Cabins on a cruise ship are your home away from home, and whether you are going on your first cruise or you sail every year, there's always opportunities to enhance your cruise ship cabin.

If you are looking for some easy ways to plus your stateroom, I have a few tried and true tips that cruise fans have shared with me over the years.

Hopefully these tips and secrets will make your cruise ship cabin just a little bit better.

Beds can be split apart

Your stateroom bed can come in two configurations: together to form a king size bed, or separated in twin configuration.

The good news is you can change the set up at anytime. Your travel agent can specify which arrangement you want before the cruise, but sometimes that instruction gets lost or you may end up changing your mind.

Ask your stateroom attendant at any time to make a change.

Speaking of your attendant, if you need the couch bed opened up at any time for a nap (or put away to free up space), they can easily be reached via your stateroom telephone to help make that change.

Bring liquid soap for the bathroom

Staying healthy on a cruise has never been more important than now, and my favorite stateroom bathroom tip is to bring your own liquid soap.

Royal Caribbean provides soap in the bathroom sink, but it is in bar form.  

Not only is liquid soap easier to dispense, you can get one with the fragrance you prefer as well as one that moisturizes better than bar soap can.

Liquid soap is especially useful with kids and ensuring they are keeping their hands clean.

Pack magnetic hooks

One of the best tips for your cabin is to buy magnetic hooks to use for adding additional storage in your room.

Your cabin walls are metallic, which means you place magnetic hooks just about anywhere.

Storage space on Royal Caribbean ships is notoriously low, and magnetic hooks provide convenient ways to hang clothes and accessories.

I recommend these magnetic hooks if you have not purchased one yet (note, this contains an affiliate link which adds no additional cost to you).

Store your luggage under your bed

Space is at a premium in your cabin and the best place to stash your luggage is underneath your beds.

If you lift up the bed skirting, you will discover plenty of space to shove your luggage underneath.  If possible, put smaller pieces of luggage inside bigger ones and then put the luggage under the bed.

You can use any card to keep the air conditioning going

Royal Caribbean has begun adding a feature to its rooms where upon entry, you place your SeaPass card into a holder to activate the room's lighting and air conditioning.

I am all for ways to conserve energy, but coming back to a warm(er) room after a hot day is not ideal either.

You can place just about anything the size of a SeaPass card in there, including library cards, business cards or your local pizza place loyalty card.

Most ships can open balcony dividers

If you are staying in adjacent balcony rooms, you might be able to open up the balcony divider so that you can have a giant balcony to enjoy.

Ask your stateroom attendant about opening up the divider once you get on the ship.

The ability to open dividers depends on the ship, but a lot of ships are able to do this.

Bring your own laundry hamper

For years my family relied on just picking a corner of a closet and dumping all of our dirty laundry, leaving a giant pile that seemed to grow just as much outwards as upwards.

Instead, buy a cheap pop up laundry hamper to stick in your closet, or wherever makes the most sense.

By getting a pop up one, you can easily pack it to get to your cruise. Many dollar stores sell these, which are great to use for a sailing or two before you toss it after the cruise is complete.

The most desirable locations

By far, most cruisers prefer a cabin midship for stability and proximity.

A midship cabin will likely have the least sensation of movement, which is helpful for anyone worried about getting seasick. 

The reason why a stateroom in the middle of the ship is better is because it's more centralized, and the sensation of movement is reduced the closer to the middle and lower you are on a ship.

In addition, being midship means less of a walk to the elevators, as well as things to do on other decks.

Whether you are going to the pool deck, Royal Promenade, or dining room, being  midship means a faster commute to and from your cabin to these locations.

The reason you should know midship cabins are highly desirable is because they tend to sell out faster than rooms on the front or back of the ship. Be sure to book early to snag a great spot.

Bonus tips from our readers

Want more stateroom hacks? 

Our RoyalCaribbeanBlog readers have shared a bunch on our message boards, including using zip lock bags, more storage tips and preferred packing strategies.

Check out their tips and share your own!

More helpful articles

• What is the best room on a cruise ship?
• Avoid these mistakes when picking a cruise ship cabin
• What's the difference between a balcony and a suite cabin on a cruise?

When you book a cruise, is there such thing as a bad stateroom to book?

The last thing anyone wants to do is make a mistake that they will have to live with for the entire length of their cruise, and which room you pick is a major decision in your cruise plans.

