How is the bidding system doing? Any comments?

[hllwdcruiser]

6 minutes ago, antmaril said:

I wonder if someone can answer a quick question for me.  I received the email offering upgrade opportunities for a Caribbean cruise we are taking in January on the Sky,   I am considering placing a bid on a Club Class Mini (we are in a mini now).  They also offer a Forward Facing CC Mini, which I do NOT want (the minimum bid is lower for this cabin).  If I bid ONLY on the CC Mini, is there any chance they would put us in a Forward Facing CC mini?   
 

TIA 😁
 

 

I just bid yesterday for a forward facing CC mini and don't want to be placed in any of the midship CC minis. We are currently in an extended balcony on the Enchanted by the retreat pool. We've had this cabin before on the Sky and the Enchanted and really like the location and the cabin.
We have been on the forward facing balcony cabins before and loved them, so would be thrilled to get the forward facing CC. It also has a regular balcony on the side of the ship and the forward balcony is huge. I can see where there would be an issue with wind, but honestly, on a Caribbean cruise it really wasn't a problem at all and the balcony doors were never locked.
All that being said, we bid the minimum and if we don't get it, it's fine by us. I'll be interested to see the responses to your question, because like you, if we don't get what we bid on, we don't want any other cabin. From what I understand if we don't win, we just get to keep our original cabin.
 

[JeffM1]

20 minutes ago, antmaril said:

I wonder if someone can answer a quick question for me.  I received the email offering upgrade opportunities for a Caribbean cruise we are taking in January on the Sky,   I am considering placing a bid on a Club Class Mini (we are in a mini now).  They also offer a Forward Facing CC Mini, which I do NOT want (the minimum bid is lower for this cabin).  If I bid ONLY on the CC Mini, is there any chance they would put us in a Forward Facing CC mini?   
 

TIA 😁
 

 

We were just on the Discovery, and during that bidding the Club Class Mini suites were broken into different bidding  categories, so you could bid on mid ship minis without bidding on forward facing minis.

[jwattle]

9 hours ago, 1cruiselvr said:

That’s right. They are not involved. It’s Princess communicating directly to the cruiser. Buying from a big box online company does not impact your bidding opportunities. 

And it's actually the third party hosting the bids, not Princess. 🙂

[photomikey]

11 hours ago, 1cruiselvr said:

That’s right. They are not involved. It’s Princess communicating directly to the cruiser. Buying from a big box online company does not impact your bidding opportunities. 

Communicating directly with the cruiser is not allowed under the travel agent contract.  The TA's whole job is to do all communications with the cruiser.  The TA has to specifically allow (opt-in) to the traveler being able to bid for upgrades and some choose not to.  The bid is not a commissionable fare and the TA is "losing money" by allowing this - if you had another $500 to spend on the cruise and you just upgraded through the TA, they'd make a cut off that.

[antmaril]

3 hours ago, hllwdcruiser said:

I just bid yesterday for a forward facing CC mini and don't want to be placed in any of the midship CC minis. We are currently in an extended balcony on the Enchanted by the retreat pool. We've had this cabin before on the Sky and the Enchanted and really like the location and the cabin.
We have been on the forward facing balcony cabins before and loved them, so would be thrilled to get the forward facing CC. It also has a regular balcony on the side of the ship and the forward balcony is huge. I can see where there would be an issue with wind, but honestly, on a Caribbean cruise it really wasn't a problem at all and the balcony doors were never locked.
All that being said, we bid the minimum and if we don't get it, it's fine by us. I'll be interested to see the responses to your question, because like you, if we don't get what we bid on, we don't want any other cabin. From what I understand if we don't win, we just get to keep our original cabin.
 

Thank you for for your response.  

 

So, are you saying that in a Forward Facing Mini Suite there is a regular PLEXI-GLASS balcony on the side (where you can sit and look at the water) in addition to the huge balcony facing forward (which, I understand, is not plexiglass)?  
 

 

Edited October 23, 2023 by antmaril

[1cruiselvr]

1 hour ago, photomikey said:

Communicating directly with the cruiser is not allowed under the travel agent contract.  The TA's whole job is to do all communications with the cruiser.  The TA has to specifically allow (opt-in) to the traveler being able to bid for upgrades and some choose not to.  The bid is not a commissionable fare and the TA is "losing money" by allowing this - if you had another $500 to spend on the cruise and you just upgraded through the TA, they'd make a cut off that.

This does not apply to the bidding program. The offer comes directly to the passenger email. The regular rules about TA  stuff you spent time explaining doesn't apply. Why is this so hard for peeps to understand. You don't make the bid through the TA, you do it directly through Princess, the email comes to you from Princess, the TA is not involved. Their commission comes from the original booking. They get no more than that if your bid is accepted. 

