Upgrade offer. .. A way to inflate the price you pay??

[les37b]

So I have up coming 8 night North Europe cruise on Virtuosa.

 

Removing any discounts given, the full price on the MSC site for the Fantastica Balcony is £899. For £70 more, the YC inside was available and for £780 more YC balcony.

 

The offer received, they want £210 more pp for a YC inside and £1085 for a YC balcony.

 

So an increase of 300% on what is currently still available and bookable and we could request a change for with our 1 change available option(?)

 

I assume MSC think it's guests are a bit dumb regarding the "offer" and it represents a discount?

 

Such a shame as if the offer had represented a discount, I probably would have gone ahead and bid.

 

All a bit of a con on my booking that's for sure.

 

Is this the norm?

 

Might be an idea for future reference if members add their offers compared with the direct booking price to see if its usual to discount with an increase!

[les37b]

The price of this "bargain"  upgrade is a bigger increase than direct booking than even the cheapest Bella balcony to YC inside. You'd need to go back to ocean view or Inside before it's actually cheaper to bid..... But then I also expect that "favourable rate" would be more expensive as well 

 

 

 

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

We booked YC and got an upgrade offer before our departure and as you suggest it would have cost more to bid than to book the existing room outright. Can’t speak to MSC’s motives here but I always go ahead and book the category I want from the beginning. Bidding does not equal better deal. 

Edited September 22, 2022 by Georgia_Peaches

[les37b]

13 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

We booked YC and got an upgrade offer before our departure and as you suggest it would have cost more to bid than to book the existing room outright. Can’t speak to MSC’s motives here but I always go ahead and book the category I want from the beginning. Bidding does not equal better deal. 

 

Indeed. Never any guarantees and obviously things are different from cruise to cruise.

 

Just curious what anyone on the 4th Nov sailing out of Southampton in an ocean view or inside got offered.

 

If it's the same as my offer, then not exactly worthy to pay a premium for the best in category fantasia. Might just as well book the very cheapest option available and take advantage of you want to gamble. But as you say .. if it doesn't work...... then you are knackered!! lol 

 

Í have booked a decent mid ship unobscured balcony... Though I doubt it's gonna get opened in November! lol

 

 

 

[hamrag]

2 hours ago, les37b said:

.....Is this the norm?.....

 

In our recent experience, yes!

[NightWoman]

3 hours ago, les37b said:

So I have up coming 8 night North Europe cruise on Virtuosa.

 

Removing any discounts given, the full price on the MSC site for the Fantastica Balcony is £899. For £70 more, the YC inside was available and for £780 more YC balcony.

 

The offer received, they want £210 more pp for a YC inside and £1085 for a YC balcony.

 

So an increase of 300% on what is currently still available and bookable and we could request a change for with our 1 change available option(?)

 

I assume MSC think it's guests are a bit dumb regarding the "offer" and it represents a discount?

 

Such a shame as if the offer had represented a discount, I probably would have gone ahead and bid.

 

All a bit of a con on my booking that's for sure.

 

Is this the norm?

 

Might be an idea for future reference if members add their offers compared with the direct booking price to see if its usual to discount with an increase!

I agree. We are on the same cruise and originally booked a fantastica balcony cabin on deck 9.

We've cruised a lot and an inside cabin has never been on our radar however when I looked at the cost of the so called upgrade offer and calculating the difference between the balcony we had booked and the YCI it was a no brainer however before I changed I did ask the members on CC and our TA if it was worth sacrificing the balcony for the YCI and it was a unanimous yes so we changed to YCI. 

Looking forward to the YC experience and hopefully we get on okay with the inside cabin. 

 

Edited September 22, 2022 by NightWoman

[les37b]

3 hours ago, NightWoman said:

I agree. We are on the same cruise and originally booked a fantastica balcony cabin on deck 9.

We've cruised a lot and an inside cabin has never been on our radar however when I looked at the cost of the so called upgrade offer and calculating the difference between the balcony we had booked and the YCI it was a no brainer however before I changed I did ask the members on CC and our TA if it was worth sacrificing the balcony for the YCI and it was a unanimous yes so we changed to YCI. 

