Upgrades & Paying off your cruise

[TaraBelle1069]

My apologies if the answers to my questions are somewhere else on the board. I'm at work and really shouldn't be on here (but work is so boring!!).

Mom is wondering if we should pay off the cruise early. The US dollar exchange (we're Canadian) has been bouncing around a bit and she thinks maybe we should do it now in case the US goes back up. (Of course, with our luck it will get better for us).

The real question is, since we have a GTY category 12 booking, are we any more likely to get an upgrade if we pay off early? I know this would be hard to tell (unless you'd booked a bunch of cruises and paid them off in different time frames, etc.) but maybe someone has a thought about this.

Any help is greatly appreciated. FYI...our last payment is due Sept. 14th.

 

[DrCavin]

I don't think upgrades are based on when/if the cruise is paid. Seems to be just good luck involved.

 

[thevolcanogod]

I think everyone would agree that noone has yet pegged it as to why one gets an upgrade or not. It seems quite at random - there are a few factors that everyone agrees are more likely to contribute to an upgrade, but most of these are beyond our control (such as how much demand there is for lower category rooms and how empty the upper categories are etc.)

I guess I would answer your question thus:

It can't hurt in regards to getting an upgrade to pay off the cruise now versus later.

Good luck.

 

[TaraBelle1069]

Thanks. I guess it's like getting an upgrade on an airplane. Sometimes I think you are better off being the last person there and then get bumped up because all of your class is gone. However, my parents found that complaining about a flight on the way there resulted on getting an upgrade on the way back. That's not tried and true....just happened once.

I think we will base our decision mostly on the affordability of the US dollar. The upgrade is really just a bonus anyway. We booked cat. 12 because we don't really care where we sleep.

Thanks again.

 

[markey]

I have just received my docs for our 5th cruise, 1-4 day and 4-7 day. All our cruises were paid off at least 2 months before the 60 final payment due date. The only upgrade we would have gotten, call came after we left for WDW and received message when we got home, was for the first cruise booked directly with DCL. Don't know why they just didn't upgrade and tell us at the port, but that's water over the dam now. The 4-7 day cruises were booked with DU and we got no upgrade at all, not blaming DU just pointing out that they were booked with a TA. All were for CAT9 cabins and the same time of the year, late August. Maybe they look for first time cruisers, think if you get hooked for a higher cabin that's what you will pay for later. Why would they want to give an upgrade to someone who comes back year after year!

 

[TaraBelle1069]

Originally posted by markey
Maybe they look for first time cruisers, think if you get hooked for a higher cabin that's what you will pay for later. Why would they want to give an upgrade to someone who comes back year after year!

That is an interesting thought. We are first time Disney cruisers so perhaps we'll test your theory. We did book through DCL. We'll see. Thanks

 

[thevolcanogod]

I was thinking nearly the same thing the other week - if I was DCL and there were any higher-level cabins open come the day before sail-away, I would upgrade all the guests I could for free - it may cost them a bit of extra $$ in misc costs having people occupy the larger rooms rather than the smaller they originally reserved, but what a way to make customers for life. I know if I was upgraded from a Cat 12 to even a Cat 10 I would be singing the praises of DCL for quite a while. Word of mouth can go a long way now days with the internet.

I'd pay that cruise off now if I were you - signs are pointing towards a strengthening US $ - being a Canadian, you want to pay it off while the US $ is weakest compared to the Can $.

 

[beattyfamily]

I'm going on my 3rd cruise November 4, 2004. I got my FIRST upgrade for this cruise!!

I booked this cruise (category 8) way back in January 2003 and I paid it off last September 2003.

I was told in May that we were upgraded from the category 8, assigned cabin to category 5 assigned cabin.

I booked through DU.

 

[chasbos]

Trying to figure the dollar out is next to impossible! But I took the gamble and paid off our Jan 23, 05 cruise 2 weeks ago. Now I just don't look at what the dollar is doing and being paid off 7 months in advance makes for time to save for a 2006 cruise!

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

I might be mad but I have paid for at least 50% of my summer 2005 cruise early as the pound sterling rate is good at the moment against the dollar and the best I have seen for many years.

Some people say it will stay this way for a time, but I look at the profit from last years 1.37 to today's 1.85 and I save a lot!

On upgrades if I was DCL I would look at regular Castaway club members to ensure I kept them with us and reward loyalty, rather than new cruisers who might just go once, or may not like other aspects such as the sea which is against there control.

