5 Sure Fire Ways To Get A Cruise Cabin Upgrade in 2024

[@Anne_GG145]

I never tried upgrading. In a Celebrity survey, I wrote that as long that they charge a 100% single supplement and have little solo cabins, I sadly can’t cruise with them. Prices are high. Thanks for showing travellers how to get the best value for their money 🚢!

[@heatherqualy9143]

Same. I watched dozens of videos seeing which cruise line would be best for me. Got all excited about Celebrity. Then found out about how badly they financially punish solo travelers. Grr…back to researching.

[@MrJimmy-ox7fq]

@@heatherqualy9143 Greetings. I travel solo and some NCL ships have those little solo cabins. It works for me. The room is like a little "coffin-ette" but the limited access to the solo cabins keeps the area quiet. You may want to look into this option. Happy Cruising!

[@cwcamper9091]

Same here. So many solo travelers these days, they should be making some kind of accommodations.

[@mftd9316]

@@cwcamper9091 I betcha eventually Virgin will be the first to do this. They see what this 'next gen' of cruisers want: aka, NO KIDS and accomodated. Everyone in the industry called Mr. Branson dumb for losing half the industry. Instead, what he proved was that there was a whole 'NOTHER side of the industry. Younger people and childless couples really don't enjoy _other people's_ kids, lol. I bet Virgin will do smaller rooms with single beds and a balcony with hammock, on a floor or two. That'd be a wild floor for sure!

[@pbjtime0]

We took our first MSC cruise last year. We paid for a regular balcony room but we were assigned a Grand Suite Aurea. Not sure how it happened, but wow. What a surprise!

[@jodybranum4015]

Thank Gary, your videos are always superb!

[@JosephDickersonUX]

Great video, and I agree with all your points. I only rarely directly booked the "ship within a ship" rooms I have stayed in and instead I bid... Won every time, even with fairly low/poor bids. I booked an NCL repositioning cruise last year for this November and a month ago I checked the rates... Only to find out that a Club Balcony Suite was now LESS than my Oceanview room. I called the cruise line, got the nicer room and almost $600 back. Now I am one class down from The Haven which is currently almost completely empty, so we are hoping to put in an upgrade bid when the 100 day window hits.

[@Kattakam]

My first trip on Royal with balcony "Allure of the Sea." It has been terrible! From our our cabin assistant (2 weeks of experience), delayed luggage and messing up the delivery of day in-cabin packages (strawberry's with no champagne, originally tried to say it was an additional charge until I showed them on the receipt) to our cabin smelling like the Animal Kingdom at Disney World. Next was the double charge for excursions (had to show them the receipt again). I booked this 3 months in advance and followed bunches of videos for what to do.

[@JJ-uq8ys]

Gary has one of the biggest brains in the deep blue

[@kentheckethorn8921]

Hi Gary, My wife and I enjoyed the Regent Explorer on its May ‘24 Alaskan voyage from Seward to Vancouver. I booked the voyage about 1 1/2 years out from its cruise date. I booked the Regent per your recommendation for their size and amenities. What a perfect cruise for our first cruise on our 35 year anniversary. Shortly after booking the cruise, I upgraded from a Veranda Suite to a Concierge Suite. A beautiful suite and it would have been a perfect fit for us. About a month prior to our cruise date, Regent offered an upgrade to its Explorer Suite for a bargain price, I quickly accepted the upgrade and our Alaskan Cruise aboard the Regent was made even better than we could have imagined. So yes great upgrades are possible when you least expect them. Without your Regent recommendation, this trip would never have been possible. Thank you so very much.

[@tipsfortravellers]

That is so great to hear you had a brilliant time. And very nice upgrades !!!!!!!

[@merytsitmaat9308]

Thanks Gary. BTW, I love your new graphics.

[@Hawkeye2001]

I have an upcoming HAL cruise. I haven't thought of the Club Orange perks. Thanks for reminding me.

[@mhaskard6517]

We upgraded on HAL to Club Orange, it was cheaper to do it through the travel agent that we had booked a Canadia/Alaska tour than do it online within the HAL web page once you have your HAL booking code, in HAL web site/app everything is charged in US dollars. Also you can book your shore activities sooner with Club Orange as they book out quickly.

[@kentheckethorn8921]

Thanks Gary, We are currently preparing plans to travel abroad Windstar Breeze for an 11 day cruise to Tahiti. Your guidance, once again, has been very useful.

