What was your upgrade offer and what did you bid

[luv2cruise523]

On 5/6/2019 at 2:37 PM, KrazyKs said:

Still waiting on the 5/12 Escape to Bermuda.

Us too!

[raycox2019]

If you do get the Escape from Bermuda with the Haven, say hi to Adrian the concierge.  He's great!  Also, the bar is SO fast in making drinks compared to rest of ship.  Finally, the breakfast in Haven had a filet for steak and eggs...so that was a great surprise.

[timf2001]

4 hours ago, Joeghartman said:

As I’m inching closer to my cruise on the Bliss, I’m starting to pay attention to this bidding process. My question is, when did this begin? My last NCL cruise was in 2016 and I just called to negotiate an upgrade.

 

Bidding started in Fall 2016 on select ships, and was expanded to all ships in 2017.  I bid and won on Getaway in November 2016.

[Say811]

For those of you that track available cabins, prices etc...what is considered to be good indicator of availability (i.e. better chance of upgrade)?  So for example, I’m on the Star 6/23 to Greek Isles.  Currently in oceanview with bids on balcony and mini suite.  I check the other site every day and by my best count (excluding guarantees), there are about 50 balconies and 10 minis left.  Prices on balconies have dropped over $200 just in the few weeks since I started watching but are still more than what I want to pay for direct upgrade.  Minis have gone down about the same.  So at about 6 weeks out, any way to tell if cruise is underselling, overselling, or right on schedule?

[debgreg]

How long after you book do you get an email for an upgrade?

 

I booked an inside GTY two days ago on Epic and have been allocated one aft deck 9 right by the lifts which is good because we have purchased Spa passes.

 

 I wouldn't mind throwing a cheeky bid in on a balcony however as I used an online TA im not sure if I will get the chance, 55days out.

 

Thanks

[JamieLogical]

1 hour ago, Say811 said:

For those of you that track available cabins, prices etc...what is considered to be good indicator of availability (i.e. better chance of upgrade)?  So for example, I’m on the Star 6/23 to Greek Isles.  Currently in oceanview with bids on balcony and mini suite.  I check the other site every day and by my best count (excluding guarantees), there are about 50 balconies and 10 minis left.  Prices on balconies have dropped over $200 just in the few weeks since I started watching but are still more than what I want to pay for direct upgrade.  Minis have gone down about the same.  So at about 6 weeks out, any way to tell if cruise is underselling, overselling, or right on schedule?

 

I usually try to track the rate cabins are selling at. If there is only 45 days until sailing and there are 50 balconies left, are they selling at a rate of one per day? If so, they they are likely to sell out with no further price drops. However, if they are only selling one ever few days, then another price drop might happen in order to try to sell them more quickly.

[JamieLogical]

1 minute ago, debgreg said:

How long after you book do you get an email for an upgrade?

 

I booked an inside GTY two days ago on Epic and have been allocated one aft deck 9 right by the lifts which is good because we have purchased Spa passes.

 

 I wouldn't mind throwing a cheeky bid in on a balcony however as I used an online TA im not sure if I will get the chance, 55days out.

 

Thanks

 

There's a chance your online TA doesn't participate in the Upgrade Advantage program. Usually you would get the invite to upgrade within 2 days of booking if you are less than 80 days out from sailing. If you don't receive an email, check your Message Center inside of My NCL.

[debgreg]

19 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

There's a chance your online TA doesn't participate in the Upgrade Advantage program. Usually you would get the invite to upgrade within 2 days of booking if you are less than 80 days out from sailing. If you don't receive an email, check your Message Center inside of My NCL.

Thanks, I did have 6 message in my inbox when I logged in but none relating to upgrade, but its only just 48hours since I booked so here's hoping :)  

[Say811]

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I usually try to track the rate cabins are selling at. If there is only 45 days until sailing and there are 50 balconies left, are they selling at a rate of one per day? If so, they they are likely to sell out with no further price drops. However, if they are only selling one ever few days, then another price drop might happen in order to try to sell them more quickly.

Good strategy!  I haven’t been writing the numbers down but I don’t think either have moved by more than one or two over the last 10 days and the most recent price drop of $100 was yesterday which makes sense based on lack of activity. 

