Bid to Upgrade - To include TA bookings?

[Selbourne]

Someone on the Cunard board has just posted that they have been sent the bid to upgrade quotes even though they booked via a TA. Last time I looked, Cunard Ts & Cs were the same as P&O (i.e. only available to those who book direct). 
 

I wonder if this is about to be extended to all P&O bookings. Has anyone who booked via a TA had any offers yet?

Edited August 9, 2023 by Selbourne

[molecrochip]

Yes, was extended to every booking including via TAs.

 

Not everyone will receive them as if the ship is too full, they won’t send them.

[Selbourne]

6 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

Yes, was extended to every booking including via TAs.

 

Not everyone will receive them as if the ship is too full, they won’t send them.

Thanks. I’d obviously missed that. Apologies if everyone already knew. 

[Host Hattie]

Don't forget that a lot of posters on the Cunard board will have booked under non-UK terms. 

[Selbourne]

44 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

Don't forget that a lot of posters on the Cunard board will have booked under non-UK terms. 

Ah yes. Just checked and the poster is in the US. Their post implied surprise that they’d been offered it, having used a TA, hence my confusion. However, post #2 implies it has been extended to those who booked P&O cruises via a TA? @molecrochip have I misunderstood you?
 

I’ve just checked both P&O and Cunard U.K. websites, and whilst the FAQs still say that to be eligible you have to have booked direct, when you click on the detailed T’s & Cs, under the “Who can take part” section there is no mention of having to book direct. It says (for both P&O and Cunard;

 

The programme is only available on some cruises to guests who we have selected to participate, called “eligible guests”. You must be aged 18 or over to be an eligible guest and the balance of the price of your voyage must be fully paid.

[Son of Anarchy]

Noticed this a couple of days ago:

 

P&O Cruises has recently launched a new Partnership with Plusgrade. At this time, we are testing the functionality and process with a small cohort of guests that have booked directly with us. We anticipate the full launch to be live in the next few months whereby all guests will be eligible depending on the cabin availability on their cruise. Full details of the Plusgrade partnership including what this will mean to you and your guests, and what communications you will receive, alongside a Q&A will be shared via Shine Rewards Club. Please ensure you are signed up to Shine Rewards Club to receive these updates.

 

Making reservations - Can I upgrade my cabin? - Travel agent only| Frequently Asked Questions | P&O Cruises | Complete Cruise Solution

[Pencil62]

We've just received a bid to upgrade email. £220p.p for a Mid, Mid/Aft suite on B deck. Now we're already in an aft suite on B deck. My question is what is £440 going to give us that we don't already have? Is it just the fact that they are more midship. This is for Britannia Dec 1st.  Also just done a dummy booking and it says suites are sold out.

[Selbourne]

8 minutes ago, Pencil62 said:

We've just received a bid to upgrade email. £220p.p for a Mid, Mid/Aft suite on B deck. Now we're already in an aft suite on B deck. My question is what is £440 going to give us that we don't already have? Is it just the fact that they are more midship. This is for Britannia Dec 1st.  Also just done a dummy booking and it says suites are sold out.

I just started a new thread on this because I couldn’t find this thread that I started 6 weeks or so ago. Now I realise why. You had resurrected it and it had bumped up to the front page 😂 

 

Re your situation - whilst we had multiple issues with an aft suite on Britannia, depending on which one you have booked I wouldn’t pay more for a midships one. The premium is purely for the midships location, yet IMHO they are far less desirable than the forward or aft suites. 

[Pencil62]

7 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I just started a new thread on this because I couldn’t find this thread that I started 6 weeks or so ago. Now I realise why. You had resurrected it and it had bumped up to the front page 😂 

 

Re your situation - whilst we had multiple issues with an aft suite on Britannia, depending on which one you have booked I wouldn’t pay more for a midships one. The premium is purely for the midships location, yet IMHO they are far less desirable than the forward or aft suites. 

Thank you. We haven't had a suite before and since this is for our 30th anniversary we thought we'd splash out on one with a wake view now that there is less of a soot problem. 

[Jellifer]

I received the email to upgrade my December Britannia cruise yesterday and booked through a TA. Currently have a HA grade balcony on deck 9 and the upgrade minimum offers were:

 

Suite Mid/Mid Aft £1,610

 

Suite £1,300

 

Balcony superior deluxe £710

 

Balcony with sofa £140

 

Prices are per person but sailing as a solo I’d have to pay double. It’s a no from me!

[delgirl]

I received e-mail from cunard for my upcoming QV cruise. I booked through a TA. I also ticked the no upgrade, so was surprised to receive one. I could have upgraded to a balcony when I booked for an extra £50 each, TA was surprised I didn't want a balcony. We have an outside with a window. I said I didn't need a balcony in december going up the north sea.🤣 The upgrade bid I received was for considerably more than the £50 originally quoted. Needless to say I won't be biting.