[@kathryncashner3294]

On my April 2024 embarkation, there was a sign at the terminal indicating that upgrades were available and cruisers should talk to their check in host if interested. The funny thing is that it was the most full cruise I'd experienced on that line in terms of absolute passenger numbers. In fact, it was a bit too full for my liking. For those who don't know, cruise lines consider a sailing 100% full when every solo cabin contains 1 person and every other cabin contains 2.Since many cabins are made to hold 3, 4 , or more, that's how you get an occupancy over 100% (put 2 kids in a cabin with the parents, for instance). It is worth looking at both the percentage and the absolute numbers as a cruise at 104% may still have empty cabins! Amazing that you got such a nice upgrade for Africa. My experience with those "3 category upgrade free" offers has been that they take you from a low end balcony or inside to a better location, but not to a better type of cabin. Then they tell me or my TA that it isn't available to us as my travel partner needs an accessible cabin.

[@neling9235]

Great advices. I think we may look out for promotions on Viking, just to ‘see’ the difference, if any, from Oceania.

[@jhollie8196]

Have always sailed on HAL and booked a Neptune suite after our first cruise and never looked back. Doubt anyone gets a Pinnacle Suite upgrade. Thanks for sharing.

[@jeffstanley6013]

Love repositioning cruises! Not only are they good deals financially, but you also get to visit the ports that are not always frequented on more traditional routes. Wife and I were on the Celebrity Edge last fall going from Rome to Dubai. It was part 1 of 3 in a repositioning of the boat from Rome to Sydney, and about 1/3 of the boat was onboard for all 3 segments.

[@dking1362]

What about the one-way flights needed to arrive and leave from 2 different locales? Doesn't that get pricey? And I would think I might want to be there even earlier than just the day before, as I would likely be on a totally different and unfamiliar continent? Love the idea, just wondering if it really would save any money from a "standard" round-trip cruise. Thanks for any insight/experience you might have to share.

[@jeffstanley6013]

@dking1362 We typically use miles for our flights (we don't go internationally every year 😊). And yes, we do try to stay over a couple of days on one end and/or the other. Spent 3 days in Dubai at the end of the cruise mentioned and stayed on the QE2, now a floating hotel. But to give you an idea on the savings of a repositioning cruise, it can be $500/ person or more compared to other cruises of similar duration (most repositioning cruises are longer, 14 nights or more). Hope that helps.

[@dking1362]

@@jeffstanley6013 Very helpful information. Thank you so much! I appreciate your kindness in answering my questions.

[@sashamellon822]

Seems like cruising is a massive game , with where you need a phd to get the most out of your cruise. When you are paying out of your nose to begin with.,

[@Lord.Kiltridge]

I'm retired on a disability pension. So I have a ton of time but not resources. I don't get seasick though, and don't mind cold weather. So the off season and repos are mostly what I go after. The biggest problem is that repositioning cruises involve at least one long flight and 5+ hours in coach is beyond agony for these old broken bones.

[@cwcamper9091]

I'm the same way!!!!

[@rosebud040686]

Take a look at Vacations to Go, where cruises are sold at cut rate. I only discovered them yesterday!

[@Elle-kr8od]

Is a train trip a possibility instead of a flight?

[@Lord.Kiltridge]

@@Elle-kr8od Thank you for taking an interest, but no. Atlantic transits require a flight either to of from Europe where only premium economy is survivable but that's so expensive.

[@neling9235]

Maybe a back to back repositioning? I.e. with two different cruise lines?! Just a thought.

[@a.e.7988]

You're the best, Gary!❤

[@dennisegrant5901]

Our first Disney cruise we were very surprised when it was announced that we were made the "Magical Family". We went from an ocean view cabin to a balcony and everyday there were treats left on the bed such as cookies, chocolate covered strawberries etc and stuffed Disney characters for the kids. We also were able to get free snorkeling, water toys and bike rental on Castaway Cay. Unfortunately, they no longer offer this.

[@admranger]

Did not know that the laundry was per person! That was news to me, although last time I had laundry done it came back as a rumpled mess. The previous time the shirts were nice but the last time the dress shirts were just stuffed in the bag.

