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

With ships sailing full, and all the major cruise lines saying that on average they're sailing at 104% capacity, the techniques that I used to use and spoke about in the past, even as recently as this video from two years ago, to get cruise cabin upgrades no longer work. But after some rethinking, I’ve successfully cracked how to still get upgrades today.

I know you can score upgrades like I have, as I’ve just helped people booking on one of my future group cruises land upgrades on that one too.

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ABOUT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: If you want to get cruising right, Tips For Travellers makes it easy to plan and have the incredible cruise experiences you dream of every time. All my Tips For Travellers advice, tips and tricks tips draw on everything that I have learnt on the 101 cruises I have done to date.

#cruisetips #CruisingTips #CruiseTipsAndTricks

00:00 Start
01:02 Upgrade at time of booking
03:38 Upgrade bidding
06:05 Upgrade by changing cruise
07:42 Upgrade tips still worth trying
09:58 Holland America Upgrades

[pbjtime]

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!

[Anne_GG]

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 🚢!

[jodybranum]

Thank Gary, your videos are always superb!

[jeffstanley]

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.

[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.

[JJ-uqys]

Gary has one of the biggest brains in the deep blue

[mhaskard]

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.

[kentheckethorn]

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.

[merytsitmaat]

Thanks Gary. BTW, I love your new graphics.

[kathryncashner]

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.

[kentheckethorn]

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.

[sashamellon]

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.,

[neling]

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

[Hawkeye]

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

[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.

[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.

[jhollie]

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.

[dennisegrant]

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.

[Retiredtraveler]

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.

[jerrycomo]

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.