MSC upgrade program - how is this a deal?

[Reenie75]

First time I've seen this. This past week I added 1 adult to my balcony room we move from Bella Balcony to Fantasica Aft Balcony (2 Adults & 1 kid). Cost was $765 US additional. Today I get a upgrade program to Yacht Club Deluxe Suite for additional  $555 per person  so basically $1110 US dollars extra. 

How is this a deal for us? 😐

[Tapi]

HUGE difference between Fantastica and a Yacht Club Suite. Have you looked at the perks that come with each class of service? They are listed on the MSC website. https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/Discover-MSC/MSC-Yacht-Club.aspx

[Reenie75]

2 minutes ago, Tapi said:

HUGE difference between Fantastica and a Yacht Club Suite. Have you looked at the perks that come with each class of service? They are listed on the MSC website. https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/Discover-MSC/MSC-Yacht-Club.aspx

 

I've read on here that YC is starting the lack customer service and limited food options on menu. I'm wondering how much bigger is our cabin? 

 

I'm Canadian so that $1110 is close to my dollar of $1500 plus the $1000 we just spend. I don't know $2500 + orginal bill would have probabaly been the amount on a normal day of booking.

Just my thoughts. 

[Até]

What ship?  Before anyone bids on YC they should try to figure out what the cabins sold for originally as so far I think MSC has been increasing the YC prices as final payment approaches to make the minimum bidding look better.  From what I've seen usually the minimum bid is equivalent to what you could have paid for the cabin in the first place.

 

While MSC YC cabins are not that much more luxurious or spacious, the YC experience is definitely an very nice step above the level of service provided on the rest of the ship.  The bid is only for the first two people in the cabin so cabins with more than two people benefit more from the bidding system.

[Reenie75]

1 hour ago, Até said:

What ship?  Before anyone bids on YC they should try to figure out what the cabins sold for originally as so far I think MSC has been increasing the YC prices as final payment approaches to make the minimum bidding look better.  From what I've seen usually the minimum bid is equivalent to what you could have paid for the cabin in the first place.

 

While MSC YC cabins are not that much more luxurious or spacious, the YC experience is definitely an very nice step above the level of service provided on the rest of the ship.  The bid is only for the first two people in the cabin so cabins with more than two people benefit more from the bidding system.

Mergilvia- Caribbean Early December 2019

 

I agree with your comments. 

[sverigecruiser]

4 hours ago, Reenie75 said:

First time I've seen this. This past week I added 1 adult to my balcony room we move from Bella Balcony to Fantasica Aft Balcony (2 Adults & 1 kid). Cost was $765 US additional. Today I get a upgrade program to Yacht Club Deluxe Suite for additional  $555 per person  so basically $1110 US dollars extra. 

How is this a deal for us? 😐

 

We need to know how much you will pay for the cruise if we shall know if it's a good deal.

 

If you paid very little for your Bella balcony your total cost may be a very good deal.

[Reenie75]

7 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

We need to know how much you will pay for the cruise if we shall know if it's a good deal.

 

If you paid very little for your Bella balcony your total cost may be a very good deal.

So far $3700 for the fantastica aft balcony. 

[Reenie75]

If I upgrade I would be at the $5100.

[sverigecruiser]

2 minutes ago, Reenie75 said:

If I upgrade I would be at the $5100.

 

That sounds like a good deal to me but of course it depends on many things.

 

I expect to pay around $7000 for two for a one week long cruise.

[Reenie75]

1 minute ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

That sounds like a good deal to me but of course it depends on many things.

 

I expect to pay around $7000 for two for a one week long cruise.

Ok thanks!

[DCGuy64]

1 hour ago, Reenie75 said:

Ok thanks!

That's interesting, we're also booked on the Meraviglia for this December, and just this morning we received an upgrade offer. I bid the minimum but we'll see whether it's accepted or not. (when I clicked on the link, there's a slider where you can adjust your bid and it was at $500 but I bid less than that). I don't know if that "default" amount is there by accident or whether that's the amount that's more likely to be accepted. -BTW before bidding, I checked the current pricing for our cruise, and the delta between our YIN and the Deluxe we bid on is $600. 

[Até]

1 hour ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

That sounds like a good deal to me but of course it depends on many things.

 

I expect to pay around $7000 for two for a one week long cruise.

I've sailed YC on Seaside a couple times during Winter and never saw a Deluxe for more than $5000, right now I can book a YC Deluxe on MV for early December, 2020 for $4300 and it will be less when it goes to Voyagers Selection.

[Até]

29 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

...when I clicked on the link, there's a slider where you can adjust your bid and it was at $500 but I bid less than that.  I don't know if that "default" amount is there by accident or whether that's the amount that's more likely to be accepted. -BTW before bidding, I checked the current pricing for our cruise, and the delta between our YIN and the Deluxe we bid on is $600. 

I haven't seen a way to enter less than the lowest on the slider.  On all the YC bids I've seen the lowest bid on the slider is right at the amount that the cabin could have been purchased outright, at least before the YC prices go up closer to sailing.   On a YC to YC bid I guess both prices have gone up so the delta would be the same - the $500 to $600 difference is normal.  I assume your prices are per person?

[DCGuy64]

20 minutes ago, Até said:

I haven't seen a way to enter less than the lowest on the slider.  On all the YC bids I've seen the lowest bid on the slider is right at the amount that the cabin could have been purchased outright, at least before the YC prices go up closer to sailing.   On a YC to YC bid I guess both prices have gone up so the delta would be the same - the $500 to $600 difference is normal.  I assume your prices are per person?