The good news is picking a cabin is less "hit or miss" when it comes to Royal Caribbean cruises compared to perhaps other cruise lines. In addition, modern cruise ship design has paid closer attention to room locations to avoid some of the issues of the past.

If you are booking a cruise and want to know how to pick the perfect cabin (and which rooms to avoid), here is what you need to know.

Location, location, location

If you are worried about picking a bad room, the question you really should be asking is what is your stateroom near and far away from?

Just like buying a house, the location of your cabin has implications for convenience, neighbors, and what the room has to offer.

The first thing you want to do is pull up a deck plan for your ship to see where your room is located on the ship.  

You will want to check the deck plans for what is one deck above or below your cabin. Ideally, you want a room that has no public spaces (pools, restaurants, venues, etc) above or below your room to mitigate the chance of noise bleed.

If there is a public venue above or below your room, don't assume you are in for a disaster. This is more of a best practice, and Royal Caribbean cabins are generally speaking well insulated from noise.

You may also want to pay attention to distance from your room to elevators or staircases.  On larger cruise ships, the walking distance to an elevator from rooms at the end of a hallway can be lengthy, so anyone with mobility issues or simply wants to reduce the "commute time" should look for a room closer to an elevator.

One other consideration is if you are worried about getting seasick.  To minimize the sensation of movement, pick a room that is as close to the ship's center, and on the lowest possible deck.

Private balcony

Another consideration is if you want a room that has its own private balcony or not.

Booking a room with a balcony means you get not only fresh air whenever you need, but also your own private space to enjoy during the cruise.

First time cruisers may quickly dismiss booking a balcony or suite in order to save money, but a common regret is from people who book interior rooms and later wish they had a balcony.

Of course, you can have a great cruise without a private balcony, but it is something you should absolutely consider.

Does the side of the ship matter?

Another vestige of the old days of cruising is picking which side of the ship your cabin is located in order to get a better view.

For Caribbean and Alaska cruises, the side of the ship your room is located is irrelevant because the views are pretty much the same, and there is no advantage to being on one side or another.

Ships do not dock on the same side of the dock each time they visit a particular port, so it is impossible to guess the direction your ship will be. Depending upon winds, tide, and other ships in port, the same ship could change sides within the same port from trip to trip.

In general, I do not think it is worth worrying about which side of the ship your room happens to be on, and instead consider the other factors, such as proximity to elevators and what is above or below your room.

Guarantee rooms

As you go through the booking process, you will run across an option to let Royal Caribbean pick your specific cabin, which is known as a guarantee cabin.

This means Royal Caribbean will charge you less money for booking a particular category in exchange for giving up the ability to choose your specific stateroom.

This means once you book, you do not know the exact room assignment. At some point in the weeks leading up to the cruise, Royal Caribbean will assign your stateroom.

If you are not picky about your exact room location, you could opt into a guarantee room to potentially save hundreds of dollars.

Which cabin is the best location on a cruise ship?

There is no objective answer to the "best" location on any ship. Your room selection is a combination of availability and personal preference.

In general, the cabin location and cost are the major considerations when you book a cruise. 

You have to weigh the considerations outlined in this post and decide which is most important for you.

More stateroom booking articles:

• What is the best room on a cruise ship?
• Should I book a guarantee stateroom on a cruise?
• Is a suite on Royal Caribbean worth it?
• Avoid these mistakes when picking a cruise ship cabin

Guarantee staterooms are a tempting offer: pay less for a cabin without the ability to choose the exact location, but is it worth it?

Many cruisers find the lower price very appealing, but are concerned they are making a mistake by playing roulette with their stateroom location.

Here is what you should know about guarantee staterooms on a cruise, and if they are worth giving a try.

What is a Guarantee Cabin?

A guarantee stateroom is when Royal Caribbean (and most other major cruise lines) give you a discount on a particular category of rooms in exchange for giving up the ability to choose your exact room.

This means once you book, you do not know the exact room assignment. At some point in the weeks leading up to the cruise, your stateroom assignment will appear.

In addition, the cruise line promises at least that category of room, which means there is a slim chance you could be upgraded.

The exact discount you can expect for opting for a guarantee room depends on the sailing.  When you select a category of rooms, you are given the option of going with a guarantee room or choosing one, at which point you can see the savings by going with a guarantee.