[Newleno]

1 hour ago, debgreg said:

Thanks, I did have 6 message in my inbox when I logged in but none relating to upgrade, but its only just 48hours since I booked so here's hoping 🙂  

I booked through an outside TA 6 days before departure, no email came to bid, but when I logged into my account the opportunity to bid was there.  There was no message, it just appeared on the main screen.

[MRVEGAS711]

8 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I usually try to track the rate cabins are selling at. If there is only 45 days until sailing and there are 50 balconies left, are they selling at a rate of one per day? If so, they they are likely to sell out with no further price drops. However, if they are only selling one ever few days, then another price drop might happen in order to try to sell them more quickly.

What is the easiest way of tracking available rooms. Going to ***** and looking at every floor plan looks tedious! (Thanks in advance)

[JamieLogical]

42 minutes ago, MRVEGAS711 said:

What is the easiest way of tracking available rooms. Going to ***** and looking at every floor plan looks tedious! (Thanks in advance)

 

Unfortunately, that's the only way I have figured out to do it other than writing some sort of script that would crawl TA web sites.

[mking8288]

Congratulations! Your offer to upgrade your stateroom on your upcoming cruise has been successful.

What to do now:

• Your Stateroom has been upgraded to Oceanview Stateroom ...  

Norweigian Dawn - sailing in 3 days (May 11, 2019) Canada & New England (7 nights out of NYC) ... ship currently doing a repo, just sailed from Miami this afternoon, empty (no passengers onboard)

 

Bids from 3 cabins, one (1) non-SailAway Inside (IF) booked about 3 weeks ago, almost last minute as rates only begun to drop) - next day, IB assigned (Deck 11) and "Let's Get You Upgraded" email, pop-up banner on day 3 after full payment.  Two (2) SailAway Insides (IX - GTY) booked just last week (10 days out) - next day, ID assigned (Deck 9) - 3 days after payment/booking - "Let's Get You Upgraded" came ... reminders with a new email each day for 4 days (LOL.)  

 

All directly booked via NCL/online ... CruiseNext Certificate (1 only per booking) and NCLH benefits as OBC submitted/claimed (nice).  Prices began a steeper slide/drop last week, about 6 or 7 days ago - Inside SailAway went from $449 earlier last month to $399, then to $299, and a few days ago to $279.  OV SailAway was as low as $309 (briefly) and since got up higher.  Solo Balcony - GTY no frills, was booked for as low as $624, taxe/port fees/charges ... excluding DSC, within the last 72 hours - at a steal, deal of the month (doubled Shorex Bonus for Solo is a good one, inflated prices but no 20% surcharge.)

 

Haven bids, apparently processed & upgraded - mostly - 2 days ago, now all "Sold Out" except for 2 Br Suite, Mini's were upgraded yesterday & earlier today.  Balconies were upgraded, mostly, today & now sold out ... along with Oceanview upgrades - at this moment, SailAway OV is showing availability ($479 p/p).  Insides at $279 p/p (OV was priced the same yesterday ... )

 

We also (cabin #4 in our group) have a midship Deck 5 OV booked but did not submit a bid.  The other 2 bids remaining "pending" now at 3 days to sailing ... remaining doubtful (and, not expecting to win) as it is within poor range.

 

The successful bid went from Deck 11 (IB) Fwd to Deck 4 (OD) Fwd, Portside - sleep up to 4.  New eDocs & eLuggage tags printed, ready to finalized packing - unobstructed porthole view is better than obstructed lifeboat view on Deck 8, although that's fine too - this is a port intensive itinerary and Day 2 as the only full Sea Day.  LeBistro booked for 8, just last week for Day 2 ... 3 Platinum vouchers & 2 SDP to be used.  

 

How much $$ ??  Expired bid & Upgraded bid - both within poor range ... in fairness to others still waiting to hear with a chance to get upgraded (and, not to bump up the offers by others competing & lurking) ... the winning bid will be embargoed for now & released after 4 PM, EDT tomorrow.  

