Upgrade Prices

[Cruisemeister2002]

Had a couple of emails from Princess offering me the chance to bid on an upgrade as currently we are in an inside cabin. The idea of a balcony really appeals to us but what I don't understand is Princess pricing of this type of upgrade. My reason being if I had booked a balcony cabin now the difference between that and an inside is around £650 to £700 pp. But with their bidding sliders even if I offered the lowest amount possible, which shows up as poor, the difference is double or £1,300 pp. Makes no sense to me.

[FLAlaska]

Sometimes it does, other times not. I’ve upgraded normally before because it was cheaper than bidding so I cancelled the bid. I always check regularly and before accepting 

[JamieLogical]

The PlusGrade system used by Princess and many other cruise lines has some idiosyncrasies. It's always best to check current pricing and see if just calling in and upgrading directly is a better deal. It is possible to get some very good values out of the bidding system. I recently won a bid from a deluxe balcony to a mini-suite for $210 per person. At the time, the cost for a mini-suite was over $400 per person more than the deluxe balcony, so I did end up saving some money by bidding.

[memoak]

5 hours ago, Cruisemeister2002 said:

Had a couple of emails from Princess offering me the chance to bid on an upgrade as currently we are in an inside cabin. The idea of a balcony really appeals to us but what I don't understand is Princess pricing of this type of upgrade. My reason being if I had booked a balcony cabin now the difference between that and an inside is around £650 to £700 pp. But with their bidding sliders even if I offered the lowest amount possible, which shows up as poor, the difference is double or £1,300 pp. Makes no sense to me.

It all depends on supply and demand. The less cabins available the more expensive it will be