Guarantee cabins are a tool the cruise line uses to help fill in the gaps of unsold staterooms. There are simply some rooms that are less likely to get booked, so guarantee rooms help close that gap.

When do you get your stateroom assignment?

There is no definitive timeframe when your cabin actually gets assigned.  It can happen at any point leading up your actual sail date.

Royal Caribbean states a guarantee room assignment is made at some point between 5-30 days before sailing.

Most of the time, a few weeks before the cruise your room is assigned. In some rare cases, the assignment process has taken up to a day or two before the cruise sails, but these are rare.

There is no notification when it occurs, you just have to log into Royal Caribbean's website and check if a room number now appears.

Is a guarantee cabin worth it?

It can be a good deal to book a guarantee stateroom, but it depends on the discount and your tolerance of cabins.

First and foremost, the discount should make you feel comfortable booking a guarantee.  If the price difference is negligible, then you are better off picking your own room.

Equally important is the idea you are okay with your stateroom being somewhere on the ship that is out of your control.  Cruise ship cabins are designed to be as well-appointed and noise-free as they can be, so the odds are you will not end up with an awful room.

If you are very particular about where your stateroom is, then a guarantee cabin is not for you. However, if you are flexible with the room location and want to get the lowest possible price (with maybe a chance at an upgrade), then going with a guarantee is not a bad plan.

What does booking a suite get you that is not included with a balcony, and what makes one a balcony a better choice over a suite? 

These sort of questions can stymie new cruisers who want to know if moving up to a suite from a balcony is worth it, and what the differences are between these types of staterooms.

If you want to know what makes a balcony different from a suite, here is a good breakdown between these popular categories of cruise ship rooms.

Price

Off the bat, you may notice a difference in price between a balcony and a suite.  Depending on the type of suite, this price difference can be substantial.

While a balcony stateroom price is widely regarded as "affordable" for most vacation budgets, suite prices can really run the gamut from "reasonable" to "outrageous".

Royal Caribbean has a wider variety of suite categories to choose from than balcony rooms.

Many repeat cruisers will compare the price of both types of rooms, before deciding if the extra cost is worth it.

What's included

Of course, what you pay for these rooms has to factor in what you get with the stateroom.

Balcony staterooms are like other standard cabin accommodations, where essentially it is larger cabin than smaller stateroom options, with the primary benefit being you have a private verandah to enjoy anytime you want.

A suite is an even larger balcony room that comes with a variety of additional benefits meant to justify the higher cost.

The exact benefits you can expect with a suite can vary, but here are the most common amenities included:

• Priority embarkation/disembarkation
• Complimentary Pressing on First Formal Night
• Concierge Service
• Priority Dining Reservations
• Bridge, Galley & Backstage Tours
• Suite Lounge/Concierge Club Access (Hors d’oeuvres and Cocktails Each Evening)
• Priority Tendering (Where Applicable)
• Welcome Fruit Amenity
• Welcome Evian Water
• Main Dining Menu Available for In Suite Dining (During Operating Hours)
• Complimentary 24-Hour Room Service
• In Room Mr. Coffee/Tea Service (kettle)
• Reserved Section in Theater - Main, Studio B, AquaTheater, Two70

You should be aware that Junior Suites do not include the full set of suite benefits that other suites do. Despite its name, Junior Suites are more like "extra large balcony rooms".

Living space

A big difference between a balcony and a suite is the amount of room you get with each cabin.

Balcony rooms are fairly large spaces that can accommodate between 2-4 guests (depending on the type of balcony room).  

As an example, on Allure of the Seas, a Superior Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony comes in at 182 square feet, plus a 53 square foot balcony.

Suites start out being a bit larger than a balcony room, and some of the biggest suites can span the size of multiple smaller cabins.

Suites range in size from 350 to almost 1,400 square feet, and the biggest ones feel like a luxury apartment, rather than a cruise ship cabin.

Not only do suites provide more living space, it also means these are the kind of rooms you would need to book if you want to have more than 4 people in one room.

Families traveling with 5, 6 or even more passengers can find larger suites that can accommodate them. Family suites on some of Royal Caribbean's newer ships have multiple bedrooms and are designed for multi-generational cruisers.

Loyalty points

Another key difference between a balcony and a suite is how many Crown and Anchor points you earn by staying in either cabin.

