Move Up or ask for upgrade on board?

[jagoffee]

1 hour ago, as3369 said:

The cabin inventory on our Edge is crazy, unless Celebrity is blocking off the suite sections.  There are TONS of infinite balcony and inside cabins available.  However, there are only 3 Sky suites showing up (out of 176), all four Royal Suites occupied, and 3 Edge Villas available.  

 

If this is the case, the Retreat is going to be crowded while the rest of the ship will not.

On our October Apex TA that was very true. I believe the Retreat was sold out.   I have read that it was also true on other cruises.  The Retreat was busy and the rest of the ship was not.  

[as3369]

36 minutes ago, jagoffee said:

On our October Apex TA that was very true. I believe the Retreat was sold out.   I have read that it was also true on other cruises.  The Retreat was busy and the rest of the ship was not.  

This is our first time booking a suite (in 30+ cruises).  From what I've read from other cruisers, the Retreat Experience on the E series ships are worth the extra cost.  I would imagine that there will be some cancellations in the next week or so from Covid or travel anxiety.  We have already had some in our group cancel for different reasons.

[jagoffee]

2 hours ago, as3369 said:

This is our first time booking a suite (in 30+ cruises).  From what I've read from other cruisers, the Retreat Experience on the E series ships are worth the extra cost.  I would imagine that there will be some cancellations in the next week or so from Covid or travel anxiety.  We have already had some in our group cancel for different reasons.

Yes, I agree the Retreat experience on the E series is really special.  Enjoy.

[DCPIV]

On 12/30/2021 at 5:32 PM, cgolf1 said:

My thought is if there are very few people on the cruise when we get onboard, I would hope that they might give better deals to get in a better quality room at a better price than what a move up bid would be. Is my thinking off on this?

 

Maybe.  Maybe not.  I suppose it depends on what you're looking for and what you consider a better deal.  If you're looking to upgrade to something much higher than where you are, you'll have to depend on that being available after the MoveUp process is complete and the no-shows are counted.

 

Also, keep in mind that the deal has to be a good one for them, too, and that they are looking at a bigger picture.  If word gets out that they're giving away rooms once folks board, then folks won't bother with MoveUp bids and just storm the desk for upgrades once on board.

 

You might just want to give X a call and have them quote you a price for a direct upgrade.  Earlier this year, I did that and got a quote that was roughly 40% less than the minimum MoveUp bid was.  I took that deal, and we boarded already knowing that we had the better room, knowing which one it was, and knowing that we didn't have to fuss with anything more about it.

[wrk2cruise]

7 hours ago, as3369 said:

The cabin inventory on our Edge is crazy, unless Celebrity is blocking off the suite sections.  There are TONS of infinite balcony and inside cabins available.  However, there are only 3 Sky suites showing up (out of 176), all four Royal Suites occupied, and 3 Edge Villas available.  

 

If this is the case, the Retreat is going to be crowded while the rest of the ship will not.

 

rhis has been the case since July.  Suites full rest of the ship 30%. 

[as3369]

1 minute ago, wrk2cruise said:

 

rhis has been the case since July.  Suites full rest of the ship 30%. 

And that doesn't bode well for guests trying to MOVE UP to a suite.  Very limited to no availability

[phoenix_dream]

8 hours ago, as3369 said:

The cabin inventory on our Edge is crazy, unless Celebrity is blocking off the suite sections.  There are TONS of infinite balcony and inside cabins available.  However, there are only 3 Sky suites showing up (out of 176), all four Royal Suites occupied, and 3 Edge Villas available.  

 

If this is the case, the Retreat is going to be crowded while the rest of the ship will not.

That was how our Apex sailing was.  The ship overall was about 60% or so, but the suites were close to 100% booked.  The Retreat deck was always crowded in the sense that while there were alot of lounges available, it was almost impossible to get one in the shade if you didn't grab it first thing in the morning.  Luminae was also very busy, although we never had to wait for a table and the service was great.

[cgolf1]

So my wife decided to put the minimum bid in on an oceanview room and we did some research on a veranda. The minimum bid is half the difference between what we paid for the inside and booking a veranda today and the max bid was like booking the veranda today so no savings. 
 

even the minimum on the veranda wasn’t enough for us to put a bid on. If we ask onboard we at least know what the minimum bids were now. We use the stateroom do little that we have become insiders by choice due to that. Not sure on a cruise during a pandemic, but will see. 

[Pinboy]

9 hours ago, cgolf1 said:

So my wife decided to put the minimum bid in on an oceanview room and we did some research on a veranda. The minimum bid is half the difference between what we paid for the inside and booking a veranda today and the max bid was like booking the veranda today so no savings. 
 

even the minimum on the veranda wasn’t enough for us to put a bid on. If we ask onboard we at least know what the minimum bids were now. We use the stateroom do little that we have become insiders by choice due to that. Not sure on a cruise during a pandemic, but will see. 

Minimum bid on this, maximum bid on that--- TOO complicated for Pinboy ( no patience  to spend so much time on it when we already have a room we would be ok with ).

IMO , it's up to you , reread post # 16 -- Try it, You might get lucky ( not that " lucky " ) !!

 

[cgolf1]

51 minutes ago, Pinboy said:

Minimum bid on this, maximum bid on that--- TOO complicated for Pinboy ( no patience  to spend so much time on it when we already have a room we would be ok with ).

