Realistic upgrade bids?

[FiremedicMike151]

Where on the meter do I need to go in order to upgrade?  Wife and I have a balcony cabin and I am really considering upgrading to the haven on our upcoming cruise... Been a stressful few months with work and moving and we could probably use the extra relaxation.

 

Side note, if I upgrade to haven, can I cancel my vibe pass and get that money back?

 

Thanks!

 

[graphicguy]

Haven upgrades are a tough get.  Those cabins usually sell out first.  The only way to have a shot at them is if someone cancels last minute, which means they also would have forfeited their fare, which is unlikely.  Not saying it doesn't happen, but it's very rare.

 

Minimum bids for the Haven reduce the already very slim chances of upgrading to nearly non-existent. 

 

Best advice I can give is, if you want the Haven, book the Haven.

 

I've heard people say they've canceled their VIBE and been refunded, and I've heard others say they tried and couldn't.  

[wolft927]

Winning bids for the Haven are almost non existent now. the year after cruising restarted I won 2 bids into the Haven, both were forward facing Haven suites on the Breakaway. Now, i simply book the Haven and every cruise so far the Haven has usually sold out about 60 days out. 

 

We are staying on the Haven on Feb 2nd on the Getaway. We are traveling with another couple and they have 2 boys 7 and 8. We were able to get the 2 bedroom Haven suite for $8,200 for 6 people. We split this down the middle so $4,100 a family. Now since their were 4 of them and only 2 of us, we split 50/50 so we get the master bedroom as well as the 2 specialty dining nights.

 

Haven cabins prices have gotten crazy, but having another couple that you can travel and stay in the same suite makes it affordable. 

[cruiseny4life]

If a Haven room is available, just book it outright. It's the only way to guarantee the Haven. I wouldn't consider a cruise in anything less (spoiled, I am). EDIT: if no Haven rooms are available, keep looking. It's possible one will open up prior to sailing, especially around the 120 day period as folx cancel their cruises before final payment hits. 

 

Your chances at winning an upgrade bid into the Haven are slim to none, even if you increase the dial all the way to hot, hot, hot (that's spendy). 

 

To answer your question, in the very unlikely event you do get the upgrade, you can cancel Vibe and get your money back. Just be sure to talk with the concierge immediately upon boarding. 

Edited September 16 by cruiseny4life

[FiremedicMike151]

Follow-up question, is that dial number per person or total?

 

[scooter6139]

23 minutes ago, FiremedicMike151 said:

Follow-up question, is that dial number per person or total?

 

Per person, I think, from my last recollection.

[complawyer]

fire medic mike. whatever  you bid, gets multiplied by 2, for the 1st 2  people in the cabin. 

 

so if you were to bid $2,000 you would be paying $4,000.

 

and wolft927

 

have you ever stayed in a 2 bedroom suite? while the 2nd bedroom is comfortable, it is small.

we took a friend with us once , and when she 1st saw her room, you could see the disappointment in her eyes. as she realized she was getting all the benefits of a haven, she got over the initial disappointment, had a great time and has sailed with us many more times.

while i dont want to rain on your parade, hopefully,  you and the other couple are very close. it could get a little uncomfortable. where are the kids going to sleep? the living room sofa does pull out and should be ok for 2 small children.

 

however, what about bathroom/showers? I wouldnt want someone else kids invading my bathroom while im using it. by the way, there is a massive difference between the master and smaller cabin.

 

also, i hope that the 2 free dinners dont cause a problem. specialty dining can be costly, especially if the other couple has to pay for themselves and their 2 children

 

the only thing i can say is "good luck" and i hope it works out for the 6 of you

[cruiseny4life]

36 minutes ago, scooter6139 said:

Per person, I think, from my last recollection.

Your last recollection is correct!

[scooter6139]

12 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Your last recollection is correct!

Thanks. Been a while for us.

[Seas2mountains]

If you want to upgrade to Haven on your cruise, do a mock booking to see if any Haven cabins are still available. If they are available, you can check the price difference between what you paid for your balcony cabin and what they are charging for a Haven suite. If the price is reasonable, you can go through your TA or NCL to check on the cost to upgrade.  I have done this myself a few times within a few weeks of the cruise when a Haven or suite cabin became available and the price had dropped.

Be cautious about this as if you had a special promotion through a TA like OBC or pre-paid gratuities, these may be lost when you upgrade.

