What was your upgrade offer and what did you bid

[taylortime05]

Yes, they participate in the bid process.

 

Hi, do you know if a TA starting with Price participates in the bidding?

[Marine Mom]

If you are asking me, I am sure. It shows $400pp for family suite with balcony.

 

Now that is a great deal, did you bid? I would jump on that as that is a great room with a great location.

[allison0523]

Now that is a great deal, did you bid? I would jump on that as that is a great room with a great location.

If it was just us we would have but right now we have connecting balconies with my parents and didn't want to risk only one of us getting it and/or getting separated.

[Birdnutty]

I just got the famous upgrade email, and we don't sail for another 2+ months yet! Just for the record, I booked with a TA, and got the email directly from NCL.

 

Minimum bids are not bad, in my estimation, and I don't know if the couple traveling with us received the email too. It's a pretty port intensive cruise and only a week long, so the extra amenities aren't worth it for us, especially since we don't know if the other couple would get the email or would be accepted if they did bid. So we'll stay put.

 

Not liking this new system very much. I guess it makes sense for NCL, but I prefer the old way.

[Marine Mom]

If it was just us we would have but right now we have connecting balconies with my parents and didn't want to risk only one of us getting it and/or getting separated.

 

I don't blame you. Have a great cruise!

[hisleepy]

Anyone won a bid to Haven even NCL site said all Haven were sold out? My cruise is 83 days out, there were 7 haven suites that can accommodate 4 guests last week, and all of a sudden they are all gone now. =(

[QJKM]

I am on the Pearl 8/20, purchased through an online travel site dedicated to cruises, and just got an upgrade email this morning. Still deciding what to bid.

 

I checked "My NCL" and there was no banner or cover mentioning it. Oddly, my email box on NCL shows an email saying "Let's get you upgraded!" dated May 4th. But I have checked email recently there, and did not see that email. Did it arrive backdated? Very strange.

[Luvmypups]

Has anyone on here won a bid for POA? I got an invitation to bid for an upgrade on my August 19th POA cruise. I'm currently in a Balcony on deck 10 but this cruise is so port intensive, I'm not sure a suite is worth the extra money. There's not much activity on the roll call, so no info there.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[cantthinkofanythingfun]

It seems that different people get different minimum bids. I booked mid ship mini suite for June 25 on the BA. I got the upgrade email the day after I booked. I was offered a chance to bid on all Haven suites even though the penthouse and forward suites are all that is showing available on the website. My minimum bid was $500 for all but the DOS, OS, Aft, and 2BR. Minimum was $800 on those. I only bid on the $500 ones and only slightly above minimum. I was offered an upgrade to a forward facing a year and a half ago for the $500 on this same cruise. No bidding then. I'll see what happens. It seems a lot are getting upgraded with minimum bids, but I wonder if their minimum was higher to begin with.

[Islandgirl0611]

Anyone won a bid to Haven even NCL site said all Haven were sold out? My cruise is 83 days out, there were 7 haven suites that can accommodate 4 guests last week, and all of a sudden they are all gone now. =(

 

 

I asked the same question on a couple of other threads, no answers as of yet. My sailing is 50ish days out and there are only 3 rooms left in the Haven category I bid on, so I'm curious as well as to what will happen if they "sell out"

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[nealjr]

I asked the same question on a couple of other threads, no answers as of yet. My sailing is 50ish days out and there are only 3 rooms left in the Haven category I bid on, so I'm curious as well as to what will happen if they "sell out"

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Don't pay attention to "Sold Out" per NCL. We sailed on 05/21 and the whole cruise was taken off their website which indicated that it was completely sold out, funny we received our upgrade from mini suite to 2bedroom haven three weeks prior to sailing.

[Islandgirl0611]

Don't pay attention to "Sold Out" per NCL. We sailed on 05/21 and the whole cruise was taken off their website which indicated that it was completely sold out, funny we received our upgrade from mini suite to 2bedroom haven three weeks prior to sailing.

