Upgrade bid offer?

[Marbella18]

We are booked on the Getaway in November and have been offered to upgrade for a better cabin. As we have never had this offer on past cruises what do we do? I have seen several US citizens mention upgrade bids before but not familiar to me and my friends in the UK. 
Do we offer the lowest bid shown or is it normal to offer much more? How and when will we find out if we are successful?

[SpainAlien]

On my last two cruises the shops were sailing pretty much at 100% and upgrade bid success was rare however we board NCL Epic on Sunday and a lot of minimum bid upgrades were accepted.  One guest from a balcony cabin bid 645€ and won the 2BR Have suite, I went from an inside cabin to a club balcony for 160€. Prices quoted are per person based on two persons in the cabin. 

 

The success of you bid will depend on the capacity of your sailing more than anything 

 

[dumbth]

You should examine your heart to avoid being disappointed if it's rejected. Normally you get more value than what you pay for in a bid, so best not to be super frugal. I think it is a real treat to have this bidding opportunity.

 

Best not to use the exact bottom number or overly round numbers because you tend to tie with other offers. Come up with a number and imagine it fails - do you feel bad you didn't increase it a bit? I am typically a cheapskate, but bid generously and won all my bids.

[deek72]

Well I've just chanced my arm with the minimum bid. Not really bothered if it's unsuccessful but happy days if it is 😁

[Seany527]

2 hours ago, dumbth said:

You should examine your heart to avoid being disappointed if it's rejected. Normally you get more value than what you pay for in a bid, so best not to be super frugal. I think it is a real treat to have this bidding opportunity.

 

Best not to use the exact bottom number or overly round numbers because you tend to tie with other offers. Come up with a number and imagine it fails - do you feel bad you didn't increase it a bit? I am typically a cheapskate, but bid generously and won all my bids.

When you bid, where is the arrow pointing on the ticker scale? Good...or higher? Does the maximum bid guarantee a win?

[deek72]

2 minutes ago, Seany527 said:

When you bid, where is the arrow pointing on the ticker scale? Good...or higher? Does the maximum bid guarantee a win?

I would imagine so. How could you be outbid if you bid the maximum? I'm pretty sure they review the bids and give it to the highest bidder. I don't think it's a lottery. 

Edited September 22, 2021 by deek72

[deek72]

5 hours ago, Marbella18 said:

We are booked on the Getaway in November and have been offered to upgrade for a better cabin. As we have never had this offer on past cruises what do we do? I have seen several US citizens mention upgrade bids before but not familiar to me and my friends in the UK. 
Do we offer the lowest bid shown or is it normal to offer much more? How and when will we find out if we are successful?

My bid email says they usually review bids between 1 and 14 days before the cruise and then email you if successful. 

[Seany527]

14 minutes ago, deek72 said:

I would imagine so. How could you be outbid if you bid the maximum? I'm pretty sure they review the bids and give it to the highest bidder. I don't think it's a lottery. 

Just asking because the Max bid is about $2,000pp but to book the cabin on its own is about $11,000pp. It’s a good value for me but NCL would be losing out. 
 

I was thinking the bidding system gets people interested in a room, they grow impatient and end up booking it on their own. If that tactic doesn’t work then NCL let’s the room sail empty. 

[deek72]

1 minute ago, Seany527 said:

Just asking because the Max bid is about $2,000pp but to book the cabin on its own is about $11,000pp. It’s a good value for me but NCL would be losing out. 
 

I was thinking the bidding system gets people interested in a room, they grow impatient and end up booking it on their own. If that tactic doesn’t work then NCL let’s the room sail empty. 

I would say it's just NCL trying to guarantee that a cabin is filled. Remember, they don't go to bids until 2 weeks before the cruise so they can quite happily get some bids in the locker, then if the cabin doesn't go at full price, they go to the bids and just get the most they can. Having guests who paid $800 for a Haven cabin is better than having it empty. 

[vswan]

I generally choose a cabin that I'm happy with when I book initially. When the bidding opportunities come out if there is something that I may be interested in I figure how much I am willing to bid to move up to another category - and it's usually barely above minimum.

 

Couple of things to keep in mind. When you bid you are bidding into a guarantee room and could be assigned any room in the category. You keep the perks you initially had, not new perks because of room category - haven may be different... Once you bid and they accept you are in the new room and do not have the option of getting your old room back.

 

If you have a cabin that is in demand you may have a better chance of moving up, even if your bid may not be the highest in the category. Move ups are generally part of a chain which makes NCL the most dollars.

 

The last time I was offered upgrade bidding, the amount of minimum bid was more than the cost of just calling and booking the category directly - and that way I was able to choose my cabin.

 

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

I originally booked an inside cabin (don't judge me).  My upgrade offer was $50 minimum ($100 for two) to an ocean view.  That was the lowest of the "poor" readings available on the dial.  It wasn't worth even $100 for me to get a window.  I was rewarded for my patience when today I called NCL and upgraded to a nice forward facing ocean view on deck 12 (Encore) for a buck forty.  You really can't beat that.  The very nice/helpful reservations agent told me that the new room has to cost more than the existing room.  Life is good.  😎

[BirdTravels]

10 hours ago, Seany527 said:

When you bid, where is the arrow pointing on the ticker scale? Good...or higher? Does the maximum bid guarantee a win?

A "maximum" bid is often more than the cost of just booking the higher room at retail price. If you are willing to pay that, then just rebook in the higher cabin class.

 

A "maximum" bid is only fulfilled if there is availability in that cabin class. There are no guarantees in life. 

[iceicecool]

I just received my upgrade offer by email and my cruise is 110 days away, so much earlier than the normal 8- days.  Also they used to only let you bid 2 categories higher, but i am staying in an inside room and I can bid on outside room, balcony and club balcony.  On the NCL site the difference on the cruise between inside and balcony is $750 per person, so I think having a bid accepted in the 200-300 range would be a big savings.