Questions on Port Upgrade

[Dsbrill50]

Hi there! My wife and I are sailing next month on the Fantasy on a 5 night cruise and I’m looking to upgrade. I know you won’t know for sure until you’re at the port if there will be any upgrades available but after my research there are a lot of staterooms available (105 to be exact) on this sailing. Granted it’s the holiday season and that could change at any moment. We’re looking at going from an inside to verandah and I’ve heard there’s a chart they go off of on how much you pay. I know it also depends on PAT on chances of beating people to the desk. We are staying at Disney beforehand and they told me resort guests get there pretty early. Wondering if we have a good chance of upgrade at port? If anyone else has upgraded at port, was it “discounted” as compared to changing my stateroom right now? Thanks for dealing with the long winded post, just excited for our cruise!

 

[insureman]

A couple of things here. Most likely your cruise already has GTY discounts out there so the number of cabins you see most likely doesn't reflect the real available cabin numbers. Years ago they used to have steep discounts to upgrade at the port, not anymore. The last time we tried to upgrade to concierge at the port it was pretty much the same as booking online. If you're really set on a particular cabin or cabin category then it's best to book online or for a category take the gamble and wait for gty rates closer to the sail date but popular sail dates don't usually have gty rates.

 

[Mommb]

An upgrade at the port may cost less than upgrading before embarkation day. There is indeed a chart that shows the room type you booked, the room type of the new room you want, and the cost difference. On a cruise out of Southampton a few months ago, my husband and I were able to upgrade from category 5 to category 4 for a few hundred dollars less than the cost of upgrading in advance. The cost for Concierge, though, was still very high.

As insureman mentioned above, there is no guarantee that just because rooms appear to be available now, they will still be available at the port. Some of the rooms available now may go to people who booked "Guaranteed" rooms that are not assigned until close to the sailing date. If you just want a veranda room and don't care where on the ship it is, watching for VGT rates would be a good idea; you would need to see whether the VGT cost plus the cancellation fee for your current room would be less than the price to book a specific room now.

Having an early Port Arrival Time will typically get you checked in and able to go to the desk for upgrades more quickly than having a later time. It's luck of the draw, though, whether anything will be available. Good luck!

 

[Dsbrill50]

Gotcha. I appreciate all the info! I tried calling to switch to GTY but the kind cast member told me it was a bad idea because the cancellation fees were high being so close to sail date. I’ll have to keep that in mind for future cruises. No matter what room we end up, we’re good with it. Just something we were thinking about. Thanks again!!!

 

[lanejudy]

I tried calling to switch to GTY but the kind cast member told me it was a bad idea because the cancellation fees were high being so close to sail date.

A "guaranteed with restrictions" (*GT) offer must be a new booking. It's a cancellation including any penalty for being after PIF and losing any activities/etc. that may have already been booked. Sometimes the savings is worth taking the hit on the penalty; you'd have to do the math.



A basic "guaranteed" (GTY) booking is a regular booking (non-discounted). This is usually a specific number-letter category (such as 5A GTY) vs the broader any-verandah of a VGT. You should be able to modify to this and I don't think there would be any penalty to upgrade after PIF, but there also is no discount.




Upgrades at port may be available and should be at least slightly discounted vs upgrading in advance. However, I wouldn't get your heart set on one. If you really want the verandah, upgrade before embarkation day.

 

[Mommb]

Thanks @lanejudy -- I misnamed the booking type and have updated my original post to avoid confusing anyone.

 

[cvjw]

Sailing on the fantasy right now. Sign at the port saying no upgrades available. Sailing is full.

 

[mumford1]

I just returned from a 4 night on the Fantasy. There were 19 open concierge rooms available on the website 3 days before sailing. 1 Royal suite, 14 one bedrooms, and 4 concierge deluxe family staterooms. We arrived at the port at 11:10 and by the time we checked in at the supervisors desk at 11:30 there were 2 one bedrooms and 1 concierge family stateroom left. The family stateroom was quoted at $2200 and the one bedroom was $4400. We originally had booked a 5C with a Florida resident discount. We took the 1 bedroom and while we absolutely loved it, I probably wouldn’t spend the money to do it again. There were no upgrades for non concierge rooms available at all even though 3 days before sailing there were at least 200 open cabins in all categories. I hope this helps!

 

[Dsbrill50]

I just returned from a 4 night on the Fantasy. There were 19 open concierge rooms available on the website 3 days before sailing. 1 Royal suite, 14 one bedrooms, and 4 concierge deluxe family staterooms. We arrived at the port at 11:10 and by the time we checked in at the supervisors desk at 11:30 there were 2 one bedrooms and 1 concierge family stateroom left. The family stateroom was quoted at $2200 and the one bedroom was $4400. We originally had booked a 5C with a Florida resident discount. We took the 1 bedroom and while we absolutely loved it, I probably wouldn’t spend the money to do it again. There were no upgrades for non concierge rooms available at all even though 3 days before sailing there were at least 200 open cabins in all categories. I hope this helps!

Oh wow! That’s very helpful information. I appreciate the reply!

 

[mumford1]

Of course! Happy to help

 

[Andrew96]

I sailed on the Dream 12/12/24 and there was plenty of availability. I was able to upgrade to concierge from a GTY verandah. Most sailings before that I have been told it is a full sailing and no upgrades. So I guess it just depends!