YC upgrade through Concierge

[Mike C]

In the past, we have been able to upgrade on board from a YC interior to Deluxe Balcony through the concierge for about $75 per day.  I just read a post on FB that there is a new policy in place that you must pay the difference between the fare you paid and the going rate for the balcony.  Has anyone experienced this?  Thanks

[Georgia_Peaches]

13 minutes ago, Mike C said:

In the past, we have been able to upgrade on board from a YC interior to Deluxe Balcony through the concierge for about $75 per day.  I just read a post on FB that there is a new policy in place that you must pay the difference between the fare you paid and the going rate for the balcony.  Has anyone experienced this?  Thanks

I’m not aware of this change but I have to say, at first glance this new policy, if true, seems only fair. 

[Mike C]

3 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I’m not aware of this change but I have to say, at first glance this new policy, if true, seems only fair. 

Yes but if I was willing to pay the full difference, I would have done it well in advance of sailing to lock up my choice of stateroom. The way it’s been done in the past allows MSC to generate some money instead of leaving the cabin empty

[Georgia_Peaches]

3 minutes ago, Mike C said:

Yes but if I was willing to pay the full difference, I would have done it well in advance of sailing to lock up my choice of stateroom. The way it’s been done in the past allows MSC to generate some money instead of leaving the cabin empty

Understood.  But MSC would be 'generating money' at the scorn of those who paid the asking price in advance.  Perhaps they realized that alienating YC passengers who paid the asking rate isn't the best business model. 

I think it's much more effective to domino YC inside passengers to the next available category in situations where a passenger outside the YC put in, and won a move up bid.  This seems more fair to me because the open move up bid is more than $75 pp/pd...thus they stand to make more through those who participate in the bidding process than those who seek an upgrade once on board.  

[Morgsmom]

51 minutes ago, Mike C said:

Yes but if I was willing to pay the full difference, I would have done it well in advance of sailing to lock up my choice of stateroom. The way it’s been done in the past allows MSC to generate some money instead of leaving the cabin empty

But it's a domino effect.  You being able to upgrade once onboard from YIN dashed the hopes of someone who bid to get into that YIN.  Alternately, someone (like me!) who is willing to pay full price to book YIN, but can't because the scarce YIN cabins are sold out.

 

Once someone has checked in outside of yacht club they cannot go to the Guest Services and ask about $ to upgrade.  I agree with @Georgia_Peaches as it's already an issue when someone posts (brags?) on social media sites that they bought a Bella Inside and got into YC balcony for $xyz, with that being far below what someone who paid outright did.  

 

[eagletwo]

5 hours ago, Mike C said:

In the past, we have been able to upgrade on board from a YC interior to Deluxe Balcony through the concierge for about $75 per day.  I just read a post on FB that there is a new policy in place that you must pay the difference between the fare you paid and the going rate for the balcony.  Has anyone experienced this?  Thanks

We sailed on the Seashore in July in a YC interior. Asked the Concierge about upgrading the morning we boarded. After sail away, we received a call and was told the upgrade was available for $1900 to a Deluxe Balcony. With the price of the interior plus $1900, this would have been the same price we could have paid at the time of booking. We declined. Our Butler told us that they had 4 Deluxe Balcony's empty the entire week. As others have observed, maybe MSC is trying to be fair to those who paid full price?

 

In Oct of 2022, we sailed on the Meraviglia out of Port Canaveral. We had booked a Fantasica Balcony and put in a bid for a YC Deluxe Balcony using the on-line bidding system. Two days before departure, we received an email that our bid had been accepted. We ended up getting the YC Deluxe Balcony for the price of a YC interior cabin. Great deal!

[Georgia_Peaches]

42 minutes ago, eagletwo said:

We ended up getting the YC Deluxe Balcony for the price of a YC interior cabin. Great deal!

That's awesome!  I bet you were pumped.  We booked the last YIN on Meraviglia for NYE cruise out of Brooklyn.  I would love to upgrade to the Deluxe balcony but since almost half the cruise will be in cold weather, I think we will stay put.  Our YIN price was $4500 for a week.  Our travel companions all have YC Deluxe and they are paying $7700 for the week.  I can't justify a $3k upgrade at the moment but will watch to see if those cabins come down in price.

 

45 minutes ago, eagletwo said:

Our Butler told us that they had 4 Deluxe Balcony's empty the entire week.

I wonder why they would sail with 4 empty cabins...not enough people participating in the bidding process?

[SirWolf]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I wonder why they would sail with 4 empty cabins...not enough people participating in the bidding process?