[@jerrycomo2736]

To be honest, we don't cruise. We did once, didn't like the crowds and the corniness. We traveled globally many years in our professions. However, I am a subscriber ever since you did the "Just stay on board" video. I thought, this is an honest man, and tells it like it is and I find your videos informative and well narrated. Before the pandemic, I heard about professional cruisers. They went from ship to ship. They had no home on dry land. I wonder what happened to them. I like to think they became mole people living in abandoned subway stations.

[@danielintheantipodes6741]

Great tips. Thank you for the video!

[@m.m.4645]

HAL. Booked in Sept 2023 for July 10, 2024 sailing ex Reykjavik. Price for inside 1400€/p for 10 days Price dropped in April of 2024 to almost half the price. Contacted HAL, they only offer 100$ obc Very disappointing, since we do not consume alcohol, do not go to speciality Restaurants nor to the Spa and all the shore excursions we are interested are sold out! Plus - two weeks ago they have the nerve to offer an Upgrade for "only 549 €" to a verandah!!! We are already paying much more for the inside than what a balcony is costing - PLUS 549 extra???? That would be more than 1950 per person. No way. We are very disappointed and cant believe how they treat return guests. Okay, HAL is a Company that wants to make money - that is their right. Nevertheless - we feel awful about them now.

[@gatewayz75]

I’ve been tempted to do an upgrade bid a few times but I decided to not go ahead because you can’t choose your upgraded cabin so there’s a high likelihood of being given a poorly located cabin and once upgraded it’s my understanding that you can’t go back if you don’t like the upgraded cabin

[@TheKennedysTravelChannel]

It can be a bit of a gamble, but you can get lucky. On our recent Norwegian Getaway cruise we booked a standard balcony cabin but put in a cheeky upgrade bid, only to discover that we had been upgraded to an Owner's Suite in The Haven and even got a private taxi transfer from the airport included. The upgrade cost was around 1,600 Euros, whereas the Owner's Suite would have cost 11,000 EACH had we booked direct.

[@Retiredtraveler1961]

I found with this latest cruise I’m about to take next month on Princess, keeping an eye on the price is crucial. I was able to take advantage of three price drops, one of which saved my friend and I $600 each! In the end, we ended up getting a mini suite for the original price of an inside cabin. A cruise that was going to cost us $4000 each for 16 night Icelandic and Scotland cruise wound up costing us each $1900. There is no way I would bid on an upgrade! The reason being is an upgrade could be a cruise cabin in a horrible location! One upgrade they offered me due to the price drop was a full suite. This suite was on the six deck, had no balcony and was adjacent to the women’s bathroom in a busy hallway. Not just know, hell no! You are stuck with what they give you for the upgrade and your other previous room will be sold to somebody else, and be unavailable.

[@BTimmer]

While not a surefire way to get an upgrade, on a very long and not near capacity cruise last fall, I simply asked the hotel GM if an upgrade from an inside to a window cabin was possible. Three days later we got it at no upgrade cost because of our strong loyalty to the brand.

[@vincentnnyc]

I book a cheap inside cabin msc cruise a few months before the cruise. When I call back a few weeks to ask some questions, they upgraded me to a balcony w/o me asking

[@voodoox6112]

Australia and New Zealand passengers miss out on bidding on NCL, Celebrity, RC, MSC. Would love to be able to bid like airlines. Had flight upgrades from low bids after doing the math.

[@FrielFamilyFootball]

Thank you for this information.

[@neling9235]

Not too keen on upgrade either. Location! Location! Having said that, we received a complimentary , 4 category upgrade from Oceania, on a Pepin cruise, fall 2019. Well it happened to be the second Oceania cruise we took that year!! No complementary upgrade though on our Jan 2023 Caribbean cruise which ‘unfortunately’ operated at full capacity. The pandemic changes ‘everything’ .

[@fh6258]

Gald you are doing groups now. Why not get a few cabin for 8 cabins sold. You also say about contacting the cruise ship for a change, but if you are guest working with an agent, they have to have the agent call. You are now talk like a cruise agent, unless you are or your agent is giving you the agents perks for giving her so much business!

[@allent1034]

Typically those "Level" upgrades they give with a sale are the exact same cabin, just in a different location. Often the "better" or "higher" grade cabin is not actually in a better location for most people. They wanted to move me from a higher level mid-ship cabin to a bottom of the ship cabin near the front. They told me that people prefer the lower cabin because it is more stable. Well that wasn't an upgrade that I wanted.

