WHATS WITH THE CABIN UPGRADES?

Other than a 1a, you have selected the least expensive cabin on board, so I doubt you're likely to be offered an upgrade.

Carnival, like most lines will give free upgrades during certain promotions, or more commonly, to repeat guests, or those who bought more expensive cabins like those with balconies, windows, suites, etc.

You can always ask your travel agent or, whoever you booked thru if one is available, but it sounds like you're a first time cruiser, so I would not get your hopes up.

A "4a" is a very basic inside cabin with no window. If you don't get an upgrade, keep in mind that by selecting this type of cabin you already got one of the lowest priced cabins and saved a lot of money.

Regarding not having a cabin number, that means that your travel agent set up a TBA cabin (to be assigned) which means you won't get one assigned until you get to the ship. The cruise lines will commonly tell you that they will do this to try to give you the best cabin available but, with a low cost cabin like this you might want to ask your Travel agent to get you assigned to a cabin in a good location, such as in the middle of the ship to avoid motion problems. That can almost always be done, regradless of what you paid since 4a cabins are found in many areas of the ship.

Hope this helps.

Just to add my two cents:
We cruised on the Paradise last May, having booked the 4a inside guarantee. We had never sailed Carnival before either. While unloading bags from the car at the dock, the baggage handlers told us that we had been moved up a deck and to an outside cabin. And we didn't have to do anything! No winking, no nothing. It was a nice beginning to a great trip. So it can probably happen with any setup - you just get lucky sometimes!

pics....When you book a "guarantee" you are selecting a certain fare level.With most cruise lines these days, the guarantee does just that:locks in the fare that you will pay.It also opens the possibility for an upgrade,usually one category but not always.But the only thing guaranteed is the rate you will pay.You will get a category 4A Cabin with the possibility of an improvemement.You may receive your cabin assignment prior to sailing and it may be done at the pier.I hope this helps!

Agree with the previous posters. There doesn't seem to be any set system with upgrades. I've sailed 7 times with guarantee cabins and have been upgraded every time except once. And I have been upgraded from an inside to an outside.

From what I have been told, if you book one of the cheapest levels, but as a guarantee, you have a chance for an upgrade as it gets closer to sailing. The ship tries to sell out the cheaper cabins and people who have already paid for that level usually get bumped up to the more expensive cabins that might stay empty.

The upside to a guarantee is that obviously you hope for an outside instead of an inside cabin. The down side is that you are put wherever the ship decides to put you - which could be near the disco or elevator which can be more noisy at night. Some people won't book a guarantee just for that reason, so they can pick out the perfect cabin location.

Have a great trip!

We sailed on the Inspiration last February and booked guarantee at the cheapest rate. It was our first time on Carnival and we were upgraded to an outside with portholes. I called a few days ahead and was given our cabin assignment. More recently we have sailed RCI and Celebrity and have been able to find our cabin assignment online once it was assigned. I don't know if Canival does that. If their site has an online documentation area (where you would complete your required personal info), try plugging in your booking number and see if a cabin has been assigned. That is how it works on RCI and X.

We found the food in the dining room on Inspiration to be excellent, but the food in the casual dining area to be so much inferior that it was hard to believe it came from the same kitchen. So stick with the dining room and you will be pleased. Our only complaint about Inspiration was lack of quiet corners to sit and read. All outside seating was around the pool, which was always noisy. Lots of kids just having fun and doing what kids do. But our kids are grown and we now prefer a quieter vacation.

We are sailing with Celebrity on the Summit later this month and have already been given a cabin number on a level 9 inside. If a number has already been allocated do you think we will have missed out on the possibility of any upgrade to an outside cabin?

We sailed on the Celebrity Horizon last January. We had the cheapest inside cabin and had the cabin number, but when we checked in they assigned us an outside cabin on the same floor. That was a nice surprise, so there's always hope!

I agree with previous posters, but would caution you into expecting an outside cabin. A "upgrade" can also be to a 4b, 4c, or 4d cabin which means its the same cabin, just moved up a floor, etc.

We usually sail during busy season and have never been moved from inside to outside. You are more likely to have that happen during off-peak seasons when the ship is not full. You may wish to get your travel agent to just get you a guaranteed cabin in a good location, such as in the center of the ship.

On the other hand, there is always that chance that you'll get an outside, just don't get your heart set on it.

I think before booking a guarantee you should look at the deck plan and find the WORST cabin in that category. Would you be OK with that cabin? If so, than go with the guarantee knowing you'd be OK with the worst cabin just in case you get it.

have you heard that sometimes a ship gives you upgrades just to get you in to there system and after that good luck on your up grades???? is this just talk or is it for real?