The Reality of Cruise Cabin Upgrades: 7 Biggest Myths

Trying to understand how cruise cabin upgrades work can be a little confusing, especially for people new to cruising.  We’ve selected some of the biggest myths about getting stateroom upgrades to help clear up this confusion.

While on a cruise, your cabin is your home away from home, so it is important to choose wisely which type of room is best suited for your party.

There are many types of staterooms ranging from interiors, which do not have any windows, to huge suites with private hot tubs and spacious balconies.

The types of cabins available will depend not only on the cruise line, but also on the particular cruise ship you are sailing on.  That’s because for the most part newer ships have a wider variety of staterooms available. 

Take Icon of the Seas, for instance. It has 28 different types of staterooms.

Related article: 7 Lesser-Known Things a Cabin Steward Can Bring You

If a cabin upgrade offer sounds too good to pass up, well, you may be surprised to learn that many seasoned cruisers do pass up on these offers for many reasons. Here are seven of the biggest myths about cruise cabin upgrades.

 1. Cruise Cabin Upgrades Will Always Be Available

One of the seven biggest misconceptions about cruise cabin upgrades is that they are always available. While cruise lines may occasionally offer upgrades, some sailings fill up faster than others, and many of the more desirable locations get booked up.

This may depend on your itinerary or your cruise ship. Cruise lines offer special upgrades for certain, less popular itineraries to encourage more guests to book that sailing, which is often advertised on their website.

The same applies to older ships, as newer ones have become increasingly popular, and in demand. 

Demand for cruises is also at an all time high. Cruise lines are reporting a record number of future bookings so upgrades are harder to get due to fewer cabins being available.

 2. Cabin Upgrades Are Free

A free upgrade to a cabin bigger, and better than the one you originally booked sounds like the dream of a lifetime. However, the sad truth is, while these upgrades were formerly more common, free cabin upgrades rarely happen anymore.

Cruise lines may decide to compensate a travel party with a free cabin upgrade if something on their reservation was seriously mishandled. Otherwise, your upgrade will most likely be within the same stateroom category (i.e. inside room to another inside room).

Should you choose to upgrade from one category to a higher category level, you will likely have to pay any costs associated, and all fees are typically per person, per night, and are always subject to availability.

Read more: What is the true cost difference between a balcony and inside cabin?

 3. A Cabin Upgrade Will Guarantee a Better Experience

It’s an upgrade, so obviously it will give you a better cruise, right?  Remember, it’s not just the category of the cabin that’s changing, it’s also the location, in addition to a few other things.

When the cruise line offers you an upgrade, it is essentially the same as booking a ‘guarantee’ cabin – where your cabin category is guaranteed, but your location is not. So, while you can choose the type of stateroom, you are unable to choose the location in most instances.

And for me, the location of my cabin is often more important than the category, all things being equal.

An upgrade may not be for you if, while booking, you never pick “choose my room for me” because you prefer to be on the same deck as the spa, where you spend a tremendous amount of time, or you enjoy a room near the elevators for quicker access to other decks with more entertainment.

An upgrade may place you in a more secluded area, which would not be enjoyable for this situation. Additionally, large travel groups who intentionally booked multiple rooms near each other should avoid upgrading for obvious reasons.

If any of these factors are important to you, you may want to think twice and stick with the room you initially reserved to avoid this problem.

4. Cabin Upgrades Are Always Worth the Extra Cost

Another myth is that the new cabin you upgrade to is guaranteed to have improved amenities, and better perks than you initially had.

You may be surprised to learn that your initial booking incentive perks probably won’t follow you to your new reservation.

Why? That old reservation and any information associated gets cancelled once a new one is created.

When you accept the upgrade, you won’t receive the incentives attached to the previous room you had reserved, and it’s possible that the new perks aren’t as enticing as the ones you received two, three months ago when you initially booked your cruise.

For example, if you initially booked a room with a promotion offering free Wi-Fi, and a $100 onboard credit per person, but the current offering is a $50 onboard credit per person, and no Wi-Fi package, you lose the free internet when you re-book your cabin.