A balcony cabin will get you 1 point for every night of the cruise (2 points per night if you are solo in that room).

A suite will earn 2 points for every night of the cruise (3 points per night if you are solo in the suite).

Staying in a suite is one of the best ways to move up the ranks of the Crown and Anchor Society (the name of Royal Caribbean's customer loyalty program) because those double points add up quickly.

Should you book a balcony or suite?

Ultimately, the decision to book a suite or balcony cabin is going to be a personal decision based on price, what's included and other subjective considerations.

If there was an equation for deciding, the variables change from sailing to sailing, and ship to ship.

While some people will stick to one category over the other on principle, many more weigh the options and prices before picking.

There is not a right or wrong decision, just a question of what you have budgeted and what you are looking for in an onboard experience.

Is booking an inside cabin on your Royal Caribbean cruise a good idea, or a mistake waiting to happen?

An inside stateroom is usually the cheapest option available when booking, and it offers a "home away from home" to enjoy during your cruise. In fact, a lot of people end up booking an inside room for a variety of reasons.

If you are deciding between room choices, here are a few good reasons why you should book an inside cabin for your Royal Caribbean cruise!

How much time will you really spend in your room?

Royal Caribbean offers so much to see and do onboard its ships, and then there are all the activities you can do in the ports you visit, that you have to start wondering how much time will you actually spend in your room.

Unlike a hotel room, stateroom cabins are somewhere to get ready for your day ahead, but not a focal point of where you will spend your time. In practice, many guests find themselves outside of their room for most of the day, so why invest in space you will barely use?

An inside room and a balcony room offer the same basic amenities, but if you are going to be at the pool deck, exploring ruins, swimming, learning how to fold a napkin and dancing the night away, an inside room will still provide a place to shower, sleep and change.

Good idea if you are worried about getting sea sick

Experts say if you are prone to motion sickness, the best location for any stateroom is to be on as low a deck as possible, and towards the middle of the ship.  On most ships, that location is where the inside staterooms are located.

Obviously there are no guarantees that any room will be able to completely prevent getting sea sick, but the location of a room is among the most important factors in reducing the likelihood of it occurring the in the first place.

Inside rooms are not always tiny

Some cruisers hear "inside stateroom" and think a closet posing as a cabin, but that is not always true.

Royal Caribbean offers a great variety of interior staterooms to choose from, especially on their newer ships. Larger interior stateroom category can offer up to 178 square feet of space, and family interior staterooms range between 260 square feet to 324 square feet.

While inside rooms are not the most spacious rooms on the ship, they do offer more space than you might be giving it credit for offering.

The best room for sleeping!

If you want the best sleeping conditions, an inside room is just what the doctor ordered.

Since there is no natural light in an interior room, your cabin can get pitch black when you turn off all the lights, and that means prime sleeping conditions.

Unlike at home or in a balcony room, where the morning light seeps in and wakes everyone up, 3pm and 3am look exactly the same in an inside room (so pack an alarm clock!).

The inside room X factor: virtual balcony

So you like everything so far about an inside room, but giving up that view of the world still bugging you? Try a virtual balcony!

Virtual balcony rooms are available on select Royal Caribbean ships and they are inside cabins that feature a floor-to-ceiling LED screen that offers real-time, high definition views of the outside world.

This fun application of technology provides an on-demand option to see what is going on outside, whether to see if the sun is shining, or catch a view of the port your ship is docking at, the virtual balcony provides a balcony experience, without the balcony cost.

Save money!

Perhaps the most compelling reason to book an inside room is the cost.

Without a doubt, the best reason to book an inside room is for the cost savings, relative to other stateroom categories.

Often, inside staterooms are the least expensive option, which means you can spend a lot less money on your cruise vacation, or have more money to spend during the cruise on things like drink packages, excursions, the spa and more.

Unfortunately, not everyone has a vacation budget for booking higher room categories, but an interior stateroom gets you on the same ship as people in a balcony or suite, and any cruise vacation is better than no cruise vacation!

The bottom line

Anyone that typically books inside rooms will tell you that you will find lots of public space and open decks on the Royal Promenade, pool decks, helipad give you ample opportunity to go outside and enjoy the fresh air and passing scenery.

The interior rooms may not be the right choice for everyone, but if it is the difference between going on a cruise or not, I will gladly stay in an interior room!

