Upgrade Offers ON Embarkation Day

[toddw2u]

Just curious if anyone has ever been offered an upgrade at the pier?

[ggTexasGal]

36 minutes ago, toddw2u said:

Just curious if anyone has ever been offered an upgrade at the pier?

Not for quite a few years!!!

Do Not ask at the Check-In Desk at the pier, because they don't have anything to do with that.

Then at "Guest Services" onboard, there will be a sign posted stating that there are no upgrades available.  You can ask, however, do not expect a immediate offer.

IF they say they will check and get back to you, be certain to check your stateroom phone often (or check back with guest service desk, occasionally on embarkation day, before you unpack).

[Ms02]

51 minutes ago, toddw2u said:

Just curious if anyone has ever been offered an upgrade at the pier?

have you checked the price difference between the cabin you have and the one you bid to upgrade if you were to make a new booking now?
I got my cabin upgraded from inside to balcony for less than the minimum bid to upgrade because the balcony price had dropped so much. I just called them 

[Jenjohncourt]

3 hours ago, toddw2u said:

Just curious if anyone has ever been offered an upgrade at the pier?

Yes but this was many years ago! Before they did the online bid.  

[toddw2u]

Thanks for all the responses.  To clarify, we are booked in a balcony cabin on a deck and a location which works for us.  That being said, if we were able to upgrade to the Haven at a good discount, we would certainly do that.  We have a dollar amount in mind which would make sense to us, which is lower than the "poor offer" currently offered on the bidding page.

[BirdTravels]

On 9/15/2021 at 7:12 AM, toddw2u said:

Just curious if anyone has ever been offered an upgrade at the pier?

There is a permanent sign at Guest Services stating that the ship is fully booked and that they can not accommodate any room changes (even with the ship 60% booked). Bottom line is that they don't do it. If you want an upgrade, you need to bid for it. 

[complawyer]

toddw2u: your chances of being up graded from a balcony to the haven especially if you intend to bid lower than the "poor" are exceedingly slim, but good luck trying, stranger things have happened

[UKstages]

i have no experience with requesting NCL upgrades since i am almost always traveling on a CAS comp. and while the upgrade bid program can be utilized, i am usually traveling solo, so i don't see the benefit of paying 2X for the upgrade, since the offer must be based on two guests.

 

i do think these are strange times, with 1/3 or 1/2 empty ships, and low ball bids may be accepted to maximize revenue. so if it's ever gonna happen, it may happen in the next few months. but the OP's question was really about an upgrade being offered at the pier on embarkation day. 

 

and i think we all agree that NCL doesn't solicit bids or upgrade offers on the day.

 

but i do know from personal experience that they have done operational upgrades on the day... that is to say, if a booked stateroom is out of service or under maintenance, they may move those guests to a better cabin, prior to their arrival and checkin. similarly, if they have VIP guests or high rolling casino guests, NCL may choose to do a cabin roll and upgrade those guests at the last minute. these would be discretionary and complimentary upgrades.

 

the people who check you in have no discretion to offer complimentary upgrades nor are there any metrics or expectations associated with upselling paid upgrades at check-in.

 

and be careful what you wish for... most people spend an inordinate amount of time carefully choosing their stateroom based on location, size, amenities and services. and while an "upgraded" room might meet some of your requirements, it might not meet all of them. some balcony rooms carefully chosen, for instance, might be better for some folks than an "upgraded" mini-suite/club balcony for which they had no choice. (that being said, most people would not look askance at a low cost or free upgrade to the haven!)

[SomewhereGirl]

Just off the Encore today 9/18 and I did in fact upgrade from a studio to a balcony for $200.  I went to guest services immediately upon embarkation and the girl said it would probably be $300-350.  Ididn't notice the usual sign and I knew there were over 150 unassigned balconies within 2 days of sailing.  They submitted my request and by 6PM I had a phone call offering the upgrade to the 11th deck midship.  A gentleman escorted  me to view the cabin first.  And someone else insisted on moving my luggage.  CAS was quoting over $1000 within a week of sailing.  Bidding isn't  possible from a studio.

 

I realize these are not normal times what with the reduced capacity.  

Edited September 18, 2021 by SomewhereGirl