Any Upgrade Bids Accepted Recently?

[ysolde]

Well, the system just allowed me to modify our upgrade offers yet again.  I fiddled around with a couple of them once more (the cruise out of Rome leaves on November 1), but I think we will be in our Deck 10 Balcony cabin.

[CT-Scott]

On 10/30/2022 at 11:14 AM, RosieRoo said:

Don’t forget to check the price of upgrading directly with NCL. Cruise November 12th in the lowest level Haven suite, have the option to bid on all other Haven Suites, minimum bid is $250 pp. I just upgraded my cabin to a larger suite in the Haven for free because prices have dropped. 

We went through a travel agent, but my wife doesn't want to "bother her" to inquire about a room change.  Do you know if I can contact NCL directly or would I need to work through our travel agent?

[RosieRoo]

1 hour ago, CT-Scott said:

We went through a travel agent, but my wife doesn't want to "bother her" to inquire about a room change.  Do you know if I can contact NCL directly or would I need to work through our travel agent?

Bother your travel agent if you want to get it done. I don’t believe NCL will work with you since you booked thru a TA. Mine called NCL and worked with them over the phone. The prices had taken a huge drop and I was able to upgrade several levels without paying any additional fees.  Also, if you don’t want to upgrade your cabin, your TA can also request a FCC for the difference in price. I got a FCC for a cruise that was paid in full when the price dropped after final payment. I wasn’t interested in an upgrade on that one. Good luck. 
 

Edited October 31, 2022 by RosieRoo

[bundtkate]

2 hours ago, CT-Scott said:

my wife doesn't want to "bother her" to inquire about a room change.

Definitely bother her. And if your wife throws you any shade, you can tell her that I bothered mine while he was on vacation in Rome so you could be a worse person for sure. Admittedly, I did not purposefully bother him on vacation and he adamantly claims he doesn't hate me for it, but I felt bad all the same ...

[trbarton]

I’m in a studio stateroom & when I inquired I was told that I didn’t qualify & to check with my TA.

 

Anyone in a studio able to make a bid?

 

Tom😀

[smillerholmes]

6 hours ago, trbarton said:

I’m in a studio stateroom & when I inquired I was told that I didn’t qualify & to check with my TA.

 

Anyone in a studio able to make a bid?

 

Tom😀

I have received the option to upgrade and done so from Studio to Balcony, however I did book directly with NCL.  It is possible/likely, that your TA does not participate in the Upgrade Advantage program and thus you would not "qualify".  Double check with your TA for sure.

[SplashOfWater]

On 10/30/2022 at 11:14 AM, RosieRoo said:

Don’t forget to check the price of upgrading directly with NCL. Cruise November 12th in the lowest level Haven suite, have the option to bid on all other Haven Suites, minimum bid is $250 pp. I just upgraded my cabin to a larger suite in the Haven for free because prices have dropped. 

Great advice! Prices dropped today on my Nov 27 Dawn cruise. I upgraded directly with NCL from an Oceanview (OA) to Family Suite (SP) without balcony for $1100 total. Well worth it for a 14-day cruise. 

[alanstarr]

re: Dawn 15-day TA 11/5 from Barcelona

Just heard this afternoon that I got upgraded. Originally booked an inside cabin, then got a free upgrade to a picture window OV when the price dropped last month. Bid just above the minimums for a balcony (110pp) and club balcony suite (160pp). Got the email today that was upgraded to the balcony for 220 total. I'm happy enough with that!

(When doing a fake booking, Club Balcony Suites are now sold out, as are all the higher-end suites.)
 

[NCLfanboy]

First time cruiser here. I booked a Mini-Suite for the NCL Epic November 15th sailing in Cabin Class MC and it would not let me bid on any upgrade. Today I received a call from some NCL rep and they upgraded me to Haven 2 Bedroom Penthouse. I'm pretty shocked. Is this normal with NCL?

[Russiamomm]

45 minutes ago, NCLfanboy said:

First time cruiser here. I booked a Mini-Suite for the NCL Epic November 15th sailing in Cabin Class MC and it would not let me bid on any upgrade. Today I received a call from some NCL rep and they upgraded me to Haven 2 Bedroom Penthouse. I'm pretty shocked. Is this normal with NCL?

Sorry, but I have to call a little BS here.  I’ve never heard of anyone getting such a great upgrade for free - especially a first time cruiser without status with the cruise line or the casino. Can you provide a few more details?  

[Lady President]

On 10/30/2022 at 11:14 AM, RosieRoo said:

Don’t forget to check the price of upgrading directly with NCL. Cruise November 12th in the lowest level Haven suite, have the option to bid on all other Haven Suites, minimum bid is $250 pp. I just upgraded my cabin to a larger suite in the Haven for free because prices have dropped. 

Good point!  We just upgraded directly with NCL yesterday.  The lowest bid on the app to upgrade from a Club Balcony Suite to a Haven Suite was $650/person for an 11-day cruise.  When we called they offered to upgraded us for under $300/person which we took.

