Any Upgrade Bids Accepted Recently?

[Mary Ann 2]

What is your understanding about the upgrade bids regarding the packages? If you already have the Princess Premier package when you bid, will you keep that package if you win a bid? I have assumed so, but some other posts on another website are questioning whether you would have to pay for the Premier package on your new room (they are assuming it goes away with your bid). I looked everywhere on the Bidding for Upgrade page and could only find this: "Current promotions on the reservation will not be altered."  Would it be considered a current promotion on the reservation?

[Jnsplace1]

Are you asking if your (already paid for) Premier package stays with you when you get upgraded?  

Mine has.   I highly doubt they would take away those services, particularly since you've paid for them by the time the upgrade bidding occurs.

[wrongwaywatson]

We had a July 27 sailing on the Sapphire.  We booked an OV window guarantee and we bid on a balcony.   We kept checking to see if we had a cabin assignment and it kept saying To Be Assigned.  On June 24th we received an email that our $300 bid for an unobstructed balcony was accepted.  It was in a great spot and we were thrilled!

[trbarton]

I’m talking about the Stateroom Upgrade Bidding, where you bid for a higher stateroom. I bid to go from an Ocean View to a Balcony & last week it was excepted. I saved around $1,000. I was thrilled to get my upgrade. 
 

Tom😀

Edited August 27 by trbarton

[happy42cruise]

On 8/13/2024 at 10:39 AM, Trimone said:

Princess inform you that you have won and give you 36 hours to complete payment with a dedicated number

That is not true anymore, at least not in the USA.  If you are awarded the upgrade you are immediately charged.

[happy42cruise]

On 8/13/2024 at 1:22 PM, Suite Susie said:

Thank you for the link but it gives me the same message that I’m getting when I click the email link to Modify or cancel a bid. I cannot find anyway of contacting UPG to report the issue. 

 

 

Are you able to use social media?  Per an official Princess Cruises post this is what they tell people to do "We are sorry for your experience. Please send us a direct message on I****g*** with your booking information, and our Guest Services team will help you" I hope you can do this & get this resolved.

[Cruisemeister2002]

Put in bids for upgrade from inside to Premium obstructed and standard obstructed balcony and also Premium seas view obstructed on Sky Princess. All bids were considered low. But apparently Princess can inform you of success up to two days before you sail. In truth would be nice, but not earth shattering if we didn't get an upgrade. We'll see.

[Cruisemeister2002]

On 8/13/2024 at 6:24 PM, Suite Susie said:

Same sailing as us. We are already seriously unhappy about the last sea day being replaced with another 24 hours docked in Southampton, one of the reasons why we want to cancel the bid.  Have you tried calling Princess?  Really worried about our bid being accepted, as it is for nearly £3k.  It so bad that nobody at Princess seems to care that we can’t modify it or will take some responsibility for contacting the provider who runs the bid up scheme. Some agents tell me that if we win the bid and don’t pay that we will keep our original cabin. Others have told me we will lose our Suite. But I had to give them my credit card details when I put in my bid, so I think it will all be automatic.  We have now have accessible S4 Suite, as somebody cancelled and we’ve been trying to get one since we booked and I don’t want to lose it.  I need to get in writing to Princess that I want to cancel the bid, so that if it automatically goes through I may have some redress. 

I am sailing on Sky princess shortly. I have bid on three different grades of cabin and as you say have to provide a credit card to make the bid. But I was also told that I will be emailed if successful and then I have to phone Princess to pay for the successful bid.

[john watson]

I made a successful bid (UK based) and it was possible to log in to my cruise - payments section and make a credit card payment there.

 

Regards John

[Bedruthen]

On 8/13/2024 at 5:48 PM, Suite Susie said:

Unfortunately not, even phoned Princess in the USA last night, which went through to their call centre. The Rep didn’t understand what I was saying and thought I wanted to cancel my cruise instead of my upgrade bid. Eventually I think I got them to understand me, but then cut me off without finishing the conversation after 20 mins of international call charges.  

 I do feel that customers in the UK don’t get the same level of service as American customers receive. We mistakenly ticked the upgrade box when booking and have had a torrid time trying to get the contact centre to understand that we want our booking changed to no automatic upgrade. The U.K. does have its own contact centre, but calls always seem to get rerouted to the States, who ar not familiar with our booking terms. Only last week, I was verbally told that I could cancel my booking within the first 24 hours and my deposit would be refunded. That is complete against U.K. booking conditions where deposits are non refundable, no grace period. Good luck with your calls!

[john watson]

2 minutes ago, Bedruthen said:

 I do feel that customers in the UK don’t get the same level of service as American customers receive. We mistakenly ticked the upgrade box when booking and have had a torrid time trying to get the contact centre to understand that we want our booking changed to no automatic upgrade. 

I think now the bidding system to become upgraded system has been introduced the free upgrades will be extraordinarily rarely implemented. It makes a lot of sense to raise revenue with people paying to upgrade.

 

Regards John

[depplep]

If you can freeze or put a hold on your credit card so that it can't be charged.

[john watson]

4 hours ago, depplep said:

If you can freeze or put a hold on your credit card so that it can't be charged.