 

[Bedruthen]

3 minutes ago, 1cruiselvr said:

This does not apply to the bidding program. The offer comes directly to the passenger email. The regular rules about TA  stuff you spent time explaining doesn't apply. Why is this so hard for peeps to understand. You don't make the bid through the TA, you do it directly through Princess, the email comes to you from Princess, the TA is not involved. Their commission comes from the original booking. They get no more than that if your bid is accepted. 

 

Not according to Princess. I didn’t get any bid upgrade offers despite everyone else on the roll call receiving them. I have had a number of explanations from Princess, but this is the conclusion. Seems the TA is involved.

[1cruiselvr]

11 minutes ago, Bedruthen said:

Not according to Princess. I didn’t get any bid upgrade offers despite everyone else on the roll call receiving them. I have had a number of explanations from Princess, but this is the conclusion. Seems the TA is involved.

Is this TA out of the US or another country?

[hllwdcruiser]

2 hours ago, antmaril said:

Thank you for for your response.  

 

So, are you saying that in a Forward Facing Mini Suite there is a regular PLEXI-GLASS balcony on the side (where you can sit and look at the water) in addition to the huge balcony facing forward (which, I understand, is not plexiglass)?  
 

 

I am pretty sure this is the case, but now that you are questioning me on it, I'm not going to say that I'm100%. I believe I've read reviews that have photos and the side balcony is plexi just like the other cabins in that location. We can search the cabin numbers and see if we can find a photo.

[Host CJSKIDS]

2 hours ago, 1cruiselvr said:

This does not apply to the bidding program. The offer comes directly to the passenger email. The regular rules about TA  stuff you spent time explaining doesn't apply. Why is this so hard for peeps to understand. You don't make the bid through the TA, you do it directly through Princess, the email comes to you from Princess, the TA is not involved. Their commission comes from the original booking. They get no more than that if your bid is accepted. 

 

 

Not all bookings qualify for the upgrade program as per the Princess upgrade terms and their conditions on their website.  There have been posters on here who have been informed that they don't qualify because of how they booked and that their TA does not participate in the program.

 

These Terms govern the Princess Cruise Lines, Ltd. ("PCL") stateroom bidding upgrade program (the "Program"). The Program provides select booked guests with an opportunity to submit an offer to PCL to upgrade from their originally purchased stateroom category to a higher stateroom category for select PCL cruises. Program is not open to general public and is only open to guests that PCL has selected to participate.

Eligibility: The Program is only available to PCL guests ("Eligible Program Guest" or "Guest"), which guests will be determined by PCL in its sole discretion. Guests who are determined by PCL to be eligible for the Program can confirm their eligibility by visiting the Site as set out in the paragraph below. Some Guests will also receive a Program email invitation from PCL. Invitation and eligibility as a Guest may not be transferred or shared. Selection of Guests will be in PCL's sole discretion, but all Guests must be at least 21 years of age or older (18 years of age or older in Australia), must have booked a PCL Cruise (as defined below), and provided final payment on such Cruise. Individuals deemed Eligible Program Guests for one cruise does not guarantee that such guests will also be Eligible Program Guests for future PCL cruises, if any.

In addition to the official Program email, guests can check to see if they are Eligible Program Guests by accessing the Program landing page website (the "site") via links on princess.com or via the Cruise Personalizer on princess.com to see if they are able to submit a bid. If the Program does not show as available on such page or the guest is not able to submit a Bid (as defined below), then such guest is not eligible for this Program.

Eligible Cruises: PCL will select the exact cruises, dates, and stateroom categories that will be available for the Program, all in its sole discretion (each eligible cruise, an "Eligible Cruise" or "Cruise"). Not all cruises, stateroom categories, or bookings will be selected for participation, regardless of availability.

[antmaril]

15 minutes ago, hllwdcruiser said:

I am pretty sure this is the case, but now that you are questioning me on it, I'm not going to say that I'm100%. I believe I've read reviews that have photos and the side balcony is plexi just like the other cabins in that location. We can search the cabin numbers and see if we can find a photo.

Thank you.  I did a search on YouTube for a “Sky a Princess Forward Facing Club Class Mini Suite” and the tour of the cabin showed solid balconies, both on the side and the front.  However, the video I was watching didn’t really say what ship they were on.  I believe the cabin number was L103, but I am not positive about that.  I would have to look again.  Thanks for your help.  

Edited October 23, 2023 by antmaril

[hllwdcruiser]

27 minutes ago, antmaril said:

Thank you.  I did a search on YouTube for a “Sky a Princess Forward Facing Club Class Mini Suite” and the tour of the cabin showed solid balconies, both on the side and the front.  However, the video I was watching didn’t really say what ship they were on.  I believe the cabin number was L103, but I am not positive about that.  I would have to look again.  Thanks for your help.  

You are correct. It isn't plexi.

I don't know why I thought it was.
Oh well. I doubt we'll win the bid anyway.

Sorry for the misinformation! 
That cabin is huge though, as is the balcony.
Now I'm considering canceling my bid.