 

[scooter6139]

2 hours ago, NCLfanboy said:

First time cruiser here. I booked a Mini-Suite for the NCL Epic November 15th sailing in Cabin Class MC and it would not let me bid on any upgrade. Today I received a call from some NCL rep and they upgraded me to Haven 2 Bedroom Penthouse. I'm pretty shocked. Is this normal with NCL?

Nope.  Calling BS.

[ChiefMateJRK]

3 hours ago, Russiamomm said:

Sorry, but I have to call a little BS here.

 

2 hours ago, scooter6139 said:

Nope.  Calling BS.

Same here.  First time poster reporting some magical call from NCL to rain down some manna.  It just doesn't happen like that.

[Wintersun48]

Rather than bid, if I were to phone is it likely I could upgrade to the haven for less than the advertised price on the web site? Has anyone done this successfully and how much less? Thanks j

[NCLfanboy]

Exactly, I'm completely shocked. I booked only a Mini-Suite MC Club Balcony for 1 Person. I'm traveling alone. The NCL rep called me and left a voice mail, and I called them back. I was asking questions about the pricing - because my TA stuck me with huge Service Charges - and then I asked for my Cabin Number (wasn't assigned yet) and then she told me I had been upgraded to the 2 Bedroom HC6 Cabin.

 

Now, I have slight knowledge of how this might have happened. I booked the Cruise with Amex Platinum, which comes with a $200 OBC and Dinner for 2 at Le Bistro. Apparently NCL used to be or is still part of some Cruise Privileges program.

 

The only way this happened in my opinion is because Amex gave my spend to NCL and NCL gave me an upgrade. But, never been on a Cruise and haven't even been on a yacht in several years.

 

I even called NCL back to make sure I couldn't be "downgraded" as I still believe it to be some kind of fluke.

 

Edited November 3, 2022 by NCLfanboy
grammar

[Elsammo46]

18 minutes ago, NCLfanboy said:

Exactly, I'm completely shocked. I booked only a Mini-Suite MC Club Balcony for 1 Person. I'm traveling alone. The NCL rep called me and left a voice mail, and I called them back. I was asking questions about the pricing - because my TA stuck me with huge Service Charges - and then I asked for my Cabin Number (wasn't assigned yet) and then she told me I had been upgraded to the 2 Bedroom HC6 Cabin.

 

Now, I have slight knowledge of how this might have happened. I booked the Cruise with Amex Platinum, which comes with a $200 OBC and Dinner for 2 at Le Bistro. Apparently NCL used to be or is still part of some Cruise Privileges program.

 

The only way this happened in my opinion is because Amex gave my spend to NCL and NCL gave me an upgrade. But, never been on a Cruise and haven't even been on a yacht in several years.

 

I even called NCL back to make sure I couldn't be "downgraded" as I still believe it to be some kind of fluke.

 

That’s awesome! 

[NCLfanboy]

I should expand further on this. On several websites the cruise price seemed to be around $1650 USD to MC Cabin Category. Now, on Amex Travel the price was the same BUT the Amex Website is different than a normal Cruise Online TA.

 

Every Online Cruise TA I looked at clearly listed the 5 Free at Sea as included. However, Amex on their website does not. American Express website only says "special offer" with no indication what is even meant by "Special Offer".

 

When I booked it, I took the risk that because every other Online TA had the 5 Free at Sea, American Express would as well. My NCL Booking had no Free at Sea listed.

 

I called NCL (before I even had any Cabin assigned) and they added on the 5 Free at Sea for me - THEN American Express stuck me with an ADDITIONAL $433.60 "package fee" !!

 

The only reason I haven/t complained about this package fee is because I found out the next day about the Haven HC6 upgrade. I guess I'm happy to pay this steep package fee as the upgrade it such a good deal overall.

 

Still though, it proves that American Express Cruise prices are much, much higher than Online Travel Agents.

 

[travelgip]

I put in a bid to upgrade from studio to balcony for a January 2023 cruise.  I did the minimum, or a little bit over that.

If I get this upgrade, how much more do I have to pay for tips/insurance/anything else?  Another thread told me to expect a $500 charge to my account right off the bat.  Can anyone clarify please?

[rbxlady]

9 hours ago, Wintersun48 said:

Rather than bid, if I were to phone is it likely I could upgrade to the haven for less than the advertised price on the web site? Has anyone done this successfully and how much less? Thanks j

I didn't get any special pricing by calling when I decided to upgrade us to the Haven (price came down to about our bid, and suites were disappearing fast), but prior to final payment, I did call to ask about something, and the rep I spoke to took it upon herself to review our reservation and saw that we were eligible for a promotion where if I paid another $250 down, they'd match it. That was a no-brainer, but I would never have known about it if I hadn't called and gotten this particular representative.