I have often been upgraded on my flights, and I think it is because I use one airline, and a member of their club

 

[TaraBelle1069]

Originally posted by Andrew DEREK UK


On upgrades if I was DCL I would look at regualr Casterway club members to ensure I kept them with us and reward loyalty, rather than new cruisers who might just go once, or may not like other aspects such as the sea which is against there control.

As much as that wouldn't help me now, I totally agree with you there. On the other hand, they might also figure that people who have sailed multiple times are already "hooked" and they want to hook new people. There are pros to both.

I'm not that fussed about an upgrade except that it's sort of a teaser that my reservation says "GTY". It's like "we're letting you on, but we're not telling you where". I think for some people they wouldn't care but for me, I've got Excel spreadsheets going to plan what I'm doing when, what I'm wearing when, etc....so the suspense is killing me.

Wonder what I'd be like if I booked more than a few months ahead?!!!

 

[needAcruise]

Originally posted by TaraBelle1069
The real question is, since we have a GTY category 12 booking, are we any more likely to get an upgrade if we pay off early?

How many people do you have in your room? I was informed by my TA, unofficially, that if you have 4 people to your room, you can book a Cat 12 and you get an automatic upgrade to Cat 11. After all, Cat 12 holds 3 people max. May be this is a way to fill the "cheaper" cabins.

If you have less than 4, then this may not apply.

 

[TaraBelle1069]

Originally posted by needAcruise
How many people do you have in your room?

Just my mom and I! When it comes down to it, I'm just happy we're going. I almost talked my mom out of it into a cheaper cruise (out of guilt...not a desire to actually take a cheaper cruise) but she steered me back to Disney. So category 12 is better than where I might have ended up!

 

[Mickey4us]

Don't want to burst the bubble, but when I booked my cruise last May, I was GTY in a category 11....until they got my final payment.....then I was given my cabin number. It was for a category 11.......an upgrade would have been nice, but didn't really mind......I was cruising on the WONDER!

 

[TaraBelle1069]

Originally posted by Mickey4us

Don't want to burst the bubble, but when I booked my cruise last May, I was GTY in a category 11....until they got my final payment.....then I was given my cabin number. It was for a category 11.......an upgrade would have been nice, but didn't really mind......I was cruising on the WONDER!

No bubbles burst! Characters on board, cool restaurants, Castaway Cay, beautiful ship, Disney shopping....I'd probably be okay with a closet to sleep in...as long as it was a Disney closet!!

 

[DrCavin]

Originally posted by needAcruise
How many people do you have in your room? I was informed by my TA, unofficially, that if you have 4 people to your room, you can book a Cat 12 and you get an automatic upgrade to Cat 11. After all, Cat 12 holds 3 people max. May be this is a way to fill the "cheaper" cabins.

If you have less than 4, then this may not apply.

Disney will not allow you to book more people to a room than it will hold..

 

[needAcruise]

Originally posted by DrCavin
Disney will not allow you to book more people to a room than it will hold..

Perhaps I should clarify.

I booked a room for 4 and paid the Cat 12 price. I don't know how or why, but it is legit. I called several TA's and they all said the same thing. (All seas, DU, MouseEars & Small World) Maybe it was something to do with my cruise time being during a slower period.

I don't ask too many questions when offers like this surface.

 

[FredS]

Originally posted by DrCavin
Disney will not allow you to book more people to a room than it will hold..

Disney will not book you in a specific room that will not hold all members of the group. Disney most definitely WILL book a family of four for a GTY category 12 price. The point of the promotion, as I understand it, is that you are guaranteed that category or higher. As there currently are no available rooms in that category which sleep four you will be upgraded to a category 11 at a minimum. Logical or not, that IS the current policy.

 

[missypooh]

Hi - I booked a cat 12 gty back in Feb for an August 4 night wonder sailing. After months of checking my res on line, I finally checked about 6 weeks before sailing and instead of GTY it had a room number - I ended up in a mid-ship ocean view room on deck 2 (cat 9). I had made only the minimum deposit and then paid off on the absolute last day you could - so for us paying early was a non-issue in the upgrade. We are very excited. So, maybe you'll luck out like we did.

Happy sailing.
Missy

 

[smchan]

I'm 2 for 2 on upgrades. The first from a cat 11 assigned to cat 8 assigned (handicap room, though) on a 4 night Wonder cruise and the second from a cat 11 GTY to a cat 9 assigned on a 7 night Magic cruise.

Both cruises were booked a month or so prior to the sailing date on sale fares.

I've been spoiled by the porthole and will not book less than a cat 9 for a longer (7 night) cruise.

Sam