Princess Introduces Bidding For Upgrades

[CineGraphic]

14 minutes ago, Bgwest said:

Just could be that PCL wants to resume making a profit??  Only a thought from a shareholder. 

 

But now instead of asking for a set price for an upgrade, they are pitting passengers against each other, where those with the biggest wallets win.

[danceswithphones]

1 minute ago, CineGraphic said:

those with the biggest wallets win

The Golden Rule: He who has the most gold makes the rules

[LACruiser88]

Our biggest concern is the inability to bid on a specific cabin.  We would not bid on an upgraded category without having the ability to choose a cabin.

[Bgwest]

1 minute ago, CineGraphic said:

 

But now instead of asking for a set price for an upgrade, they are pitting passengers against each other, where those with the biggest wallets win.

= more profit! And those who don't participate couldn't give a rip. 

 

When was there ever a "set price" for an upgrade? Apart, of course, from buying a given category at the stated price. I expect that it's the "biggest wallets" crowd who buy the higher categories in the first place. No?

 

[Bgwest]

1 minute ago, LACruiser88 said:

Our biggest concern is the inability to bid on a specific cabin.  We would not bid on an upgraded category without having the ability to choose a cabin.

Then don't participate. EZPZ

[CineGraphic]

Just now, Bgwest said:

When was there ever a "set price" for an upgrade

 

Upsells. Princess for years has offered upgrades at a set price.

 

[danceswithphones]

52 minutes ago, DrivesLikeMario said:

NCL has been doing it for a LONG time too.

 

I should have added NCL Upgrade Advantage to that list. 

[Bgwest]

1 minute ago, CineGraphic said:

 

Upsells. Princess for years has offered upgrades at a set price.

 

Very, very selectively. If one is "selected", then an email appears quoting a take or leave it price. Is it not better that everyone gets an equal shot at an upgrade? Especially when one can make an informed decision what a given upgrade is worth to them?

 

I suppose our experience is no different than others who have tried to score an upsell. Those who are fastest at the switch (and maybe just happen to be sitting in front of a computer when the upsell email arrives) and respond first get the goods. Most of the time, we've not been first. 

 

This new bidding process is much more fair. Or so it seems to me. 

[HBCcruiser]

1 hour ago, MarcsSharon said:

Help me understand…say I win with my bid..do I get to reject the cabin if I don’t like the location? I would not like to go from a mid ship balcony to a far forward mini suite.

On NCL and Royal Caribbean - No. You have to take what you get at that point. My guess is it will be the same. The other cruise lines use an outside company to do the bidding process. Once you bid on another cabin you are essentially giving your original cabin up for bid. It is a domino effect. Once you "win" a bid your cabin is sold to another bidder. I always use cruise deck plans to see what the cabins are like and where they might be located should I decide to bid. 

Edited August 18, 2022 by HBCcruiser

[CineGraphic]

Just now, Bgwest said:

Is it not better that everyone gets an equal shot at an upgrade?

 

Auctions are not equal.

[Bgwest]

Thank you, John Padgett for this sterling effort to help Princess return to profitability. 

 

Much appreciated, Sir!!

[Bgwest]

3 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

 

Auctions are not equal.

Respectfully, disagree. At auction, everyone has an equal opportunity to decide what a given commodity is worth to them. Beyond the point where one is no longer interested in pursuing said commodity, then just walk away. What could be easier. 

 

[Eglesbrech]

If it is anything like Celebrity and RCI it is not always the highest bid that wins, there is (apparently) an algorithm that looks at the what makes the company the most money.

 

As an example on Celebrity moving a concierge cabin to Aqua may not make as much as moving a standard balcony to Aqua and then selling the standard to an outside and selling the outside to an inside. The chain may be worth more in bids than moving a mid grade to a higher grade.

 

People are happy if they get an upgrade at a decent price and the company makes some money - win / win.

 

The only annoyance is someone in the Retreat telling you how little they paid to get there but then that happens with last minutes special offers as well so no different really.

 

 

[Sea Hag]

1 hour ago, danceswithphones said:

 

Here's the Celebrity MOVE UP page. I suspect Princess will be close to this. 

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/bid-on-cruise-room-upgrade

Excellent information! I suspect your suspicions are correct.

[TwoBadKnees]

22 minutes ago, Bgwest said:

Then don't participate. EZPZ

If passengers could bid on a specific cabin, wouldn't that increase the number of bidding participants, resulting in more profit for which you were hoping?

[danceswithphones]

1 minute ago, TwoBadKnees said:

If passengers could bid on a specific cabin, wouldn't that increase the number of bidding participants, resulting in more profit for which you were hoping?

Sounds like a logistical nightmare! This process is probably outsourced to people who wouldn't know a cruise ship it bite them on the *ss. 

[Bgwest]

6 minutes ago, TwoBadKnees said:

If passengers could bid on a specific cabin, wouldn't that increase the number of bidding participants, resulting in more profit for which you were hoping?

Not my decision. Whatever the case, I'm delighted that PCL is actively pursuing enhanced revenue opportunities. 

[Bgwest]

23 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

 

Auctions are not equal.

I'm disappointed that's all you got. 

[Steelers36]

49 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

Our biggest concern is the inability to bid on a specific cabin.  We would not bid on an upgraded category without having the ability to choose a cabin.

IMO no difference in bidding for an upgraded seat on an airline.  You bid to upgrade to business class, for example, not a specific seat.  If upgrade is accepted, you may well be assigned a seat, but could pick from whatever is available.  Thing is, if they accept six cabin upgrades at once like yours, that could take up all the inventory and you might not like the one they give you out of the litter and then no more choices left.  Same thing could happen on an airline (but I suppose less variables involved in terms of number of categories).