[New2cruise2022]

On 10/30/2022 at 9:14 AM, RosieRoo said:

Don’t forget to check the price of upgrading directly with NCL. Cruise November 12th in the lowest level Haven suite, have the option to bid on all other Haven Suites, minimum bid is $250 pp. I just upgraded my cabin to a larger suite in the Haven for free because prices have dropped. 

I just did this for a Jan cruise. Taxes and fees would move from inside to balcony guaranteed (they pick for you) for $159 total for 3 people. Thanks for the advice. 
 

I like the location of the room I chose so I probably won’t upgrade, but that is considerably less than just bidding to upgrade. 

Edited November 3, 2022 by New2cruise2022

[scooter6139]

11 hours ago, NCLfanboy said:

Exactly, I'm completely shocked. I booked only a Mini-Suite MC Club Balcony for 1 Person. I'm traveling alone. The NCL rep called me and left a voice mail, and I called them back. I was asking questions about the pricing - because my TA stuck me with huge Service Charges - and then I asked for my Cabin Number (wasn't assigned yet) and then she told me I had been upgraded to the 2 Bedroom HC6 Cabin.

 

Now, I have slight knowledge of how this might have happened. I booked the Cruise with Amex Platinum, which comes with a $200 OBC and Dinner for 2 at Le Bistro. Apparently NCL used to be or is still part of some Cruise Privileges program.

 

The only way this happened in my opinion is because Amex gave my spend to NCL and NCL gave me an upgrade. But, never been on a Cruise and haven't even been on a yacht in several years.

 

I even called NCL back to make sure I couldn't be "downgraded" as I still believe it to be some kind of fluke.

 

 

11 hours ago, NCLfanboy said:

I should expand further on this. On several websites the cruise price seemed to be around $1650 USD to MC Cabin Category. Now, on Amex Travel the price was the same BUT the Amex Website is different than a normal Cruise Online TA.

 

Every Online Cruise TA I looked at clearly listed the 5 Free at Sea as included. However, Amex on their website does not. American Express website only says "special offer" with no indication what is even meant by "Special Offer".

 

When I booked it, I took the risk that because every other Online TA had the 5 Free at Sea, American Express would as well. My NCL Booking had no Free at Sea listed.

 

I called NCL (before I even had any Cabin assigned) and they added on the 5 Free at Sea for me - THEN American Express stuck me with an ADDITIONAL $433.60 "package fee" !!

 

The only reason I haven/t complained about this package fee is because I found out the next day about the Haven HC6 upgrade. I guess I'm happy to pay this steep package fee as the upgrade it such a good deal overall.

 

Still though, it proves that American Express Cruise prices are much, much higher than Online Travel Agents.

 

 

Still calling BS. 

 

1.  NCL will not "give" you a upgrade from a single occupancy MC Club Balcony to a H6 3-4 person Haven Suite; Cost difference is about $5k.  

2.  You state a TA reserved the room.  NCL will not deal with you directly, only your TA.

 

 

[Russiamomm]

1 hour ago, scooter6139 said:

 

 

Still calling BS. 

 

1.  NCL will not "give" you a upgrade from a single occupancy MC Club Balcony to a H6 3-4 person Haven Suite; Cost difference is about $5k.  

2.  You state a TA reserved the room.  NCL will not deal with you directly, only your TA.

 

 

Me too.

[Mcc1989]

Sailing on the Prima 11/19 out of Miami. First time staying in The Haven - cat HE. Dabbling in the upgrade bidding, we have been successful on two other attempts but those were balcony to suite, inside to balcony…not a ton of room to improve here but have been thinking about those rooms with the hot tubs. Would be amazing. All suites/haven rooms all say they’re sold old. My bids haven’t been cancelled yet. I wondered if anyone has gotten an upgrade from this sailing? 16 days till we take off!

 

I should mention that I checked the website religiously and did receive a $750 FCC when the Haven prices dropped. Really pays to obsess a bit over these things! Haha

Edited November 3, 2022 by Mcc1989
Misspelling

[New2cruise2022]

1 hour ago, Mcc1989 said:

Sailing on the Prima 11/19 out of Miami. First time staying in The Haven - cat HE. Dabbling in the upgrade bidding, we have been successful on two other attempts but those were balcony to suite, inside to balcony…not a ton of room to improve here but have been thinking about those rooms with the hot tubs. Would be amazing. All suites/haven rooms all say they’re sold old. My bids haven’t been cancelled yet. I wondered if anyone has gotten an upgrade from this sailing? 16 days till we take off!

 

I should mention that I checked the website religiously and did receive a $750 FCC when the Haven prices dropped. Really pays to obsess a bit over these things! Haha

Does the FCC just show up or do you need to do something?

[Mcc1989]

You definitely need to call in regards to future cruise credits/aka price drops. It took about an hour (I think I called during a peak time). They did advise me that the credit wouldn’t appear on my account until after the cruise. 
 

I was lucky because I noticed the price drop and called right away, the next day the category was sold out. So would have been out of luck.