Cruise ship worker claims you can get free cabin upgrades after your trip begins
If a first class upgrade is the holy grail of air travel, then a free cabin upgrade is the equivalent on cruises.
After all, what's better than getting a better view, nicer amenities and more space, without needing to splash the cash?
Luckily, some cruise insiders have been sharing their easy tricks and tips to bag the coveted freebie.
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According to one former cruise ship officer, there's one hack that's the 'only way' to ensure an upgrade if the ship is full, reports the Express.
Jay Herring, a former cruise ship officer, previously revealed that you should ask about upgrades once your ship has sailed.
In his 2011 book The Truth About Cruise Ships, Jay explained that there can be free cabins up for grabs due to no-shows.
He said: "Any time the ship was fully booked, the only way to get an upgrade was if there were no shows. As in passengers that paid for the cruise but didn’t show up to take it, and the pursers didn’t know if there were any no-shows until the ship sailed."
While this may be the 'only way' when a ship is full, the good news is that insiders have shared other hacks you can try before boarding the vessel.
For example, experts at Cruise Critic previously shared their top tips for bagging free cabin upgrades, which includes booking a 'guarantee' cabin.
They explained: "A "guarantee" means you're assured a cabin in the category you requested, but are not assigned a specific cabin until a short time before departure – usually, a week, give or take.
"If you book a guarantee in a certain category and it's full, you might get upgraded for free. On the other hand, someone else (perhaps a member of the cruise line’s loyalty programme with higher status) might nab the upgrade, and you'd get their cabin in your category. There's no way to know."
If you are planning to book a cruise holiday, it's worth keeping an eye out during peak sale seasons, such as Black Friday or the January sales. This is because most cruise lines offer tempting deals around these periods, such as free upgrades and all-inclusive offers to help stretch your budget that little bit further.
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