phabric Posted July 13 #1 Share Posted July 13 I am going solo in a balcony on Carib deck with 75 days to sailing. Today, I received an email asking if I wanted to upgrade Bid. I am not interested in Bidding. Do you think they want my balcony cabin as there are only a few cabins left? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 1025cruise Posted July 13 #2 Share Posted July 13 Everyone gets the email. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phabric Posted July 13 Author #3 Share Posted July 13 5 minutes ago, 1025cruise said: Everyone gets the email. I have not had an upgrade Bid Offer email before. Before when you paid for an upgrade, I had a couple. I had a downgrade offer from balcony to inside for Feb 2024 cruise, I was too late to reply with no internet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare JamieLogical Posted July 13 #4 Share Posted July 13 If this is for the PlusGrade bidding system, everyone gets that email unless they have booked with specific TAs who do not participate in the upgrade program. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memoak Posted July 13 #5 Share Posted July 13 No they want you to pay more to get a higher grade cabin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phabric Posted July 13 Author #6 Share Posted July 13 The email was - “The Bid Upgrade for your Stateroom to Club Class mini suite, mini suite, premier balcony”. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Rick&Jeannie Posted July 13 #7 Share Posted July 13 @phabric...Me thinks they want more of your money rather than your cabin! If they could figure out a way for them to keep your money and you stay home....well.... 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzyed Posted July 13 #8 Share Posted July 13 1 hour ago, 1025cruise said: Everyone gets the email. Not sure about that....I have heard that if you book with the Big Box store you are not eligible for an upgrade bid. Can any one confirm that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memoak Posted July 13 #9 Share Posted July 13 2 hours ago, suzyed said: Not sure about that....I have heard that if you book with the Big Box store you are not eligible for an upgrade bid. Can any one confirm that? I think it is more that the bib box stores ignore the e mails. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro Flyer Posted July 13 #10 Share Posted July 13 2 hours ago, phabric said: The email was - “The Bid Upgrade for your Stateroom to Club Class mini suite, mini suite, premier balcony”. Only their yield management algorithm truly knows the reason why you received the offer to make a bid. My guess is there are more minisuites available & they want to entice you to fill them by your bid instead of lowering the price to sell the minisuites to others. And with few balconies available, the law of supply & demand might result in someone else paying more than you did for your balcony cabin. In both situations, their goal is to generate more income for Princess. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCX22 Posted July 13 #11 Share Posted July 13 Princess wants MORE or your money rather than the cabin you booked. IMO, if Princess wants the cabin I booked they can upgrade me on their dime, give me a move over offer, or give me a downgrade offer. But they’re not getting more money out of me. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 1025cruise Posted July 13 #12 Share Posted July 13 I was booked in an aft penthouse suite and I got the bid for upgrade email. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memoak Posted July 13 #13 Share Posted July 13 9 minutes ago, 1025cruise said: I was booked in an aft penthouse suite and I got the bid for upgrade email. We get that offer a lot. It is always for the Owners Suite. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea Hag Posted July 13 #14 Share Posted July 13 16 hours ago, phabric said: I am going solo in a balcony on Carib deck with 75 days to sailing. Today, I received an email asking if I wanted to upgrade Bid. I am not interested in Bidding. Do you think they want my balcony cabin as there are only a few cabins left? I'm with the others who said Princess is after your money rather than your cabin. We're on an August sailing that's been showing sold out for some time. I'm still getting bid for upgrade offers. We have a mid-ship, obstructed OV that I doubt is all that hot a commodity. I must have gotten a dozen of these bid for upgrade emails, and I won't be doing that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wishing on a star Posted July 13 #15 Share Posted July 13 It is BOTH.... They want a bit more money from you, AND they want to be able to rebook your cabin at the current fare. (or even later at a Drop and Go fare) These computer algorithms and revenue specialists are not just 'whatever'. They know what they are doing, and whether it will increase the fare revenue of that sailing. They want your money, even if the current fare for the cabin they are offering is more than what they would get by offering you the upgrade. I am thinking that lower category cabins are booked up faster than some of the higher categories. While some of the higher categories stay available. They are going to fill more cabins if they move guest up into those categories and then their vacated cabins are booked by those who are not early bookers. Then, of course, there is the Bidding System that they have in place. If the upgrade looks good to you at a decent price... go for it. Don't try to second guess it or understand the Corporate details. Either way, enjoy the cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farjar Posted July 13 #16 Share Posted July 13 16 hours ago, suzyed said: Not sure about that....I have heard that if you book with the Big Box store you are not eligible for an upgrade bid. Can any one confirm that? We have booked several different cruise lines through the Big Box store and have never received an upgrade offer. The only two times we received offers we had booked directly with Norwegian and Carnival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Cruise Raider Posted July 13 #17 Share Posted