Royal Caribbean announced today it has decided to discontinue the introduction of Spa staterooms beginning with the 2021-2022 season.

After much consideration and as our product offerings continue to evolve in today’s environment, the brand has made the decision to discontinue the introduction of Spa staterooms beginning with the 2021-2022 season.

In a communication to travel agents, Royal Caribbean indicated beginning on May 5, 2020, all bookings in a Spa stateroom will be temporarily moved from their stateroom into a guarantee. Once the accommodation process is complete, guests will be moved back into their original stateroom with the stateroom location, dimensions, and cabin number all remaining the same.

There is no action needed from you as this process is completed.

In addition, Royal Caribbean is offering guests booked in these rooms a repricing to the prevailing fare of a comparable Ocean View Balcony and will also receive a refundable $50 USD onboard credit per cabin that can be used anywhere onboard – including in the spa as well as pre-cruise.

Royal Caribbean announced the new stateroom category in October 2019 that offered guests in-room amenities and spa privileges.

It included amenities and perks like lush bedding and bath products, daily tea and bottled water, and priority spa reservations.

Which is the best side of a cruise ship to be on? Is it better to be on a higher deck on a cruise ship? Where is the best place on a cruise ship to avoid seasickness?

New cruisers often are curious about how important their cabin selection is, and what is the best spot for them on a cruise ship.

There are a number of considerations when it comes to picking the best place to stay on a cruise ship, and a lot of has to do with convenience and seasickness.

Cabin size and cost

Likely the first consideration when picking the perfect stateroom for you is the price and how much space it offers.

Just like picking a hotel room, your cruise ship cabin options come in a variety of sizes, layouts and prices.

When choosing a room, you will first have to figure out which stateroom category you desire, which places the stateroom in a ballpark of price and amenities.

Interior rooms will offer the least amount of space at usually the lowest price. Balcony rooms and suites offer the most space and amenities with also the highest price tag.

Exact room dimensions, layout and price will vary and you can see a large discrepancy in price depending on a variety of factors (check out How far in advance should I book a cruise to get the best price).

Read more: How to choose a cruise cabin

Location

Where the room is located can dictate price and options. In general, many cruisers prefer mid-ship room locations on a lower deck, especially if getting seasick is a major concern.

Rooms that are located at the very front or very aft of the ship, and/or rooms on higher decks have a reputation of there being more noticeable movement.

Whether your room is on the port or starboard side of the ship is in most cases totally irrelevant. There are a few rare itineraries where the side of the ship your room is on may matter subjectively, but it is not a factor that I recommend considering.

Picking the right room is often a question of determining which public areas you prefer to be near.  Rooms in close proximity to pools, restaurants, Adventure Ocean, elevators, the fitness center and more may be something to look into when picking the right room.

When in doubt, go for a room towards the center of the ship. Getting a mid-ship cabin means shorter walks to get places, because you are always near what is happening onboard.

If mobility is a concern, picking a room near an elevator towards the middle of the ship is usually the best course of action.  In addition, Royal Caribbean offers special accessible room categories for those in a wheelchair.

When picking a room, be sure to consider what is one deck above or below your room. Public venues above or below your room can sometimes lead to unwanted noise bleed.  Consulting deck plans for your ship is the best way to figure out what is around your cabin.

Views

What you can see from your cabin is a major consideration when picking the perfect room. 

Inside staterooms tend to be the cheapest option available, because they offer no windows or balcony and the least living space. You could move up to an oceanview room, which features a porthole to the ocean.  Adding a private balcony means much more living space in your room, and outdoor space to see, smell and take in the views around you.  Then you have suites which offer the most space and balcony area, at the highest price.

There are some rooms that offer obstructed views, which means you get a discount on the normal cost of the room, but something is blocking your view outside. How much of your view is blocked will depend on the room.

Royal Caribbean also offers staterooms that face inward to the ship, rather than to the ocean. Central Park Balcony rooms, Boardwalk Balcony rooms and Promenade View rooms are all examples of staterooms that offer windows and private verandas sans the ocean around you. These can be fun alternatives, that are often much cheaper than their ocean-facing counterparts.

Which cabin location on a cruise ship is best?

The short answer is, there is no one cabin location that is best for everyone. 

You have to weigh the considerations outlined here and decide which is most important for you.

Overall, the cost and location of the room are the primary factors when picking the perfect room on a cruise. This may mean paying more than others to get that awesome stateroom in the perfect spot.

