Successful Bidding On Upgrades?

[The Cruiseman 1]

What is the least amount you have been able to bid and secure an upgrade?  We are in a balcony room and would love to upgrade to a mini suite or even a Haven room as long as it does not cost too much.  I have checked and all categories that we have bid on show as available still and hate to miss an upgrade by just a few dollars.

Thanks!

[DinaS]

27 minutes ago, The Cruiseman 1 said:

What is the least amount you have been able to bid and secure an upgrade?  We are in a balcony room and would love to upgrade to a mini suite or even a Haven room as long as it does not cost too much.  I have checked and all categories that we have bid on show as available still and hate to miss an upgrade by just a few dollars.

Thanks!

 

There have been a few reports that people have bid the minimum and won.  That's definitely rare.  And that usually happens in cases of upgrading from inside to oceanview, or oceanview to balcony - not Balcony to Suites or Haven.

 

You should bid the amount you are comfortable spending, and remember that the amount is times two.  Remember, however, that if you win an upgrade from Balcony to Mini-Suite for example, you are stuck with the location you get.  Some Mini-Suites are in undesirable locations, like under a pool deck.  

 

You should also check the prices to upgrade directly.  It would be best to do it that way if the cost makes sense to you.  At least this way you can say no if there are no desirable cabins available.

 

Some people get so enthralled with the "win an upgrade" hype, that they end up paying more by "winning", rather than paying outright for the upgrade.

Edited December 4, 2019 by DinaS

[Trimone]

Breakaway from spa balcony to H5 Haven for £405 pp....

[RobinKY]

I just bid $160/person X 2 people to get balcony.  The bidding meter said "good" or "fair" IIRC.  I did not get it.

[julig22]

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2559083-what-was-your-upgrade-offer-and-what-did-you-bid/?tab=comments#comment-55165853

 

[jfarri4230]

We were booked through a casino offer in a cove balcony on the Dawn a couple of years ago at a great price that included drinks and specialty dining, plus Platinum and casino perks.  Decided to bid the minimum ($320 pp) for an aft Penthouse.  Didn't get it.  So we decided to spend the $150 pp that we had planned to spend for massages in Roatan to increase our upgrade bid amount to $470 pp.  We bid that amount on the Family Suite with Balcony and got it.  We have had several suites, but this one was our favorite.  Large cabin with all suite perks.  But the BEST was the 110 square foot balcony with padded loungers.  Up high on the ship, close to the pool bar where we would get our Yetis filled and head back to our balcony several times each day.  We didn't even get off the ship except for an all-inclusive beach day in Cozumel.  All the rest of the time we spent on that lovely balcony reading, listening to music, watching the sea or the port activity.  Magical!

 

This year we booked a mini suite with all 5 perks with no casino help.  Planned to bid no more than $450-$500 pp on that same family suite.  When I saw the price difference between what we had paid for the mini suite and what they were charging for the Family Suite was only $400 pp, we jumped on it.  We are paying WAY more than the last time, but without the playing time requirement from the casino which amounts to a lot of $$$ if we don't win.  It's a wash, really, and we know that we will enjoy our time on that balcony just as before.  And that's a true win!