 

 

That definitely gives me hope! I bid on the 2BR Haven and first there were 10 rooms, then 5, then 3.....now 5 again. I'm going to drive myself mad with checking, so after reading your post I'm done. Hopefully I will get one, and would love to find out 3 weeks out rather than a few days before. Makes packing easier! [emoji51] Thanks for the reply!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[hisleepy]

Don't pay attention to "Sold Out" per NCL. We sailed on 05/21 and the whole cruise was taken off their website which indicated that it was completely sold out, funny we received our upgrade from mini suite to 2bedroom haven three weeks prior to sailing.

 

Thanks for giving me some hope. I will just place my bid when time comes then. I called NCL, the agent said all Haven for 4 guests are gone, and fully paid ('coz it has passed the final payment date). There weren't any movement of the Haven availability for over a month, so I stopped checking it daily, and all of sudden 7 were gone in a week. :loudcry:

[miataman19]

It seems that different people get different minimum bids. I booked mid ship mini suite for June 25 on the BA. I got the upgrade email the day after I booked. I was offered a chance to bid on all Haven suites even though the penthouse and forward suites are all that is showing available on the website. My minimum bid was $500 for all but the DOS, OS, Aft, and 2BR. Minimum was $800 on those. I only bid on the $500 ones and only slightly above minimum. I was offered an upgrade to a forward facing a year and a half ago for the $500 on this same cruise. No bidding then. I'll see what happens. It seems a lot are getting upgraded with minimum bids, but I wonder if their minimum was higher to begin with.

That's interesting. The minimums for spa, forward and penthouse for me was $400 p/p

 

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Forums mobile app

[txclctr]

I'm starting to hate this upgrade system. The prices on cruises change almost daily, sometimes more than once. So when you put in your upgrade bid and compare it to what you have paid, its not fair. Yes, i know i can call and say I'll just pay the diff, but as a loyal customer, why wouldnt they approach me first, it's a cat and mouse game. Just throw me a bone, NCL, and I'll be dancing!

[Njkc]

We sail on Sunday on the breakaway. We just got our bid rejected from an inside to a balcony. We bid almost the minimum ($60 pp) so it was a long shot. I'm a little nervous that the ship is going to be packed. We'll see though!!! Can't wait for Sunday!!! :cool::cool::cool:

Edited June 3, 2017 by Njkc
Typo

[garycarla]

I'm starting to hate this upgrade system. The prices on cruises change almost daily, sometimes more than once. So when you put in your upgrade bid and compare it to what you have paid, its not fair. Yes, i know i can call and say I'll just pay the diff, but as a loyal customer, why wouldnt they approach me first, it's a cat and mouse game. Just throw me a bone, NCL, and I'll be dancing!

 

There are lots of loyal customers on each cruise. Many are bidding. Who should they call first?

 

Answer: There is no good answer. Doing the automated bidding thing saves them tons of phone calls, back and forth calls, delays, etc. Bidding is totally voluntary. Folks already have the following choices:

 

1 - Buy cruise, and just leave it alone.

2 - Watch prices and maybe pay for upgrade.

3 - Bid low and hope for the best but settle for what they bought.

4 - Bid high and have a better shot at getting upgrade.

and so on....

[BirdTravels]

I'm starting to hate this upgrade system. The prices on cruises change almost daily, sometimes more than once. So when you put in your upgrade bid and compare it to what you have paid, its not fair. Yes, i know i can call and say I'll just pay the diff, but as a loyal customer, why wouldnt they approach me first, it's a cat and mouse game. Just throw me a bone, NCL, and I'll be dancing!

 

Probably because NCL is adding a new mega ship a year. What worked (manual upsell departmental) with a small fleet of small ships does not scale with adding new ships yearly.

[Seminole1975]

There are lots of loyal customers on each cruise. Many are bidding. Who should they call first?

 

Answer: There is no good answer. Doing the automated bidding thing saves them tons of phone calls, back and forth calls, delays, etc. Bidding is totally voluntary. Folks already have the following choices:

 

1 - Buy cruise, and just leave it alone.

2 - Watch prices and maybe pay for upgrade.

3 - Bid low and hope for the best but settle for what they bought.

4 - Bid high and have a better shot at getting upgrade.

and so on....

 

I just did #2! We are on the Getaway in September on the Baltic Cruise. We were in a spa mini suite. I checked the prices of the rooms and they had gone down. NCL also offered a $300 on board credit. All things considered and based on what folks were bidding for the Haven, I bit the bullet and upgraded to a spa Haven balcony! That way we get all the amenities and don't have to deal with the anxiety about whether our bid will be accepted or not. I am really excited!

