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We just bid $25 over the lowest amount to upgrade from a guaranteed obstructed view to a large balcony and got it . . . We were surprised as we are two months out from our cruise date so didn't expect to hear anything until closer to sailing date. We are super happy as the cabin is mid ship and not far from staircases and elevators. So a good thing for us and reasonable too.
I was fortunate to bid $300 and got a balcony. I saved several thousand dollars. I only did it because we had an inside cabin and my husband later got a better paying job so I went for it. We loved the balcony. We enjoyed it!
I am glad you mentioned that you can't choose where your upgrade will be. The challenge is that sometimes the cabin is not desirable, I once bid to a junior suite on a Princess ship, and it was accepted. We were initially happy until we found the location to be under the "skywalk", and it had a glass flooring.... there was no privacy while sitting on the balcony. Never again will bid on an upgrade.
I bid on an upgrade on RC and received a balcony cabin, but it was directly over a music venue that was So Loud that I could sing along (although I was really tired and wanted to sleep) and the mattress was So Thin, it was like sleeping on cardboard. I insisted on a different cabin (although not usually done) and will not do it again. There is a reason these cabins have not been booked already.
We had booked an inside cabin on a cruise to Alaska. We bid for an upgrade and ended up with an obstructed view balcony cabin that also had a loveseat. It was a great cabin, because the obstruction was very small. The lifeboat was level with the balcony rail, so it didn't really impede our view at all. That worked out well for us. Fortunately, Princess told us what cabin we would get if we accepted the upgrade, so we could go online and see the view from that cabin before making our decision. We will probably do that again next year on our second Alaska cruise.
I would love it if you could do a video on the pros and cons of booking with a travel agent as opposed to booking with the cruise line directly...if you haven't already done that :)
@@carylosborn1808 it’s been a while (3 years), but the info is pretty much the same. If you search RUclips you should find it, but perhaps time for a redo :)
If you upgrade to a suite or higher the gratuities that will be charged to your account will be higher so you will need to factor that into your budget.
Our first NCL cruise, I didn't even know the Haven was a thing, but I starting reading about upgrade bidding and Haven perks. Eventually, I checked the price for a 2BR Haven suite vs our upgrade bid, and honestly, the numbers were close enough to warrant just booking it outright. The Haven ended up selling out shortly thereafter, so I don't think anyone's upgrade bids into the Haven were accepted. So my tip for any upgrade, Haven or not, is to check the prices in case it's cheaper (or similarly priced) to just upgrade directly, then you get to pick your cabin/suite from what's available. (As a side note, with NCL, the Haven gets double Latitude points, but you do not get that if you win an upgrade bid into the Haven.) Another thing to look out for is the additional costs of moving up to a higher cabin type. On NCL, the per diem service fee is higher in the Haven than on the rest of the ship. I'm not sure if that's the case on other cruise lines or if there's ever a difference between other cabin types (e.g., if balcony pays higher than ocean view, etc.) on NCL or other cruise lines. Lastly, just because you're being offered an opportunity to bid for an upgrade does not mean it's better accommodations for your party, even aside from parties with connecting rooms. For our last cruise this past spring, we booked a 2BR Haven suite but were invited to bid for a "higher" suite. Bidding on this suite would have meant paying more for what amounted to a downgrade for our family of four. The suite we'd booked was a 2BR/2BA, so our kids didn't have to share a bed and each bedroom had a door. The "upgrade" would have been to a suite with one bathroom, so our kids would have had to share the pull-out couch, and there was no door between our bedroom and the kids' sleeping area.
On June 21, we took a 10 day Alaska cruise on the Cunard Queen Victoria . About a month before the cruise we were offered an auction on an upgrade. Our original room was a balcony room with an obstructed view on deck five and I was bidding for a club balcony room. When I checked the slider, the minimum bid per passenger was a bit too rich for my blood so I did not bid at that time. But then I waited two weeks and checked again and the slider showed a minimum bid that was lower by over $300 per passenger. That was better for me so I placed the bid and won. We got the club balcony room three decks higher on deck eight and it also came with both the Britannia restaurant and the Britannia club, which was a private dining room for people in these rooms. It was really a nice experience. I figure that we saved $1000 per person by waiting.
