How do they decide table assignments & upgrades?

[tinlizzy]

Back last Sun. from our very first Disney cruise....3 day Wonder.

I purchased a Cat. 7 (5132) for 3 of us. When we got to the port there was a different family listed for our stateroom! The first question I was asked is if I was there on the right day. YIKES!! She punched my name into the computer instead and guess what?

WE WERE UPGRADED!! Cat. 5 (7024) Wow! Didn't ask for it, didn't have to pay for it.

We were assigned table 6 with a family of 5 in a Cat. 4 on Deck 8 (making a perfect table for 8 - 3 of us, 5 of them). Is that how upgrades are determined maybe?

On the DCL bus ride to the port I sat by a couple w/ their 2 adult children and their families. After registration we ended up in line to board the ship next to them again. I was thoroughly excited, on cloud 9 about the upgrade. She had asked to pay for an upgrade and was told she could not because the ship was full. She was so mad to hear I got an upgrade that she and her families walked away and would no longer talk to me. Geez!

 

[AnnMorin]

I don't think anyone REALLY knows how it works.. there are many theorys.. the need for your particular cabin, payback for using Disney , early booking status.. I don't think anyone knows for sure,. except you are very lucky!

 

[Gillian]

Remind me not to tell anyone if I get a free upgrade! Congrats on yours!!

 

[albiats]

Originally posted by tinlizzy
Back last Sun. from our very first Disney cruise....3 day Wonder.

I purchased a Cat. 7 (5132) for 3 of us. When we got to the port there was a different family listed for our stateroom! The first question I was asked is if I was there on the right day. YIKES!! She punched my name into the computer instead and guess what?

WE WERE UPGRADED!! Cat. 5 (7024) Wow! Didn't ask for it, didn't have to pay for it.

We were assigned table 6 with a family of 5 in a Cat. 4 on Deck 8 (making a perfect table for 8 - 3 of us, 5 of them). Is that how upgrades are determined maybe?

I have two theories on getting a complimentary upgrade:
1. Book yourself in a category that is at an 'entry level price break'. This would be the lower priced category for a type of cabin. For instance, Cat 7 and Cat 6 are the lowest categories for a Veranda. Cat 9 is the entry level for an Ocean View.

2. If you're in a GTY status, you didn't get to select a particular cabin, so you're not emotionally attached to a location. If you're changed, you are less likely to be unhappy with a new location, even if it is higher than what you paid for.

For instance, someone might have chosen their cabin to be near an elevator, or midship, or midship starboard, or whatever. If they had chosen deck 2 midship and they were upgraded to the next category, it might be deck 5 forward on the port side, opposite of what they had selected.

For example, when I'm fortunate enough to be booked into our favorite Veranda cabin, I would rather stay right there and not be upgraded, unless it was into a Cat 3 Suite, or higher. I even ask them to put a notation in our reservation that I don't want to be upgraded so there aren't any disappointments. Ok, maybe I'm hoping for some reverse psychology and 'daring them' to upgrade us into a suite, but it hasn't worked yet.

On our first DCL cruise in early 2000, we were upgraded from a Cat 9 GTY to a Cat 6 Veranda, and it spoiled us. So far, we've said that we'll wait until we can afford a Cat 6 instead of sailimng without one.

My opinion on the dining assignments is that they do not play a role in deciding cabin assignments at all. For one thing, if you consider 'Table 40, main seating', there are three different table 40s at the same time, one in each restaurant. There are three more Table 40 assignments in late seating. They can also add or remove a chair to some of the tables easily.

hope that helps

 

[Lizziemom]

We were upgraded on a RCCL cruise to Alaska. This is why I think we were upgraded.

!. RCCL has cabin categories A,B,C,D etc. We had booked category D with a balcony. That is a very popular cabin, and there are many on the ship the Radiance.

2. We were repeat RCCL cruisers, this was our 4th with them.

3. We booked early, about 9 month out

I think our category D sold out, they moved us to resell our cabin to someone else. We ended up with a huge category B, double the size of a category D!

So all of the above and some pure luck got us our upgrade.


(Less that 2 weeks to go until the Disney Magic!)

Lizzie