 

YC Staterooms not being occupied could have various reasons:

- Last minute cancellation by the guest

- Upgrade of guests from Deluxe to RS

- Left intentionally vacant for maintenance

- Reserved for MSC Management Staff and they changed their plans

🤷🏻‍♂️ .. only MSC knows ..

[eagletwo]

3 hours ago, SirWolf said:

 

YC Staterooms not being occupied could have various reasons:

- Last minute cancellation by the guest

- Upgrade of guests from Deluxe to RS

- Left intentionally vacant for maintenance

- Reserved for MSC Management Staff and they changed their plans

🤷🏻‍♂️ .. only MSC knows ..

Good point. But the cabins remained empty. Your four points are good, but not the case on this cruise. I even checked with the concierge desk and they confirmed the empty cabins.  

[Pat]

18 hours ago, eagletwo said:

 

In Oct of 2022, we sailed on the Meraviglia out of Port Canaveral. We had booked a Fantasica Balcony and put in a bid for a YC Deluxe Balcony using the on-line bidding system. Two days before departure, we received an email that our bid had been accepted. We ended up getting the YC Deluxe Balcony for the price of a YC interior cabin. Great deal!

I would argue though that it would have made for better customer relations if msc had upgraded an YC interior(at a REASONABLE bid) to the YC balcony and put you in the YIN.  Particularly since it gets reported here alot when these upgrades happen.  We book YIN cabins,  well in advance,  and have NEVER received a reasonable minimum bid to a YC balcony.  Just a thought that this would have made 2 sets of guests very happy. 

[morpheusofthesea]

26 minutes ago, Pat said:

I would argue

All very good arguments, fair and reasonable, but not always what actually happens. There are two agencies at play. One agency playing games before boarding and another playing more games after one boards. It is just best to book as far in advance the favored cabin and be happy. I was banned for 8 days for posting how a poster on board the new MSC Explora on a B2B was able to be upgraded to the Owners Suite for his second week for free? His answer was because "We are just nice people." I guess the rest of us are just not nice enough ?

[RosieRoo]

1 hour ago, Pat said:

I would argue though that it would have made for better customer relations if msc had upgraded an YC interior(at a REASONABLE bid) to the YC balcony and put you in the YIN.  Particularly since it gets reported here alot when these upgrades happen.  We book YIN cabins,  well in advance,  and have NEVER received a reasonable minimum bid to a YC balcony.  Just a thought that this would have made 2 sets of guests very happy. 

Have 3 upcoming sailings in YIN cabins. Only received an invitation to bid on one of them and the minimum bid for a YC1 is the same as if I paid MSC directly to upgrade my cabin. Doesn’t make any sense to bid. 
 

[Georgia_Peaches]

12 minutes ago, RosieRoo said:

Have 3 upcoming sailings in YIN cabins. Only received an invitation to bid on one of them and the minimum bid for a YC1 is the same as if I paid MSC directly to upgrade my cabin. Doesn’t make any sense to bid. 
 

Another reason for one to just buy what they can afford/want from the outset.  Sounds like MSC are streamlining their prices to reflect the going rate regardless of how one tries to approach obtaining the next highest category...bidding, onboard purchase of an upgrade, or original booking.

[morpheusofthesea]

Besides most of us cannot handle the truth of what is sometimes going on.

[Pat]

We buy what we are happy with from the beginning.  We are perfectly comfortable in a YIN,  would we like a balcony, sure who wouldn't,  but our budget allows us to go on more cruises in a YIN and that's what works for us. We would, however,  bid on a YC balcony, if the minimum bid were reasonable.   As of now,  we've only gotten minimum bids that are the same as if we initially bought a yc balony outright.  So for now we are happy in the YCI and happy to be able to go more often. 

[no1talks]

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"Besides most of us cannot handle the truth of what is sometimes going on."

Uh, oh.

 

Don't turn into "that guy," Morpheus. 😄

 

[MsTabbyKats]

3 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

All very good arguments, fair and reasonable, but not always what actually happens. There are two agencies at play. One agency playing games before boarding and another playing more games after one boards. It is just best to book as far in advance the favored cabin and be happy. I was banned for 8 days for posting how a poster on board the new MSC Explora on a B2B was able to be upgraded to the Owners Suite for his second week for free? His answer was because "We are just nice people." I guess the rest of us are just not nice enough ?

You don't know as a fact that he was able to book for free.

 

Someone once told me:  Believe half of what you see, and nothing of what you hear.... especially if the recipient is the person who told you.

[morpheusofthesea]

16 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

You don't know as a fact that he was able to book for free.

