How to Upgrade Your Cruise Cabin for Free

Cruise experts share tips and tricks for scoring a room upgrade on your next sailing.

My husband would be the first to tell you his favorite means of travel is by cruise ship, even though he’s prone to seasickness. So, earlier this year, we were pleasantly surprised when two days of rough seas actually paid off.

When a crew member learned Marc wasn’t sleeping well, we were upgraded to a suite on a nicer deck as a courtesy. After relocating our stateroom from the front of the ship to the middle, Marc put away the Dramamine, and we could both enjoy the perks of a better cabin, including a walk-in closet, king-size bed, and a tub in the bathroom.

You don't need to feel queasy on your cruise, though, to score an upgrade. If you’re considering sailing and romanticizing about a nicer stateroom than the one you can afford or have already booked, you might be in luck.

Travel + Leisure asked the experts for their best strategies for scoring a free (or low-cost) room upgrade. Here's what they had to say.

Book a Guaranteed Cabin

When you book this category, you won’t be assigned a specific stateroom until right before your departure. “You could end up in the same category or get lucky and be bumped up to a better category if your original one sells out,” says Rob Clabbers, founder + president, Q Cruise + Travel, a Virtuoso agency. The drawback here is the cruise line chooses your room.

“While they’ll never assign a room in a category lower than the one you booked, you may end up in the last remaining or least desirable room in your booked category or one higher up,” notes Clabbers. “That could mean a stateroom in a location all the way at the bow or aft, even if it’s technically considered an upgrade from what you’ve booked.”

If location is important to you — being near family, by an elevator or not, or if you’re worried about seasickness — you may want to take a pass on a guaranteed cabin.

Monitor Price Drops

A cruise line may drop prices on specific stateroom categories if a sailing hasn’t sold out. You can monitor the rates by setting up a price tracker on sites like CruiseWatch or Cruiseline, which will alert you if the fare on your cruise has fallen. “If that happens, call your cruise line or travel agent and ask them for the lower fare or a room upgrade,” suggests Clabbers.

Be sure to continue monitoring your cruise price by bookmarking a pricing page, then take a minute each morning to check for changes. Tom Baker, president of CruiseCenter.com, notes you won’t have any negotiating power if a cruise is full, and warns you can lose value add-ons such as an upgrade or shipboard credits if the newer fare rules differ. “The lower fare might also take the guest from an assigned stateroom to a guaranteed status based on the fare rules,” says Baker.

Join a Loyalty Program

“Some loyalty programs offer upgrades when there’s a need to move inventory on a specific sailing,” says Baker. These programs may make you eligible for discounted or free upgrades, and if you cruise enough or refer a certain number of travelers, you may even do one better with a free cruise (check out Viking’s Explorer Society program and the Seabourn Club).

Celebrity's Captain’s Club offers a free pre-cruise category upgrade after your first sailing, while Diamond-level members of Norwegian Cruise Line’s Latitudes Rewards Program can redeem a one-time free stateroom upgrade. Joining the Azamara Circle Loyalty Program can boost a guest’s chances of a free stateroom upgrade. “If the ship has availability, a member may get a free upgrade simply because of their loyalty,” shares Simon Blacoe, Azamara’s director of hotel operations.

Ask for an Upgrade Once on Board (but Not on the First Day)

The staff at the guest relations desk on a cruise ship is often overwhelmed on the first day of the trip when passengers have many questions and requests. Translation: Now may not be the best time to ask for a free stateroom upgrade.

On day one, the staff doesn’t have a full read on the vacancy rate, which is usually determined after the first port of call. Waiting a day or two also allows the staff to identify staterooms vacated by those who may have already upgraded due to cabin issues. Baker suggests inquiring about an upgrade at the port during check-in to check whether someone on an extended voyage may have had to disembark early.

Apply Onboard Credit Towards an Upgrade

Passengers are frequently offered onboard credits during promotional cruise sales. While you most likely won’t be able to apply that credit towards an upgrade before sailing, you may be able to do so once you’re on the ship.

“We frequently offer onboard credit promotions as part of our booking incentives, which can be used toward various activities and enhancements during the cruise, including spa treatments, shore excursions, and in some cases, depending on availability, stateroom upgrades,” says Blacoe.

Work with a Travel Agent Specializing in Cruising

Travel agents who book many cruises often have leverage and influence with cruise companies and are notified about free room upgrade promotions early on.

"They also have access to special group rates, meaning you’ll pay a discounted price for an upgraded stateroom," says Clabbers. "Because a qualified cruise travel advisor books at a much larger volume, a line may select that agency’s clients for courtesy upgrades." Clabbers adds that advisors often have access to the same deals as lines themselves — and may even be able to help you target the best line, ship, or itinerary to up your chances.

Finding the right travel agent will also help you with your quest. Ask about their cruise certifications, personal cruise experience regarding the line you’re interested in sailing, and what benefits their agency can offer. To find a qualified cruise travel advisor, look for those who highlight their cruise expertise and certification on their website or social media. The Cruise Line Industry Association lists travel agencies with cruise specialists on its website, and cruise lines may also list some of their travel agency partners.

Make It Known You’re Celebrating a Special Occasion

You most likely won’t get an upgrade because it’s your birthday, but you may have a shot at landing a better stateroom if it’s your honeymoon, a big anniversary, or a milestone (like your 10th trip with the cruise line). Remember to put a note in your reservation or remind your travel agent what you’re celebrating on the journey. “These days, many travelers choose a cruise to celebrate a special event so it’s more likely you’ll be offered the opportunity to pay an upcharge for an upgrade,” says Clabbers.

