Coral Princess

[Aus Traveller]

I have received an email asking if I would like to bid for an up-grade on our cabin on a Coral Princess cruise. I recall that there is a way I can check which cabins are unsold at the moment. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

[OzKiwiJJ]

You just do a dummy booking. But it's irrelevant if they are sold or not at this point in time. People cancel at the last minute - which is how we managed to get a really good cabin for the Round Australia cruise last October, a week before departure date.

 

I put in a lowish bid for a minisuite for our upcoming Grand cruise in March. All the minisuites are currently sold so we'll see what happens.

[Aus Traveller]

22 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

You just do a dummy booking. But it's irrelevant if they are sold or not at this point in time. People cancel at the last minute - which is how we managed to get a really good cabin for the Round Australia cruise last October, a week before departure date.

 

I put in a lowish bid for a minisuite for our upcoming Grand cruise in March. All the minisuites are currently sold so we'll see what happens.

Thanks for the info. I have been speaking to our TA. He recommends staying in the cabin we are in because it has a fully-covered balcony.

[OzKiwiJJ]

34 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

Thanks for the info. I have been speaking to our TA. He recommends staying in the cabin we are in because it has a fully-covered balcony.

Depending on the itinerary that can be very important on Coral. Afternoon sun on an uncovered balcony makes for a very hot cabin and the air-con on Coral doesn't always cope with that.

[Aus Traveller]

3 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Depending on the itinerary that can be very important on Coral. Afternoon sun on an uncovered balcony makes for a very hot cabin and the air-con on Coral doesn't always cope with that.

It is a cruise to NZ. We like a covered balcony.

[NSWP]

9 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

It is a cruise to NZ. We like a covered balcony.

And no worries about the rain either, nice to sit out on a covered balcony in the rain.   As for catching the sun you can always proceed up to the 'Melanoma Deck'  if you are a sun worshipper like myself.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, Aus Traveller said:

It is a cruise to NZ. We like a covered balcony.

I prefer a covered balcony too. 

 

 

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, NSWP said:

And no worries about the rain either, nice to sit out on a covered balcony in the rain.   As for catching the sun you can always proceed up to the 'Melanoma Deck'  if you are a sun worshipper like myself.

As long as the rain is vertical not slanting into the balcony, which has happened to us a few times. 

[arxcards]

That is the downside to the auction process. You are bidding for a guarantee cabin, not a specific one. The same has always applied, but for complimentary upgrades of which not all were good.

[OzKiwiJJ]

15 minutes ago, arxcards said:

That is the downside to the auction process. You are bidding for a guarantee cabin, not a specific one. The same has always applied, but for complimentary upgrades of which not all were good.

True. I have heard you do get a chance to turn the offer down if it's somewhere you don't want to be. 

 

I carefully checked the deck plans before deciding to bid on a Grand minisuite. 😁

[arxcards]

56 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

True. I have heard you do get a chance to turn the offer down if it's somewhere you don't want to be. 

 

I carefully checked the deck plans before deciding to bid on a Grand minisuite. 😁

I am not even sure they tell you a cabin number, just which bid was successful. At least those I have bid on for Majestic are all in pretty specific locations. Currently in a mini, and bidding for club class and a couple of the suites.

[Aus Traveller]

I am thinking of bidding for a premium balcony (up from a BD balcony). Can anyone tell me if premium balconies are categories B1 and B2 (sounds like Bananas in Pyjamas!)? Are the balconies covered? I probably should ask which decks have covered balconies.

Edited January 13, 2023 by Aus Traveller

[SinbadThePorter]

5 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

I probably should ask which decks have covered balconies.

This should show them.

[OzKiwiJJ]

33 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

I am thinking of bidding for a premium balcony (up from a BD balcony). Can anyone tell me if premium balconies are categories B1 and B2 (sounds like Bananas in Pyjamas!)? Are the balconies covered? I probably should ask which decks have covered balconies.

Yes, the Bananas in Pyjamas are premium balconies. Caribe deck, partly covered. 

Edited January 13, 2023 by OzKiwiJJ

[Aus Traveller]

1 minute ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Yes, the Bananas in Pyjamas are premium balconies. Caribe deck, partly covered. 

The ship is fully booked. I am in the process of putting in a fairly low bid. It is unlikely to be successful because it will depend on someone cancelling. Nothing to lose.

[OzKiwiJJ]

2 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

The ship is fully booked. I am in the process of putting in a fairly low bid. It is unlikely to be successful because it will depend on someone cancelling. Nothing to lose.

That's what I thought when I put my Grand minisuite bid in.

[NSWP]

9 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Yes, the Bananas in Pyjamas are premium balconies. Caribe deck, partly covered. 

I had one of those on Coral in Sept, C333.  Given the poor weather as you would know Julie, it was a good choice, albeit a little pricey, but I booked quite late.

[MicCanberra]

The secret to getting an upgrade is to bid just high enough to beat all the low bids.h

[OzKiwiJJ]

6 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

The secret to getting an upgrade is to bid just high enough to beat all the low bids.h

But how do you determine what that is? Especially if others have the same idea.

[NSWP]

1 minute ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

But how do you determine what that is? Especially if others have the same idea.

Mic might be a clairvoyant, lol.

Edited January 13, 2023 by NSWP

[MicCanberra]

5 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

But how do you determine what that is? Especially if others have the same idea.

That is the lottery of a low but not too low b8d.

[MicCanberra]

5 minutes ago, NSWP said:

Mic might be a clairvoyant, lol.

I have perfect hindsight

[Aus Traveller]

38 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

The secret to getting an upgrade is to bid just high enough to beat all the low bids.h

It also depends how many cabins are available in the category you are bidding for. 🙂

[MicCanberra]

True, that would help

[arxcards]

4 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

But how do you determine what that is? Especially if others have the same idea.

Given time, there is sure to be a site devoted to logging successful bids.

 

As to outbidding, if $150 is considered a reasonable bid, bid a number like $156. No guarantees, but you will pip anyone bidding $150. The downside is that these are not silent auctions. If nobody else bids, you still pay your price, not the minimum price.