Can you really get a free cabin upgrade About This Page:

[nurse_mom]

Ok. I have looked over things and some say yes some say no. I would like to hear that someone did get a cabin upgrade. That didn't call their travel agent or disney. Has anyone ever gotten a cat 12 room booked and then got a 11 or maybe higher??? My only other cruise has been with Carnival which they are always giving free upgrades to past guest.
thanks for input

[tinksmom]

We are some of the fortunate that actually received an unrequested upgrade. It was our first cruise and we booked an inside cabin. We received a call from our travel agent that Disney had upgraded us to a category 6. It was a fantastic surprise for us and one that has paid off for Disney. Our next 3 cruises were all booked in a category 6, because we couldn't imagine ever cruising without a verandah.

[Dave Marx]

It's been quite some years since we received a free upgrade. With so many DCL cruises sailing at near- or full capacity, it's less common for this to happen. If they can sell rooms easily, they don't have to move folks up to make room in the easier-to-sell lower categories.

On short cruises, folks are more willing to sail in inside staterooms, so there's more demand for low-priced rooms. Perhaps you stand a chance of an upgrade if you book a category with few rooms (such as 12). However, there's hardly an assurance of that happening.

On longer cruises, there's high demand for verandah and outside staterooms. So, there's a much smaller chance that that you'll be moved out of an inside category. Will you be moved up to a verandah from a deluxe outside? Just the fact that there are so many deluxe outsides means that, even if they need to move folks up, your chances of being among the lucky cruisers goes down substantially.

To my mind, upgrades on DCL these days are equivalent to winning the lottery. It's something to hope for, but nothing you can expect.

[dmpyron]

What Dave said. I always recommend booking the cabin you want and be pleased when the upgrade fairy visits.

[wdwfanatic]

On our first cruise in July 2006 we booked a cat. 12. When our cruise documents arrived we had been upgraded to a cat. 10. We had made no calls to our travel agent or Disney. It was a very nice bonus to a great vacation. Have fun with your planning.

[marisag]

I completely agree! Book what you would be happy with because upgrades are few and far between. That being said- I have had clients get unrequested upgrades. The only guaranteed upgrade though is if there are 4 of you and you book a Category 12. All Category 12's only hold 3 people so you will be upgraded to a Category 11.

[HeatherD]

The only guaranteed upgrade though is if there are 4 of you and you book a Category 12. All Category 12's only hold 3 people so you will be upgraded to a Category 11.

You know, I really don't understand this. Why not just say that Cat 12 is not available for that many people, just as I'd be unable to book Cat 6 with 5 people and would have to book 2 rooms or Cat. 4.

[J603]

I kept watch on Disney's website to see how many catagories had open rooms left. I checked yesterday and it seems as though there are NONE! I guess it is a good thing that I didn't mind being in the cheap seats (cat 12).

[Chri5ti]

We were on our way down to Florida when our TA called. We had 3 category 8 rooms. We were upgraded to 3 category 4 rooms. Two of which were connecting which was perfect for us. I was nervous at first because I booked the rooms without verandahs on purpose. We did have one close call with our DD4 standing on the table on the verandah. My heart still stops just thinking about it!

But upgrades do happen. My secret thought is that they do it on purpose. When we cruise again (Disney in mediterranean????) there is no way I can go without a verandah!

[HayleyMaxMom]

Originally Posted by tinksmom

We are some of the fortunate that actually received an unrequested upgrade. It was our first cruise and we booked an inside cabin. We received a call from our travel agent that Disney had upgraded us to a category 6. It was a fantastic surprise for us and one that has paid off for Disney. Our next 3 cruises were all booked in a category 6, because we couldn't imagine ever cruising without a verandah.

This is the way it happened for us also. We had booked a cat. 8 and at check in, they bumped us up to a cat. 6. They didn't even tell us. The CM just said the room number we had was wrong and then gave us a new number. It was a wonderful surprise to see the verandah when we opened the door. We have booked cat 6 ever since then! Good Luck

[J603]

Well, no surprise upgrade for me. I received my room number today for my August 28th sail date and we've got room 2017 smack dab in the middle of cat 12. Oh well, at least we are right near the stairs and only 1 floor above the tender lobby! Race anyone to shore?

