Free Casino Cruise Upgrade question

[NCLuckyWon]

I am taking a "free" cruise to Alaska. I have 7 Star status with Caesars and I'm taking the free "annual voyage". The offer is for an ocean view room, which is what I booked. I selected the premium drink package, so total with taxes, fees, etc, is $1530. My question - will I get upgrade offers and/or have ability to bid on upgrades with it being a free cruise to begin with? Will i have to bid a lot more than others because my cruise is already heavily discounted?

 

I've typically started getting offers right away and haven't seen anything yet. I don't even see a way to explore upgrade options, but I'm a little more than 150 days out. I normally book 3-4 months out.

 

Lastly, I'm exploring other cruise options since I've read mixed reviews about Norwegian Bliss. If I cancel more than 120 days out, will my deposit be fully refunded? This is my first time sailing with Norwegian and only second cruise ever (with Holland America). 

[JGmf]

That's a lot of questions packed in there.  I can help on two of them regarding upgrades.  Look on the terms and conditions of your $1530 payment on the matter of refunds.

 

Will I get upgrade offers or get to bid on them (for a 'free' casino cruise)?  How can I see them?

Based on my own experience booking through a casino offer, yes, you can bid on upgrades. You may not necessarily get an email invitation.  Log into your NCL account, select "My Vacation" and this option should be available to you if you can upgrade.

 

 

 

Will I have to bid more?

I don't know. Not sure anyone on these boards knows. There's a lot of speculation on how bids are considered. Just don't get caught up in the process, bidding more than you're willing to spend.

 

 

[cruiserbear55]

1 hour ago, NCLuckyWon said:

If I cancel more than 120 days out, will my deposit be fully refunded?

 

    Yes.

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, NCLuckyWon said:

I am taking a "free" cruise to Alaska. I have 7 Star status with Caesars and I'm taking the free "annual voyage". The offer is for an ocean view room, which is what I booked. I selected the premium drink package, so total with taxes, fees, etc, is $1530. My question - will I get upgrade offers and/or have ability to bid on upgrades with it being a free cruise to begin with? Will i have to bid a lot more than others because my cruise is already heavily discounted?

 

I've typically started getting offers right away and haven't seen anything yet. I don't even see a way to explore upgrade options, but I'm a little more than 150 days out. I normally book 3-4 months out.

 

Lastly, I'm exploring other cruise options since I've read mixed reviews about Norwegian Bliss. If I cancel more than 120 days out, will my deposit be fully refunded? This is my first time sailing with Norwegian and only second cruise ever (with Holland America). 

 

Yes. You will be allowed to bid on upgrades when you get closer to your departure date. 

 

The actual mechanism of awarding upgrades is a deep dark mystery. If you are bidding on a Balcony or Club Balcony, it should be fairly easy to get an upgrade if the ship is not full. Past performance is not a indicator of future performance..., but we bid on an upgrade from an casino offer Ocean View to Balcony for $100 per person ($200 total) on the Prima in December and got the upgrade 15 days prior to departure. We received our offer to upgrade 110 days prior to departure. 

 

Alaska is one of those cruise destinations that you really want to have a balcony (even paying the casino upgrade price). We sit out in the evenings as the ship moves between ports watching the scenery and looking for sea life (whales, dolphins). Peaceful and relaxing. We cruise Alaska every year. 

 

wrt the Bliss, she is a beautiful ship that was purpose built for the Alaskan market. Don't believe everything you read on the internet, I would sail on the Bliss again in a heartbeat (we sail on NCL and Royal Caribbean around 6-7 times a year). We are sailing on the Encore to Alaska about the same time as you. The Encore is the Bliss' younger sister and we picked her because the itinerary included Glacier Bay. 

 

The following Live Post is a few years old, but will give you a peak at the Bliss sailing to Alaska

 

If you gamble on the ship, can book directly with CAS in the future. Some of their player development management screwed up the current room comp approach for the past 6 months, but hopefully that will resolve itself over time. Points system work similar to Caesars. If you gamble to a Caesars Diamond level (NCL Ruby), you get free top-shelf drinks and $400 OBC on every cruise. If you gamble to a Caesars 7 Stars level (NCL Elite), you get top-self drinks, $1000 OBC, car service to/from ship, comp'ed daily service charges, one comp'ed shore ex for 2 people (up to $300 each). 

[UKstages]

a quick question and a note about upgrading a "free" casino cruise on NCL... are you traveling solo?

 

if so, be aware that, while there is no single supplement or penalty when booking a comped cruise, when it comes to an upgrade bid, your bid will be doubled... in other words, you'll be charged twice the upgrade bid amount, as if you were traveling with a second person, even if you are traveling alone.