How is the bidding system doing? Any comments?

[WAvoyager]

8 hours ago, Brian Zen said:

Thank you for providing such specific and detailed information! This helped a great deal in how we approached bidding on our own upgrade--you rock!!

Just remember that each cruise / offer is almost certainly unique.  If there are only a few people bidding, or a lot of the upgrade category cabins you are bidding on are available, then a minimum bid, or a $10 over minimum bid will work.  If there are a lot of people bidding, chances are someone was willing to bid more than minimum.

[caribill]

On 4/11/2023 at 5:26 AM, judithzuz said:

I actually have one booking number, but I know that it is being treated as a B2B as I will be earning 4 cruise credits as a solo. Bidding doesn't come online until June, but I will give it a try then. But my concern was just the lack of availability showing for the 14 day as opposed to the two 7 days.

Good luck to both of us!!

 

 

Since you have a single booking number, you can only bid on the cruise that booking number is for, both segments together.

 

As is normal when a cruise can be booked multiple ways (as one cruise with a single booking or as two cruses with two bookings numbers), cabins are available only for the way of booking. Thus cabins available on the individual segments cannot be booked for the B2B as one booking and vice versa,

 

When it comes to bidding, I do not know if Princess has the same divisions of cabin availability, but I expect so.

[HiCCCs]

On 4/12/2023 at 8:36 PM, judithzuz said:

Well, it was smooth sailing until we we were coming into Cartagena, then leaving the next day. Woof! And I don't get seasick. We actually had to sleep sideways so my stomach could catch a rest. But other than that, I loved it. We had a huge balcony on the Ruby. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Nothing beats that wake view and the sunsets, Enjoy!

What about going through the Canal....did you spend more of your time on the aft balcony?  Or did you go to various vantage points throughout the ship all day? It's a long day through the full transit....the experience of being up front for a few forward encounters through the locks will be good to have...but then it might be nice to put our feet up and be in the comfort of the aft suite for the rest of it...especially with the heat!

[HiCCCs]

23 hours ago, Mary Ann 2 said:

We did an aft balcony last year for our Panama cruise.  We loved being able to retreat to our balcony out of the sun.  It was a very warm, humid day so being able to go back inside and still see the transit of the canal on both sides even though it was on the back was ideal.  We started on the front of the ship as we approached the canal early in the morning and later in the day went down to the Promenade to get another viewpoint also. 

Great advice!!  Thanks!!!

[Buckeye10640]

Sailing in about a month. Booked a forward (not foward facing)  balcony, which was one of the least expensive balcony cabins,  about a year ago.  Bid the minimum on a deluxe balcony and a low bid on a mini-suite. I could see  quite a few minis still available a few weeks ago. Just had my upgrade bid for the mini accepted, great location on the same deck I had originally booked.  Final cost  about $400 pp  less than if I booked the mini today. So my first experience with the upgrade process was positive. Realize it might not always work out this way, though. 

[HiCCCs]

3 hours ago, Buckeye10640 said:

Sailing in about a month. Booked a forward (not foward facing)  balcony, which was one of the least expensive balcony cabins,  about a year ago.  Bid the minimum on a deluxe balcony and a low bid on a mini-suite. I could see  quite a few minis still available a few weeks ago. Just had my upgrade bid for the mini accepted, great location on the same deck I had originally booked.  Final cost  about $400 pp  less than if I booked the mini today. So my first experience with the upgrade process was positive. Realize it might not always work out this way, though. 

Congrats!!!  And thanks for sharing the good news! It's reassuring to know that deals do exist out there. There are so many variables that come into play. Glad you were able to get the mini-suite which I am sure you will enjoy.

[CruiseMoto]

Sailing next week and thought I would give the bid process a try.  Purchased an inside cabin about a year ago and bid for a deluxe balcony with an unobstructed  view and it was accepted.   We had priced out the very same accommodations 6-months ago and it would have been $2,200 more expensive (at minimum).

 

We are very pleased.  Safe sailing to all.

Edited April 16, 2023 by CruiseMoto

[judithzuz]

On 4/14/2023 at 9:20 PM, HiCCCs said:

What about going through the Canal....did you spend more of your time on the aft balcony?  Or did you go to various vantage points throughout the ship all day? It's a long day through the full transit....the experience of being up front for a few forward encounters through the locks will be good to have...but then it might be nice to put our feet up and be in the comfort of the aft suite for the rest of it...especially with the heat!

We did go from place to place. Morning. not so hot, we were on the top deck forward. There are several spots, just have to hunt where there are fewer people. Then went mid ship above the pool deck, plenty of viewing on port or starboard. But after lunch and later, we did go to the aft balcony, shady and much cooler. There's so much to see, it's so busy there that really, there are no bad spots to take it all in.

[HiCCCs]

2 hours ago, judithzuz said:

We did go from place to place. Morning. not so hot, we were on the top deck forward. There are several spots, just have to hunt where there are fewer people. Then went mid ship above the pool deck, plenty of viewing on port or starboard. But after lunch and later, we did go to the aft balcony, shady and much cooler. There's so much to see, it's so busy there that really, there are no bad spots to take it all in.

Great suggestions from your personal experience. Much appreciated. I certainly appreciate that there is so much to take in that every spot has its vantage point--even the bar for a 24 Karat Gold Frozen Margarita!!! YES!!!!

[Prost]

Sailing is 33 days away and my premium balcony bid was accepted this afternoon. Moving from aft balcony to mid-aft premium balcony.

Edited April 18, 2023 by Prost

[HiCCCs]

11 minutes ago, Prost said:

Sailing is 33 days away and my premium balcony bid was accepted this afternoon. Moving from aft balcony to mid-aft premium balcony.

