Rate not locked in if switching room categories?

[michelleandbrett]

I was under the assumption that I locked in opening day prices when I booked a room and could later switch to any other room and still get the opening day rates. When I chatted with Costco just now they said only if I stay within the same exact category...is that true? One of my connecting rooms got taken when rep was on the line with Disney so I just booked a random 2nd one (in a different category) hoping it opens up later. Should I not have done that?

 

[AquaDame]

I was under the assumption that I locked in opening day prices when I booked a room and could later switch to any other room and still get the opening day rates. When I chatted with Costco just now they said only if I stay within the same exact category...is that true? One of my connecting rooms got taken when rep was on the line with Disney so I just booked a random 2nd one (in a different category) hoping it opens up later. Should I not have done that?

That has never been my understanding but I am sure it is always subject to change..? I feel like the agent was just incorrect about that but maybe others can chime in also and confirm nothing has changed.

 

[n2mm]

I’ve changed within the same category and no extra money. I’ve always wondered about different categories. I see folks change rooms often from OV to veranda and always wonder.

 

[mmmears]

I know that as of last Aug. you could switch and pay whatever that category was going for the day you originally booked. We booked on an almost full cruise and moved a few times within our category with no issues. Lots of people in our cruise group switched categories as inventory shifted and opened up and I know those who changed weren't paying the new prices (which were super high at that point), just the difference in cabins based on the day they booked.

 

[SixtoMouse]

I was understanding as the original poster but when I made my reservation last week the Costco agent told me the exact the same thing. I have not called Disney Cruise line directly yet I am waiting for the phones not to be busy to confirm.

 

[cheermom2four]

We had booked opening day our Med cruise. We had booked a verandah and then an inside room across the hall. Months later we ended up changing the inside to a verandah cabin next to the current one as it became available and only paid the difference to upgrade. We didnt go through costco though but through our TA. Not sure that would matter but maybe the Costco agent just wasnt accurate.

 

[Numtini]

Our agent is not from Costco and we were told the same thing: you need to stay in the same category.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

If that is currently the case, then there has been a change in policy. It's been a couple years since I've been in this situation, but back then, you could switch categories and still pay what you would have paid if you had booked that category to start. I had an inside room booked on that Magic and several months later chose to upgrade to an oceanview. I only paid what I would have paid if I had booked the oceanview room when I first made the reservation. It was a few hundred dollars cheaper than what the current prevailing fare was.

It's possible the policy has changed, but my guess would be the Costco agent was misinformed.

 

[Mommb]

We booked a Category 5B for this summer on opening day in March 2018, using the placeholder we booked in summer 2017. Last July, I e-mailed our travel agent (not with Costco) to ask about the cost to upgrade to a Category 4B. The price she quoted for a Category 4B was a little lower than 90% of the then-current rate (that is, lower than the current rate would be with our 10% discount). We didn't decide to upgrade until December. Although the price on the DCL site had gone up a little more, the cost we paid was exactly what we were quoted in July. Although I didn't record the cost of a Cat 4B in March 2018, it seems to me that we did indeed pay what we would have paid if we booked a Cat 4B in the first place.

It is possible that the way Costco and some other agencies handle upgrades requires cancelling and rebooking, although that would be odd. It is more likely that some travel agents are not well-versed in DCL policies. It is also possible that there was a change made in the past few months.

 

[michelleandbrett]

UPDATE: I called Costco this morning after the room I was hoping for became available again (yay!) and even though the price had gone up over $100, I was charged the original price had I booked both rooms on Thursday. Costco rep was misinformed.

 

[mmouse37]

Glad it got worked out. As I know it you can switch to any category and still pay what that new category's rates were on the day you booked. I know many people who were in an ocean view and decided to upgrade to a verandah and paid what a veranda would have cost on the day they booked the O/V. Hope I made sense!!

MJ

 

[mom4fun]

You can definitely switch your room category for same cost as you originally booked. The confusion may be because other cruise lines won’t let you do that. I know for a fact Royal Caribbean won’t let you. Another plus with Disney.

 

[Lisa F]

yup I recently freaked out about my aft verandah room on the fantasy and thought it would cost me a fortune to switch because all of the forward 7As were gone and I had to ugpgrade to a 5C, which was now like $800 more than I paid. As it turns out they only charged me the opening day difference, which was more like $200.

Touring plans has this awesome tool that tells you what opening day pricing is for all categories and all cruises and and also dates for price jumps and when they took place. I found it helpful to figure out what I wanted to do before making the TA crazy and then when I figured it out, she booked it and it was exactly the price I expected.

 

[tinkerone]

yup I recently freaked out about my aft verandah room on the fantasy and thought it would cost me a fortune to switch because all of the forward 7As were gone and I had to ugpgrade to a 5C, which was now like $800 more than I paid. As it turns out they only charged me the opening day difference, which was more like $200.

Touring plans has this awesome tool that tells you what opening day pricing is for all categories and all cruises and and also dates for price jumps and when they took place. I found it helpful to figure out what I wanted to do before making the TA crazy and then when I figured it out, she booked it and it was exactly the price I expected.

Would love it if you had a link to this. That would be some interesting information.

 

[pixiedustedme]

Would love it if you had a link to this. That would be some interesting information.

https://touringplans.com/disney-cruise-line/tools/fare-tracker

Fyi, when you already have a room booked, and then click "change stateroom" to look at other categories, the prices shown are automatically the prices for the date you initially booked.

People booking with agents might not have access to the "change stateroom" feature, but I just wanted to make that clear to those who booked direct with DCL.

 

[mmouse37]

https://touringplans.com/disney-cruise-line/tools/fare-tracker

Fyi, when you already have a room booked, and then click "change stateroom" to look at other categories, the prices shown are automatically the prices for the date you initially booked.

People booking with agents might not have access to the "change stateroom" feature, but I just wanted to make that clear to those who booked direct with DCL.

Ok I am confused.....from the link I just looked up my cruise next year on Magic June 13, 2020 9 night Greek. Is that price at the bottom of the grid the opening day price? Opening for general public or the actual opening day price that Platinums could book?

MJ

 

[pixiedustedme]

Ok I am confused.....from the link I just looked up my cruise next year on Magic June 13, 2020 9 night Greek. Is that price at the bottom of the grid the opening day price? Opening for general public or the actual opening day price that Platinums could book?

MJ

Bottom left of the grid is opening day price. I don't know whether that's platinum or new cruiser opening day. It doesn't say.

 

[mmouse37]

Bottom left of the grid is opening day price. I don't know whether that's platinum or new cruiser opening day. It doesn't say.

Thank you. Its interesting. I booked that cruise on the first day (Platinum) and my quote was $7,293.00 for 2 adults in a 9B...no ins or transfers. The grid is showing over $9,000.00 on opening day so I was wondering if it went up that much once general booking began. I booked online about 10 pm on the first day so not even first thing in the am.

MJ

 

[ProgressCity]

When you book, your reservation is stamped with the date and time and any changes you make as long as it's on the same sailing will be at the pricing that was available at the time you booked it.