Booking strategy for upgrades

[igorjrr]

Hello!

Cruise: MSC Grandiosa, December, 7 days.

 

When booking Interior, what upgrade options will be available later? Interior to Ocean View? Interior to Balcony? Also, is there also a separate upgrade option to Yacht Club (YC) experience?

 

Currently YC is being sold for over $3k per person (crazy! considering Balcony is about $900). It shows only Suites are available, all other options are unavailable (hard to believe they are all sold out). Would YC upgrade bid be available if I book Interior?

 

Another question is that for Ocean View, Aurea is not available (Aurea is only available in Balcony). So if I book Ocean View, I will never be able to get Aurea later?

 

Not sure if I should book the most expensive option available already (Balcony with Aurea) and just bid for YC, or if I should just book Interior and play with upgrades (but I'm not sure what kind of upgrades would be available - stateroom type AND experience, or just stateroom, or just experience).

 

Thanks for any insights!

Edited July 11, 2023 by igorjrr

[Essiesmom]

I have never sailed Grandiosa, or that class.  But I am booked for the second time on Seaside.  The first time I studied the deck plans, and discovered that whereas there are a lot of inside cabins, there are only 80 OV cabins, equally divided between Bella and Fantastica.  But there are over 1300 balconies.  So, I booked a Fantastica OV gty, on the suspicion that I would be upgraded to a balcony.  And I was.  
   Four years later, and I am again looking at Seaside.  Sailing solo now, and price driven, I booked Fantastica inside gty.  I am doing a 4/3 nite B2B.  I got the second cabin allocated first, a forward balcony with steel balustrade.  And I have been invited to bid on upgrades twice, all categories.  A couple weeks later I got the cabin for the first leg, another balcony, different deck…. Also invited to bid for all categories of upgrade.  I put in low bids for Aurea balcony and Yacht Club inside, but don’t expect to get any.  In particular, a mock booking for the first leg says all sold out.  
 

so in conclusion, looking at Grandiosa, she has 755 insides, 160 OV, and 1350 balconies.  I would go for an OV gty.  EM

[igorjrr]

10 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

I have never sailed Grandiosa, or that class.  But I am booked for the second time on Seaside.  The first time I studied the deck plans, and discovered that whereas there are a lot of inside cabins, there are only 80 OV cabins, equally divided between Bella and Fantastica.  But there are over 1300 balconies.  So, I booked a Fantastica OV gty, on the suspicion that I would be upgraded to a balcony.  And I was.  
   Four years later, and I am again looking at Seaside.  Sailing solo now, and price driven, I booked Fantastica inside gty.  I am doing a 4/3 nite B2B.  I got the second cabin allocated first, a forward balcony with steel balustrade.  And I have been invited to bid on upgrades twice, all categories.  A couple weeks later I got the cabin for the first leg, another balcony, different deck…. Also invited to bid for all categories of upgrade.  I put in low bids for Aurea balcony and Yacht Club inside, but don’t expect to get any.  In particular, a mock booking for the first leg says all sold out.  
 

so in conclusion, looking at Grandiosa, she has 755 insides, 160 OV, and 1350 balconies.  I would go for an OV gty.  EM

 

Interesting! Could you please clarify: "on the suspicion that I would be upgraded to a balcony. And I was.". Did you bid to be upgraded? Was it much less than just booking Balcony?

 

Also, "I have been invited to bid on upgrades twice, all categories". You mean invited to upgrade from Inside to Ocean View/Balcony/Suite? Also upgrade from Fantastica to Aurea or Yacht Club?

 

At the end, why would you suggest OV gty instead of Interior Fantastica and working with upgrades?

 

Finally, cruise is only in December. Will I get an option to bid upgrade, or even have it confirmed, before September (when deposit becomes non refundable)?

 

(sorry for so many questions... these things can be confusing)

[Morgsmom]

Book what you are comfortable with would be my recommendation.  Upgrades can be complimentary, or you can pay (potentially) for them with the bidding system.  Keep in mind that your minimum bid will be based on what you paid for your initial category. 

 

[mscdivina2016]

9 hours ago, igorjrr said:

 

Interesting! Could you please clarify: "on the suspicion that I would be upgraded to a balcony. And I was.". Did you bid to be upgraded? Was it much less than just booking Balcony?

