Can I upgrade my cabin last minute?

[dpavid]

We booked a Balcony on Encore months ago for Alaska 2024. We paid the full total price to secure our spot on the ship with our family. 32 of us in 10 cabins.

 

I've booked sailaway rates sub 30 days prior to departure for cruises and can travel at the last minute. Usually, getting them at a steal!

 

Suppose a Haven suite or upgraded cabin is available 30 days out at a ridiculously low rate. Has anyone successfully called in and upgraded their cabin for the price difference? I don't want to cancel my reservation since it's attached to booked shore excursions and dining, and I want to retain them.

 

I just got an email to bid for an upgraded cabin, but there's no guarantee. I was hoping for a guaranteed upgrade path at the last minute.

[RocketMan275]

3 minutes ago, dpavid said:

We booked a Balcony on Encore months ago for Alaska 2024. We paid the full total price to secure our spot on the ship with our family. 32 of us in 10 cabins.

 

I've booked sailaway rates sub 30 days prior to departure for cruises and can travel at the last minute. Usually, getting them at a steal!

 

Suppose a Haven suite or upgraded cabin is available 30 days out at a ridiculously low rate. Has anyone successfully called in and upgraded their cabin for the price difference? I don't want to cancel my reservation since it's attached to booked shore excursions and dining, and I want to retain them.

 

I just got an email to bid for an upgraded cabin, but there's no guarantee. I was hoping for a guaranteed upgrade path at the last minute.

Yes, you can call in and ask to  upgrade  your cabin.

Don't be surprised if they're all sold out at that late date.

Very unlikely that  you're going to 'steal' a very good rate. Haven cabins usually sell out well before 30 days out.  

Second, 32 fellow passengers.  Would you be the only one in the Haven if you did upgrade?

Are you aware that none of your other friends would have Havn Priviledges?  Wouldn't that be arkward at best?

[dpavid]

51 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Yes, you can call in and ask to  upgrade  your cabin.

Don't be surprised if they're all sold out at that late date.

Very unlikely that  you're going to 'steal' a very good rate. Haven cabins usually sell out well before 30 days out.  

Second, 32 fellow passengers.  Would you be the only one in the Haven if you did upgrade?

Are you aware that none of your other friends would have Havn Priviledges?  Wouldn't that be arkward at best?

It doesn't have to be a steal, but getting a haven suite would be a nice upgrade for my wife and I. My kids and grandkids have 2 inside cabins. They can stay there with their cousins. I was thinking maybe I could convince my parents and siblings with spouses to upgrade. We have adult children who could moderate and care for the littles. The youngest children are 8 years old and staying with adult cousins in adjoining inside staterooms next to each other.

[complawyer]

chances are you'd be really hard-pressed to find that many unsold haven cabins to accomodate you, your parents and siblings especially  on short notice

 

also, remember it might be cost prohibitive since the price for an upgrade is double. you and your wife. finally, your kids, grandkids, cousins nieces, nephews, and the entire gang are precluded from the haven, it's restaurant, bar, pool, etc. you're kind of shortchanging the older adult cousins, arent you

[CptJLMcCrea]

4 hours ago, dpavid said:

It doesn't have to be a steal, but getting a haven suite would be a nice upgrade for my wife and I. My kids and grandkids have 2 inside cabins. They can stay there with their cousins. I was thinking maybe I could convince my parents and siblings with spouses to upgrade. We have adult children who could moderate and care for the littles. The youngest children are 8 years old and staying with adult cousins in adjoining inside staterooms next to each other.

 

Your post is a bit combobulated . Any one not in a Haven cabin, gets no Haven. The kids won't get in the Haven pool, and no one but you will eat in the Haven Restaurant of drink in the Haven bar.

[mjkacmom]

And you can’t upgrade 2 cabins into 1 haven cabin without cancelling the additional cabin without not getting a refund for the cancelled cabin, so they’d still be paying for it but couldn’t keep it.

