room upgrades?

[yamwar98]

I was talking to a friend of mine and was telling him we booked another cruise while on the ship. Our cruise will be in December 2019. He said since we booked it so far out we will probably get an upgraded room. Does Royal Caribbean do that or is that a thing of the past?

[Dawn T.]

15 minutes ago, yamwar98 said:

I was talking to a friend of mine and was telling him we booked another cruise while on the ship. Our cruise will be in December 2019. He said since we booked it so far out we will probably get an upgraded room. Does Royal Caribbean do that or is that a thing of the past?

I typically book when they release new dates, 18-24 months out.  I never get upgraded cabins. Not sure why your friend thinks that happens, unless maybe it just doesn't happen to me.  :(

[melski94]

True upgrades wouldn't happen until after final payment.  It typically involves some type of cost especially when you get to the suites.   Most ships sail full and so many of us have never experienced a upgrade offer but we know it does happen. 

What you can do since the booked so far out is to check the price with every sale or ask your travel agent to do it for you.  Every once in a while, you can find a sale where the category above you is at or near the price you paid.  If you like that price, you can call and request to be moved to that category at the new promotion price. With the new promotion price, you could gain or lose OBC so factor that in too.  Black Friday weekend and in January there can be very good sales.  Also, check your cruise planner often for sales as you can cancel and rebook if you find a better price.  

[monctonguy]

I don't believe that booking a cruise far out has any impact on getting an upgraded room. Almost a dozen cruises in so far for me and the only time I did was when I booked a GTY room...if your hoping/wishing for something free like that....imho

[Lovetocruise2002]

As far as I know, how far out in advance you book a cabin has no impact on whether or not you get an upgrade.  However, a few C&A reps have told me that how much money you put down (meaning if you pay it off way before final payment) may have an impact on the order they call should an upgrade become available.  Many other factors (waiting list, C&A level, type of cabin booked) also come into play when they decide who to call.  I can also say that I have never once received a call either.

[Julie.a]

I'm booked in a standard interior room for our cruise in July and I've been waiting for a sale so I can upgrade.  I've called twice now, but no luck.  Thankfully I have until May to find a deal. 

[NS8VN]

If your friend is suggesting you will probably get a free room upgrade, that is almost universally untrue.  Cruise lines know that they can usually sell upgrades as the cruise gets closer, at a discount and somewhat randomly offered, but not free.  It happens, but more often because the room booked is unusable for a reason (maintenance, required for a performer, etc) than just random kindness by RCCL.

It's not a zero chance to get a complementary upgrade, but "probably" is not the word I would use.  As for a discounted upgrade offer, a better chance but still wouldn't call it "probably".