 

Looking for a deal/steal out of the Northeast, the Escape to Bermuda has a fairly low last minute price sailing this Sunday out of NY, weather is nicer at Dockyard ... Halifax, St. John, Bar Harbor & Portland, etc. not so much but it is a change of scenery.  This is the first Dawn run out of NYC for 2019 and going to revisit old memories, last cruised on her was 2005 ...  Time to feast on fresh, live cold-water Atlantic lobsters on the waterfront.

Edited May 9, 2019 by mking8288

[dpavid]

I'm a newbie. Everyone seems like the expert here. What's a fair bid for a decent chance to upgrade.

 

NCL Joy, Jun1, 2019 Alaska. 3 staterooms. 2 inside and 1 balcony.

 

Insides to Balcony from $75pp.

 

Balcony to mini-suite from $50pp.

 

Please suggest best guesses. If we win, we win. If not, I'm going to blow it on excursions, dining, and entertainment for my kids anyway. Nice to have, no need to have. Thanks in advance!

[cruiser1955a]

2 hours ago, dpavid said:

I'm a newbie. Everyone seems like the expert here. What's a fair bid for a decent chance to upgrade.

 

NCL Joy, Jun1, 2019 Alaska. 3 staterooms. 2 inside and 1 balcony.

 

Insides to Balcony from $75pp.

 

Balcony to mini-suite from $50pp.

 

Please suggest best guesses. If we win, we win. If not, I'm going to blow it on excursions, dining, and entertainment for my kids anyway. Nice to have, no need to have. Thanks in advance!

I can’t answer your question, but keep in mind that NCL considers your “total dollars spent”. People who pay top price for their original booking may not have to bid as much to win, and those who book sail-away or any discounted cabin might have to bid higher to win.

Other than that, your chances increase if there’s lots of vacancies in the category you’re upgrading to. You are getting close to your sail date. If there’s lots of vacancies, your chances are good with a medium bid. No guarantees.

[All-ready2cruise]

3 hours ago, dpavid said:

I'm a newbie. Everyone seems like the expert here. What's a fair bid for a decent chance to upgrade.

 

NCL Joy, Jun1, 2019 Alaska. 3 staterooms. 2 inside and 1 balcony.

 

Insides to Balcony from $75pp.

 

Balcony to mini-suite from $50pp.

 

Please suggest best guesses. If we win, we win. If not, I'm going to blow it on excursions, dining, and entertainment for my kids anyway. Nice to have, no need to have. Thanks in advance!

Welcome to CC, I hope you enjoy it here.  Something to consider while looking to upgrade is that if you are successful, you many not all get upgraded, you may also end up getting cabins scattered throughout the ship. The insides will only have the ability to upgrade to Oceanview or balcony while the balcony can upgrade to mini suites or higher (on the Joy it's Concierge, and haven suites) What to bid, I think it's pretty good bet that being an Alaskan cruise, you may need to bid a little higher than if it was say a common Caribbean cruise. I'd expect any bids to need to be mid-range, but, that's up to you and again, there are no guarantees. 

 

Good luck and enjoy your cruise. 

[chapchap]

47 minutes ago, cruiser1955a said:

I can’t answer your question, but keep in mind that NCL considers your “total dollars spent”. People who pay top price for their original booking may not have to bid as much to win, and those who book sail-away or any discounted cabin might have to bid higher to win.

Other than that, your chances increase if there’s lots of vacancies in the category you’re upgrading to. You are getting close to your sail date. If there’s lots of vacancies, your chances are good with a medium bid. No guarantees.

"Total dollars spent." Does that also include extras that one has added to their booking, i.e., dining packages, excursions, etc.?  I bid in the "fair" range--barely so, and am wondering if I'm "overbidding"?😌

[All-ready2cruise]

4 minutes ago, chapchap said:

"Total dollars spent." Does that also include extras that one has added to their booking, i.e., dining packages, excursions, etc.?  I bid in the "fair" range--barely so, and am wondering if I'm "overbidding"?😌

 

No, those are extras anyone can add.  

 

The one thing you shouldn't do here is say how much, what level you've bid.  It's too easy for others to see your level and out-bid you, if they choose.  You bid, you'll find out whether you've won before you cruise so I hope you win but if you don't I hope you're happy with the cabin you've purchased. 

