Bit more info on the bid process

[dexddd]

Just adding some info here as the bidding info here is somewhat limited unlike the long thread on NCL board.  They both use the same company though.

 

So today we added a third room to our YC booking and they got the upgrade invite email.  Guess what, the starting points are higher now than what we bid.  I guess I'm not surprised and that it makes sense for the cruise line but it just rubs me the wrong way.  So a later booker gets preference, at least from these two data points (trip is a b2b).  But in any case, I have not found the MSC bids to be much of a deal anyways overall, and in some cases, more than booking outright when making initial booking.

[Georgia_Peaches]

Agree with you on the “deal” associated with the bidding process…. Or should I say lack of deal. We were invited to bid but I found that upgrading outright was cheaper. Have read on CC that some people ask about upgrading once they board on embarkation day and it’s significantly cheaper…assuming there’s availability. Personally, I just book what I want outright and I move on. Love a good deal but no longer love the chase. 

[JT1962]

It’s usually best to book the cabin you want initially. I did not get an email about bidding on my October cruise and asked about an upgrade to a balcony when I boarded. The upgrade cost was going to be over $ 200 more than I paid for the 19 day cruise.

[jame_g]

A note of caution about the MSC upgrade bid process. We won our bid and were only notified just 3 days before the cruise. It wasn't much of a deal either given the high starting bid required. We never got the promised updated paperwork even though we called and our CC was charged immediately. We were told it would be taken care of at check-in at the port (not true). They knew nothing about it at the port or on the ship. We wasted a lot of time standing in line for customer service on the ship only for them to keep saying that they sent it to corporate for research and then fail to give us any updates. We ended up in the room we originally booked, and it was halfway through the cruise before they confirmed we should have been upgraded and got moved. According the Yacht Club Director he'd never before been told to move someone after boarding occurred even though he admitted this problem had been happening for months. Another Yacht Club cruiser confirmed this situation, and several other people in line with us for customer service immediately after boarding also had similar upgrade problems. Maybe it's finally been addressed in the last 2 months, but just be aware that MSC has had significant issues getting things updated as part of their upgrade bid process. In our case we did get the upgrade for half the cruise and (eventually) a refund as well, so MSC did take care of it in the end.

[Georgia_Peaches]

12 hours ago, jame_g said:

it was halfway through the cruise before they confirmed we should have been upgraded and got moved.

Wow!  Did they prorate your bid and refund the difference to make up for the “lost” days? How very frustrating!

[jame_g]

Yes, it took a few weeks, but we did get a pro-rated refund plus more for the inconvenience. MSC made it right in the end. It was just a very frustrating experience with lots of wasted time and energy.  MSC not only needs to fix this upgrade bid process, but they need to work to improve their overall customer service, as well as finding a way to promptly address issues that are impacting a current cruise rather than it taking days - there should have been a quick and easy way to verify and correct this promptly. 

[dexddd]

16 hours ago, jame_g said:

A note of caution about the MSC upgrade bid process. We won our bid and were only notified just 3 days before the cruise. It wasn't much of a deal either given the high starting bid required. We never got the promised updated paperwork even though we called and our CC was charged immediately. We were told it would be taken care of at check-in at the port (not true). They knew nothing about it at the port or on the ship. We wasted a lot of time standing in line for customer service on the ship only for them to keep saying that they sent it to corporate for research and then fail to give us any updates. We ended up in the room we originally booked, and it was halfway through the cruise before they confirmed we should have been upgraded and got moved. According the Yacht Club Director he'd never before been told to move someone after boarding occurred even though he admitted this problem had been happening for months. Another Yacht Club cruiser confirmed this situation, and several other people in line with us for customer service immediately after boarding also had similar upgrade problems. Maybe it's finally been addressed in the last 2 months, but just be aware that MSC has had significant issues getting things updated as part of their upgrade bid process. In our case we did get the upgrade for half the cruise and (eventually) a refund as well, so MSC did take care of it in the end.

Interesting to hear and sorry that happened.

 

Thanks for sharing.