Cruise Cabin Upgrade Surprise

I booked back-to-back cruises when I found that two different cruise lines offered convenient sailing dates. I originally had booked a Mexican Riviera cruise on NCL’s Star, but continued to look at other itineraries and prices. Then it dawned on me that I could go on two cruises from the same port. RCCL’s Monarch of the Seas departed on the same day that we returned from the Star. Since we were already flying to LA, I figured that a few more days out there would be a worthwhile investment, especially since I was using frequent flyer miles to get there. I put a hold on the new cruise and called the airline to be sure that I could change the flight times. The online information said that the new dates were available, but I wasn’t about to make any change without being absolutely sure. As soon as those flights were changed, I took off the hold and put down a deposit. Actually, I booked the second cruise late enough that full payment was due.

I booked a guarantee on the Star, thinking that since there were so few cabins in Category C that there would be a good chance of getting an upgrade. After all, Category C is the highest of the oceanview categories so I could only move up. When I finally got assigned a cabin, it was in Category C, which is perfectly fine with me.

Now that brings up a bit of advice for booking a guarantee or any cabin for that matter. Be sure that you are happy with the cabin that you originally book and don’t book it hoping that you will get a better cabin. In the case of a guarantee, you book knowing that you will be assigned a cabin in that category or better. I was pleased with the deck that my Category C cabin was on and the fact that it was an oceanview, so I am happy with my cabin assignment.

When I booked the Monarch, the guarantees available were less expensive, but that category of oceanview was on a low deck, which I didn’t want. So, I chose a cabin on a higher deck that I would be happy with. Just the other day, I checked my reservation and saw that RCCL had upgraded me to a superior oceanview, which is fine with me. It’s still on an upper deck and has more square footage than my original cabin, which is especially nice because the Monarch’s oceanview cabins are only 122 square feet. I knew that from the start and we don’t spend that much time in our cabin, so the size didn’t matter. Having the extra 35 square feet will be a bonus that we will gladly accept.

Sail Away