Two years ago I had booked a studio cabin on NCL and I was offered the bid option via email. They said I could upgrade to a balcony cabin for a minimum of $75 per person. I was traveling solo, but a balcony was supposed to be for 2 people so I offered $80 per person, ($160 total), just $5 over the suggested amount. Of course, I investigated how much it would cost me to upgrade on the page and it was $500. I waited for my bid to be accepted even though it said all the time that my offer was too low. Guess what! Two days before leaving to Europe for my cruise I got the email that my offer had been accepted. I had the pleasure of having a balcony cabin all by myself during that Med sailing. It is worthy to bid and you don't have to offer that much. Just wait!
I was a happy winner on Royal Caribbean. Originally had an ocean view but had an email about bidding for an upgrade to a balcony or suite. Minimum bid for a balcony was $300 I bid $350 still was cheaper by a few hundred dollars if I did book a balcony. Bids closed about a week before sailing. We didn’t have a cabin number originally,as we decided initially to let the cruise line allocate us but knew which floor on the ship we would be on .On arrival but then found out when we won that we were going up 5 floors mid ship we were given our new cabin number when we won - will do it again. The trick is just don’t over bid with the expectation that if your bid isn’t successful- you know you still have your original cabin. After all you only sleep and shower and dress in your cabin - it’s not like you live in it. FYI this was for a 13 day cruise to New Zealand from Brisbane Australia.Bargain!!!
i just got an upgrade from an interior to an aft balcony for $280 total! i was kind of skeptical and not excited until I watched your videos on the pros and cons of having an aft cabin. so excited 🙂
Great video. YES, we did bid for one move up on Celebrity that was AWFUL. We went from the PERFECT SV that we had chosen a year ahead, and got a 'suite' that was DIRECTLY BELOW the Ocean View Cafe. Worst 11 day Mediterranean cruise of our cruising-lives. Noise 24/11. The ONLY saving grace was being in the wonderful Med ports. It was awful in our cabin. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH [bid] for, because it might just come true, and BE WORSE than what you originally booked. Never again!!!!
I recently bid to upgrade my interior cabin for an upcoming Sun Princess cruise, but didn't think I would be successful because the ship had very few cabins available. I bid on three categories and increased my bids by a small amount after a couple of weeks. It is a Caribbean cruise to islands I have been to before so will be spending more time on the ship to enjoy my cabin. I found out a month before my cruise that I now have a deluxe balcony cabin in an OK location close to lots of activities so I am very excited about it and will make great use of the balcony. I have bid successfully about 60% of the time, going into the lower part of Fair on the sliding scale and after checking to see what my costs would be to simply upgrade normally.
We are 3 for 3 on upgrade bidding-we always bid the lowest bid available and it has always been accepted. And these are 10-13 day cruises. AND the placement of the upgraded cabin has always been super-of course our loyalty level may play into it.
As a solo traveler, I bid up all of the time. One thing you need to know is that the solo traveler will be charged double what you bid (because the bid is accepted based on two travelers). Also, if there are perks with the higher level cabin, you most likely will not get them. You only get the perks that accompany your original cabin. I have not had any negative experiences- on a cruise last December with RCCL, while traveling with a friend, we booked a one-bedroom suite. I put a low bid in for a two bedroom/two bath aft suite and it was accepted within 2 weeks. Currently, I am booked in July in a Haven balcony suite on NCL. I put in a bid to upgrade to an aft balcony cabin in the Haven and am still waiting to hear.
We didn’t bid for an upgrade, but we received one because we didn’t choose our stateroom. We got an email two weeks before sailing that we went from an inside cabin to ocean view. Then we checked in, we found we had been upgraded again to a balcony. Great! Except our luggage didn’t make it to our new cabin. We found it at customer service after dinner the first night.