IMO , it's up to you , reread post # 16 -- Try it, You might get lucky ( not that " lucky " ) !!

 

 

I was against my wife putting a 50$ PP bid in for the oceanview, but I did leave it up to her. I just find the whole Move up bid thing weird as the bid that ensures the best chance is the same as the price difference you are in now and if you booked a room of your choosing in that class. It really makes no sense to me other than a way for them to make more money off us without us realizing we aren't getting a great deal.

 

To whoever suggested it, if we were serious about wanting a better room we would have our TA call and book it for us. As an aside I am surprised that prices aren't dropping seeing how many rooms are still open on the cruise.

Edited January 3, 2022 by cgolf1

[Pinboy]

15 minutes ago, cgolf1 said:

if we were serious about wanting a better room we would have our TA call and book it for us.

My guess is that you do want a better room , but, don't want to pay for it---

Remember, it will still cost you $$ --- either with your TA, the Move Up Bid program with a Celebrity Rep , or a " $$ Thank You " to whomever helps you on board. 

With what's going on now with Covid and passengers being quarantined ( probably more than we think ), be a " sport " , spend a few extra $$ , make " you know who " happy , and change from the inside room --- try getting a balcony--- just in case.

IMO, your best chance is still " $$ Thank You " to whomever helps you on board.

Bonne chance --- Good Luck .

 

 

 

 

[MR_T]

We booked a B2B quite late last September/October and as it was close to sailing we booked both in an inside cabin as the cheapest option with the view of using the move up program to get a balcony. We bid the minimum for both cruises to move to an infinite balcony and was successful on both. While onboard the first leg I asked about upgrading again to a suite for the second one and was told to ask on the first day of the second cruise and it should be available. To cut a long story short we did get the last suite upgrade available and considering what we paid for the inside & the move up along with the onboard upgrade we ended up with a great S2 sky suite for a great price... so is is available but as others have said the retreat is mostly sold out on most cruises but we we’re lucky as we were slightly ahead of the queue as we were on a B2B! 

 

Good luck! 🤞🏻

[Algebralovr]

We were on Reflection for Thanksgiving.  I booked a suite back in 2019 when we booked, and booked my "kids" into a deck 6 starboard deluxe balcony.  I knew that over 50 sky suites were still available on the Thursday before we were to board on Saturday.

The move-up bid prices were far too high, and combined with what I had paid for the kids room, it would have ended up more than I actually paid for my room.

When we got on board, we learned the kids had been moved to a room on deck 8 port side, regular sized balcony, and only a couple of decks above the smoking area.

We went into Michaels Club (RF hasn't been updated) and asked the Suite Concierge about an upgrade for the kids and were quoted $950 per person.  That was less that the lowest bid as part of the Move-UP program.

 

We ended up making other arrangements, but it is definitely possible to purchase an upgrade on board if rooms are available.

[judatt]

On 1/2/2022 at 10:33 AM, as3369 said:

The cabin inventory on our Edge is crazy, unless Celebrity is blocking off the suite sections.  There are TONS of infinite balcony and inside cabins available.  However, there are only 3 Sky suites showing up (out of 176), all four Royal Suites occupied, and 3 Edge Villas available.  

 

If this is the case, the Retreat is going to be crowded while the rest of the ship will not.

We were on the first cruises out of the USA on Edge departing June 26 and we did a b2b. We were in the same sky suite both weeks. The first week the ship was at 35% capacity and the second week 41%. Both weeks suites were 100% booked and luminae was crowded. The retreat deck was crowded at times but not too bad. For some reason the retreat lounge never seemed to be too crowded. 

[GateGuardian]

Sorry for bumping an old thread, but I have cruise coming up and was not offered a MoveUp. I emailed the moveup specific email and have not gotten a response. Can anyone share their experience how much they paid to upgrade onboard from an Oceanview to a verandah on a 7 day cruise? Also, does status matter?

 

Thanks

[mfs2k]

20 minutes ago, GateGuardian said:

Sorry for bumping an old thread, but I have cruise coming up and was not offered a MoveUp. I emailed the moveup specific email and have not gotten a response. Can anyone share their experience how much they paid to upgrade onboard from an Oceanview to a verandah on a 7 day cruise? Also, does status matter?

 

Thanks

when is your cruise ?  
I just got the move up email for 10/26 cruise. 

[DCPIV]

18 minutes ago, GateGuardian said:

Sorry for bumping an old thread, but I have cruise coming up and was not offered a MoveUp. I emailed the moveup specific email and have not gotten a response. Can anyone share their experience how much they paid to upgrade onboard from an Oceanview to a verandah on a 7 day cruise? Also, does status matter?

 

Thanks

 

Take a look at the Move Up tracker thread.  There may be some entries in there of use.  Keep in mind, of course, that every sailing will be different.  If you are interested in an upgrade, you also might want to just call up Celebrity and ask about the price for a direct upgrade.  It's not unheard of that the price is about the same, and I've even been able to upgrade for less than the minimum Move Up bid.

 

 

As far status goes, the only difference is that they add a little to your Move Up bid, and the "little bit" they add is determined by your status.  Higher status gets more added.  It's basically a tiebreaker measure and nothing else.

 

[Miaminice]

Sorry, missed the date...

Edited August 14, 2022 by Miaminice