Cruiser Forced to Choose Between Promotion and Cabin Upgrade
When you take advantage of a cruise line’s promotion, always make sure to read the fine print.
One future Carnival guest just learned the hard way that the little details matter when they tried to upgrade their interior cabin to a balcony cabin on an upcoming sailing to Alaska – and found that they would lose their special promotion if they went through with the change.
The guest first booked their sailing in December of 2024 – which will be their honeymoon with their future spouse – when the couple could take advantage of Carnival Cruise Line’s holiday promotions.
“In December 2024 my fiancé and I booked an Alaskan cruise for summer 2026 for our honeymoon. We originally booked an interior cabin (boo I know haha) as we were saving for the actual wedding,” the future guest said to set the scene.
“Long story short we have decided we are okay with spending the extra for a balcony room as our honeymoon is once in a lifetime,” the anonymous cruiser continued.
The original offer included a $250 onboard credit, which for context, is enough to pay for four (and a half) different meals at specialty dining venues like Carnival’s Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse (currently $52 flat fee per person).
The promotion also included free drinks in the casino – which may mean the couple wouldn’t need to pay $82.84 per person, per day, for the Cheers! Drink package depending on how much they plan to drink and how much time they plan to spend in the casino.
But when the couple finally decided that their honeymoon was worth splurging for, they were surprised to learn that the promotion would not apply to their updated booking.
“When I tried to upgrade online it was making me choose a new offer so I called to upgrade as that seemed weird I’d be losing my offer considering I’m paying more haha,” they explained.
“And the agent notified me that they are no longer offering the $250 OBC and free drinks so if I choose to upgrade I would need to choose a new, lesser, offer,” they added, before asking the Reddit community what they would do in his shoes.
While it may sound counterintuitive, guests who choose to change their cabin are essentially rebooking their cruise.
It’s commonplace in the cruise industry for promotions that were available at the time of booking to not carry over if those deals are no longer active when the switch is made.
What Should the Honeymooners Do?
While the newlyweds-to-be may feel like they are stuck between a rock and a hard place, all hope is not lost. Although there are no guarantees, the couple’s sailing isn’t until the 2026 Alaska season – and they may get lucky if they wait and watch.
Carnival offers promotions and discounts year-round, and it’s quite possible another similar offer – or maybe even a better option – could pop up.
“The woman recommended we check the offers once or twice a month to see if they offer it again/ there’s another similar offer,” the guest added in response to a comment.
Read Also: 15 Mistakes to Avoid on a Carnival Cruise
Alternatively, there is also a chance that Carnival may reach out to the guests to offer them an upgrade. Cruise lines do this occasionally as part of their strategy to sell more cabins while also making their current guests happy.
In this case, the promotion would still be in place because the upgrade came from the cruise line and not the passenger.
The guest added more context from his call with customer service:“She mentioned I can wait to see if I get an upgrade offer from Carnival (as opposed to me upgrading) as I would then get to keep the OBC and drinks or just attempt to upgrade on the ship.”
If a choice does ultimately have to be made, the general sentiment among the cruising community was that the promotional deal was too good to pass up because of the potential savings onboard.
As someone who has cruised to Alaska twice, I would be inclined to agree. On both of my cruises, we booked balcony staterooms. But even on the scenic cruising days, I still found myself spending more time taking in the sights from the upper decks than from my balcony.
Cruiser Forced to Choose Between Promotion and Cabin Upgrade