Looking forward to the YC experience and hopefully we get on okay with the inside cabin. 

 

 

So have you pre-booked inside YC?

 

I booked through a third party agent. I know Im allowed 1 cruise change, so Ive tried calling to check if its possible to amend. Not got through yet, but checking the MSC site again, its shown as sold out...... So I guess this did process of £210 is likely to end up even more than a 300% price difference!

 

So balcony midships on Deck 9 it is! 

 

Got a good deal via the TA at £620 with premium drinks on fantastica so no complaints.

 

 

Hopefully someone else also received the upgrade off who had booked an inside or ocean view (Or balcony bella).... Would certainly be interested to know what was offered.

Edited September 22, 2022 by les37b

[Hlitner]

6 hours ago, les37b said:

......................

 

I assume MSC think it's guests are a bit dumb regarding the "offer" and it represents a discount?

 

.........................

You got it!  But it is not just happening with MSC as this is simply called "marketing" and is actually quite effective.  When one studies Marketing, you learn about the use of psychology to con folks into thinking they are gettting a bargain.  Take a product that sells for $100 which does not move off the shelves.  Increase the price to $200 and than put out a big sign that says "SALE - 50% Off" and you will sell plenty of that product.  It is the same with cruises.  Give folks a "Special Sale" price and some will jump at the offer which might actually be more expensive than the pre-sale price.  

 

The recent trend is towards "bidding."  The cruise lines finally realized that if you let folks bid for upsells, they will pay more money for those upsells than if you simply pushed them out at a specific price point.  Many folks actually pay more through bidding then the same cabin would have cost if they had simply booked that cabin in the first place!  Creating the atmosphere if an auction which causes many folks to get into a "competitive mode" is a very effective marketing tool.  Many folks are competitive by nature and once you get them into that mode of thinking, they often leave part of their brains back home.

 

Hank

 

  

[les37b]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

You got it!  But it is not just happening with MSC as this is simply called "marketing" and is actually quite effective.  When one studies Marketing, you learn about the use of psychology to con folks into thinking they are gettting a bargain.  Take a product that sells for $100 which does not move off the shelves.  Increase the price to $200 and than put out a big sign that says "SALE - 50% Off" and you will sell plenty of that product.  It is the same with cruises.  Give folks a "Special Sale" price and some will jump at the offer which might actually be more expensive than the pre-sale price.  

 

The recent trend is towards "bidding."  The cruise lines finally realized that if you let folks bid for upsells, they will pay more money for those upsells than if you simply pushed them out at a specific price point.  Many folks actually pay more through bidding then the same cabin would have cost if they had simply booked that cabin in the first place!  Creating the atmosphere if an auction which causes many folks to get into a "competitive mode" is a very effective marketing tool.  Many folks are competitive by nature and once you get them into that mode of thinking, they often leave part of their brains back home.

 

Hank

 

  

 

 

Many thanks..... I'm more "is it a good deal or not" and don't tend to get carried away! (Hence spotting what I thought was a strange situation), but as you say, they are relying on gullible people not realising they've been duped!

 

I'm fine with what we have.... if it had been a good promotional bid price, I'd have gone for it.... As it stands, not a game I intend to taking part in. Guess we'll just buy a few speciality meals and still be quids in!

[perakcruiser]

10 hours ago, les37b said:

I assume MSC think it's guests are a bit dumb regarding the "offer" and it represents a discount?

First, MSC has not too much to do with this. The offer is from the "upgrade company" that also is working for many airlines. For the flight upgrade from economy to business I never ever got a good offer from them, already the minumum bid was not worth it.

 

For MSC cruises I sometimes get not so bad offers, actually quite amazing ones. From Inside Bella to YC Inside for 330€ p.P. Or from Oceanview Bella to Balcony Deluxe for 60€ p.P. Certainly no guarantee that the minimum bid will work.