[Named-Tawny]

I'm starting to hate this upgrade system. The prices on cruises change almost daily, sometimes more than once. So when you put in your upgrade bid and compare it to what you have paid, its not fair. Yes, i know i can call and say I'll just pay the diff, but as a loyal customer, why wouldnt they approach me first, it's a cat and mouse game. Just throw me a bone, NCL, and I'll be dancing!

 

I really don't understand what's to hate, honestly.

 

You book the stateroom that you want (or can afford). Then, you decide how much an upgrade is worth to you. If they can upgrade you for that price, you get an upgrade at a price that you decided was reasonable. If they can't, then they don't, and you get the cabin you originally wanted.

 

Where's the problem?

[morningstar4]

I did get an email but also checked my NCL account every day and finally saw the "Let's get you upgraded" notice. I am very glad we didn't end up with a Haven Suite for our Alaska cruise on the Jewel as you note with the Gem it is a very small courtyard area and no dedicated restaurant. The courtyard has no view in the enclosed area, and the top area would have been pretty chilly to sit out on. All Suites (haven or non-haven) can have breakfast and lunch in Moderno and this was very nice, although the food menu stays the same throughout the cruise.

 

 

just got back from the haven on the gem....before going, i read how small it was and that it didn't have a restaurant or lounge, and wondered if it was worth it. We absolutely loved it!! There are only 18 suites sharing that area so you receive highly personalized and exceptional service....the size lends itself to a cozy, intimate atmosphere. i would imagine that it may be nice on a cold cruise to have the luxury of swimming in an enclosed area, but i've never been to alaska so with all the sights to see you'd have to judge if there would be time for that....just thought i'd throw in my two cents since i could have been swayed not to bid on the haven and would have really missed out on an amazing experience [emoji4]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[morningstar4]

Unless the difference between the "S" and "H" category is small on Gem, probably not worth it. The area is small although very quiet. There is a private sundeck upstairs that is also very quiet.

 

 

i just got back from the haven on the gem, and we felt it was so worth it! i may be in the minority on this, but to me the main value of our suite (besides the space) was the access to the haven area....the butler and concierge service are nice, but if i was not in the haven, i don't think the suite would have been worth it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[amygutman]

just got back from the haven on the gem....before going, i read how small it was and that it didn't have a restaurant or lounge, and wondered if it was worth it. We absolutely loved it!! There are only 18 suites sharing that area so you receive highly personalized and exceptional service....the size lends itself to a cozy, intimate atmosphere. i would imagine that it may be nice on a cold cruise to have the luxury of swimming in an enclosed area, but i've never been to alaska so with all the sights to see you'd have to judge if there would be time for that....just thought i'd throw in my two cents since i could have been swayed not to bid on the haven and would have really missed out on an amazing experience [emoji4]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

I'm so glad you had a good time - I followed your posting about your bid process and was so excited for you.

We are in the Haven on the Breakaway in 14 days, and on the Gem Haven in November for a 10 day Caribbean. When we traveled in our 1st suite, it was on the Gem 2015 June for our anniversary as an upgrade (old system with bartering on the phone). Not a Haven, but an aft suite. We had an Officer's Dinner in the Haven, and fell in love with the area. There are absolutely advantages to having your own restaurant / lounge on the Breakaway classes, but the quietness, intimacy and super-attentive service of the Haven for us beats a regular room any day.

 

Sorry about having to return to reality - the big question is..are you going Haven again for your next cruise?;)

Warm Regards, Amy

[Diane123boys]

We are in the Haven in the Gem in 2 weeks! Can't wait , we were in the Haven on Breakaway and I don't think we can sail any other way now. If you can afford it then no matter if it in a smaller ship without a Resturant or in the Breakaway class my opinion is go for it !

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[dexddd]

i just got back from the haven on the gem, and we felt it was so worth it! i may be in the minority on this, but to me the main value of our suite (besides the space) was the access to the haven area....the butler and concierge service are nice, but if i was not in the haven, i don't think the suite would have been worth it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Sure, if you get an upgrade for a big discount it might be worth it. To pay the normal price difference between the two, not so much.