[Selbourne]

3 minutes ago, delgirl said:

I received e-mail from cunard for my upcoming QV cruise. I booked through a TA. I also ticked the no upgrade, so was surprised to receive one. I could have upgraded to a balcony when I booked for an extra £50 each, TA was surprised I didn't want a balcony. We have an outside with a window. I said I didn't need a balcony in december going up the north sea.🤣 The upgrade bid I received was for considerably more than the £50 originally quoted. Needless to say I won't be biting.

Interesting that Cunard have extended the bid to upgrade system to TA bookings as the last time I asked they had only done that in the USA. Have to say I would have bitten their hand off for a balcony cabin for just £50 each. That’s nothing and even if you never opened the door you’d have a massively improved outlook from your cabin. We are all different though! 😂 

[Winifred 22]

15 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Interesting that Cunard have extended the bid to upgrade system to TA bookings as the last time I asked they had only done that in the USA. Have to say I would have bitten their hand off for a balcony cabin for just £50 each. That’s nothing and even if you never opened the door you’d have a massively improved outlook from your cabin. We are all different though! 😂 

My daughter just had an upgrade bid accepted for QM2 £80 each to go from forward inside to midship sheltered. Upgrading to a forward sheltered quoting the rate at booking would have been £110p p so she saved £60 minimum and gaining a midship position. 

[delgirl]

14 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Interesting that Cunard have extended the bid to upgrade system to TA bookings as the last time I asked they had only done that in the USA. Have to say I would have bitten their hand off for a balcony cabin for just £50 each. That’s nothing and even if you never opened the door you’d have a massively improved outlook from your cabin. We are all different though! 😂 

I didn't want the upgrade because the window cabins are bigger than the balcony ones, also it is only 5 days any longer and I would have had the balcony. We are on deck 1 never been that low down before🤣

[otbc]

does anyone know when they tell you if you've been successful in the bid? It says they could let you know anytime between instantly & the sail date, which is quite a long timeframe!

[ChrisMV]

On 9/29/2023 at 6:18 AM, otbc said:

does anyone know when they tell you if you've been successful in the bid? It says they could let you know anytime between instantly & the sail date, which is quite a long timeframe!

Very curious about this myself.  Would anyone share based on their personal experience?

[otbc]

9 hours ago, ChrisMV said:

Very curious about this myself.  Would anyone share based on their personal experience?

We found out just over three weeks before we sailed for ours in the end!

[Eglesbrech]

On 9/28/2023 at 9:10 PM, Winifred 22 said:

My daughter just had an upgrade bid accepted for QM2 £80 each to go from forward inside to midship sheltered. Upgrading to a forward sheltered quoting the rate at booking would have been £110p p so she saved £60 minimum and gaining a midship position. 

I have just read this thread because it has been bumped up.

 

Thats interesting that they are distinguishing between (and charging for) ship position and not just meta upgrades. Most lines just take bids for inside to outside, outside to balcony etc.

[jeanlyon]

Problem with upgrades is that what P&O thinks is an upgrade often isn't!   We had chosen our mid-forward inside cabin on D Dek and were upgraded to a cabin on A deck.   That is the last place I want to be, especially in a rough sea.  They moved us back.

[cheshire]

We have an aft suite booked for the Caribbean this February on a saver fare. Our offer to upgrade to a mid aft is minimum £290 each.   I can’t see the value in that at all or is there?  

[amajaa]

Has anyone tried bidding less than minimum and still n got the upgrade.

 

We have been quoted a minimum of £150 each to upgrade from inside to sea view. Trouble is I can't remember what the difference was at booking , is there any way off finding out to see if that is deal or not.

[Selbourne]

Just now, amajaa said:

Has anyone tried bidding less than minimum and still n got the upgrade.

 

We have been quoted a minimum of £150 each to upgrade from inside to sea view. Trouble is I can't remember what the difference was at booking , is there any way off finding out to see if that is deal or not.

The upgrade system doesn’t let you bid less than the minimum. 
 

From what I’ve seen, the minimum upgrades are no cheaper than if you’d booked the higher grade cabin in the first place, which makes it a rather pointless exercise. Plus keep in mind that the ‘upgraded’ cabins will always be the least popular ones - often for a reason!

[scottie99]

We were invited to bid on our Azura cruise this Friday. ( booked through TA)

 

My bid of £205 for a family suite from superior balcony was accepted.  It seems reasonable value to me.

[Gettingwarmer]

1 hour ago, scottie99 said:

We were invited to bid on our Azura cruise this Friday. ( booked through TA)

 

My bid of £205 for a family suite from superior balcony was accepted.  It seems reasonable value to me.

How many of you in the cabin?

[amajaa]

2 hours ago, scottie99 said:

We were invited to bid on our Azura cruise this Friday. ( booked through TA)

 

My bid of £205 for a family suite from superior balcony was accepted.  It seems reasonable value to me.

 

I assume that is £205 per person?