If you have your heart set on a certain cabin in a particular location of the ship, be sure to tell the cruise line or your agent to mark it as a "no upgrade". For instance, you love those peaceful and ever-so-popular "Aft" balcony cabins at the very back of the ship that overlook the wake, and you've just gotta have one. So you book the cruise as early as possible in order to snatch one up before someone else does. Then one day the "upgrade fairy" pays you a visit. You get a notice from your agent telling you it’s your lucky day ... you've been upgraded! In the cruise line's eyes, it's a better stateroom, but as far as your concerned, you've just lost your dream cabin. Maybe you have been upgraded to a higher category, but your cabin is now located below the basketball court or above the noisy lounge. To avoid trading your quiet panoramic view for a a blaring brouhaha, simply inform your agent or cruise line rep at the time of booking that you would like your cabin marked as “no upgrade”. The elusive "upgrade fairy" will fly right past you when waving her magic wand.

Read more about cabin upgrades in my latest article: Cabin Upgrades … They’re Not All Created Equal.