[tadkisson]

We are sailing on our first cruise ever on dcl Sept 10th. We originally booked a Cat. 12 stateroom but have been assigned a Cat. 11 - could this change as we get closer to the cruise date? Dont want to get too excited! We are on level 6 - looks like a good place to be---

[Moxrox]

We just received a free upgrade from a 10 to at least a 6...it's a "guaranteed" cat. 6, which means we'll get a 6 or better, depending on what's open.

This is our 6th cruise, and second free upgrade. The first was on our first cruise for our honeymoon, in 1998, from a 10 to a 7.

Oh yes, it does happen!

[lms]

On a three night cruise on the Wonder, e have booked three rooms (two connecting) in Catagorie 12(outside stateroom no Verandah). There are 11 of us. Have we made a mistake? Is it very noisy and too far from things to do? We are in the back of the ship and among our group we have a eight month old and 2 1/2 year old any suggestions for us?

[Dave Marx]

Originally Posted by lms

On a three night cruise on the Wonder, e have booked three rooms (two connecting) in Catagorie 12(outside stateroom no Verandah). There are 11 of us. Have we made a mistake? Is it very noisy and too far from things to do? We are in the back of the ship and among our group we have a eight month old and 2 1/2 year old any suggestions for us?

Category 12 is "standard inside stateroom," and Cat 12s sleep a maximum of 3 per room. So, if you have 11 passengers and 3 rooms, you've either a booked a higher category than you think, or they gave you an automatic, free upgrade to a higher category. Even if you plan to sleep the youngest children in cribs (DCL supplies pack-n-plays), they still count towards the room's listed capacity (3 guests in Cat 12). Neither Cat 12 or Cat 11 have connecting staterooms - of the inside stateroom categories, only Cat 10 (Deluxe Inside) offers connecting rooms. Do you mind sharing your stateroom numbers with us, so we can see what you have?

If you do have Cat 12 or Cat 11, they're the lowest cost, you don't have windows, and you don't have the famous DCL split bathrooms (which saves time when a family is getting ready in the morning/for meals/at bedtime), but you get the same great service and the same great ship, food, entertainment, etc. On a 3-night cruise, Cat 11 or 12 is going to be fine for the majority of cruisers, so no, I would not consider your choice to be a mistake. You'll be even better off in a Cat 10 (Deluxe Inside Stateroom) where you have a split bathroom, and if by some chance you're actually in a Cat 8 or 9 (Deluxe Outside Stateroom), you've got windows, too!

Since there's some question as to which category you have, and which deck you're on, it's hard to comment on whether you've got a good or bad location. Fortunately, there's really not a horrible location on the Disney ships. It's easier to reach all of the ship's public facilities on Disney ships than on several other lines I've cruised with - they gave a whole lot of thought to that when they were designed.

As to your young children... Disney does have less to offer for them than for slightly older children, but they still offer more than any other cruise line for that age group. We've cruised with kids from four months old on up, and overall you'll still do great. Expect that they'll spend most of their time with you - activities friendly to young children are intended as parent-and-child activities. Your children are welcome to play in the Oceaneer's Club kid's area, just as long as you're with them, and the ship also has a toddler-oriented water splash play area by the pools. If you want a grown-up break, plan to take advantage of Flounder's Reef Nursery for 2-3 hours on at least one day of your voyage. That'll give you a chance to do some grown-up stuff without putting a crimp in anyone else's fun (like that of older siblings or grandparents).

Understand that Centers for Disease Control regulations prohibit non-toilet trained children in ship's pools (including the Mickey Pool). Swim diapers don't help. The toddler splash area, however, is intended for the kids who aren't allowed in the pools - so have some swim diapers with you regardless.

Come self-contained with more baby supplies than you think you'll need. The selection on board is very limited and fairly expensive because they only carry the small-quantity packages. On the other hand, most parents find that the ship is better equipped to feed their youngest children than they thought. The dining room servers are very attentive to families with small children, and will find them appropriate foods. They'll bring out adult items, kids items, or even get something special if it's available - anything you think your child is likely to eat. Our son loves fresh fruit, so from the time he was teething we got him a fruit plate with every meal, even when it wasn't on the menu (and our servers even cut the pieces extra-small for him). If there was something on the adult menu (an appetizer or main course) we thought he might like (and we could cut up small enough), we ordered it - kids, regardless of age, don't have to order from the kids menu. What the ship doesn't have is packaged baby/toddler food. If you feel you must have Gerber, bring it along.