 

Sure most of the offers are useless, but that is the game. If you have Fantastica Balcony already then certainly the chances to get a good upgrade deal are very limited. And MSC prices change so often, don´t expect the upgrade company to react on this all the time. 

[Nunagoras]

1 hour ago, perakcruiser said:

First, MSC has not too much to do with this. The offer is from the "upgrade company" that also is working for many airlines. For the flight upgrade from economy to business I never ever got a good offer from them, already the minumum bid was not worth it.

 

For MSC cruises I sometimes get not so bad offers, actually quite amazing ones. From Inside Bella to YC Inside for 330€ p.P. Or from Oceanview Bella to Balcony Deluxe for 60€ p.P. Certainly no guarantee that the minimum bid will work.

 

Sure most of the offers are useless, but that is the game. If you have Fantastica Balcony already then certainly the chances to get a good upgrade deal are very limited. And MSC prices change so often, don´t expect the upgrade company to react on this all the time. 

This. And, like on airline or shore hotel industry wise, nobody pays brochure prices these days. Either way one will pay his/her unique price within a certain price tag on where the provider inserts its products. I use to use a way to be happy either way on that: Book what I need when I need and let the world fly by. This is my "mantra". When service needed and price align well on me, I book; and on MSC's case it's usually as part of a small charter group, so I can't even to choose my cabin.

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 hour ago, perakcruiser said:

First, MSC has not too much to do with this. The offer is from the "upgrade company" that also is working for many airlines.

I didn't know this!  Good info to have in my back pocket.  Makes a lot more sense now.  Thank you!

[les37b]

1 minute ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I didn't know this!  Good info to have in my back pocket.  Makes a lot more sense now.  Thank you!

 

I am aware that this is run by a third party, but the suggestion MSC has no input or gives mandates on pricing based on how loaded the cruise is I don't think will be the case. I expect they are simply managing as per the criteria given. And if they aren't, there is something seriously wrong IMHO.

[Georgia_Peaches]

5 minutes ago, les37b said:

 

I am aware that this is run by a third party, but the suggestion MSC has no input or gives mandates on pricing based on how loaded the cruise is I don't think will be the case. I expect they are simply managing as per the criteria given. And if they aren't, there is something seriously wrong IMHO.

I get that but I'm wondering if the third party earns a commission?  If so, it would be in their interest to inflate the prices, no?

[les37b]

12 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I get that but I'm wondering if the third party earns a commission?  If so, it would be in their interest to inflate the prices, no?

 

No one knows that answer specifically what's been agreed, but I'd be surprised if they do anything more than just managing based on the set of pricing rules given and selecting the winners based on bids and probably a countdown on ties with membership details or category booked.

 

It's what I suspect, not what I know. But I doubt MSC would allow them to rip off its guests by adding an extra cut over and above what's agreed. But who knows in this day and age!

[8420PR]

The third party is called plusgrade (https://www.plusgrade.com/) who make the technology available to MSC (and many other companies) in return for a commission on successful bids.  MSC is deciding how the technology is used - e.g. minimum bids, who gets the emails etc.  

 

I noticed MSC have also recently started using a company called SaleCycle (https://www.salecycle.com/) to send follow up emails to "complete your booking" - again on a similar logic that the company providing the technology will take a commission (either fixed or percentage), with MSC deciding how it is used.

[Georgia_Peaches]

2 hours ago, 8420PR said:

The third party is called plusgrade (https://www.plusgrade.com/) who make the technology available to MSC (and many other companies) in return for a commission on successful bids.  MSC is deciding how the technology is used - e.g. minimum bids, who gets the emails etc.  

 

I noticed MSC have also recently started using a company called SaleCycle (https://www.salecycle.com/) to send follow up emails to "complete your booking" - again on a similar logic that the company providing the technology will take a commission (either fixed or percentage), with MSC deciding how it is used.

I knew there had to be money in it for the third party somewhere. Good information!