 

If the price seems too high and the Haven is available, you may try for an upgrade using the Upgrade Advantage program but you are bidding with many other people.

 

With the ships sailing at or near full capacity, the upgrade opportunities aren't as often as they used to be during the Covid restart.

[wolft927]

So for example, our cruise for Feb 2nd on the Getaway currently has 10 Haven Suites left, now over half of them are the 2 bedroom. Final payment is due on October 3rd i believe so right around then you may see a price drop on certain cabin. Also you may see more cabins become available as some end up canceling prior to final payment. I do mock bookings almost daily making sure the there wasnt a major price drop on our haven suite. 

[tomk3212]

Can't speak for The Haven.  Can't really afford it so have never booked there.

 

Now we usually book GTY INSIDE category so we get 'invited' to bid on a balcony.  We're 2 for 5 since the pandemic on successful bids. As best as I can determine there's no rhyme or reason to the 'wheel of fortune' when it comes to bidding.  On a Canada cruise we were WAY down at the bottom yet we got the upgrade to a balcony.  We bid near the top on a TA & didn't get it.  So, as the old gambler sez, 'You pays yous' money and you takes yous' chances'.

 

The amount you bid is per person & it's ONLY for the first TWO people in your cabin.  So if you bid $1000 successfully your cc will be charged $2000.  It's automatically charged to your cc & you can't change your mind either.

 

Good luck & hope you have a great cruise!

[BirdTravels]

On 9/16/2024 at 7:45 AM, FiremedicMike151 said:

Where on the meter do I need to go in order to upgrade?  Wife and I have a balcony cabin and I am really considering upgrading to the haven on our upcoming cruise... Been a stressful few months with work and moving and we could probably use the extra relaxation.

 

Side note, if I upgrade to haven, can I cancel my vibe pass and get that money back?

 

Thanks!

 

For the vast majority of the cruises right now, the Haven sells out to people willing to pay "retail" for the rooms. So, any bids are being made to fill room left empty by last minute cancellations. 

 

There is zero way of telling what a winning bid will be. Everyone starts with a different minimum/maximum bid range (and dial). If you are in a balcony bidding on a Haven courtyard penthouse, your bid range may be $850-$2000 per person. If you are in a forward facing Haven room and bidding on Haven courtyard, your minimum bid may be $100-$600 per person.

 

Haven awards are made on week of cruise. For a weekend departure, they will process Haven bids Monday/Tuesday of the week of sailing. And as late as time of departure for last minute cancellations/no-shows. 

 

With over 1000 rooms with the potential of bidding on Haven rooms, in reality, the probability of winning a Haven bid is near 0%. Keep your Vibe pass handy. You can cancel it if you are fortunate enough to get upgraded. 

Edited September 17 by BirdTravels

[lizinvan]

Sorry Bird Travels and others in the know:) 

What is the Vibe pass?

 

Haven't been on NCL since pre covid and don't recall ever receiving upgrade (other lines were more successful; again pre covid.  As some mentioned maybe travel agency (tour co/vacation club) does not participate in upgrades....We have been on approx 25 cruises but not much experience in this area.

 

Thanks for any insights and happy cruising!

[gail-s]

Thanks for this information.  Last summer we had a jr suite on RCL for our European cruise.  DH placed a good bid and we ended up in an owner's suite.  It was fabulous.  Next cruise was a 3 night so we booked a grand suite, which we loved.  We did bid on an upgrade but didn't get it.  This last cruise we booked a balcony for a 4 night cruise (casino offer) and bid but didn't get anything.  The 4 night cruise was sold out so we weren't surprised.  Hated the room after being spoiled by the suites.  
I'm looking at cruises for next summer.  Either Mediterranean or Caribbean.  Like others said, the jump from Balcony to Haven is huge, but I'm guessing people are willing to pay it so it would be rare to have your bid accepted.  Does anyone know if it's different between European cruises and Caribbean? or across the board? 
Also, any idea how bidding is from a regular balcony to a club balcony suite?  Typically the price is minimally different so it may just be worth it to book the larger room to begin with.  
We stopped cruising for a long time when we bought a boat and our daughter was in HS.  We've started cruising again and it's the daughter who wants to go on one next year to celebrate her college graduation.  The only ship she's ever been on is the Dawn to Bermuda.  We had a balcony (mistake) and then a family suite which was fabulous.  I'm going to drive myself insane booking this one 🤣 Thanks for any help!

[NorthernJoey]

It's NCL forum here. nor RCL ?😇