 

Also, "I have been invited to bid on upgrades twice, all categories". You mean invited to upgrade from Inside to Ocean View/Balcony/Suite? Also upgrade from Fantastica to Aurea or Yacht Club?

 

At the end, why would you suggest OV gty instead of Interior Fantastica and working with upgrades?

 

Finally, cruise is only in December. Will I get an option to bid upgrade, or even have it confirmed, before September (when deposit becomes non refundable)?

 

(sorry for so many questions... these things can be confusing)

You may be able to bid in September,but you probably won't know until 10 days prior if you won.  

 

You must be in a balcony to bid YC.

 

What essiesmom is saying is that there are a ton of balconies and it's easier to go up 1 from OV instead of 2 from inside. The reasoning is spot on for bidding.

[igorjrr]

2 minutes ago, mscdivina2016 said:

You must be in a balcony to bid YC.

 

Thank you! Is this true? Because I had one MSC before, Interior, I was able to bid (and win) YC. I kept Interior, but with YC experience.

[Essiesmom]

I suspected I might be upgraded from an OV gty because there were only 40 in the Fantastica experience, and some people will book a particular cabin, and they will not have enough for gty, thus an upgrade.  
with my current bookings, Fantastica inside gty, I was offered to bid for all categories of Aurea and YC.  
  The first upgrade bid offer came before any cabin was assigned, and I was still an inside gty.  That offer included all categories from OV , balcony, Aurea, YC.  That time I bid on an OV, basic Aurea, and YIN.  The point is, I really don’t care about a balcony.  I booked them when my sister sailed with me, because she liked to sit out and read.  I preferred to be out and about on the ship.  She is gone, so insides are fine.  EM

[awatt]

Is upgrade bidding dependent on receiving an email from MSC?

[Qc-Mtl-To]

Ultimately, I'd book what I'm willing to live with regardless of potential upgrade. Anything else is a plus in my view and allowed me to make a better decision re. whether or not to bid when/if I got the upgrade email. I'd recommend to book and keep monitoring to see if something good comes up prior to sailing. I've recently had good luck upgrading from an Aurea balcony to a yacht club balcony at less than what the opening bid was for a friend on the Mera July 30 sailing. .

[mscdivina2016]

1 hour ago, awatt said:

Is upgrade bidding dependent on receiving an email from MSC?

Yes. Some TAs do not participate.

[awatt]

6 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Yes. Some TAs do not participate.

Have booked with MSC directly so we will see. Thanks.

[mscdivina2016]

1 hour ago, awatt said:

Have booked with MSC directly so we will see. Thanks.

Transfer to a TA if you can.  Too many issues may arrive and it's better to have a TA. Costs you nothing.

[igorjrr]

1 minute ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Transfer to a TA if you can.  Too many issues may arrive and it's better to have a TA. Costs you nothing.

 

Really? Sometimes I hear the opposite, that a TA is often in the way.

Also, booking with a TA might prevent from bidding upgrades (at least independently)?

[mscdivina2016]

Just now, igorjrr said:

 

Really? Sometimes I hear the opposite, that a TA is often in the way.

Also, booking with a TA might prevent from bidding upgrades (at least independently)?

Want your fare to increase after you are paid in full?

Want you cruise to be moved to a different date? Different embarkation port? Different country?

How about being downgraded to a much lesser cabin with no reduction in fare?

 

All of the above has happened to me.

Downgrade was from YC to a regular balcony.

[Stockjock]

I typically book what I want at a minimum.  I find that often, the price difference between OV and Veranda isn't that great, so I just book a veranda that I am comfortable with.  Not too confident in the bidding thing.  I'd rather book what I want in the first place.

Edited July 12, 2023 by Stockjock

[Essiesmom]

Well, last night I checked the app and my balcony cabins were still there.  Woke this morning to two MSC emails.  For the second leg of my B2B my bid to Aurea balcony was accepted!  My bid of $195pp was not aggressive, but was accepted.  Now to wait and see what happens with the first leg.  That’s the one I really want, because I’m not excited about the balcony I was upgraded to.  It is a quad which connects to another quad, which also connects to a double.  I fear a very large family in the other two connectors.  But, it’s only four nights.  
  To put in perspective, if the first leg is also upgraded to Aurea, or even YIN, total cost for the two cruises which total 7 days will be less than what I paid in June for a 7 day cruise to Bermuda on Celebrity Summit in an inside cabin.  EM