Can you just make an offer?

[tde1969]

We are looking to upgrade and have a budget in mind.  Has anyone ever called NCL and just said "I can pay this?"

 

 

[UKstages]

NCL itself doesn’t manage the upgrade offer process. it’s done by an outside firm. so, that wouldn’t really work. you can monitor prices in the months and weeks leading up to your departure to see if it makes sense to outright “buy” the upgrade by booking the desired room, independent of the upgrade process. you can do that by making mock bookings online and by calling NCL.

 

saying “i can pay this” is essentially what the upgrade process is about. it’s done online, however. and there may be others who are willing to pay more. the online upgrade process, with its bids from many hopefuls, is designed to maximize revenue. a phone call with just one passenger is designed to maximize revenue, too… but just from that one passenger.

 

also, the way the upgrades are managed isn’t all about what you will pay… it’s also about which room you’ll be vacating… part of the process is upgrading others into the room you just gave up to move into another room. if you have a club balcony and move to the haven, that then gives them a club balcony that they can sell (upgrade) somebody else.

[pghflyer]

People do this - on the phone and at the front desk onboard........but I don't recall any instances of success. If they allow this, it encourages the practice and discourages people from buying the rooms at "regular rates" or even secondarily, participating in the official upgrade program.  I am a cheap/ deals person, and I can say I would not bother with this approach.

[zqvol]

There is no reason that you can't try it, but it is not likely to be successful.

[julig22]

Of course you can offer to pay for an upgrade - it has nothing to do with the bidding process, although you would need to cancel your bid if you do get a paid upgrade.

I've seen a number of posts from people who claim to have been successful with a paid upgrade.  Operative word is Paid. Not paid, not so successful. But keep in mind that what looks like a price drop to you might not be a price drop to NCL - it depends on the perks you had when you booked vs the current prices.

[MeHeartCruising]

A couple of the above answers seem to be preoccupied with the online bidding upgrade process that NCL now uses.  However, You can always call NCL at any time and ask what it would cost to upgrade your cabin to a higher category.  They are happy to do that math for you.  But it will be based on current pricing of the higher cabin.  There have been reports of people doing just this.  Especially if the price of the cruise has dropped since initial booking. 
 

If “I can pay this” gets you to the current selling price of the higher cabin, they will indeed happily take your money. 

Edited July 13, 2023 by MeHeartCruising

[scooter6139]

Certainly welcome to try, but I don't believe NCL has any pity or good heartedness to accept a lowball offer on any cabins.  😏  Otherwise my Haven offers to my PCC at Balcony prices would go a lot better. 🤑🤣

Edited July 13, 2023 by scooter6139

[UKstages]

this is largely a question of semantics… paying the current price for the cabin isn’t really an “upgrade”… you’re moving on up, but you’re paying the current full price. you’re purchasing whatever accommodation you prefer to be in rather than participating in a bidding process for an upgrade.

 

NCL agents have no wiggle room to negotiate fares… it isn’t a marketplace bazaar in istanbul.

 

 

[Asawi]

I contacted my PCC and asked what he could do price-wise to get me room upgrade on a cruise that at the time was a few weeks away. What he came back with was good enough for me. Much lower than if I had made a bid in the "upgrade auction".

 

[phoenix1181]

I paid for an upgrade from an OV to a BA for $12.35.  I can be a bit over the top about some things & really wanted a balcony but cruising solo gets expensive.  I did mock bookings multiple times a day.  I was jumping for joy when I saw the price drop on balcony cabins.  It was more than I had originally paid for my OV, booked after final payment, which is key.  My family laughs about my price checking obsession but it has save me a lot of $$ over the years.  Sometimes a price is reduced for only a matter of hours so checking often is well worth the time.

 

[graphicguy]

If you get on board and there are cabins available for upgrade, they'll tell you the upgrade price.  I've seen this on Celebrity.  Never on NCL. Matter of fact, they usually have a sign at the Customer Service Desk stating something along the lines of "no upgrade cabins available".

 

I've NEVER heard of an NCL PCC being able to negotiate the fare.  It is whatever is published.  You can do the bid for an upgrade process, but unless your bid is pretty high, the odds of winning are slim, particularly for full ships, which NCL seems to be sailing at.

 

But, as far as trying to negotiate like you would buying a car?  NEVER heard of it happening.

 

That said, I just upgraded (not bid, but asked for the upgrade charge) from an H9 Haven Spa Suite (which was a great fare to begin with using NCL Coupons) to a 2 BR Haven Villa for $113.  That's a first for me.

 

Keep an eye out for price drops.  

 

OP...what are you trying to upgrade to and what's your budget?  Maybe we can steer you in the right direction.

Edited July 13, 2023 by graphicguy

[janice2348]

The bid offer is often higher than calling and upgrading.  Be sure to check what an upgrade would really cost (by doing a mock booking) before placing a bid. If it’s less just call NCL and upgrade.  I’ve done this successfully in the past. 

[julig22]

To clarify, can you pay for an upgrade - possibly.  Can you negotiate a price - no.  You would pay the difference between what you paid and the current price of the upgrade.

[BirdTravels]

On 7/13/2023 at 11:50 AM, tde1969 said:

We are looking to upgrade and have a budget in mind.  Has anyone ever called NCL and just said "I can pay this?"

 

 

As long as "this" is the retail prices of a higher cabin class. The call center personnel are not going to get into a rates negotiation. They can change your cabin class and charge you the difference in price. 

[insidecabin]

In the old days when the upgrades were managed by people sending emails or by calling if you knew the number  there was room for some negotiation, you could counter offer.

 

We counter offered to get 2 cabins upgraded when only one had the offer email, that worked.

 

By checking availability you could offer on a different grade to the one they were offering you.

We had an offer in on a GV merging cabins but other upgrades were better value so pulled it.

 

Those people on the phones had some discretion the goal was fill the cabins and move onto the next person.

 

Not going to happen now,

 

People have said with MSC direct they do sometime secure a deal with a discount over the published price as that get closer to the TA discounted rates which is often the deal breaker.