Uniworld Category + Upgrade program

[Worksheet]

Has anyone utilized this recently? Success?

 

Thanks

[UDChE89]

I used it last year for my Danube cruise.  Bid for a suite and got it.  On another cruise this year and am not bidding up.  Didn’t feel like I got the value for the price.

[Roz]

12 hours ago, UDChE89 said:

I used it last year for my Danube cruise.  Bid for a suite and got it.  On another cruise this year and am not bidding up.  Didn’t feel like I got the value for the price.

 

I stayed in a suite on Uniworld one time.  I  got it because I was willing to transfer my cruise to another week due to an overbooking situation.  The suite was nice, but not so nice that I would pay for it.  

[papa B me]

I just got a notice that my bid was accepted for our June 2 Danube cruise.  We were in a Suite and I bid the minimum for the Grand Suite and got it.  Was pretty surprised.

 

[SHIP TRAVELER]

We bid just over the minimum for an upgraded cabin on the SS Victoria for an August 7, 2024 Moselle Rhine cruise.  We put the bid in on April 14.  We don't expect to get an upgrade as we are first time cruisers on Uniworld with no loyalty status.  We are mainly interested in getting the bigger cabin.  Going from 188 square feet to 253 square feet would make for a more comfortable cruise.  We will post here when we get an acceptance or denial message in case anyone is interested.

[UDChE89]

22 hours ago, SHIP TRAVELER said:

We bid just over the minimum for an upgraded cabin on the SS Victoria for an August 7, 2024 Moselle Rhine cruise.  We put the bid in on April 14.  We don't expect to get an upgrade as we are first time cruisers on Uniworld with no loyalty status.  We are mainly interested in getting the bigger cabin.  Going from 188 square feet to 253 square feet would make for a more comfortable cruise.  We will post here when we get an acceptance or denial message in case anyone is interested.

I got my upgrade on my first Uniworld cruise.

[Izengolf]

 

 

On 4/6/2024 at 1:19 PM, papa B me said:

I just got a notice that my bid was accepted for our June 2 Danube cruise.  We were in a Suite and I bid the minimum for the Grand Suite and got it.  Was pretty surprised.

 

That Grand Suite is amazing, have a great trip! I think I'm an outlier, but I love the unique UW decor matched to the location.

[papa B me]

This will be our 4th Uniworld cruise and I like the UW decor as well.  Would never want my house decorated that way but I think it is fun for a week or so.  The SS Maria Teresa we are on truly matches the location.  Leaving for Budapest in two days and can't wait.  Thanks for the well wishes.

[Izengolf]

On 5/28/2024 at 2:21 PM, papa B me said:

This will be our 4th Uniworld cruise and I like the UW decor as well.  Would never want my house decorated that way but I think it is fun for a week or so.  The SS Maria Teresa we are on truly matches the location.  Leaving for Budapest in two days and can't wait.  Thanks for the well wishes.

Papa b Me, I read on another thread that you have been docked in Bratislava for several days with hopes to sail to Linz tomorrow. I hope that you have enjoyed your suite during your cruise, the larger private space must have been welcome. 

[papa B me]

The suite has made it

more enjoyable.  We have had a very nice trip.  I think the next two days and getting us to Munich on Sunday for our flight will be interesting.

[Host Jazzbeau]

12 hours ago, papa B me said:

The suite has made it

more enjoyable.  We have had a very nice trip.  I think the next two days and getting us to Munich on Sunday for our flight will be interesting.

It was the fear of Covid lockdowns that made us decide to book suites going forward.  Knock wood we haven't been locked down yet, but we do enjoy the suites!

[Canal archive]

One gets to a stage in life when a suite is an essential part of one’s holiday experience!
Oh to hell with it if you can go for it if not go for the best you can only you know whether it’s a cost, requirement or other reason. 
Personally aquarium/swans view/lower class etc is definitely not for me but any other that’s not to far aft is fine.
It’s the service that gets me every time, get that right and I’m a happy bunny, if not watch out, bad hotel-ing is my on my list of absolute hates, it’s just not necessary but done well it’s an art. Just watch a well run team! 

[Izengolf]

After reading this thread, I put in a bid for a Suite on the SS Victoria July 6 sailing on the Moselle and Rhine. The room is exactly the same as the Signature Balcony we have so I bid a little over the minimum in the hopes of seeing if the extras or being one floor up is worth it. The website says my chance is "poor" but there are 11 empty Suites less than a month away. We shall see...