 

This may give rise to repercussions. I was advised on the Princess website that if I did not pay the bid price times two as agreed my whole cruise would be deemed as cancelled.

 

Regards John

[Arizona Wildcat]

On 8/27/2024 at 12:50 AM, Cruisemeister2002 said:

I am sailing on Sky princess shortly. I have bid on three different grades of cabin and as you say have to provide a credit card to make the bid. But I was also told that I will be emailed if successful and then I have to phone Princess to pay for the successful bid.

Different here.  Was told if bid was accepted we would get an email, our checkin details would show the new cabin, and the credit card we provided would be immediately charged.

Important to note if you booked using a UK address, the system is very different 

[CruiseLifeIsTheBest]

Anyone have experience bidding with 3 in a cabin and getting the upgrade? The link shows we are 3 guests and advises the bid amount is per person but only doubles the bid amount. 

[Barry H]

We bid on three different upgrades for our upcoming Sun Princess cruise. We received a confirmation email and then another stating that we were outbid for one of the category upgrades. Suggestion was that we modify our bid. We bid what we were comfortable as we are OK with our existing cabin. We were not going to get into a bidding war.

[NSTraveler]

We were offered a bid on a sanctuary mini suite for the sailing of the Sun 9/7/24. We had already reserved a mid aft mini suite and purchased the plus beverage plan. Our bid was accepted and we we put in a cabin 2 floors down and more forward so not what I would consider a cabin upgrade but we were happy because we were given sanctuary and private dining room privileges. Now sanctuary class doesn’t start until 10/14 but we thought our cruise ends 9/23 and it’s probably a soft opening and thought we were lucky. Needless to say today 7 days before cruise we had a voicemail from Princess that they were canceling our Sanctuary class and we were going to have a wonderful time. Since bid are not refundable I was wondered what my customer service call would be ( haven’t had much luck in that department) but when I chatted with customer service today was given a refund or hope I was! Just a shout out to people on the first cruising dates of this class …like the ship maybe some delays to come. I am not letting this ruin my cruise as I love Princess but just giving an in sight.

[john watson]

2 hours ago, CruiseLifeIsTheBest said:

Anyone have experience bidding with 3 in a cabin and getting the upgrade? The link shows we are 3 guests and advises the bid amount is per person but only doubles the bid amount. 

This makes sense to me because when you book a cruise in the normal way, the fare is based on double occupancy at increasing fares as you go on to successive higher grades.  The third and fourth passengers where appropriate tend to have a flat rate fare which does not increase as you go for higher grades. Where you travel with friends as opposed to your family people tend to aggregate the costs among themselves and divide this equally. Where airfares are involved this may be different.

 

Regards John

[Wishing on a star]

I seem to remember that the bids on cabins ARE BASED ON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY.

So, yes, that seems correct.

 

I have also been told that, even if bidding for a Sanctuary Class cabin on the Sun, which does include the Premium Package, that the bid was FOR THE CABIN ONLY.

Whatever packages or perks that you currently have should follow you.

If you have a package, you still have a package.

Same with perks, OBC, etc.

[startedwithamouse]

2 hours ago, CruiseLifeIsTheBest said:

Anyone have experience bidding with 3 in a cabin and getting the upgrade? The link shows we are 3 guests and advises the bid amount is per person but only doubles the bid amount. 

You only pay for the first two. 

[Lyndonn]

   removed 

Edited August 31 by Lyndonn
Removed

[JLMcruise]

delete

Edited September 1 by JLMcruise
incorrect

[Mara4166]

On 8/27/2024 at 10:07 PM, Bedruthen said:

That is complete against U.K. booking conditions where deposits are non refundable, no grace period

It may not apply to cruises, but for package holidays there is a 14 day cooling off period where UK consumer laws states you can cancel for a complete refund.  I always assumed a cruise would be considered a package holiday,  it that may be an expensive assumption.

[Barter123]

16 hours ago, NSTraveler said:

We were offered a bid on a sanctuary mini suite for the sailing of the Sun 9/7/24. We had already reserved a mid aft mini suite and purchased the plus beverage plan. Our bid was accepted and we we put in a cabin 2 floors down and more forward so not what I would consider a cabin upgrade but we were happy because we were given sanctuary and private dining room privileges. Now sanctuary class doesn’t start until 10/14 but we thought our cruise ends 9/23 and it’s probably a soft opening and thought we were lucky. Needless to say today 7 days before cruise we had a voicemail from Princess that they were canceling our Sanctuary class and we were going to have a wonderful time. Since bid are not refundable I was wondered what my customer service call would be ( haven’t had much luck in that department) but when I chatted with customer service today was given a refund or hope I was! Just a shout out to people on the first cruising dates of this class …like the ship maybe some delays to come. I am not letting this ruin my cruise as I love Princess but just giving an in sight.

Since the room you bid on and received is not considered Sanctuary Class yet, is it Reserve Class with it's dining room?

[Cruisemeister2002]

I know this is a question within a question and apologies for that. But I recently bid on three cabins despite the cruise being a sell out and my bids were considered poor. Does anyone know, although I am aware that you can be told a bid is accepted up to two days prior to a cruise, when do most successful bids receive notification ?