We bid on a cabin upgrade for the first time and our bid was accepted. I did not realize that I could not deny the upgrade and we had to cancel the trip due to an illness. We did have insurance (purchased through our travel agent) but the process to submit a claim was not easy (proof from a doctor, etc.). Thankfully, we went through a travel agent and were not only able to re-book for an identical cruise a few months away, but the cruise line (MSC) honored the upgrade and the insurance company transferred the policy to our new cruise.
When booking a cruise we take insurance offered by our cruise agent or from the cruise line - at the time of booking. The cost of the insurance is based upon the cost of the cruise. If you bid on a cabin and the bid is accepted - say for $500 more per person - what happens to the insurance for the cruise? The insurance was based upon the original price you paid, and not for the increased price due to an upgrade bid being accepted.
Thank you for ensuring everyone knows it is the first 2 people in a cabin that you will pay for. That also goes if you are a single occupant in a cabin for 2 people, you will be charged the upgrade cost for 2 people. I just cruised in May as a single occupant, bid for an upgrade and received an interior balcony and paid $90.00 times 2 ($180.00) for for the upgrade on Royal up as it is meant for 2 occupants.
@@SharonPerson-hm9ds I enjoyed the interior balcony on the Allure of the Seas. It overlooked the Boardwalk with a perfect view of the water show. However, I probably only spent two hours on the balcony due to the heat. Next time I will hope for an ocean facing balcony with perhaps a little breeze.
This was actually new information and I didn't even know this existed. Thank you! Since I would be a budget cruiser, probably not for me, but good info!
Yes, I will admit it. I am a Carnival fan. I recently received an upgrade offer for an upcoming cruise. It included a specific cabin number and a fixed price for the upgrade. That made it easy to determine that my original cabin was preferable to the "upgrade".
I bid on an upgrade in April for my May cruise on Celebrity Ascent. I was notified in about an hour and a half that I won my bid to a suite! It was in a great location and having access to the Retreat was wonderful!
We had a bid accepted 3 times, and was very happy. I won't do it on huge ships as Oasis class for the same reason I don't book a guaranty cabin on that class of ships. You may end up in a cabin extremely far from the elevators. Ooops! Forgot the phone in the cabin....
The bottom line is that you should not bid on a cabin unless you are willing to be places in ANY cabin in that category on the entire ship. As noted, if you need an accessible cabin, you can not bid for an upgrade as the upgrade is unlikely to be accessible. Another example, on Virgin Voyages there are a few balcony cabins at the ends of the ship that do not have hammocks--it has to do with the steel beams in the ship and the attachments available. SO, if you consider a hammock to be a must in their balcony, do not bid.If you are placing a bid. choose an "off beat" amount. For instance, avoid amounts that end in 0 or 5. If you are willing to bid $100, bid $103 or $107. This makes your bid stand out from the rest and may be that little nudge that you need. One thing that can sometimes work is trying to purchase an upgrade at the terminal. This is something that everyone can do because you can see exactly what upgrade you are purchasing. If you know the ship, you can easily figure out where that cabin is and any potential shortcomings. We have been able to do this, moving from an oceanview accessible to a balcony accessible at the terminal. We've also done it in the "olden days" before we needed the HA to make some great moves. This is not a "bid"situation. The rep will have a chart showing the price of the upgrade based on what category you originally booked and what you are moving into. You see the cost and then take it or let it go. Bottom line, always book a cabin where you will be happy. regardless of what you need to be happy. Do not depend on an upgrade bid or at port upgrade.
I have been really happy, and been upgraded twice on Celebrity….went from Concierge Class to The Retreat, and was really happy. Both times, it was international cruises…once to Patagonia and once to Iceland. I was accepted for upgrade about 3 weeks before the cruise….
We received an invitation to bid on a recent MSC cruise from NY. A week before sailing our bid was accepted for upgrade to MSC YACHT CLUB. Wonderful experience. After trying that I think I will forever be interested in bidding for an upgrade, whenever available.
