Have any of you more experienced cruisers than I taken advantage of an "instant upgrade?" My TA is advising against it, but I have to admit it sounds OK to me....

We were offered an upgrade last year but it was to a specific cabin # (in a good location). Since we had booked with Ngaire, Regent (then RSSC) contacted her with the offer to be presented to us. Ngaire telephoned me, and after getting my permission, she accepted the upgrade on our behalf. If you are offered an upgrade with no specific cabin # it may be to a poor location that no one would book by choice.

Kathy:

This is for HAL Statendam next year...If you say yes to an instant upgrade, it's at the last minute and you have to take it - like it or not. It could be a really good deal, or what they consider an upgrade might not be what I'd consider an upgrade.
j.

Right! My SE and I have gotten burned this way. The lines have literally dumped a bad cabin (but one of a higher category) on us. On one we had a stairway immediately outside our window that crew used. I must say that Regent has No bad suites in my opinion.

Thanks. I'm pretty much convinced to stick with what we have.....
j.

Re: bad cabins on Regent,
Actually, there are a few on the Navigator, port side forward on deck 5, numbers 602 to 628 (even only) - the ones in category G. There is a crew passageway outside these cabins, and every once in a while, somebody gets out there, to clean, wander about, who knows. Anyway, you've got to keep your eyes open and your drapes drawn. On deck 4, catagory H, the suites don't have balconies either, but I don't think there is a crew walkway there.

On the last leg of the Navigator's World Cruise in 2003, we were in 614 and some passenger managed to get out there, in his under-shorts! My wife was not a happy camper, let me tell you!