Upgrade bids

[Mehroswitha]

I see people here discussing having their upgrade bids accepted--or not. How does that work? We're long-time cruisers but have relatively little experience on Norwegian.

[complawyer]

if ncl feels you are eligible for an  upgrade, they will send you an email with the appropriate cabins you are eligible to bid on. they have a sliding scale from poor bid to excellent bid.

you indicate how much you are willing to bid within that framework and for which cabin, then just keep your fingers crossed. 

 

also, please remember (be aware) that whatever amount you bid will be multiplied by 2.

if your bid is accepted, ncl will notify you (may not be notified until just prior to sailing)

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, Mehroswitha said:

I see people here discussing having their upgrade bids accepted--or not. How does that work? We're long-time cruisers but have relatively little experience on Norwegian.

You will get an invitation to bid on an upgrade and the minimum bids for rooms (per person - double occupancy regardless on how you are sailing). Also realizing that a minimum bid is unlikely to be successful. 

 

You’re invited to participate in our Upgrade Advantage program, which gives you the opportunity to submit offers to upgrade your existing stateroom.

Our suites offer more space to spread out, perfect for a couple or up to eight guests. Expansive balconies, living rooms and lavish baths make this a sumptuous retreat. You’ll also enjoy butler and concierge service, priority embarkation and disembarkation, complimentary champagne and other exclusive perks.

 

In the example above, the minimum bid from our current cabin to a Owner's Suite is $2400 and the maximum, is $4300. If we bid the maximum and were successful, we would would pay $8600 for the upgrade. 

 

[9tee2Sea]

also be aware, that if you win the bid, you cannot cancel it if you dont like the upgraded cabin.  If you lethe cabin you ae in now, don do the upgrade.  If you say " well, any upgraded cabin is better than what I already paid for, then accept the upgrade bid.  You can also change the amount of the bid as many times as you want,  Want to bid a higher bid?  you change it

[Mehroswitha]

Thanks to all for the information! Maybe interested; maybe not. But at least now we can make informed decision if we should get such an offer.

[grouchomarx]

36 minutes ago, 9tee2Sea said:

also be aware, that if you win the bid, you cannot cancel it if you dont like the upgraded cabin.  If you lethe cabin you ae in now, don do the upgrade.  If you say " well, any upgraded cabin is better than what I already paid for, then accept the upgrade bid.  You can also change the amount of the bid as many times as you want,  Want to bid a higher bid?  you change it

I came to realize this recently.  I had a solo balcony booked and bid on a club balcony (which I would have paid 2x the offer had I gotten it).  I soon realized they could shuffle me to non desirable decks with noise above or below, whereas I was originally between cabin only decks.  I withdrew my bid.  

[goin-away]

The other thing is that if offered you will only have two "categories" above what you booked as options. So, if you booked an inside the options to bid on would be oceanview and balcony.  Also if you book a Spa cabin and bid on a non-Spa upgrade you lose the Spa access that went with the cabin.

 

We have done it and won into the Haven for above minimum, but still 'poor' bids.

[grouchomarx]

4 minutes ago, goin-away said:

The other thing is that if offered you will only have two "categories" above what you booked as options. So, if you booked an inside the options to bid on would be oceanview and balcony.  Also if you book a Spa cabin and bid on a non-Spa upgrade you lose the Spa access that went with the cabin.

 

We have done it and won into the Haven for above minimum, but still 'poor' bids.

Wait, you had “poor bids” and got into Haven?  Please disclose.

[MrsK]

5 minutes ago, grouchomarx said:

Wait, you had “poor bids” and got into Haven?  Please disclose.

We got our first taste of the Haven just recently with an upgrade bid.  We bid the minimum and got it for that.  Never expected it to happen though.

I will also say that we were doing a transatlantic from Miami to Southampton with NO ports of call in the middle of January....not a very popular cruise.  The passenger count was quite low so upgrades came easier.

[grouchomarx]

3 minutes ago, MrsK said:

We got our first taste of the Haven just recently with an upgrade bid.  We bid the minimum and got it for that.  Never expected it to happen though.

I will also say that we were doing a transatlantic from Miami to Southampton with NO ports of call in the middle of January....not a very popular cruise.  The passenger count was quite low so upgrades came easier.

Love this story!

[MrsK]

Just now, grouchomarx said:

Love this story!

The moral of the story is..... never give up hope on that Haven upgrade coming your way!

 

Of course that just is the beginning of new problems for you because you start to think that you just might actually, really BE suited to stay in the Haven after all. 

 

It was a nice treat and we enjoyed it fully while we had the opportunity!

[MrsK]

3 minutes ago, grouchomarx said:

Love this story!

Also would like to add that we got in to the Haven for just under $1000 (CDN) for both of us.  Couldn't beat the price. That shows you how empty the ship really was if they were basically giving away Haven cabins.

[TrumpyNor]

6 hours ago, complawyer said:

if ncl feels you are eligible for an  upgrade, they will send you an email with the appropriate cabins you are eligible to bid on. they have a sliding scale from poor bid to excellent bid.

you indicate how much you are willing to bid within that framework and for which cabin, then just keep your fingers crossed. 

 

also, please remember (be aware) that whatever amount you bid will be multiplied by 2.

if your bid is accepted, ncl will notify you (may not be notified until just prior to sailing)

 

6 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

You will get an invitation to bid on an upgrade and the minimum bids for rooms (per person - double occupancy regardless on how you are sailing). Also realizing that a minimum bid is unlikely to be successful. 

 

You’re invited to participate in our Upgrade Advantage program, which gives you the opportunity to submit offers to upgrade your existing stateroom.