Watch for Promotions

Most cruise lines, like Viking, Oceania and Explora Journeys, promote special deals on a designated web page, via email, and social media. “Wave season, which takes place between January and March, is when the cruise lines offer deals and discounts to entice travelers to lock in a cruise early in the year,” says Koreen McNutt, the SVP of sales and trade engagement at MSC Cruises.

You may also notice more promotions, including room upgrades, at the end of every quarter when cruise lines try to hit sales targets. Watch for flash sales (usually 24 hours or less) and sales during holidays like Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Black Friday. Booking a low or off-season cruise (when kids are back in school or a few weeks before a major holiday) opens you up to special offers, too.

Use Your Travel Credit Card

A travel credit card, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve, earns rewards and discounts in the form of miles and points on everyday purchases and can often be applied toward travel expenses, like stateroom upgrades.

Some cruise lines have partnered with credit card companies (such as Celebrity Cruises Visa Signature Credit Card, Norwegian Cruise Line World Mastercard and Royal Caribbean Visa Signature Card), allowing you to redeem points for special events, experiences, and even stateroom upgrades. Baker notes that the American Express Platinum card offers up to $300 for shipboard credit, “which on some lines could be used for an upgrade once on board,” he says.

Check “Yes” On an Auto Upgrade

When booking on lines such as Cunard and Princess, passengers often have the option to opt in or out of an auto upgrade. If the sailing has empty cabins, the cruise line will sometimes move people who have agreed to an auto upgrade one or two grades higher.

“This frees up lower-grade staterooms, which are easier to sell,” says Clabbers. “With an auto upgrade, they’ll likely reward a frequent guest or a key travel agency partner first. Also, the cruise line chooses your stateroom — if you don’t like the room, you may be able to ask for another in that category or decline the upgrade. But if the cruise line has already assigned your original room to someone else, you may not be able to get it back.”

Communicate Legitimate Complaints

If you’ve been assigned a room in a high-traffic area or close to a noisier part of the ship — next to a nightclub, below the pool deck, or by a housekeeping pantry, for example — or your stateroom has a mechanical issue such as a leak in the bathroom, you stand a better chance of being upgraded for free if the ship isn’t sold out.

“Often, the cruise line is aware of challenging cabins and will do their best to move you to a better room if the ship is not at capacity,” notes Baker. “They frequently hold back a few cabins for this occurrence.”

Take Part in a Bidding Program

Many cruise lines offer bidding programs for room upgrades. While not free, in some cases, you can score a room upgrade for $20.

Here's how it works: About a month before sailing, an email invite goes out to select cruisers — often loyalty club members — and directs them to a website where they can submit their bid. The cruise line posts a minimum bid, and once your offer is made, you can sometimes see your bid relative to others. Some offers are accepted immediately, others a few days before sailing.

The good news is there’s no cost to you unless your bid is accepted. The bad news is once you commit to an upgrade, you lose the ability to choose a specific stateroom and location on the ship. And if you’re traveling with family or friends, there’s no guarantee everyone in the group will get an upgrade offer or that you’ll have cabins near each other.

“Be sure to check the price difference between the category you’ve booked and the one you’re considering for an upgrade, then make a reasonable offer,” suggests Clabbers. "It’s a game of chance since the price for an upgraded stateroom could drop to less than what you bid."

Reviewing the number of rooms in higher categories that are available may give you some insight into the likelihood of your bid being accepted. However, remember that you cannot see how many rooms were sold or how many upgrade offers and bids were extended and accepted.

Pay for an Upgrade After Booking

Again, this option isn’t free, but chances are you’ll be spending less on an upgrade after booking your stateroom. Plus, for this type of upgrade, you may be able to choose your room.

“Some cruise lines like Seabourn, Viking and Holland America reach out directly to travel advisors and their clients with a special reduced ‘paid upgrade offer’ closer to departure if their availability allows it,” says Clabbers. “These deals typically allow for the choice of staterooms from available rooms.”

Identify Upgrade-Friendly Cabins

“Going from an interior stateroom to a balcony is a double upgrade and harder to score,” says Baker. “You’ll have a better chance of getting a free balcony upgrade by booking an outside cabin.”

You’ll also increase your chances of an upgrade if different grades are within your booked category. A ship may have four grades in one category, all with similar rooms priced differently because of their locations, Clabbers tells T+L. “The lowest-priced stateroom may be all the way forward or aft, while the highest-priced one may be in a preferred midship location or on a higher deck. The cruise line could upgrade you within a category to free up lower-priced rooms.”

Consider a Repositioning Cruise

A cruise line’s goal is to sell every stateroom on the ship. Still, if rooms are left empty, the option of an upgrade may be offered to passengers, especially on repositioning cruises that move from one region to another at the end of a season.

“Oceania offers a cruise from Florida to Europe in the spring and from Europe to Florida in the fall,” says Clabbers. “Repositioning cruises may be less expensive and less full, increasing opportunities for successful upgrade bids, and if you’re lucky, maybe even a free upgrade.”

Look for a Surprise in Your Inbox

Sometimes, an automatic upgrade simply happens. Case in point: You’ve booked a room, and two weeks before sailing, you receive an email from the cruise line advising you’ve been upgraded to an ocean-view cabin.

“This usually happens when you’ve booked a lower grade stateroom like an inside, ocean view or entry-level balcony as the less expensive cabins are easier to resell in the runup to the cruise when people are looking for last-minute bargains,” says Clabbers.