Congratulations! And wonderful news! 🥳 Do you mind my asking, what was your bid "range"? Minimum? Low? Medium? High?

[Prost]

12 minutes ago, HiCCCs said:

Congratulations! And wonderful news! 🥳 Do you mind my asking, what was your bid "range"? Minimum? Low? Medium? High?

I just bid low.  Also did another low bid for mini suite but didn't get it.

[HiCCCs]

10 minutes ago, Prost said:

I just bid low.  Also did another low bid for mini suite but didn't get it.

Thanks for this information. I'm sure it all depends on availability and how much people are willing to bid for the upgrade.  I'm going to give it a tray on an upcoming cruise. But it is a B2B in which I am currently set to remain in the same stateroom for both legs. Of course, no guarantee to stay in the same stateroom if I bid and win....plus there's the factor of paying 200% for both legs if both legs are upgraded....so I'm still weighing those issues. It all depends on the price.

 

Thanks again for your information. Congratulations!!!!

[cr8tiv1]

Crossing my fingers but it doesn't look good.  Every day, there are fewer and fewer balconies available.  About 33 days out and bid is still "pending".  Might wait until inside the 30 days to up bid by a few dollars.  Happy where I am, but would be "happier" if my bid was accepted.

[HiCCCs]

9 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Crossing my fingers but it doesn't look good.  Every day, there are fewer and fewer balconies available.  About 33 days out and bid is still "pending".  Might wait until inside the 30 days to up bid by a few dollars.  Happy where I am, but would be "happier" if my bid was accepted.

Steady as she goes!!! The excitement and anxiety heightens with each passing day. My fingers are crossed for you!!!

[pathi]

10 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Crossing my fingers but it doesn't look good.  Every day, there are fewer and fewer balconies available.  About 33 days out and bid is still "pending".  Might wait until inside the 30 days to up bid by a few dollars.  Happy where I am, but would be "happier" if my bid was accepted.

3 days to my cruise. Bids are still pending lol.

[Prost Seattle]

I’m doing a 17 day cruise Seattle to Seattle around the Hawaiian islands, my mother and I.  We currently have a mini-suite mid-forward, would there be much of a chance for us to get an upgrade from this category?

[wndyctygal]

We are sailing out of Vancouver on the Sapphire on 5/10. I originally booked a balcony room for the 4 of us knowing it would be a squeeze, but that we were planning to spend minimal time in the room, but I did put in a bid for an upgrade to a mini-suite. I bid the minimum - $135 - and was informed at about 32 days out that our bid was accepted. Totally worth $270 for the duration of the cruise to have that much extra space 😄 

[TN-Mountains]

29 minutes ago, wndyctygal said:

We are sailing out of Vancouver on the Sapphire on 5/10. I originally booked a balcony room for the 4 of us knowing it would be a squeeze, but that we were planning to spend minimal time in the room, but I did put in a bid for an upgrade to a mini-suite. I bid the minimum - $135 - and was informed at about 32 days out that our bid was accepted. Totally worth $270 for the duration of the cruise to have that much extra space 😄 

So is the upgrade bid just for the 1st two passengers in the cabin?  Are passengers 3 & 4 upgraded free?

[wndyctygal]

1 minute ago, TN-Mountains said:

So is the upgrade bid just for the 1st two passengers in the cabin?  Are passengers 3 & 4 upgraded free?

If your bid is accepted, you pay the amount submitted for the first 2 people in your room and everyone moves to the new room, so yes, in effect, passengers 3 and 4 were upgraded free 🙂

[HiCCCs]

44 minutes ago, wndyctygal said:

We are sailing out of Vancouver on the Sapphire on 5/10. I originally booked a balcony room for the 4 of us knowing it would be a squeeze, but that we were planning to spend minimal time in the room, but I did put in a bid for an upgrade to a mini-suite. I bid the minimum - $135 - and was informed at about 32 days out that our bid was accepted. Totally worth $270 for the duration of the cruise to have that much extra space 😄 

Your guardian angels all got together and said, "We gotta do something to save them!!! Congrats. You will all breathe a sigh of relief enjoying that mini-suite!

[jwattle]

So...semi on topic....we have EZ Air on Air New Zealand from San Francisco to Sydney and on their site ( ANZ) we can bid to upgrade. It would COST about $5,000 more pp roundtrip to bump from premium economy to Business Premier but minimum bid is $1,100. See how we "fare". 😂🍻💕

[LACruiser88]

5 minutes ago, jwattle said:

So...semi on topic....we have EZ Air on Air New Zealand from San Francisco to Sydney and on their site ( ANZ) we can bid to upgrade. It would COST about $5,000 more pp roundtrip to bump from premium economy to Business Premier but minimum bid is $1,100. See how we "fare". 😂🍻💕

Good luck!

[wndyctygal]

21 hours ago, HiCCCs said:

Your guardian angels all got together and said, "We gotta do something to save them!!! Congrats. You will all breathe a sigh of relief enjoying that mini-suite!

Right?? It is going to be much better. And I think easier to enjoy the scenic glacier cruising day too.

[HiCCCs]

11 hours ago, jwattle said:

So...semi on topic....we have EZ Air on Air New Zealand from San Francisco to Sydney and on their site ( ANZ) we can bid to upgrade. It would COST about $5,000 more pp roundtrip to bump from premium economy to Business Premier but minimum bid is $1,100. See how we "fare". 😂🍻💕

Hold the phone.....are you saying you can bid on EZ Air fares????? Or what exactly are you saying here???? I have never heard about bidding to upgrade on airfare through Princess.