You’ve booked your Carnival cruise vacation, and now you’re rethinking your cabin class choice. Maybe, you’ve changed your mind and are willing to pay more for a room with a window or balcony – or maybe you want to know if you can get a nice room without paying full price. Can you upgrade your Carnival cruise room online or over the phone?
The most obvious way to upgrade your cabin is to call the cruise line or your travel agent and ask to change your reservation to a more expensive room. Before the final payment, you can even do it yourself online by canceling the old room and booking a new one. You will pay the departure price of the new cabin and the change fee, depending on the limits of the promotion you have booked.
After the final payment, it becomes more difficult (and expensive) because there are cancellation fees associated with the travel stages. If so, you’ll have a better chance of getting those charges waived by working with a travel agent or call representative.
But what if you want a great wardrobe for less than full price? Let’s take a look at how you can promote your Carnival cruise line online and by phone.
Why do cruise lines like Carnival offer discounted upgrades?
Today’s competitive cruise market means that cruise ships are sailing at or near capacity. Therefore, cruise lines rely on intelligent optimization management using computer algorithms to fill the remaining storage cabins in the most profitable way.
The key to getting an upgrade offer with these complex systems is not who you are or who you know but what room you are giving up by upgrading. Computers looking for rooms are more easily sold than those that remain empty.
Here’s an example to help you see how cruise lines combine rooms for maximum profit. Let’s say you booked a luxury cabin last year at a Black Friday price. Two months before your trip leaves, windowless rooms like yours are sold for double what you paid.
If a cruise line can get you out of the room you booked, they stand to make a lot of money out of it. They get what they want by giving you a paid upgrade to a slow seller – maybe something like a blocked viewing room. As long as you’re happy to pay for a no-sight to partial-sight upgrade, it’s a win-win for both you and the cruise line.
Related: Why it pays to upgrade your cruise ship cabin
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Exclusive offers that allow you to upgrade your Carnival cruise room online
So how do you find what’s on offer to upgrade your cabin before sailing? Carnival hints at possible upgrade offers with this statement on its FAQ page: “Upgrade purchase opportunities are available prior to your cruise, subject to availability.” Unfortunately, there is no other explanation for how to access those opportunities.
With a little digging, I found a few methods Carnival uses to offer room upgrades online. My aunt recently received an upgrade offer via email, which she initially ignored. Days later when he realized what it was, he used the link in the email to try to claim his gift. What he got instead was, “This offer is no longer available.” It turns out, anyone with a reservation can visit this link (carnival.com/PostBookingSales) whenever they want, enter their information and hope the development legend is kind.
I tried and was rewarded with the same message my aunt received in her email. A quick online check of unsold rooms for my trip turned up just over a dozen rooms left 35 days before departure. Since I already have a balcony cabinet, I wouldn’t jump at upgrading the remaining storage space (currently retailing for over $3,000 each) even if it was provided.
The lesson here is that if you know that upper class cabins are still available on your cruise, keep an eye on your email and go ahead and try the link above.
Another find is navigating to Cruise Manager, where you buy shore excursions and extras like Wi-Fi and beverage packages for your booked cruise. On the left side of the page, you’ll find a header labeled “My To-Do List.” Typically, this list includes notices such as your check-in date and a link to print documents (that’s where your luggage tags are, anyway). If you have an upgrade offer to claim, it may also appear there.
I watched an online video of a Carnival cruiser using a to-do list link to request an upgrade from an inside cabin to a midship balcony for a total of $374 (for two passengers) on a six-day cruise. This video has been around for a while, but a recent social media post reports that the update is coming from there. Some Carnival passengers say they show up 45 days before departure. Some swear by checking every week.
Related: 5 reasons to say no to a cruise ship cabin upgrade
Does Carnival allow guests to bid on room upgrades?
Unlike Virgin Voyages, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, Carnival does not use a third-party agent to manage its inventory of rooms that cannot be sold through a bidding process. In those systems, passengers booked in cabins that are considered hot sellers at the last minute may be offered the opportunity to bid on one of the remaining “better” cabins.
Instead of bidding, Carnival offers specific cabin options, each with a set amount of upgrades that you are free to accept (or reject). If you accept, your reservation changes at once. No waiting or wondering if you won the bid.
Remember that in any development system, including Carnival, “development” is a relative term. For example, you may be offered an upgrade from a balcony on Deck 6 to one on Deck 8. If you prefer to be on a deck located between two lower cabins to avoid the noise of the restaurant, pool and bar above or below, you may not consider this much of an upgrade throughout the ship. Cruise lines, however, almost always view upper decks as upgrades within each category.
The key to determining the price of an online room upgrade is to do a quick research of the ship’s deck plans, followed by a math check to make sure it’s a deal you’re willing to take. The consensus among sailors who have done Internet upgrades is that you must act quickly. Someone else is probably out there looking at similar offers and ready to click.
Related: 5 most desirable cabin spaces on any cruise ship
Other ways to promote a Carnival cruise
Carnival’s website states that upgrade requests cannot be accepted on the day of sailing, “as we are sailing.” That means the days of standing in line at the guest services desk on board, hoping for a last-minute upgrade, are almost over.
Carnival has long provided travel agents with enhancements they can use to offer their best customers the best quality cabins. Establishing a relationship with a travel consultant can, over time, lead to free or discounted upgrades. Even if you don’t fall into the “best client” category, if you’re willing to upgrade to a better room, the agent may at least be able to get change fees or cancellation fees waived.
Loyalty to the cruise line can also get you a better room. Carnival passengers who reach the Diamond level of the VIP Club (VIFP) are awarded a one-class, non-balcony upgrade to the suite.
Sometimes the best way is to look for deals on built-in cabin upgrades, so you upgrade at the time of booking rather than after making a deposit. I have received offers from VIFP members of all levels that include three-stage upgrades within the cabin types. Automatic upgrade at the time of booking that allows you to choose a better room within the cabin class of your choice. In other words, you will not be upgraded from an interior cabin to a balcony, but from a basic interior cabin to a superior interior cabin.
Who gets those spare storage rooms if automated internet development systems don’t fill them?
It is always possible to call guest services, your travel agent or your Carnival Personal Vacation Planner (PVP) to request an upgrade. The worst thing is that they will give you a better room for the going rate. One has to assume that there is human trafficking involved when it comes to filling the storage rooms on a ship. Travel agents and PVPs may even maintain a waiting list for popular cabins on popular tours, always hoping to get a call that creates an open room that they know they can sell if they can convince you to go up.
VIFP Club and Carnival Player’s Club status for casino players probably plays a role in last-minute promotions, so who you are is of little importance.
Also, remember that cruise ships almost always hold a few rooms of each cabin type for emergencies. I have been on many cruises where passengers were moved to another room on a ship that was said to have been sold when a water pipe burst filled the cabin or the thermostat did not work.
Related: I won a ‘free’ cruise at the ship’s casino – here’s what it cost, plus tips for getting competitive
Bottom line
Carnival is using online promotional offers to shuffle last-minute room inventory. This offer allows passengers to purchase an upgrade to a better class or higher class within the same class at a reduced fare. No bidding. You can accept or decline any offer to change your cabin, but not every room on every sail is eligible for this upgrade. Upgrades are based on availability and demand as the departure date approaches.
Carnival makes it clear on its website that it’s best to choose a cabin that suits you and your budget in advance. You won’t always be able to upgrade your Carnival cruise cabin online or over the phone — but it’s certainly a nice surprise when you can jump on an upgrade offer and get a better room at a discounted rate.
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