 

I opted out of e-mail promotional communications when we booked our last cruise but got the offer to bid recently. We booked a YC inside suite and the offer to go up to YC deluxe was $420 pp. A mock booking revealed a ton of these suites left on Meraviglia for our departure date and the total would come out to Be  $100 plus change less if we upgraded via our TA than to do the bidding process. We passed but I guess my point is to do some research before bidding. I think bidding is psychologically powerful in the consumer market because people like to “win” and feel like they got a “good deal”. 

[awhcruiser]

Im not in YC and only paid $140pp to upgrade from inside to oceanview.  That's  only $10 pp per day for a 14 day cruise.  However,  YC wanted $1300pp.  No thanks.  

[Hlitner]

4 hours ago, awhcruiser said:

Im not in YC and only paid $140pp to upgrade from inside to oceanview.  That's  only $10 pp per day for a 14 day cruise.  However,  YC wanted $1300pp.  No thanks.  

One certainly should stay within their own budget and comfort level.  But moving up to the YC (for about $90 per person/day) is actually a pretty good deal.  Consider that the YC includes a Premium drink package and unlimited Internet.  Also consider that you are likely talking about a Deluxe YC Suite which is a nice balcony cabin (unless they were quoting you an upgrade to a YC Inside cabin).  The YC also gets you a better restaurant and lots of other YC perks.  

 

No question that the YC is expensive when compared to many other cabins/experiences.  But many of us who routinely book the YC consider it a decent value.

 

Hank

[NightWoman]

On 9/22/2022 at 1:27 PM, les37b said:

 

So have you pre-booked inside YC?

 

I booked through a third party agent. I know Im allowed 1 cruise change, so Ive tried calling to check if its possible to amend. Not got through yet, but checking the MSC site again, its shown as sold out...... So I guess this did process of £210 is likely to end up even more than a 300% price difference!

 

So balcony midships on Deck 9 it is! 

 

Got a good deal via the TA at £620 with premium drinks on fantastica so no complaints.

 

 

Hopefully someone else also received the upgrade off who had booked an inside or ocean view (Or balcony bella).... Would certainly be interested to know what was offered.

Yes, we now have a confirmed YCI cabin, our TA made the changes and we use a TA who has a lot of experience with MSC and can make all the amendments quickly.

Having looked this morning there is still 1 YCI cabin on deck 14 😊

[awhcruiser]

Almost all cabin categories either guarantee only or sold out for our October 15 cruise.

[Morgsmom]

38 minutes ago, awhcruiser said:

Almost all cabin categories either guarantee only or sold out for our October 15 cruise.

Just an FYI.  We are currently onboard the Divina (18 Sept). As of two weeks before sailing almost every cabin was shown as sold out.  HOWEVER, there are only 2300 pax onboard with 53 in YC HARDLY a sell out.  Was informed that they are limiting capacity to try to increase customer satisfaction.  Your mileage might vary.

[awhcruiser]

11 minutes ago, Morgsmom said:

Just an FYI.  We are currently onboard the Divina (18 Sept). As of two weeks before sailing almost every cabin was shown as sold out.  HOWEVER, there are only 2300 pax onboard with 53 in YC HARDLY a sell out.  Was informed that they are limiting capacity to try to increase customer satisfaction.  Your mileage might vary.

Thank you.  This may explain what I am seeing,  Not holding my breath for my upgrade bid to go through either....

[phissy]

1 hour ago, Morgsmom said:

Just an FYI.  We are currently onboard the Divina (18 Sept). As of two weeks before sailing almost every cabin was shown as sold out.  HOWEVER, there are only 2300 pax onboard with 53 in YC HARDLY a sell out.  Was informed that they are limiting capacity to try to increase customer satisfaction.  Your mileage might vary.

Since you are currently sailing….quick question.

How has the recent hurricane activity in Caribbean affected your cruise ?
I see that Florida / Miami area are under state of emergency , due to incoming storms.

 

[iwtobek]

7 hours ago, Morgsmom said:

Was informed that they are limiting capacity to try to increase customer satisfaction. 

Quite doubtful for this reasons, but might be dozens of others, more reasonable, explanations. Staff shortage would come to mind.