 

On a cruise we, have, I would be interested in moving from our BE to one of the BB's available, but if the  bid was to any other Balcony category, I might back off since I might not want some of the BC"s on offer, for example.

 

 

ETA:  If PCL follows X, it looks like you can submit bids for multiple cabin types.  So I could submit one for BB and one for BA, and that would mean only those categories are acceptable.  I also don't think it will be an exact science just to look at what may show as open cabins on the deck plan at the 30-day mark.  Some of those might be going to GTY's, others may open who were bidding up to Deluxe or Mini, others may open due to last-minute cancellations, etc.

 

Edited August 18, 2022 by Steelers36

[CineGraphic]

Just now, Bgwest said:

I'm disappointed that's all you got. 

 

Sorry, not interested in going back and forth in the middle of the thread.

When the one with the most money, or warped perception of value wins, nothing's equal.

Buy me a cocktail if we ever sail together, and I'll happily take up the subject with you.

 

[Bgwest]

4 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

 

Sorry, not interested in going back and forth in the middle of the thread.

When the one with the most money, or warped perception of value wins, nothing's equal.

Buy me a cocktail if we ever sail together, and I'll happily take up the subject with you.

 

I'll buy one for you and you can buy one for me. Of equal value, of course!! How much more equality could one want!😀

[JimmyVWine]

33 minutes ago, TwoBadKnees said:

If passengers could bid on a specific cabin, wouldn't that increase the number of bidding participants, resulting in more profit for which you were hoping?

Too much room for collusion.  A group of people  in a Roll Call could form an Upgrade Chain where someone in an Inside, someone in an OV, someone in a Balcony, someone in a DX Balcony and someone in a Mini-Suite could all band together, pool their money (if they want) and all try to pull off a giant swap.  If the person in the MS wins the bid for a suite, (a big "if", I know), then their cabin will become available. The person in the DX Balcony knows which MS the person will be vacating and bids for that specific cabin.  The person in the Balcony knows which cabin the person in the DX Balcony will be vacating and bids on that cabin, and so on.  The bids could be very low (except for the one on the suite, which is where the pooled money comes in), since the odds of other people bidding on the specific cabins that these people will be vacating would be low.  Kind of an odd coincidence for someone to randomly select the MS of the person in this chain.  It could happen, but the odds don't favor it.  So if the system works and the Suite is won, all the other people in this chain could get upgrades for a very low winning bid and that is not what PCL is trying to achieve here.   

Edited August 18, 2022 by JimmyVWine

[Guest ldtr]

2 hours ago, CineGraphic said:

Upgrades: We used to give them away, but now they'll go to the highest bidder.

Another fine innovation from the man behind the Medallion, John Padgett.

 

In the meanwhile, the new kid on the block, Sir Richard Branson has passengers proclaiming that they have. "The Best Cruise Food Ever".

 

Keep up the great work JP!

 

https://youtu.be/j0rINR2VuLU

 

Actually they usually did not give them away, they mostly made upgrade offers where Princess set the price and if one wanted it, they could call in and pay the set amount.

 

The only free upgrades were pretty much within class, usually involving a move to mid-ship. Or when someone went for a guarantee and got moved up when the cruise line ran out of the class they were guaranteed.

 

 

[Steelers36]

2 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

Too much room for collusion.  A group of people  in a Roll Call could form an Upgrade Chain where someone in an Inside, someone in an OV, someone in a Balcony, someone in a DX Balcony and someone in a Mini-Suite could all band together, pool their money (if they want) and all try to pull off a giant swap.  If the person in the MS wins the bid for a suite, (a big "if", I know), then their cabin will become available. The person in the DX Balcony knows which MS the person will be vacating and bids for that specific cabin.  The person in the Balcony knows which cabin the person in the DX Balcony will be vacating and bids on that cabin, and so on.  The bids could be very low (except for the one on the suite, which is where the pooled money comes in), since the odds of other people bidding on the specific cabins that these people will be vacating would be low.  Kind of an odd coincidence for someone to randomly select the MS of the person in this chain.  It could happen, but the odds don't favor it.  So if the system works and the Suite is won, all the other people in this chain could get upgrades for a very low winning bid and that is not what PCL is trying to achieve here.   

Wow!!  That's pretty deep thinking on a Thursday afternoon.  Forgetting the remote possibility of an open Suite, your idea could work for the first get of a Mini.  Quite the concept - and here I thought the reason was more simple.

[HBCcruiser]

6 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

Too much room for collusion.  A group of people  in a Roll Call could form an Upgrade Chain where someone in an Inside, someone in an OV, someone in a Balcony, someone in a DX Balcony and someone in a Mini-Suite could all band together, pool their money (if they want) and all try to pull off a giant swap.  If the person in the MS wins the bid for a suite, (a big "if", I know), then their cabin will become available. The person in the DX Balcony knows which MS the person will be vacating and bids for that specific cabin.  The person in the Balcony knows which cabin the person in the DX Balcony will be vacating and bids on that cabin, and so on.  The bids could be very low (except for the one on the suite, which is where the pooled money comes in), since the odds of other people bidding on the specific cabins that these people will be vacating would be low.  Kind of an odd coincidence for someone to randomly select the MS of the person in this chain.  It could happen, but the odds don't favor it.  So if the system works and the Suite is won, all the other people in this chain could get upgrades for a very low winning bid and that is not what PCL is trying to achieve here.   

It is actually not that easy to guess who gets the upgrade and who does not. There are MULTIPLE threads on the RCI and NCL boards with respect to this. No one really knows how the algorithm/ program works, but the assumption is that it is based on who paid the most for that type of cabin then bid the most for the upgrade. It is all about making money. 

Edited August 18, 2022 by HBCcruiser