Confirmed: Louisiana Cruise Guest’s Upgrade Hack Won’t Work

For Louisiana travelers is there no sweeter word than "upgrade"? Okay, I will offer you two words that make that even better, "free upgrade". No matter whether you're negotiating a room rate in the French Quarter of New Orleans, a better seat at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, or a bathroom pass for Festival International in Lafayette, we all love upgrades. And the closer to free those upgrades are, the better.

The vacation and hospitality industry loves to use upgrades to buy our loyalty, our patronage, and hook us into only using their services. Most travel rewards programs that I am a part of do work really well. The exception is United Airlines. Read this story about that, and you decide if my assessment is fair. 

As someone who writes articles on travel and cruising in particular I often get questions from readers regarding hacks and tricks to use on board. One Louisiana cruiser recently told me of a cabin upgrade hack that he swore worked four of the five times he tried it.

What is the Hack to Get a Cruise Cabin Upgrade for Free?

The "hack" works like this. As a cruise guest, you purchase a lower-priced inside cabin. As soon as you board the vessel you go directly to customer service. Be prepared to wait an hour or so, the line is always long on departure day.

Once you have reached the desk agent you explain that you are very claustrophobic and you won't be able to stay in your current cabin. The desk agent will then, allegedly, upgrade you to a cabin with a window or sometimes a balcony and they don't charge you more for the privilege.

Does This Hack Actually Help You Get an Upgrade on a Cruise Ship?

The short answer is "No". The longer answer is this, cruise ship desk agents have heard it all before. They would most likely tell you that if you couldn't travel company in the accommodations you booked, you should disembark the vessel. And no, they won't be giving your money back.

It's not that the desk agent at Guest Services wants to deny you an upgrade, the fact is they usually don't have the room. Now, to be honest, this "hack" might have worked as the cruise industry was coming out from under COVID. But cruise ships are full and there are no upgrades to be offered.

By the way, we found an article on this very hack published by the Biloxi Sun Herald Newspaper on their website. They often use information from Carnival Cruise Lines Brand Ambassador John Heald and he covered the subject quite nicely in the Sun Herald piece. You can read it here.