[@TheKennedysTravelChannel]

Another grerat video. Can I add a comment about auto upgrades? I have seen a few posts recently on Facebook groups where people have been auto upgraded, only to discover that their new cabin, although in a higher fare grade, was the same as their original one, only in a worse location. In one case, someone who had opted out of auto upgrades was "upgraded" anyway and, when they complained to the cruise line was told they couldn't do anything about it as their original cabin was no longer available. It can be a useful way to get upgraded, but beware!

[@jackierinker2582]

We are looking at a repositioning cruise in October of this year. Should we book now or maybe at the end of June as you suggested here Or wait until 90 days out when final payments are due. The difference would only be booking in early July on the Norwegian Getaway.

[@Peter-zy5ox]

Could you please share if you purchase your cruises directly from the cruise line or do you have a dealer?

[@rgruenhaus]

On the KZbin channel Seas the Day Bram was on a repositioning cruise on NCL and he bid for an upgrade and boarded and found he had NOT won his bid till onboard!

[@RandomTheresa]

Ok?

[@brittrubin9461]

Why do you never talk about Fred Olsen cruises ?

[@kimc555]

I’ve cruised once. I look at the prices and won’t cruise again. It’s just way out of our price range.

[@LMays-cu2hp]

Looking very nice!!!!😊

[@dking1362]

New to cruising....I have a question. Wouldn't taking a repositioning cruise end up being just as expensive as a 'standard' one, due to having to book 2 separate one-way flights from vastly different locations AND needing to arrive 2+ days early since you are going/coming from an unfamiliar country (continent)? Do you have some advice for booking less expensive flights for such cruises?

[@jesseteague2975]

Big brother if I book a cruise would it be cheaper to book outside of carnival cruise line or just book with carnival cruise line themselves???

[@davidmarsden305]

Hi Gary - im disabled so have to book early to be sure i get a cabin to suit my requirements, im going on Appex in a few months and princess next year. My question is: the value for me booking on the ship? So example being celeb this year booking for 2026? Whats your view

[@vickyb5935]

Hi from Switzerland. Are you telling us that most of these upgrade „ways“ would allow me to pick the actual room in the upgrade category? An upgrade would be super, esp on HA Eurodam(panama canal transit April 12, 2025) where the diff between the veranda and next category suite is super expensive (over $3000). I will look into that Club Orange. We would really love to be in the suite for the 14 days. Thanks for all of your helpful videos!!!!!

[@paulgerrard9227]

Usually no. They will assign the cabin. When asking at desk for paid upgrades and the ship is not full (rare now) they may discuss choice

[@lesleywaghorn1627]

Gary, With the category upgrade at time of booking does that allow you to still choose your cabin? And, if so, is that the only upgrade option where you can?

[@paulgerrard9227]

Not usually. Its a class upgrade of their choice if its given. Can even be a deck you dont want or position near lifts etc

[@tipsfortravellers]

Yes I have been able to chose the cabin

[@CRaZyAbOuTYuGi]

Ok but wouldn't that cost $$$ cause I dun believe that cruise is serious 104% capacity and usually they save some rm empty firstly is for their staff who work hard and was given suite awards but I believe it just a day form a leak who work for cruise

[@BoninBrighton]

How do you manage visas etc with last minute deals?

[@COLINJELY]

If you book a Balcony and select Auto Upgrade, surely they don't have a Suite with an Obstructed View?

[@paulgerrard9227]

Yes. Upgrade does not mean better and there is no reverting once its done

[@francesm5976]

I’ve wondered if as a solo I am much less likely to get an Upgrade via the bidding process?

[@tipsfortravellers]

I dont think so as they charge double for solo in the bidding.

[@andrewmeitner4818]

Gary can you please tell me if the working crew on a cruise ship gets all the gratuity’s we are charged by cruise ship companies. Thanks❤

[@kathrinetownes1812]

The charged gratuities pay their salary. If you wish to thank a crew member - use cash directly to them.

[@ljacobs357]

Most of the time, cruise lines will upgrade you to a less desirable cabin.

[@geoffreystone4849]

Carnival shareholders meeting revealed $billion in bookings but $7billoon of on board sales. The cruise company just wants a 100% cargo or more. You are a walking ATM to them.

[@davetaylor4741]

Different world. While you worry about upgrades on a cruise, I worry about paying my bills to live. That is my retirement on a State pension.