Thanks, Até. When we got the email this morning, it said we could upgrade to a Deluxe Suite from $335 per person. When I clicked on the link to make a bid, the slider was pre-set at $500, but could be moved to the left (i.e. decreasing the price). I simply slid it to the left as far as it would go, which was $335 per person. We'll see whether MSC considers that a fair deal or not. LOL I suppose I could have submitted a bid of $500 but that is barely less than the current price difference of $600, so it didn't seem worth it to me. 

[sverigecruiser]

51 minutes ago, Até said:

I've sailed YC on Seaside a couple times during Winter and never saw a Deluxe for more than $5000, right now I can book a YC Deluxe on MV for early December, 2020 for $4300 and it will be less when it goes to Voyagers Selection.

 

I have looked at prices for summer 2021 in the Mediterranean and they are around $7000 for two. If I remember correct we paid around $6500 for our cruise on Meraviglia 2017.

[Durban]

5 hours ago, Reenie75 said:

If I upgrade I would be at the $5100.

That is outrageous, we are sailing Meraviglia 2/2/20 3 in Fantastica aft balcony incl easy package, WiFi and specialty dinner for $2800. That seems very high. 

[Até]

2 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

Thanks, Até. When we got the email this morning, it said we could upgrade to a Deluxe Suite from $335 per person. When I clicked on the link to make a bid, the slider was pre-set at $500, but could be moved to the left (i.e. decreasing the price). I simply slid it to the left as far as it would go, which was $335 per person. We'll see whether MSC considers that a fair deal or not. LOL I suppose I could have submitted a bid of $500 but that is barely less than the current price difference of $600, so it didn't seem worth it to me. 

Interesting, I have not seen that possibility in the several offers I've looked at.  Email shows a starting at number and when you go to the Plusgrade site the bid is set to zero, if you move the slider it will only start at the number in the email and cannot go lower.  That minimum bid doesn't even move the bid meter on the right which sits on "Weak".  I assume this is a seven day sailing. 

[Até]

Anyone having trouble getting into the Plusgrade site?  I have links to three offers for different people and cannot get into any of them.

[DCGuy64]

14 minutes ago, Até said:

Anyone having trouble getting into the Plusgrade site?  I have links to three offers for different people and cannot get into any of them.

Yes, I'm having trouble, too. 3 tries in the last 10 minutes and the site keeps hanging. Probably too many people like me trying to place bids. LOL

[Até]

7 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Yes, I'm having trouble, too. 3 tries in the last 10 minutes and the site keeps hanging. Probably too many people like me trying to place bids. LOL

Thanks for confirming.  I've been reading the various roll calls that are close to sailing and some people have reported getting the email/bid range like you have.  I was trying to get a screenshot of the system I've been seeing, but can't get in.

[sverigecruiser]

3 hours ago, Durban said:

That is outrageous, we are sailing Meraviglia 2/2/20 3 in Fantastica aft balcony incl easy package, WiFi and specialty dinner for $2800. That seems very high. 

 

$5100 for Yacht Club seems like a good deal to me even if Fantastica can cost $2800. My opinion is that the experiences really can't be compared. 

[Até]

2 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

$5100 for Yacht Club seems like a good deal to me even if Fantastica can cost $2800. My opinion is that the experiences really can't be compared. 

Maybe during Summer peak or holidays.  In Fall, Winter and early Spring Caribbean from US I haven't paid over $3800 per week for a YC Deluxe and $2700 per week for an YC inside and it can be even cheaper when under the 5+15% Voyagers Selection.  I passed on the Divina 10/11 day itineraries where it was closer to $5000 for those and I felt it wasn't worth it.

[thetaro]

I paid $17xx for 2 adults + 1 child for Meraviglia Bella Balcony early Dec. 

5+15% Selection, so extra $100 OBC.

 

I got the upgrade offer today. $550pp minimum. YC Deluxe Suite.

 

Edited September 21, 2019 by thetaro

[sverigecruiser]

7 hours ago, Até said:

Maybe during Summer peak or holidays.  In Fall, Winter and early Spring Caribbean from US I haven't paid over $3800 per week for a YC Deluxe and $2700 per week for an YC inside and it can be even cheaper when under the 5+15% Voyagers Selection.  I passed on the Divina 10/11 day itineraries where it was closer to $5000 for those and I felt it wasn't worth it.

 

When and where the cruise is are two of the things it "depends on" if it's a good deal or not.

 

I think that  $5100 feels like a good deal because when I want to cruise it cost much more.

 

Our 11 night cruise on Divina this winter costed much more than $5000.

 

NCL wanted almost $10000 for a week on the Epic 2017 and that's the reason why we gladly paid around $6500 for our first MSC cruise. It was absolutely worth it it felt like a great deal.

[Até]

6 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

When and where the cruise is are two of the things it "depends on" if it's a good deal or not.

 

I think that  $5100 feels like a good deal because when I want to cruise it cost much more.

The person, Reenie75, you are telling $5100 is a good deal is sailing on the Meraviglia in the Caribbean in early December.  I can book that same cruise right now in a YC Deluxe for just under $3900 and I haven't even looked to see if it's a Voyagers Selection.  I also pointed out that the same sailing in 2020 can be booked for $4300. 

 

ETA: I'm pretty sure Reenie was quoting the $5100 in Canadian dollars, so that comes out to the minimum bid paying right at full current price for the cabin.  And that's getting stuck with a random assignment which we all know is going to be the least desirable cabin that no one else booked.  My feeling is that so far with this bidding system anyone can find a better deal by just paying attention and booking the cabin they want in the first place.

Edited September 21, 2019 by Até