We did bid the minimum on Norwegian in 2022 for a balcony to a club balcony. We won and I believe that was a good upgrade since we had 2kids with us. We weren’t that lucky last year we n the Prima.
We bid for a balcony cabin on Royal Caribbean from an inside cabin book this way on purpose with plans to upgrade and got the balcony for $250 each. Before the pandemic however
Great video as always. Just a note that if you get the upgrade it does not change you're cruiser status points. They will still be the same as your original booking. When I found that out, I decided not to do the upgrade bidding, especially since I was happy with my cabin location.
Thanks for all the videos Ilana, great information. I just won a bid last night, about one month out. First time winning one. The original celebrity move up email came out when we booked in June but minimum was more than we were prepared to pay. I saw a general 4th July promotion yesterday and thought I’d pop back into the link sent to see if there was a change. 30% off! I really didn’t think we’d get it. Bid lowest amount for balcony and ocean view. We got the balcony one for €200 each. I had been keeping an eye on the upgrade price so I feel we got good value. Got a bit spoilt with a balcony last year!! We also got 40% off drinks package a few weeks ago. It’s definitely worth keeping an eye out for deals as the weeks go by, they are not always in your email. Delighted!
We bid on an ocean view balcony on RC after I mistakenly did the GTY and got an interior balcony. We bid $800 total (fair-strong on scale). Our bid was accepted a week before and the only inconvenience was printing new tags. The other benefit was we were never charged. 😬 Doubt that will happen again.
We got a bid for a suite from a balcony cabin. However we learned that we do not get added points for having an upscale cabin. The suite cabin was literally by the elevators. Very convenient. Plus it was a cabin for individuals who were physically impaired and was huge. The bathroom was massive with a roll-in shower.
I booked an ocean view cabin early in the piece and then kept looking at what other cabin options there were. There were still plenty of options and we ended up paying to upgrade to a balcony cabin suite as it is a 15 day cruise and there are 4 of us. It was about AUD$1,000 more in total, but we chose our preferred location. We did get offered an internal spa suite for $130 total as an upgrade on the balcony suite, but I felt that wasn’t worth it for us as we’re not really spa type people. I’m happy just to sit in a hot tub in the adult area or on my balcony 😊
I was super disappointed on my last cruise. I had booked a guaranteed cabin. I received my cabin assignment a couple weeks before sail date. I really liked my cabin location and the cabin on deck 7. Then a week or so later I won my “upgrade”, it was a worse cabin and on the 2nd deck! I didn’t even know there were cabins down there. I called and after speaking to a lot of people they would give me my original cabin back, but I would be forfeiting the amount I bid for the upgrade. No refunds. Very sad about my now port hole window when I had a larger window. Thanks for your videos, they always have great information.
Personally would rather book what i want, rather than gamble on being given what no else wants. Appreciate if you booked an inside cabin and for a 100 dollars more you can get a balcony, then maybe? Also I've heard if you do get upgraded to the next level, you may not get any perks that would normally be associated to that stateroom? Im sure there are winners and losers in this, similar to when you book a guaranteed cabin grade? Just not for me.
To an extent, this bidding drives me nuts. We've been cruising long enough to remember the days when upgrades were given as a loyalty perk. My MIL almost always was upgraded to a suite. These days: loyalty smoyalty 😕
Holland offered me a discounted upgrade, not a bid a couple of times. It was nice. They offered me great deals at the last minute to upgrade. I also upgraded to specific cabins which I knew would be good
We just finished our first cruise. We booked an interior cabin based on cost. I submitted the lowest possible bid for an ocean view and a balcony. We ended up getting an ocean view for a $50 ($100 total) bid. We got an email 5 days before embarkation, but I totally missed it. First time I noticed was when I checked the NCL app.
The first time we were on NCL we won a bid for an upgraded cabin. It spoiled me so now I just get the cabin I want. I much prefer a balcony cabin. I can’t go back til an ocean view or inside cabin!
