A Visit from the Upgrade Fairy

If you are not too familiar with cruising you may not have heard of the Upgrade Fairy.  For a variety of reasons (some of which we, the cruising public, are not sure of), cruise ships will put  passengers in a higher grade cabin than that for which they paid.  This is called a visit from the Upgrade Fairy.  (Sometimes her less benevolent sister, the Upsell Fairy comes calling.  This is when the ship is offering a better cabin but with an additional cost [usually less than you would have paid for the higher grade cabin to start with]).  Why one passenger is offered an upgrade and another one, in a cabin just like it, is not, is one of the reasons why the Upgrade Fairy is so mysterious.

Last Saturday morning I received a phone call from my travel agent.  I was rather surprised to see her number on caller ID so I answered the phone with a bit of trepidation.  The news, however, was good - Cunard had upgraded me from a regular Britannia balcony to Britannia Club.  The major difference between the two has little to do with the actual stateroom (other than all Britannia Club staterooms are on deck 8) but with where and when you eat.  Britannia Club has its own, small restaurant rather than the large Britannia main dining room.  In Britannia Club you may choose your own dining time between 6:30 and 9:00 instead of eary sitting (6:00) or late (8:30).  You still sit at the same table each night but the people may come and go from that table at different times.

I'm not sure how I am going to like people starting at different times (may end up I am eating alone sometimes) but it is only for ten nights (I was given one dinner in the Veranda, the fancy - extra cost - restaurant.  It will be interesting and a new experience and I will let you know how I feel about it.  It will likely be my only time in Britannia Club (unless the Upgrade Fairy comes calling again) because it normally runs 10-30% more than a regular balcony.  Stay tuned for my observations on life in Britannia Club.

Season's Greetings to all!

Smooth sailing until next time.