 

Do you infer that this gentleman fellow CC poster told us an untruth,

a deceit, a deception, a dishonesty, some disinformation, a distortion, an evasion, a fabrication, a falsehood, a fiction, an inaccuracy, a misrepresentation of his situation, a myth, a tale or just flat out lied ? No I just think he bragged and weaseled his way into the Owners Suite by complaining the entire week about the cabin he originally booked. There are all sorts of cruising weasels. Others go to guest services to remove their gratuities and stiff the staff. I just felt this gentleman was the greatest weasel of all time and wanted to know how he accomplished this feat. I guess it just sounds better "We are just nice people." Weasel.

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, no1talks said:

Uh, oh.

 

Don't turn into "that guy," Morpheus. 😄

 

Let us just say that the best cruises to be on are the ones where some MSC official is going to be onboard in any capacity. Then the YCers will not be crowded out of their venues by a ton of unexpected friends and family with access to the Yacht Club. That there will be no notice of any interlopers in the TSL or on One Pool deck. There will be no 'running out' of anything. There will be 'all hands on deck' the entire cruise.... just another observation.

[MsTabbyKats]

22 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Do you infer that this gentleman fellow CC poster told us an untruth,

a deceit, a deception, a dishonesty, some disinformation, a distortion, an evasion, a fabrication, a falsehood, a fiction, an inaccuracy, a misrepresentation of his situation, a myth, a tale or just flat out lied ? No I just think he bragged and weaseled his way into the Owners Suite by complaining the entire week about the cabin he originally booked. There are all sorts of cruising weasels. Others go to guest services to remove their gratuities and stiff the staff. I just felt this gentleman was the greatest weasel of all time and wanted to know how he accomplished this feat. I guess it just sounds better "We are just nice people." Weasel.

When I get a great deal.....I don't tell anyone. Let them think I'm rich!

Nobody needs to know that beautiful shirt they just complemented me on cost $5 on Temu...lol

[no1talks]

31 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"There are all sorts of cruising weasels."

 

Cruising Weasals?!

 

Didn't those guys open for Lynyrd Skynyrd on their Nuthin’ Fancy tour back in '74? 😆

(Play Free Bird!)

[morpheusofthesea]

3 hours ago, no1talks said:

 

Cruising Weasals?!

 

Didn't those guys open for Lynyrd Skynyrd on their Nuthin’ Fancy tour back in '74? 😆

(Play Free Bird!)

ZZ Top opened for Lynyrd Skynyrd at the Arkansas state fair in 1975.  

Black Oak Arkansa closed for Lynyrd Skynyrd at the Arkansas state fair in 1975.  

Peter Frampton opened for Lynyrd Skynyrd in San Bernardino, CA on September 5, 1975.  

Climax Blues Band opened for Lynyrd Skynyrd at the Tarrant County Convention Center in Fort Worth in 1976. 

  You must be recalling The Screeching Weasel. The band originally called themselves All Night Garage Sale which is very close to how MSC markets their sailings today.

[morpheusofthesea]

3 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

When I get a great deal.....I don't tell anyone.

Ninety percent of all social media are postings of people wiping our noses in it.

P.S. I, on the other hand, am affronted annoyed bent out of shape boiling cross displeased enraged fighting mad fit to be tied fuming furious hopping mad hot huffy in a tizzy incensed inflamed infuriated irate irritated livid mad maddened offended outraged peed peeved pissed provoked raging riled sore steamed steamed up steaming storming t'd off ...when I over pay for a cruise like Regent Seven Seas and get treated like steerage.

Edited September 7 by morpheusofthesea

[lahlah57]

7 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Do you infer that this gentleman fellow CC poster told us an untruth,

a deceit, a deception, a dishonesty, some disinformation, a distortion, an evasion, a fabrication, a falsehood, a fiction, an inaccuracy, a misrepresentation of his situation, a myth, a tale or just flat out lied ? No I just think he bragged and weaseled his way into the Owners Suite by complaining the entire week about the cabin he originally booked. There are all sorts of cruising weasels. Others go to guest services to remove their gratuities and stiff the staff. I just felt this gentleman was the greatest weasel of all time and wanted to know how he accomplished this feat. I guess it just sounds better "We are just nice people." Weasel.

Is it jiffy pop time?

[DaKahuna]

3 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

ZZ Top opened for Lynyrd Skynyrd at the Arkansas state fair in 1975.  

Black Oak Arkansa closed for Lynyrd Skynyrd at the Arkansas state fair in 1975.  

Peter Frampton opened for Lynyrd Skynyrd in San Bernardino, CA on September 5, 1975.  

Climax Blues Band opened for Lynyrd Skynyrd at the Tarrant County Convention Center in Fort Worth in 1976. 

  You must be recalling The Screeching Weasel. The band originally called themselves All Night Garage Sale which is very close to how MSC markets their sailings today.

 

 I am in the presence of another Skynyrd fan !!! I feel honored.