Princess Introduces Bidding For Upgrades

[Steelers36]

Darn.. I was thinking I would try the Upsell Dept via email just to move to a bit better balcony location for a small amount.  Not gonna happen now I suppose.  Or, maybe still an option........

 

I see they listed REGAL as based in N.A.  I suppose it is, but has been in Europe sector and not back to N.A. until November, so may not be any bidding before then.

[cruisingrob21]

I dont think this is the death of the fairy - just Princess' way of capitalizing on something that some people will pay for.   For instance, If all the lower category inside cabins are sold but the rest of the ship is undersold, they will move folks up because clearly those inside carbs are selling better than anything else, and better to clear some inventory to allow other folks to book.  As a shareholder I'm fine with this.  I used to track reported upgrades on CC and at the time (2012 to 2015), on a grand class ship, the average upgrade was about a 3 category move, with fewer than 15% of upgrades getting a "meta" upgrade to the next time of room (inside to oceanview).  Most ended up going from a lower to a higher category within the same cabin type (BE to BB) and the results were not always preferable.

[memoak]

58 minutes ago, cruzsnooze said:

I always book a full suite. I won't do that anymore. Why start out at the highest fare when I can book a cheaper cabin and then bid less then full price. It will save me quite a bit of money. 

You are gambling that suites will not sell out at full price or that suites you like will still be available. We like aft and mid aft can’t stand the forward locations

[danceswithphones]

1 minute ago, memoak said:

You are gambling that suites will not sell out at full price or that suites you like will still be available.

 

 We are in an upper level suite on the Celebrity Beyond for November. The Iconic Suite opened up at final payment date. The difference between the two suites is roughly $25k for 5 days. I can't afford that but I'll bid on it. 

[LACruiser88]

9 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Darn.. I was thinking I would try the Upsell Dept via email just to move to a bit better balcony location for a small amount.  Not gonna happen now I suppose.  Or, maybe still an option........

 

I see they listed REGAL as based in N.A.  I suppose it is, but has been in Europe sector and not back to N.A. until November, so may not be any bidding before then.

I would think that the Upsell Dept is now defunct.  It will be renamed the Bid Dept?  🤔

[gerig]

1 hour ago, Paula_MacFan said:

We've been offered full suite upgrade offers before and took them.  I thought it was a reasonable alternative to booking full price and we enjoyed all the full suite perks.  I would be interested in this program for upgrades such as that.  But having said that -- we always book the specific cabin we want and are willing to pay for it.  We have never booked a guarantee room as we like specific, quiet areas with large balconies 🙂

 

Normally with these programs you do not get to choose the location.  You just bid on upgraded cabins

 

[gerig]

Just now, LACruiser88 said:

I would think that the Upsell Dept is now defunct.  It will be renamed the Bid Dept?  🤔

Royal Caribbean uses an outside service that handles this.  

[gerig]

6 minutes ago, memoak said:

You are gambling that suites will not sell out at full price or that suites you like will still be available. We like aft and mid aft can’t stand the forward locations

You are also bidding against other passengers

[memoak]

2 minutes ago, danceswithphones said:

 

 We are in an upper level suite on the Celebrity Beyond for November. The Iconic Suite opened up at final payment date. The difference between the two suites is roughly $25k for 5 days. I can't afford that but I'll bid on it. 

[MarcsSharon]

Help me understand…say I win with my bid..do I get to reject the cabin if I don’t like the location? I would not like to go from a mid ship balcony to a far forward mini suite.

[Princessfan20]

1 hour ago, Potstech said:

Another money grab not worth the effort. I get the cabin I want at a price I find acceptable. Not going to get into the game playing for another cabin.

 

Same here.  We get the Mini-suite or suite we want at the best price offered and the mystery is taken out of it.  We also are usually put on certain airline upgrade lists but have just learned it is easier to purchase FC and be done with it.  At least with the airline's we fly you know where you are on the upgrade list.  I wonder if Princess will be as transparent with their bidding process and lists?

