Booking in advance increases your chances of getting an upgraded room on your cruise.
On board a Princess Cruise Line ship, guests can send their kids off for a full day of fun in the youth clubs, get a massage at the spa, and catch a spectacular live show in the evening. While all the accommodations on Princess Cruises are well-appointed, the more affordable inside staterooms are small and have no windows. If the higher level cabins are out of your price range, there are ways to get an upgrade to the better room for free.
Instructions
1. Book a year in advance. When you book far in advance you are guaranteed a room, but not assigned one yet. Princess Cruises and other cruises typically allow their lower priced cabins to overbook. Once they overbook, they will upgrade those who booked earliest to the next cabin level.
2. Watch for seasonal upgrade promotions. Princess Cruises routinely has special cabin upgrade specials on select voyages, where you can pay a very reasonable price to have your inside stateroom upgraded to a balcony. For example, Princess Cruises has a Europe Balcony Bonus upgrade program for summer 2011, where you can upgrade to a balcony room on any European cruise for as low as $99.
3. Book an off-season cruise. The low season is usually mid-fall, winter -- excluding winter holiday weeks -- and early spring. Cruises will be less crowded during these times, which means that there will be empty cabins. Simply asking for an upgrade upon embarkation could get you into a room with a balcony.