July 13 18 hours ago, phabric said: I am going solo in a balcony on Carib deck with 75 days to sailing. Today, I received an email asking if I wanted to upgrade Bid. I am not interested in Bidding. Do you think they want my balcony cabin as there are only a few cabins left? I don’t really think so but in cases where they send these emails to someone in an inside cabin that bid on a balcony, they can resell the inside cabin, get more $$ from the ones that move up into a balcony and more money from those in a balcony to move up into a mini suite. More revenue for them. I know you said you don’t want to move but if you ever do, keep in mind that if you travel solo, you pay double to move up to a better category via the bidding process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memoak Posted July 13 #18 Share Posted July 13 1 hour ago, farjar said: We have booked several different cruise lines through the Big Box store and have never received an upgrade offer. The only two times we received offers we had booked directly with Norwegian and Carnival. I think you are eligible but big box TA’s do not pass emails along to the cruiser as far as I know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iamcruzin Posted July 13 #19 Share Posted July 13 (edited) 20 hours ago, phabric said: I am going solo in a balcony on Carib deck with 75 days to sailing. Today, I received an email asking if I wanted to upgrade Bid. I am not interested in Bidding. Do you think they want my balcony cabin as there are only a few cabins left? Princess, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity all have an up grade bid program. I have looked into all of them. The key is you need to know what the price of the higher category room was at the time of your booking. Every time it would have been less money had I booked the room originally. On my up coming cruise the lowest bid for a Celebrity Sky Suite would have been $400 a person costing a substantial amount more than at the time of booking . I booked Concierge class with the classic drink and internet package. I could have picked a sky suite room rather than them now picking for me, had the unlimited drink and internet package included for $300 less then the current bidding, if I booked it originally. I have had the same experience with Princess and Royal Caribbean. To me this is a marketing gotch ya. They know most people don't research past the room category they want and assume that the bidding will be a better deal. Some bid more than the minimum bid and the cruise line make bank. I don't know how much of a commission or service charge that they have to give the third party company processing the bids. Edited July 13 by Iamcruzin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phabric Posted July 18 Author #20 Share Posted July 18 On 7/12/2024 at 8:28 PM, phabric said: I am going solo in a balcony on Carib deck with 75 days to sailing. Today, I received an email asking if I wanted to upgrade Bid. I am not interested in Bidding. Do you think they want my balcony cabin as there are only a few cabins left? My sister has the cabin next to me, she did not receive the Bid Up email I received 2x. You would think the Bid Up offer would be send to a cabin had has 2 passengers vs a cabin with 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLAlaska Posted July 18 #21 Share Posted July 18 You can always check here to see if you are eligible to bid https://www.princess.com/plan/princess-cruise-room-upgrade/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Cruise Raider Posted July 18 #22 Share Posted July 18 25 minutes ago, phabric said: My sister has the cabin next to me, she did not receive the Bid Up email I received 2x. You would think the Bid Up offer would be send to a cabin had has 2 passengers vs a cabin with 1. When you bid as a solo, you pay double so, not sure if it really matters to them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crawford Posted July 21 #23 Share Posted July 21 On 7/13/2024 at 1:00 PM, Sea Hag said: I'm with the others who said Princess is after your money rather than your cabin. We're on an August sailing that's been showing sold out for some time. I'm still getting bid for upgrade offers. We have a mid-ship, obstructed OV that I doubt is all that hot a commodity. I must have gotten a dozen of these bid for upgrade emails, and I won't be doing that. I might be on the same cruise as you. Been sold out for two months but am still getting upgrade offers as recently as yesterday, on three different cabin types. I'm sure they're cancellations along the way but am curious how many cabins are now unsold? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea Hag Posted July 21 #24 Share Posted July 21 8 minutes ago, crawford said: I might be on the same cruise as you. Been sold out for two months but am still getting upgrade offers as recently as yesterday, on three different cabin types. I'm sure they're cancellations along the way but am curious how many cabins are now unsold? I'm on the 8/7 sailing of the Grand, coming from the Brooks bear watching cruisetour. What are you on? I'm surprised to be still getting the upgrade emails. I've always wanted to try window suite, which is still one of the options, but I recently noticed that the tvs are between the windows on the outside wall. Really bad placement that wouldn't bother me but would drive my DH nuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crawford Posted July 21 #25 Share Posted July 21 20 minutes ago, Sea Hag said: I'm on the 8/7 sailing of the Grand, coming from the Brooks bear watching cruisetour. What are you on? I'm surprised to be still getting the upgrade emails. I've always wanted to try window suite, which is still one of the options, but I recently noticed that the tvs are between the windows on the outside wall. Really bad placement that wouldn't bother me but would drive my DH nuts. On the CB starting 8/13 to Greenland & Iceland. I'm in a balcony on the Caribe deck but really wouldn't wan't to give it up, even though the bidding now starts at $1. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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