 

Safe cruising. Enjoy

[JamieLogical]

1 hour ago, cruiser1955a said:

I can’t answer your question, but keep in mind that NCL considers your “total dollars spent”. People who pay top price for their original booking may not have to bid as much to win, and those who book sail-away or any discounted cabin might have to bid higher to win.

 

Can you site a source for this info? Our conclusions on this thread have been quite different based on info people have posted. It makes zero business sense for NCL to factor in what you paid for your original cabin. They already have that money. If I paid $1200 per person for my Balcony and someone else only paid $1000, but they bid $200 to upgrade and I only bid $100, why in the world would NCL accept my $100 offer instead of the other bidder's $200?

[cruiser1955a]

6 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Can you site a source for this info? Our conclusions on this thread have been quite different based on info people have posted. It makes zero business sense for NCL to factor in what you paid for your original cabin. They already have that money. If I paid $1200 per person for my Balcony and someone else only paid $1000, but they bid $200 to upgrade and I only bid $100, why in the world would NCL accept my $100 offer instead of the other bidder's $200?

NCL’s goal is to make money. They are not choosing upgrades at random, they are looking to maximize profit for each sailing. Naturally, they’re going to choose the person who’s spent more “total”. 

[JamieLogical]

1 minute ago, cruiser1955a said:

NCL’s goal is to make money. They are not choosing upgrades at random, they are looking to maximize profit for each sailing. Naturally, they’re going to choose the person who’s spent more “total”. 

 

Um.... I think you are doing your math wrong. I paid $1200 and the other bidder paid $1000. NCL has $2200 in their pockets.

 

Now I bid $100 and the other person bids $200 to upgrade. If they take my bid, NCL has $2300. If they take the other bidder's bid, NCL has $2400.

 

So how does my paying a "total" of $1300 and the other bidder only paying a "total" of $1200 make a difference?

 

I agree that NCL is out to maximize profits. So it makes sense for them to ALWAYS take the highest bid. Unless their algorithms indicate that taking the lower bid will net them money from other avenues (ie: on board spending, gambling, etc.). 

[Waverunner1]

9 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Um.... I think you are doing your math wrong. I paid $1200 and the other bidder paid $1000. NCL has $2200 in their pockets.

 

Now I bid $100 and the other person bids $200 to upgrade. If they take my bid, NCL has $2300. If they take the other bidder's bid, NCL has $2400.

 

So how does my paying a "total" of $1300 and the other bidder only paying a "total" of $1200 make a difference?

 

I agree that NCL is out to maximize profits. So it makes sense for them to ALWAYS take the highest bid. Unless their algorithms indicate that taking the lower bid will net them money from other avenues (ie: on board spending, gambling, etc.). 

Although I tend to agree with you Jaime, we just don't know for sure...🙈 🙉 🙊

[Greenpea2]

I agree with JamieLogical with the caveat that I also believe it sometimes has to do with what cabins would become available by accepting one bid over another. For example, a coveted aft balcony would likely generates more revenue for the next bid moving to that than it would for a regular midship balcony. 

 

[JamieLogical]

4 minutes ago, Greenpea2 said:

I agree with JamieLogical with the caveat that I also believe it sometimes has to do with what cabins would become available by accepting one bid over another. For example, a coveted aft balcony would likely generates more revenue for the next bid moving to that than it would for a regular midship balcony. 

 

 

Oh, I agree. In my example, the assumption was that both bidders were coming from the same cabin category for their original booking. The desirability and "value" of the room that would open up due to an accepted bid also factors in. It is a whole chain of events that gets kicked off when a bid is accepted and the total profit from that entire chain is what NCL really cares about. But at the most basic level, just comparing one bidder to another in the exact same room category, it wouldn't make sense for NCL to take a lower bid. What a bidder has already paid should be irrelevant, as NCL already has that money in their pocket and should be looking to maximize the additional profits they can make from bids.

Edited May 9, 2019 by JamieLogical

[luv2cruise523]

On 5/7/2019 at 7:09 PM, luv2cruise523 said:

Us too!

We got our upgrade yesterday. Balcony cabin (4)

to a midship Mini Suite (4). Original bid was for $140 on Monday increased to $155. 

I also up our bids on the Haven, I guess it was not enough, sadly. 

We are now 2/2 on winning bids ☺️