUT!! I think you have to book early and an estmated 30% chance of getting bumped.

 

[prymsu]

finally after 13 cruises, this last time when i went on Orient I got an upgrade. Yippee! They do exist!

 

[hydster]

We got upgraded on our 2nd cruise. We booked about 9 months early and booked 2 adjoining cat 8's and got bumped to 2 adjoining cat 4's...it was a really nice treat having 2 balconies and being just below the 9th deck. This is the one and only time we've ever been upgraded on any cruiseline but I could have gotten used to it!

 

[Belle1997]

Well this is our first cruise so of course we have never got bumped up. Though coming back from disney world last year we got asked if we wanted to fly first class for 50.00. No hesitation there. What a real treat don't know if I will ever get use to economy again. But I will have too. At least while i am sitting there all cramped and they close that curtain I know what they get now. and I can just pretend. But nothing is to cramped to share my vacation with all my childhood friends.

 

[logan1_2000]

Our 4 night Wonder last month was booked as a cat. 8 GTY 60 days before sailing, was assigned a cat. 8 stateroom a couple days later, then a month later was upgraded to a cat. 5.

 

[mommyz]

This is just my experience and what I have read......

The key is to book as early as possible and request a guarantee in that category. We went 9/03 3nt paid for a Cat 12 and was upgraded to a Cat 9!!!

We booked for 9/04 paid for a Cat 9 again guarantee (this is something our TA does) and was upgraded to a Cat 5. Unfortunately b/c of the hurricanes we were unable to go. We are scheduled for a 7nt for 3/5/05 we paid for a Cat 12 and have been bumped to a Cat 11.

From what I hear it depends on how full the ship is. The ones who booked the earliest get bumped up if there is availability. From what I hear it's random.

Our TA is talking to her DCL rep to see if we can get something better.


MommyZ

 

[TammyAlphabet]

Mommyz,

I want your travel agent!

 

[jrabbit]

Getting a room upgrade...
*Does booking early nope, people who booked less than 1 month before sailing have been bumped.
*Does booking a GTY room help. Maybe, maybe not. Lots of people with assigned rooms have been upgraded.
*Does recieving you cruise documents (tickets) mean that you won't be upgraded - absolutly not - that's what sharpies are for - cross out your old room number and write in your new room number - but remember -- you can only do this when DCL calls you and tells you to do it. Otherwise we all would be staying in the Walt suite and it would be pretty darn crowded in there
*Does booking during spring break, thanksgiving, christmas and summer vacation increase your odd of an upgrade - absolutly NOT!! *But booking after Labor day and before thanksgiving, then again from the middle of January through the first week in March MIGHT give you a better chance of being upgrading. But it's still pretty random all year around.
*Does booking one of the repo cruises help - I Don't Think So - I believe that we all will be in the rooms we signed up for in those frantic 4 days last May!
*Being a loyal, returning DCL cruiser - that should get me an upgrade right - because it does on all other cruise lines. Well, nope that doesn't help either because many of the upgrades have gone to folks on their first DCL cruise.

Whats the best way to get a room upgrade? All it takes is faith and trust. Oh yeah and dust, a lot of pixie dust

 

[jdm]

I thought I read on one post, that most people who were upgraded had booked their air through DCL? Is this true, for those of you who have been upgraded?

Jenn

 

[Lloyd Dobler]

I thought I read on one post, that most people who were upgraded had booked their air through DCL? Is this true, for those of you who have been upgraded?

This hasn't helped us. Up until a few years ago, we used to have DCL book our air (back when the prices were somewhat competitive). I would guess that they've done our air maybe 5 or 6 times, but it never resulted in an upgrade.

I should clarify that we've always booked in either category 5 or 7, so there probably wasn't much to upgrade us two. As two adults travelling alone, a category 4 doesn't make much sense, and I would actually rather be in my category 7 on deck 7 than in a category 6 on decks 5 or 6. So the only upgrade they could really offer would be to a suite, and there are precious few of them. I'm not sure I'd know how to act in a suite....

My personal feeling regarding upgrades is that within a given category,there's no set of circumstances which makes it more likely that you'll get an upgrade. I tend to think that more upgrades happen from category 11 or 9, but don't have any hard data to back that up. But based on anecdotal information from this board, I don't think that booking your air with DCL, booking a GTY vs. a specific room, booking early, booking late, being a returning cruiser, or anything else gives you a better chance. I also think that this is by design. If there were a discernable pattern to how upgrades were awarded, it would not take long for people to figure it out, and exploit the system. I tend to think they keep it as random as possible for just this reason.

 

[ljql_5969]

I agree with you Lloyd. I talked to my TA about this today and she said she booked us for specific rooms on deck 6 because we are booking so early (we are first going in July 2006). She said that the only GTY rooms right now are Category 12s and we booked category 11s. I guess we will jsut keep our fingers crossed!

 

[mmouse37]

We have sailed DCL 13 times and had been upgraded a few times....with no rhyme or reason....did not have air with DCL......did have air with DCL.....booked early, booked late, had GTY....had assgined cabins......we have had all the scenarios and if it is going to happen it will...if not...it won't.


MJ

 

[smchan]

3 cruises, 2 upgrades. Cat 11 assigned to cat 8, Cat 11 GTY to cat 9, and Cat 9 assigned no upgrade. The 2 upgrades were from sailings I booked last minute (30-45 days or so before sailing) and the last non-upgrade cruise was further out. Also, with the first 2 it was just my wife and me and for the last it was my entire crew (wife, 2 boys, and me).

Thanks to Disney, I'm now hooked on cat 9 rooms and won't book anything less. Dang it. (I wish I'd never known better.)

Sam

 

[videogal1]

I thought I read on one post, that most people who were upgraded had booked their air through DCL? Is this true, for those of you who have been upgraded?

Jenn

Not here. Five upgrades....no DCL air, priceless....