Many first-time cruisers are very concerned with getting seasick, and while it can happen, it should not be a primary concern when choosing a room. Do not let this fear force you to overpay for a cabin that looks to be the only choice worth considering. Yes, staying somewhere toward the middle of the ship on a lower deck is the best spot to minimize the sensation of movement, but you can venture a bit off center if it means saving a lot of money.

One of the new staterooms added to Oasis of the Seas during her 2019 amplification was the category 6N Ocean View room on deck 14. We had the chance to take a look into the room to see what these rooms look like.

Located on Deck 14 forward, these rooms can accommodate up to 5 guests and feature 179 square feet of space.

The defining quality of this room is the large windows that provide an unobstructed view of the front of the ship, with sweeping views through the day or night.

Being a new room, these rooms feature an updated bathroom design.

Also unique to these rooms are the built-in USB plugs.

When you get onboard your Royal Caribbean cruise, you are probably ready to hit the ground running with all the fun things you have planned.  To ensure you have a great cruise, we are sharing a few important things you want to do as soon as you step foot into your cruise ship room.

In today's video, I have a few tips for what you should take care of in your room as soon as your cabin is ready. Since your room is your home base of operations for the duration of the sailing, these steps will get your cruise vacation off on the right note.

And if you love this video, we have lots of other great cruise videos to watch on our Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel!

By the way, have you subscribed yet? Be sure to subscribe to our channel and never miss a single video!

So check out the video and then let us know: What do you usually do when you first enter your room? 

Now that you booked a Royal Caribbean cruise, you might be wondering if there is an option to upgrade your stateroom to a larger, better or conveniently located room. 

Perhaps the price dropped, or your financial situation has changed, or perhaps you simply want to splurge. Whatever the reason, here are the ways to upgrade your cabin.

What to know about Royal Up

Royal Caribbean has introduced a new way to upgrade rooms with its Royal Up program.  This is a blind stateroom upgrade bidding program, where close to your sail date you can let Royal Caribbean know how much you would be willing to pay if an upgrade situation presented itself.

With Royal Up, there is a suggested bid price for an upgrade, but there is no way to know how much to bid beyond that. Moreover, Royal Up's options are not indications of an actual cabin upgrade availability.

How to upgrade the traditional way

My preferred way to upgrade a stateroom is to call a travel agent and have them price out the room upgrade choices and then make the switch. 

If you booked with a travel agent, you have to go through your travel agent to contact Royal Caribbean to upgrade you.  

Your travel agent will give you the new price and apply payments you have made towards the new stateroom.

If you booked your cruise on your own directly with Royal Caribbean, you can call Royal Caribbean directly and give them your reservation number and tell them you want to upgrade.

The Royal Caribbean operator will price the new stateroom out for you and tell you what the new price will be.  Any payments or deposits you've previously made can be applied to the new reservation.

How to upgrade with Royal Up

Prior to your cruise, you may have the option to place a bid with Royal Up to get a room upgrade.

Check on the Royal Up website to determine if you are eligible for an upgrade.

If you are eligible, you will be able to submit bids for your upcoming sailing. The bid amount is per person for the entire duration of the cruise. Offers are based on two occupants per stateroom - only the first and second guest will be charged. 

Once your bid is accepted, your card will be charged immediately, and the upgrade amount paid is final and non-refundable. Moreover, the cabin location is not something you can choose and subject to availability.

You may modify or cancel your offer up until 2 days prior to departure, provided that your offer has not already been accepted.

Your offer can be accepted anytime from the moment it is submitted up until 2 days prior to voyage departure. 

Upgrading your stateroom onboard

It is possible, though unlikely, that you can upgrade your stateroom on the day you sail onboard your ship.  

Since Royal Caribbean cruise ships sail full regularly these days, availability for upgrades is slim, however, there may be an opportunity to upgrade if there is an open stateroom.

You can go to Guest Services to speak with them immediately upon boarding but I would not bet on this being an option at all.  

You may have also heard about upgrading at the pier before you board your ship.  Years ago this practice was more prevalent and you could get some decent discounts for these literally last-minute staterooms.  However, ships are sailing full and the practice in general has been abandoned.

If upgrades are available, they will be at a reduced cost by speaking with the Pier Coordinator.  There is no harm in asking but upgrades are rarely available these days.