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

And you can’t upgrade 2 cabins into 1 haven cabin without cancelling the additional cabin without not getting a refund for the cancelled cabin, so they’d still be paying for it but couldn’t keep it.

Not unless it is before final payment. 

[Grimix]

And I believe the cost has to be at least $1 more than your current booking? (You can't upgrade for less.)

[detroitlions]

Good luck. I tried to upgrade my cabin by calling after final payment. They just quoted me the top bid price not a guarantee price like they used to. 

[dpavid]

Thanks for all the replies. This was helpful. I will post what we decide in a few months, if anything.

[Anoynmous Phoenix]

@dpavid

 

About the only ways to upgrade are to be in NCL's Upgrade Bid System if you are eligible or to pay the present going price.

 

Any available cabins now go to a bidding system and while you MAY be lucky I would think it very unlikely you would get too much of a bargain as many people bid.

[dpavid]

1 hour ago, Anoynmous Phoenix said:

@dpavid

 

About the only ways to upgrade are to be in NCL's Upgrade Bid System if you are eligible or to pay the present going price.

 

Any available cabins now go to a bidding system and while you MAY be lucky I would think it very unlikely you would get too much of a bargain as many people bid.

Thank you. Yes, we are in the system to bid from an upgrade.

[liking]

11 minutes ago, dpavid said:

Thank you. Yes, we are in the system to bid from an upgrade.

I have never bid, but my understanding is that once you bid it either accepts or rejects your bid.  You do not have the choice to reject the bid if it is accepted by the system.  Not sure if this is accurate and hopefully those in the know will comment on this.  Only reason I'm writing this is because in your post of a few minutes ago, you stated you would "...post what we decide in a few months, if anything."  

[havoc315]

In the "old days" (I know they were doing it 10 years ago, don't know when they stopped), there was an "upsell desk."  They would randomly call people in the last couple weeks before the cruise, offer to move them up to a higher category at a discounted price.  Thus, filling the higher cabins, and knowing it was always easier to sell the cheapest cabins.  The upsell desk had an unpublished phone number, but one could find it.  If you called the upsell desk at the right time (when they were allowed to start upselling, but before they had actually sold all the higher cabins), if there was availability, you could lock in a good upgrade.  That's how I got the Haven for the first time.  $2,000 (instead of $5,000) to move my family up to a 2 bedroom Haven suite.

 

Of course, nowadays, the upsell desk has been replaced by the computerized bid system. They have also become more sophisticated at properly calculating discounts so that there may not even be much left to go into the bid system. 

[Panhandle Couple]

On 1/31/2024 at 5:05 PM, dpavid said:

We booked a Balcony on Encore months ago for Alaska 2024. We paid the full total price to secure our spot on the ship with our family. 32 of us in 10 cabins.

 

I've booked sailaway rates sub 30 days prior to departure for cruises and can travel at the last minute. Usually, getting them at a steal!

 

Suppose a Haven suite or upgraded cabin is available 30 days out at a ridiculously low rate. Has anyone successfully called in and upgraded their cabin for the price difference? I don't want to cancel my reservation since it's attached to booked shore excursions and dining, and I want to retain them.

 

I just got an email to bid for an upgraded cabin, but there's no guarantee. I was hoping for a guaranteed upgrade path at the last minute.

Different times...

Different model.

As others have said, it is a bid system the results in more money, not less going to the cruise line.

I don't knock them for that, it is what it is.

 

Last minute airfares are generally much more expensive than booking 6 weeks or 6 months out.

If you can find a cruise that is under 80% capacity, then you might get a lesser cost for a cabin upgrade.

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

I've upgraded from an Inside to a Balcony at the Reception desk upon boarding. So it can be done at any point if there are cabins available.

[IAcruising]

15 minutes ago, KINGBOBOFTHENORTH said:

I've upgraded from an Inside to a Balcony at the Reception desk upon boarding. So it can be done at any point if there are cabins available.

 

I did that too, about 10-years ago. Not once since.