It may be important to weigh the costs associated beyond the dollar signs when deciding if an upgrade is right for you.

 5. Bidding on Upgrades Has a High Success Rate 

You’ve probably seen the bragging posts online—someone bids a couple hundred bucks and lands a two-bedroom suite or jumps from an inside to a midship balcony for what seems like a low-ball bid.

It’s easy to think bidding’s your ticket to that kind of cabin success.  And it very well could be.  But remember, other cruisers are thinking the same thing.  And while it’s worth putting in that bid for whatever amount you’re comfortable with, don’t get your hopes up of you miss out.

Maybe you’ve heard the story of the guy that bid $3,500 and scored a $14,000 Haven suite for a family of four on Norwegian Breakaway.  This is the exception and not the rule.  But at the same time, why not give it a shot. Just don’t hang the success of your vacation on winning the bid or not.

Bidding is unpredictable—Royal Caribbean’s RoyalUp and Norwegian’s Upgrade Advantage only offer what remains unsold, and it’s not always the best cabins. Still, it’s worth placing a bid if you’re open to flexibility; just don’t count on a dream upgrade every time.

Just remember, you’ll have a higher success rate if you’re sailing in the shoulder season and on a cruise ship that isn’t high in demand, like a ship built more recently.

How does bidding work? If you’re lucky, you’ll get an email from your cruise line—think Royal Caribbean’s RoyalUp or Norwegian’s Upgrade Advantage—inviting you to bid online. You’ll log in, slide a dial to set your price (per person, double occupancy), and wait. Minimums start low, but it’s up to what’s left unsold. No invite? Check your reservation online—some lines let you peek anyway.

6. You’ll Get the Same Deck Location of Cabin You Originally Booked

As discussed earlier, cruise lines divide staterooms into categories (interior, porthole, veranda, etc.), and those cabins by deck location: midship, aft, and stern.

If you prefer to sail midship to ease seasickness, most knowingly book a midship category stateroom ahead of time to avoid this inconvenience. Upgrading your cabin may eliminate the room location you originally secured, which could put a wrench in your entire vacation plans.

Keep in mind, that once you upgrade, there is no guarantee you can switch back to the room location, or category you initially had, as it may be unavailable. It is almost impossible to move back to the exact room number you initially booked.

Related: What cruise cabins to avoid on the ship

7. If You Need an Accessible Cabin, you are Guaranteed One

All cruise lines welcome and encourage all individuals to sail with them regardless of physical limitations. In fact, cruise lines are now required to have accessible/wheelchair-friendly cabins on all their ships.

Being that most individuals are not physically handicapped, these cabins are not the majority, and there is a limited amount on board. If you need an accessible cabin, it is in your best interest to book ahead of time, and to say no to potential upgrades to avoid ending up with a stateroom that is not suitable to your needs.

There are terms and agreements proposed by the cruise line that you adhere to when agreeing to an upgrade, and the risk of losing the type of room you had initially secured is one of them, so unfortunately, there is no recourse here.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to cruise upgrades, the truth is they’re not always the slam dunk they’re cracked up to be—especially when you factor in what you actually want.

If you’re dead-set on a cabin in a specific spot—like, say, near the action and fun stuff—it’s probably worth shelling out upfront to secure that cabin. The same thing is true if you’re trying to stick together with a large group.

Also, what the cruise line hypes up as “prime real estate” or some fancy promo might not be the best suited cabin for you. Their idea of a great cabin could totally miss the mark on what you think is worth it.

To dodge that “ugh, should’ve known better” feeling, just do a bit of digging. Visit some online cruise forums—there’s a ton of them– and fire off whatever questions you’ve got about the cabins you’re looking at. Real talk from people who’ve been there, done that, with no agenda, can steer you right.

Related: Cruise cabin check: 11 things to do before you unpack your suitcase

*This article has been updated since its original publishing date