Edited October 23, 2023 by hllwdcruiser

[antmaril]

50 minutes ago, hllwdcruiser said:

You are correct. It isn't plexi.

I don't know why I thought it was.
Oh well. I doubt we'll win the bid anyway.

Sorry for the misinformation! 
That cabin is huge though, as is the balcony.
Now I'm considering canceling my bid.

No problem.  I am still on the fence about bidding on the upgrade.  I have had CC dining once and it was very nice to just walk up and be seated.  I may bid, but only a little over the minimum.  I feel pretty confident that they won’t put us in a CC Forward Facing Mini Suite, since the two categories are separate on the bidding email.  
 

Thanks for your help.  Enjoy your cruise.  

[photomikey]

4 hours ago, 1cruiselvr said:

The regular rules about TA  stuff you spent time explaining doesn't apply. Why is this so hard for peeps to understand. 

 

Interesting.  Then why are some TA's able to turn off the ability to use the bidding upgrade system?

[jwattle]

5 hours ago, 1cruiselvr said:

This does not apply to the bidding program. The offer comes directly to the passenger email. The regular rules about TA  stuff you spent time explaining doesn't apply. Why is this so hard for peeps to understand. You don't make the bid through the TA, you do it directly through Princess, the email comes to you from Princess, the TA is not involved. Their commission comes from the original booking. They get no more than that if your bid is accepted. 

 

What I have explained once, and will again, is that I am a TA, and some TA's can, in fact, make it so that their clients, CAN  NOT bid, even in the system. The email comes from a third party, not Princess. And the TA can, through Princess and/or the third party, have their client unable to bid through the system.

[1cruiselvr]

30 minutes ago, jwattle said:

What I have explained once, and will again, is that I am a TA, and some TA's can, in fact, make it so that their clients, CAN  NOT bid, even in the system. The email comes from a third party, not Princess. And the TA can, through Princess and/or the third party, have their client unable to bid through the system.

Well now that I know this, I won't be using any TA that blocks me from the opportunity to bid. It's my right.  Last 2 cruises I got better pricing w/o using a TA. I really don't need a TA anymore. Since cruiselines stopped their ability to adjust pricing, its not worth the middle man. 

[HiCCCs]

23 hours ago, 1cruiselvr said:

I was once told it was only offered on 7 day plus cruises. Don't know if that's true. 

I am currently on a B2B (2-day and then a 5-day) in Australia. I was able to place bids for upgrades on both segments. Both bids were losers....but I'm a winner in the long run because I'm on a cruise!!!  Having a fantastic time. Turned Elite after completing the first segment....and now enjoying some of the perks on this second segment. Yippeeee!!!!!!

[Cruisintimer]

26 minutes ago, HiCCCs said:

I am currently on a B2B (2-day and then a 5-day) in Australia. I was able to place bids for upgrades on both segments. Both bids were losers....but I'm a winner in the long run because I'm on a cruise!!!  Having a fantastic time. Turned Elite after completing the first segment....and now enjoying some of the perks on this second segment. Yippeeee!!!!!!

🥳🥂 Congrats on that milestone, enjoy every moment!

[jwattle]

12 hours ago, 1cruiselvr said:

Well now that I know this, I won't be using any TA that blocks me from the opportunity to bid. It's my right.  Last 2 cruises I got better pricing w/o using a TA. I really don't need a TA anymore. Since cruiselines stopped their ability to adjust pricing, its not worth the middle man. 

TA's do still have some perks: discounts on cruises, onboard credit, price matching, taking care of those unpleasant issues that can pop up, etc.

[susiefay]

On 10/22/2023 at 11:11 PM, 1cruiselvr said:

I was once told it was only offered on 7 day plus cruises. Don't know if that's true. 

We were able to bid on a 5 night cruise coming up.  No word yet, still pending!  But definitely was able to bid.

[sunviking90]

4 minutes ago, susiefay said:

We were able to bid on a 5 night cruise coming up.  No word yet, still pending!  But definitely was able to bid.

We bid on (and won) on a 5 night cruise. It doesn’t matter what the length is.

[antmaril]

I decided to bid on a Club Class Mini-Suite for our cruise in January.  I only bid a little over the minimum, so I don’t have high hopes.  If we get it fine, if not, that’s fine, too.  
 

Now we wait.  😁

[CruisinCouple2010]

 

Princess.com

Edited October 27, 2023 by CruisinCouple2010
It showed our booking number etc. and other private information

[photomikey]

We have not seen a report of someone winning an upgrade in days, possibly weeks.  Did they go out of business over there??

[LACruiser88]

20 minutes ago, photomikey said:

We have not seen a report of someone winning an upgrade in days, possibly weeks.  Did they go out of business over there??

A couple of days ago, someone on our roll call for the Nov 12th, Enchanted, 26 day, Med/TA, posted that their bid was accepted for a mini-suite (from a balcony).