Our suites offer more space to spread out, perfect for a couple or up to eight guests. Expansive balconies, living rooms and lavish baths make this a sumptuous retreat. You’ll also enjoy butler and concierge service, priority embarkation and disembarkation, complimentary champagne and other exclusive perks.

 

In the example above, the minimum bid from our current cabin to a Owner's Suite is $2400 and the maximum, is $4300. If we bid the maximum and were successful, we would would pay $8600 for the upgrade. 

 

Just FYI; no need to wait for an invitation, you can just use this link: https://upgrade.plusgrade.com/offer/NCL/

 

I have in the past placed bids both through "regular invitation e-mail" and by just using the URL-link above without receiving any "invitation" first. 

[dilbertsdaddy]

When do they typically start accepting bids?  I tried the link and it said none available (but there are).  Possibly it is too early?  (cruise 4 months away)

[jrt.mom]

1 hour ago, dilbertsdaddy said:

When do they typically start accepting bids?  I tried the link and it said none available (but there are).  Possibly it is too early?  (cruise 4 months away)

Thanks for the link but I also got the same message. I think they offer upgrades closer to your cruise date.

[TrumpyNor]

1 hour ago, dilbertsdaddy said:

When do they typically start accepting bids?  I tried the link and it said none available (but there are).  Possibly it is too early?  (cruise 4 months away)

I posted bids in May for my upcoming cruise in August, so a little less than 3 months before the cruise, by using that link. 

[andychris]

Do you know if you have a better chance the earlier you put a bid in or wait until it’s closer to the cruise?

thank you 

[roddy good boy]

I got the invite about a month ago, for a Sept cruise. 
 

Those Haven bids are still really high. Do they ever lower the minimum required bids? For example, if no one actually bids on those higher categories?

[TrumpyNor]

7 hours ago, andychris said:

Do you know if you have a better chance the earlier you put a bid in or wait until it’s closer to the cruise?

thank you 

I honestly don't know. I usually put in bids early (2-3 months before sailing date). As long as your bid has not been accepted (that usually happens closer to sailingdate), you can pull your bid at any time simply by removing it.

[k2c2w]

We are about 105 days out , just got an email  to upgrade.

 

Don't expect to get one , as it shows some categories are sold out . 

 

Maybe they send emails out , just incase people cancel.

[Menocchio]

The way the price is calculated is needlessly complicated. The actual upgrade charge is double whatever your bid is. Whether you're a solo or a group of four. Why not just have the bid be the price?

 

Going from a solo studio to a balcony gives me a bidding range of $200-$500. Which is actually $400-$1000. And if that's the price then fair enough. Even the full grand is a bargain compared to the current pricing. But what does having me bid half the actual cost accomplish other than making me feel disappointed when I click to the next page if I don't understand the process, or making me do math if I do? 

 

Whatever, I put down poor bids on OV and balcony. So I won't be getting those, probably. Ah well, WFBF as they say on airline forums. 

[Ginger2016]

I am sort of split on this. I booked an Alaska cruise on the late side, and got an Interior Cabin.

 

On one hand, it would be nice to get an upgrade bid accepted to Oceanview or Balcony, for some light and certainly to see the views and wildlife. Though, I hear other ship viewing areas are great.

 

If an upgrade bid were accepted, I'd have no choice over the side of the ship, or if the view was obstructed. I myself am not bothered by nearby noisy areas of the ship, not sure if my two family members would be.

 

Plus - my kid has never been on a cruise, and gets some motionsickness. I am not sure how this will be on NCL Jewel. The Inside Cabin we have is on a low quiet floor supposed to be best for that, and without paying more.

 

Not certain what to bid in this scenario! It may not matter because our cruise price keeps going up, it seems to be getting booked up.

Edited June 19 by Ginger2016

[The Traveling Man]

On 6/17/2024 at 9:18 PM, Menocchio said:

Ah well, WFBF as they say on airline forums. 

When I encounter an acronym which I do not recognize, the Urban Dictionary usually is my go to source for the low down on the slang expressions that all the cool kids are using.  I drew a blank on this one.  So what in tarnation is "WFBF?"

[Menocchio]

"Want First, Buy First". If you spend time on forums for and about frequent fliers, you'll encounter numerous inquiries from people hoping to get out of economy with a complimentary upgrade, or at least a very deep discount. This is always at least somewhat unlikely to happen, as airlines use years of collected data and dynamic pricing to make sure they aren't just giving away first class seats. The upgrade seekers are admonished "WFBF", that if they truly wanted to fly in first then they should have bought a first class ticket. Don't get upset when the seat they paid for is the one they get, and view any upgrade they do get as the rare and special treat that it is. 

 

And so it is also here. If I wanted a balcony, I should have bought a balcony.

[Laszlo]

On 6/14/2024 at 8:00 PM, BirdTravels said:

You will get an invitation to bid on an upgrade and the minimum bids for rooms (per person - double occupancy regardless on how you are sailing). Also realizing that a minimum bid is unlikely to be successful. 

 

You’re invited to participate in our Upgrade Advantage program, which gives you the opportunity to submit offers to upgrade your existing stateroom.

Our suites offer more space to spread out, perfect for a couple or up to eight guests. Expansive balconies, living rooms and lavish baths make this a sumptuous retreat. You’ll also enjoy butler and concierge service, priority embarkation and disembarkation, complimentary champagne and other exclusive perks.

 

In the example above, the minimum bid from our current cabin to a Owner's Suite is $2400 and the maximum, is $4300. If we bid the maximum and were successful, we would would pay $8600 for the upgrade. 

 

Funny, this cruise, the first,  we never got an email to bid on cabins. However I noticed I was able to do it on the NCL App