Uniworld Upgrade Program

[UDChE89]

Has anyone had any experience with Uniworld’s upgrade program?  I’ve booked a trip and received the opportunity to upgrade but wonder if anyone has done it and their experience.  The offers are typical for what I’ve seen with NCL where the upgrades are a full cabin price whether single or double occupancy.

[mozfoz]

Not sure if you mean the ability to "bid" on an upgrade or just "purchase" an upgrade. Regarding a chance to bid, I was successful when given the opportunity. I bid just a few dollars above the minimum and the bid was accepted. Went from a Classic to a French Balcony for $610.

[Ritabob]

mozfoz, was the $610 per person and for a one or two week cruise?

[mozfoz]

The minimum asking  bid by Uniworld was $300 pp. It was for a one week sailing. Our bid was $305 pp. So the total upgrade was $610. I think the minimum bid for a Balcony was a couple hundred  dollars more, but we would rather have a French balcony. Both the offer and notification of acceptance occurred about 90 days prior to the sail date. The cabin location was at their choice, which was a bit of a concern,  but the location could not have beed better  In our opinion, either one was a good value. We prefer a French balcony over a Balcony.  While the cruise was the last of the "Castles on the Rhine" sailing for the 2022 season, the ship was at capacity and the food and service were up to Uniworlds reputation.

[UDChE89]

14 hours ago, mozfoz said:

The minimum asking  bid by Uniworld was $300 pp. It was for a one week sailing. Our bid was $305 pp. So the total upgrade was $610. I think the minimum bid for a Balcony was a couple hundred  dollars more, but we would rather have a French balcony. Both the offer and notification of acceptance occurred about 90 days prior to the sail date. The cabin location was at their choice, which was a bit of a concern,  but the location could not have beed better  In our opinion, either one was a good value. We prefer a French balcony over a Balcony.  While the cruise was the last of the "Castles on the Rhine" sailing for the 2022 season, the ship was at capacity and the food and service were up to Uniworlds reputation.

Thanks.  I’m already in a French Balcony and was curious.  I had a suite on a different cruise line last year and loved it.

Edited February 10, 2023 by UDChE89

[mozfoz]

10 hours ago, UDChE89 said:

Thanks.  I’m already in a French Balcony and was curious.  I had a suite on a different cruise line last year and loved it.

Suites were also available for bids., starting bids I think about $1100pp.

[PNFL]

My river cruise is in June and we are doing Castles Along the Rhine and I just got the email to bid on an upgrade.  I am currently booked in a deluxe balcony room and the minimum bid

to upgrade to a suite was 600 pp so I put a bid in for $610 pp.  I doubt I will get it but thought I give it a try.  The email I received back from Uniworld said that "most offers are evaluated between14 and 3 days before departure.

[Ritabob]

Our cruise begins in April,  so my guess is we are not going to have the fun of bidding for an upgrade.  Maybe Uniworld is saving a suite as a surprise for us when we embark.  😉

[Canal archive]

I’ve never heard of bidding for an upgrade before but then I’ve only traveled with Scenic.

What is the usual difference in pricing between cabins and is it worth it? Just so interested.

[mozfoz]

2 hours ago, Canal archive said:

 

What is the usual difference in pricing between cabins and is it worth it? Just so interested.

Another thing about bidding is that you do not have a choice of cabin location. The cruise line assigns the cabin if your bid is accepted. So you ask "is it worth it"? For us it was, we ended up with an upgraded category for $610, and were lucky to get a great location. YMMV

[UDChE89]

4 hours ago, Ritabob said:

Our cruise begins in April,  so my guess is we are not going to have the fun of bidding for an upgrade.  Maybe Uniworld is saving a suite as a surprise for us when we embark.  😉

Mine starts April 9.

[UDChE89]

3 hours ago, Canal archive said:

I’ve never heard of bidding for an upgrade before but then I’ve only traveled with Scenic.

What is the usual difference in pricing between cabins and is it worth it? Just so interested.

For my cruise, the suggested minimum upgrade prices are $150 to Deluxe Balcony, $750 to Suite, and $1,700 to Grand Suite.  As a Single, double my cost ($300/$1,500/$3,400).  Uniworld has a no single supplement special going on now.  The difference between the levels are $500/$2,300/$5,000.  I may wait until a little closer to see how the cabins book out.

[UDChE89]

Just an update.  Bid $760 pp and was notified today, about 32 days out, that my upgrade bid was accepted.  Saved about $1000 over the original price for the suite.

[rove312]

On Uniworld's Nuremberg-Amsterdam cruise last October, we bid $255 per person for an upgrade from the few Classic rooms to the Deluxe  (most staterooms; minimum upgrade bid $200) and it was accepted about 50 days before the cruise.  We've done the same for the Brilliant Bordeaux cruise in April; we're about at that point and haven't heard back; we'll see if we hear soon or it will be 3-14 days.

