Lets use this thread to track Port Upgrades

1. Booked Category 11B
2. Disney Wonder
3. 7 nights
4. Departed June 23, 2014
5. PAT 11:00 AM
6. Arrived at 10:15 AM
7. Offered Category 5B
8. $875 per cabin to upgrade
 
Following

We are coming from WDW and were told with Disney transport we should not expect to arrive until 12:30-1:00. We were also advised that if we book private transport we would not be allowed in to the port until 11:00. Does anyone know if that is also true for rental car? What is the earliest (not using Disney Transport) people have been successful checking in?

We are on the Fantasy 7-night eastern Sept 20 and hoping for an upgrade...

It's true that DCL transfers do not get you to the port 'til at least noon, usually later... Port Arrival Times (PATs) usually start around 10:30, so that is when they will begin letting people in (and possibly before), although it can be dependent upon the ship's experience with customs, debarking, etc of the previous cruise.

We have a 10:45 PAT and I plan to be there no later than 10:30...
 

I would like to ask a couple of questions from the experts on this thread...

I am hoping to snag an upgrade on my next cruise in October. So when I get to the terminal do I head right to the Supervisor desk since I already have an assigned cabin or do I have to check in first and then head to the supervisor desk?

Since I am a Platinum member what time should I get to the terminal to be one of the first in line for an upgrade?

Thanks ahead of time for your input and guidance!!
 
You have to check in first... we tried to "divide and conquer" and have dh go to the supervisor's desk while I waited in the CClub line to check in, but they would not even speak to him 'til I was all checked in... and by the time I was checked in (CClub computers went down, so I was on line nearly an hour) there were no upgrades available! The upside is the money we saved is going toward another cruise! LOL!
 
Seems to be a lag in seeing an upgrade. Maybe because the summer cruises are setting sail full so no upgrades available...could that be the situation?
 
Upgrade on the 7/26 eastern fantasy. Went from Cat V to 1 bedroom suite. $700. Arrived at port at 10:10 a.m. private vehicle.
 
Upgrade on the 7/26 eastern fantasy. Went from Cat V to 1 bedroom suite. $700. Arrived at port at 10:10 a.m. private vehicle.

That's great!!! Did it look like you beat the people coming from MCO? (We're trying to decide whether to rent and park a car at the port, or to come on a bus from the Hyatt.) TIA!
 
I guess I haven't thought of them blocking rooms for maintenance. With the fast turn around of cruises I don't see how they have time to clean much less anything else. :eek:
The lady at customer service did tell us that all rooms were booked and there was aprox. 3700 passengers on the ship. I was surprised since a few weeks ago there were still A LOT of rooms still open and so I expected less people on that cruise. It still amazes me with that many people on one ship and how Disney has enough going on so that you never feel like it is too crowded (with the exception of pirate night or the pools some of the time). I routinely was on a deck or in an area that didn't have anyone else around or only had a few people. It was SO nice! Disney really knows how to do it right!

Turn around day, the ships have down to a science. Simple things like door lock replacement, or say tread replacement on steps going from Cabanas, to the deck below can pretty much be done at any time. Over time, things like wiring in a room that has a expiration date, will be scheduled in blocks to accommodate, with the least amount of impact on a given sailing. So DCL or a line in general, will make a list and when the list hits a certain point, contractors come onboard to take care of the issue. I used to work pt for a company that handled a lot of furniture WDW was liquidating during a refurb of a given resort. I bumped into a guy that had a Magic Drydock hat on. I asked him about it and he told me that his company is onboard the DCL ships all the time doing upgrades of some sort. They also go on for the regular drydocks.

Disney likes to play the numbers game. They'll block a given number of cabins in each category for 1 reason or another. After a certain point they'll release them. Ive seen it any number of times. The most prominent I remember is the Fantasys Maiden. About 6 months out, there was only maybe 15 cabins or so available. All of a sudden, every catergory was open with 10 cabins or so available in each.
 
That's great!!! Did it look like you beat the people coming from MCO? (We're trying to decide whether to rent and park a car at the port, or to come on a bus from the Hyatt.) TIA!


We did not beat the people coming from MCO by a long shot. My guess is they were there 15-20 minutes before us because people had already checked in and were waiting to board. There were lines when we got in and we were the 2nd group to enter the terminal.

I would go with the very first bus to the port.

Good luck!
 
Arrived at port on DCL bus about 1:15 for an upgrade to 1BR suite . Supvr said it became available only 20 min b4! Lucked out i guess. This was on the DREAM 3 day.
 
Arrived at port on DCL bus about 1:15 for an upgrade to 1BR suite . Supvr said it became available only 20 min b4! Lucked out i guess. This was on the DREAM 3 day.
How much was the upgrade? (If you don't mind me asking!). Also, what was the category you initially paid for? Thanks!
 
Mostly out of curiosity, has anyone ever upgraded from an original VGT booking to concierge? If so, was it based on lowest bookable verandah category (7a) or what you were actually assigned? Willing to share what it cost?
 
Mostly out of curiosity, has anyone ever upgraded from an original VGT booking to concierge? If so, was it based on lowest bookable verandah category (7a) or what you were actually assigned? Willing to share what it cost?

I have posted this before. In 2013, on The Magic, the last cruise from NYC to Canada we had an IGT, got to port checked in and got on line at the Supervisors desk, and we were offered verandas, cat T and the one and only Roy Suite. Yes, we took it. It was awesome and cost a bit over 3k to upgrade. Still much cheaper then if we had done it ahead of time.
 

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