Can I upgrade my Carnival cruise room online?

You’ve booked yourself Carnival cruise holiday, and now you are reconsidering the cabin category you have chosen. Maybe you’ve changed your mind and are willing to pay more for a room with a window or a balcony – or maybe you’re wondering if you can get a nicer room without paying full price. Can you upgrade your Carnival cruise room online or through a telephone representative?

The most obvious method 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 this yourself online by canceling the old room and booking a new one. You will pay the going rate for the new cabin and any change fees, depending on the restrictions of the offer you booked.

After the final payment, things get much more complicated (and expensive) as the cruise line’s tiered cancellation fees apply. In that case, you have a better chance of having these fees waived by contacting a travel agent or telephone representative.

But what if you want a nicer cabin for less than full price? Let’s take a look at how you can upgrade your Carnival cruise line online and over the phone.

Why would cruise lines like Carnival offer discounted upgrades?

Today’s competitive cruise market means cruise ships are operating at or near capacity. Consequently, cruise lines tend to strategically manage upgrades using computer algorithms to fill the last remaining cabins in the most profitable manner.

The key to scoring an upgrade offer through these complicated systems is not who you are or who you know, but which room you give up by upgrading. The computers are looking for rooms that sell more easily than rooms that remain empty.

Here’s an example to help you see how the cruise lines juggle rooms for higher profits. Suppose you have booked a well-positioned accommodation inside cabin a year ago for a bargain price on Black Friday. Two months before your cruise departs, windowless rooms like yours are being sold for double what you paid.

If the cruise line can get you out of the room you booked, they can make more money. They get what they want by offering you a paid upgrade to a slow seller – maybe something like a balcony room with obstructed view. As long as you’re happy paying for an upgrade from no visibility to partial visibility, it’s a win for both you and the cruise line.

Related: Why it pays to upgrade your cruise ship cabin

Elusive offers that let you upgrade your Carnival cruise room online

So how do you find those offers to upgrade your cabin before you set sail? Carnival hints at possible upgrade offers with this statement on its FAQ page: “Opportunities to purchase an upgrade are available prior to your cruise, subject to availability.” Unfortunately, there is no further explanation on how to access these capabilities.

With a little digging, I discovered a few methods Carnival uses to offer room upgrades online. My aunt recently received an upgrade offer in an email, which she initially brushed past. Days later, when she realized what it was, she used the link in the email to claim her offer. What she got instead was, “This offer is no longer available.” Apparently anyone with a booking can visit this link (carnaval.com/PostBookingSales) whenever they want, enter their information and hope the upgrade fee is friendly.

I tried it and was rewarded with the same message my aunt got from her email offer. A quick online check of unsold rooms during my sailing revealed that there were just over a dozen rooms left 35 days before departure. Since I am a balcony cabin It’s already unlikely that I would upgrade to the last remaining suite (which currently sells for over $3,000 per person) even if it were offered.

The lesson here is that if you know there are still higher category cabins available on your sailing, keep a close eye on your email and keep trying the link above.

The other option I discovered is to navigate to your Cruise Manager, where you purchase shore excursions and onboard extras such as Wi-Fi and drinks packages for your booked cruises. On the left side of the page you will find a heading titled “My To-Do List.” Normally this list will include notices such as the date for your online check-in and a link to print documents (that’s where your luggage tags are, by the way). If you have upgrade offers to claim, they may appear there as well.

I watched an online video of a Carnival cruiser using the to-do list link to claim an upgrade from an inside cabin to a midship balcony for a total of $374 (for two passengers) on a six-night cruise . This video was a bit dated, but recent social media posts say upgrades are appearing there. Some Carnival cruisers claim to show up exactly 45 days before departure. Others swear by checking every week.

Related: 5 reasons to turn down a cruise ship cabin upgrade

Does Carnival allow guests to bid on room upgrades?

Unlike Virginal travels, Royal Caribbean And CelebrityCarnival does not use a third party agent to manage its unsold inventory of rooms through a bidding process. Under those systems, passengers booked into cabins that are considered popular last-minute sellers can have the chance to bid on one of the last remaining “better” rooms.

Rather than bidding, Carnival offers several specific cabin options, each with a fixed upgrade price that you are free to accept (or decline). If you agree, your booking will change immediately. You don’t have to wait or wonder if you won the bid.

Keep in mind that in any upgrade system, including Carnival’s, “upgrade” is a relative term. For example, you may be offered an upgrade from a balcony cabin on deck 6 to one on deck 8. If you prefer to stay on a deck sandwiched between two cabin floors to avoid the noise from restaurants, pools and bars above or below, you can maybe don’t. consider this an upgrade on any ship. However, cruise lines almost always consider higher decks as upgrades within each category.

The key to determining the value of an online room upgrade is a quick study of the ship’s deck plans, followed by a mathematical check to make sure it’s a deal you’re willing to accept. The consensus among cruisers who have upgraded online is that you need to act quickly. Someone else is probably looking at the same offers and ready to click on them.

Related: The 5 Most Desirable Cabin Locations on Every Cruise Ship

Other ways to get a Carnival cruise upgrade

Carnival’s website says upgrade requests cannot be honored on the day of sailing, “as we are sailing at capacity.” That means the days of queuing at inflight guest services, hoping for a last-minute upgrade, are likely over.

Carnival has long ensured this travel agencies with upgrades they could use to offer next-level cabins to their best customers. Over time, building a relationship with a travel advisor can result in a free or discounted upgrade for you. Even if you don’t fall into the “best customer” category, if you’re serious about upgrading to a better room, an agent can at least waive change fees or cancellation fees.

Loyalty to the cruise line can also get you a nicer room. Carnival cruisers who reach the Diamond level of the Very important Fun Person (VIFP) Club will be rewarded with a one-time upgrade for one category, excluding balcony to suite.

Sometimes the best method is to look for deals with built-in cabin upgrades so that you upgrade at the time of booking and not after you pay a deposit. I found an offer for VIFP members of all levels, including an upgrade in three categories within cabin types. It is an automatic upgrade at the time of booking, allowing you to choose a better room within your chosen class of travel. In other words, you do not get an upgrade from an inside cabin to a balcony, but from a simple inside room to a substantially better inside cabin.

Who gets the last remaining rooms if automated online upgrade 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 that can happen is that they offer you a better room at the going price. You have to assume there’s a bit of human salesmanship involved when it comes to filling the last rooms on a ship. Travel agents and PVPs may even maintain waiting lists for popular cabins on popular sailings, always hoping for a phone call that creates an open space they know they can sell if they can convince you to move up.

Status in the VIFP Club and in the Carnival Player’s Club for casino players probably also plays a role in last minute upgrades, so who you are matters a bit.

Also remember that cruise ships almost always keep a few rooms of each cabin type for emergencies. I’ve been on countless cruises where passengers were moved to another room on a supposedly sold-out ship when a burst water pipe flooded a cabin or a thermostat failed.

Related: I earned a “free” ship casino cruise. Here’s what it cost, plus tips on how to get reimbursed

In short

Carnival uses online upgrade offers to shuffle last-minute room inventory. These offers allow passengers to purchase an upgrade to a better type or higher category room within the same type at a reduced rate. There is no bid. You may accept or decline any offer to change your cabin, but not every room on every sailing is eligible for these upgrades. Upgrades are based on availability and demand as the departure date approaches.

Carnival makes it clear on its website that it is best to choose the cabin that suits you and your budget well in advance. You won’t always be able to upgrade your Carnival cruise stateroom online or over the phone, but it’s certainly a nice surprise if you can take up an upgrade offer and get a better room at a discounted rate.

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