[Sea Hag]

8 minutes ago, MarcsSharon said:

Help me understand…say I win with my bid..do I get to reject the cabin if I don’t like the location? I would not like to go from a mid ship balcony to a far forward mini suite.

Good question. Not sure we can get an answer yet, but I'd like to know that too.

[DrivesLikeMario]

NCL has been doing it for a LONG time too.

[danceswithphones]

7 minutes ago, Sea Hag said:

Good question. Not sure we can get an answer yet, but I'd like to know that too.

 

Here's the Celebrity MOVE UP page. I suspect Princess will be close to this. 

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/bid-on-cruise-room-upgrade

Edited August 18, 2022 by danceswithphones

[LAFFNVEGAS]

5 minutes ago, Sea Hag said:

Good question. Not sure we can get an answer yet, but I'd like to know that too.

I am s ure it will be like RCI, Celebrity NCL and MSC, No you cannot select another cabin. Although it might be possible if you are going from an Interior or OV to a Balcony, say they assign you category BB and you don't lile that stateroom and IF there are other BB staterooms available yes you could be moved to that stateroom but not to another category even if it is a lower category.

[gerig]

17 minutes ago, MarcsSharon said:

Help me understand…say I win with my bid..do I get to reject the cabin if I don’t like the location? I would not like to go from a mid ship balcony to a far forward mini suite.

On royal you don't.  When you place a bid you agree to the terms which means you are upgrading to any cabin in that category.

[JF - retired RRT]

1 hour ago, cruzsnooze said:

I always book a full suite. I won't do that anymore. Why start out at the highest fare when I can book a cheaper cabin and then bid less then full price. It will save me quite a bit of money. 

IF there's a suite available for you to bid on.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I suspect this will only work well for those in lower categories. If you are in a Mini Suite wanting to Move Up the chances are nill to slim. Suites on Princess are sold out well prior to final payment due to the limited number compared to demand. But trust me if using the same outside firm that NCL and Celebrity are using you will still get an email to bid even though nothing is available. There will be crazy minimum bid amounts. They will state in case someone cancels you might get the bid. 

[voljeep]

2 minutes ago, JF - retired RRT said:

IF there's a suite available for you to bid on.

No suites currently available (per princess website) for our cruise on CB in late November

[harryfat1]

Cruise Critic actually has an article on this process as many cruise lines have adopted this policy:

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=4006

 

From what I'm reading, you are bidding on a "category", not a specific cabin location. So it's like getting a "guarantee cabin" in the category.  

 

Once the bid is accepted from the cruise line, they charge your credit card and there's no going back.  So be careful on how much of a gamble you want to take if you are currently happy with your location, bidding up may not work for you.

[danceswithphones]

5 minutes ago, voljeep said:

No suites currently available (per princess website) for our cruise on CB in late November

 

There's a pinned thread on the X page. Shows bids and results. Link is to most current. 

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2657946-celebrity-moveup-offer-tracker-please-do-not-post-questions-here/page/26/#comment-63777185

 

[Roberto256]

2 hours ago, Syracusefan44 said:

“Upgrading is a popular request from our guests and we’re pleased to...

 

...monetize this request.

[Bgwest]

1 hour ago, CineGraphic said:

Upgrades: We used to give them away, but now they'll go to the highest bidder.

Another fine innovation from the man behind the Medallion, John Padgett.

Just could be that PCL wants to resume making a profit??  Only a thought from a shareholder. 

[stevenr597]

Will you have the ability to bid on a specific cabin, or is it for a general class.

If the latter, I would not think it is a good deal, because in the end, you may wind up with a superior cabin in an inferior location. 

[harryfat1]

What I envision working well is if you are currently booked on some sort of "guaranteed category" such that you have no control of your cabin selection anyway. 

 

So mind as well bid for something in a higher class that is just as a random blind luck as your current cabin selection.