[bubbulz]

5 hours ago, Canal archive said:

One gets to a stage in life when a suite is an essential part of one’s holiday experience!
Oh to hell with it if you can go for it if not go for the best you can only you know whether it’s a cost, requirement or other reason. 
Personally aquarium/swans view/lower class etc is definitely not for me but any other that’s not to far aft is fine.
It’s the service that gets me every time, get that right and I’m a happy bunny, if not watch out, bad hotel-ing is my on my list of absolute hates, it’s just not necessary but done well it’s an art. Just watch a well run team! 

This was my husband and me. We booked the top suites and flew business class and enjoyed every moment. Now that he’s gone I am especially thankful that we did that. I still book the French balcony cabins since the solo pricing for the suites is exorbitant but I’ve never regretted a penny my husband and I spent on our trips. Life is all about the experience.

[Izengolf]

Success! Four weeks to go and I was notified by Uniworld and my travel agent today the bid was accepted. Super happy, this is a surprise for my Mom's 75th birthday that I hope stays a surprise until we get onboard. 

[Farang]

1 hour ago, Izengolf said:

Success! Four weeks to go and I was notified by Uniworld and my travel agent today the bid was accepted. Super happy, this is a surprise for my Mom's 75th birthday that I hope stays a surprise until we get onboard. 

That is great to hear, and nice they gave you ample notice. We have benefitted from the program twice on Uniworld and once on AMA in the past. Hopefully, our trip on the SS Victoria later in the year will also see a category upgrade.

[Izengolf]

About a week after my bid was accepted (and my CC was charged!), in my Travel Portal the cruise now shows as shaded and "This cruise is not available to view yet". Previously I could access it and even see the Cruise Ticket. Is this because they are updating our Cruise Tickets to the new room? I asked my TA but she didn't get back to me on Friday. 

[SHIP TRAVELER]

We also got our up grade to a suite on the August 11 Moselle Rhine cruise.  Cabin is 305 which looks well located.

[mozfoz]

It would be very informative if the lucky passengers disclosed their bid amount and if it was accepted. Knowing bid amounts would be useful for future bidder in submitting their bidding.  

[Izengolf]

I originally big the minimum of $408 CAD/pp to go from a Signature Balcony Room to a Suite on the SS Victoria. Even though there were 11 Suites left it rated my bid "poor" so later, big spender me, raised it to $432pp. This was accepted a week or two later. 

 

Hard to make comparisons as each ship has different categories and, more importantly, number of each category stateroom. The minimum bid was MUCH more expensive to upgrade to a Suite on the SS Beatrice last fall from a French Balcony because there are fewer. Also, Victoria and Elizabeth are unique in that the Signature French Balcony and Suites are identical staterooms, only deck and butler service changes so the incentive to upgrade is less (Crystal originally had butler service in all rooms). We are using this opportunity to try it given the price jump was 100s not 1000s.

[SHIP TRAVELER]

On 7/1/2024 at 3:03 PM, mozfoz said:

It would be very informative if the lucky passengers disclosed their bid amount and if it was accepted. Knowing bid amounts would be useful for future bidder in submitting their bidding.  

I think our bid of $ 995 per person was on the low side according to the offer.  We had a bargain rate on the smallest cabin to start with so even paying nearly $2000 it came in well below what the suite could be booked for right now. Also this is a nine day cruise.

[OtherFigment]

We bid $900 p/p for a 7 day cruise started out in a French balcony and ended up in a suite, but given we reserved during the Christmas BOGO, I still feel like we got a great deal.

 

now I’m just curious if it will be “worth” it. This is our first river cruise, so looking forward to the experience.

Edited July 12 by OtherFigment
Additional commentary

[SHIP TRAVELER]

1 hour ago, OtherFigment said:

We bid $900 p/p for a 7 day cruise started out in a French balcony and ended up in a suite, but given we reserved during the Christmas BOGO, I still feel like we got a great deal.

 

now I’m just curious if it will be “worth” it. This is our first river cruise, so looking forward to the experience.

In my opinion it will be worth it.  Our first river cruise our cabin was in the basement and it was 162 square feet.  The sink was tiny, there was no desk, there was almost no closet and when you stood up on my husbands side of the bed you were one foot from the sliding door to the bathroom.  The window was swan eye level, there was no comfortable chair and so on...  We had thought before the cruise no big deal but the cabin size was an issue for us while on board.  ..

Admittedly the base cabin on the Victoria is 188 square feet and there is a full window so things will be better.  We upgraded to get an additional approximately 65 square feet with a larger bathroom and closet  I don't think the butler will be a big deal but I suspect that we might be able to get a room service breakfast.  Not sure about this yet.  Because some of the tours leave early and so the breakfast buffet is early this may be a help for us.  I think on Uniworld you will be fine with a non suite cabin but I wanted to share our reasons for paying for an upgraded cabin .

  Our first river cruise was not on Uniworld.