[Canal archive]

Ohhh anticipation is a **************. Fingers and toes crossed for you!

[rove312]

On 3/7/2023 at 9:43 PM, rove312 said:

On Uniworld's Nuremberg-Amsterdam cruise last October, we bid $255 per person for an upgrade from the few Classic rooms to the Deluxe  (most staterooms; minimum upgrade bid $200) and it was accepted about 50 days before the cruise.  We've done the same for the Brilliant Bordeaux cruise in April; we're about at that point and haven't heard back; we'll see if we hear soon or it will be 3-14 days.

The update is: bid accepted 18 days before departure.

[Canal archive]

Phew I can walk and write correctly again, no joking apart enjoy your upgrade.

[UDChE89]

So, let me just give you my thoughts about the upgraded cabin since it’s almost two weeks since the cruise ended.  In general, I don’t think I’d pay for the upgrade again.  I had a suite cabin on a Viva cruise last year (MS Thomas Hardy now sailing for Riviera) and, personally, liked that suite better.  My Maria Theresa suite was, fortunately, not as overly decorated as I had feared but more overdone than the Thomas Hardy.  Bed was very comfortable but I don’t think I watched TV at all.  Nor did I use the bar or the butler provided.  I did use the heck out of the Nespresso machine though (on both cruises).  In general, I found the furniture used for seating on the Maria Theresa to not be the most comfortable.  I got a fantastic deal for my suite cabin on the Thomas Hardy (about what I paid for my original cabin on the Maria Theresa) last year so that’s also a factor.  My cousin didn’t get an upgrade from our originally selected cabin and I think I would have just been fine with that for this trip.

[Canal archive]

On the plus side you now know what the upgrade is like - can say you’ve done it but wouldn’t do it again - knowledge is sometimes very useful. Hopefully you enjoyed yourself apart from the weather.

Edited April 29, 2023 by Canal archive

[UDChE89]

1 hour ago, Canal archive said:

On the plus side you now know what the upgrade is like - can say you’ve done it but wouldn’t do it again - knowledge is sometimes very useful. Hopefully you enjoyed yourself apart from the weather.

You’re absolutely correct.  My cousin and I did get a chuckle when we found out the upgrade a couple became friends with was to my old cabin.

 

I felt bad for my cousin because the weather prevented us from spending time on the sun deck or wandering around after our excursions but she enjoyed the trip enough that we chuckled about looking at cruises after receiving Uniworld’s latest email.

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, UDChE89 said:

I felt bad for my cousin because the weather prevented us from spending time on the sun deck or wandering around after our excursions but she enjoyed the trip enough that we chuckled about looking at cruises after receiving Uniworld’s latest email.

This is where the new design option, on some river and ocean cruise lines, of the inside or infinite balcony [a huge window that slides down for air and views or stays up for bad weather] pays off.  If the sun deck is too cold/rainy, you can still enjoy your warm/dry 'balcony.'

[UDChE89]

That definitely was the case during the cruise.  The unfortunate thing was that the space felt very narrow and, again, the furniture wasn’t all that comfortable.  I envied people passing with full outdoor balconies even though I probably wouldn’t have been able to use it that much.

[ak1004]

Hello everyone,

 

We will be sailing on the Uniworld Empress in September. We booked the classic room (106) and just got an upgrade offer ($200 minimum pp for deluxe and $350 pp for French balcony).

 

It's our first river cruise, so any advise would be appreciated. My understanding is that all of them are the same size, just different decks. Is going to a higher deck worth the difference? Are those amounts typical, or they might offer lower minimums as we get close to the sailing date? Right now they still have over 50% availability for deluxe cabins.

 

Thank you!

[gnome12]

Deluxe has bigger windows than classic, and the windows will be lower down the wall. Both classic and deluxe have fixed windows. A French balcony has full height windows that can open to get fresh air into the cabin. I have no idea what it would take to get an upgrade (my Uniworld cruises were 12 and 13 years ago and they didn’t offer such things). Personally, I wouldn’t expect those minimum bids to be dropped. 

[tulok]

I usually sail on Uniworld and have been in the “swan view”  and french balcony cabins.

The amount of time you spend in your cabin is so minimal, I would just see what you want to do with the money. I much prefer drinks in the lounge or on top deck. I just use the cabin to change and sleep. We usually book so late we get what is left, which is fine with me. 

If you are one that would sit in your cabin and look out the window, then you want to upgrade. Otherwise, service is all the same, cabins are close to the same, and all decks have easy access to everything.

(I am a shopper, so I can find something to do with the $$$)