Excellent tips and advice love it so much thank you. Your a angel of cruising 🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌊🌊🌊🌊🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌊🌊🌊🌺🌺🌊🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌊🌊🌺🌊🌊🌺🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌺🌺🌊🌊🌺🌺🌺🌊🌊🌺🌺🌊🌊
One thing to also note is you don’t get double loyalty points for a suite upgrade when you upgrade. At least for Royal Caribbean. Meaning if you purchased a balcony and you Royal Up to a suite, you will not get double crown & anchor points like you would if you purchased the suite originally.
We learned, from going to Disney, book and pay for the room you want and you will never be disappointed. That being said, if people want to bid for a different cabin, go for it..... me personally, I want to know where we are going to be / the view / balcony we have, etc. but it's good options for everyone.
We are waiting to hear if one of our bids will be accepted. We are in an Endless Varanda cabin on the Celebrity Edge. Sailing to Alaska the end of August. We bid on Concierge Class, Aqua Class, and a Sky Sweet. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Thanks for this info! I have been wondering how the cabin upgrade worked and if we should try it or not. It will be our 3rd cruise and our 1st on Princess Discovery. I think we’ll stay where we have booked. 👍🏼
My wife was wanting to on a euro[pean cruise, when I noted that the most likely source of upgrades would be the next higher balcony rooms on the side that would be facing away land the vast majority of the cruise. Due to the worry about getting a bad location, we're never going to bid or accept an upgrade.
I get offers to upgrade all the time. The first time I did it was soon after the pandemic, so there were lots of empty cabins. I put in the lowest bid for an "obstructed view" balcony and won. The obstruction was the lifeboats, but they were under the balcony so they didn't really block anything. I lucked out that time, but I'm very picky about not having any noise, especially early in the morning. I am very careful when I pick my room, so I am not willing to chance getting one in a bad location. Besides, I'd rather spend that money on something else since the cabin is only for sleeping and changing my clothes.
On Icon of the Seas my daughter had a Central Park Balcony. She bid minimal $100. each for Infinite Ocean Balcony. Within a week received a email she had won. That was four week's before the cruise on this past May 30th seven night cruise.
I can’t find this answer, but I assume the bid is one singular charge? For example if I bid $100 to upgrade to a balcony from an ocean view and it’s accepted, is that $100 charged only once for the bid, or does it add it on additionally each day. (As in 100$ charged 7 times, for a 7 day cruise= 700$).
We had a suite booked....65 days before boarding, the prices of our room and the the owners suite had fallen substantially......checked price of Owners suite it was just total of $700 more ....called in and upgraded...might have easily bid more for this room 5 days later....as Ilana said "check the room prices before you bid!"
Last year I won a bid on a Celebrity "Move Up" from our balcony to an aqua class balcony. Unfortunately, our cabin was directly below the treadmills in the Fitness Center. Who are these people who run on treadmills at 4:45a?? :) We lasted two nights, then asked for and got another cabin. Since many cruise ships are now sailing almost full, I hesitate to try an upgrade for fear of not being able to move if something similar happens in the future.
I bid on an upgrade for a cruise back in April. Unfortunately, they gave me a cabin right above the casino, which was incredibly noisy. I ended up in Guest Services, and they were able to move me (which is not guaranteed). I am thinking never again.
I don't know if this has been mentioned but at least on Celebrity you will only receive points for whichever cabin you originally booked. You don'tearn the extra points if you bid on the cabin.. Even if you go from an inside to a suite, you will still only earn points for the inside cabin.
When I get those e-mails telling me I can upgrade for $xxx, I actually turn them down. I'd rather have the money to spend on other things like shore excursions. That said, a friend and I took advantage of a free upgrade from interior to ocean view once, which was worth it because it didn't cost us anything. And I have had a couple of upgrades to nicer staterooms without actually having bid at all. Anyway, I usually book a specific stateroom, and try and avoid "fun" locations like an inside stateroom right under the World Stage. But otherwise, I'm not too picky. In my experience, the only reason I need is stateroom is that I need a place to sleep, a place to shower and a place to keep my luggage. There is enough to see and do on a cruise that I don't actually spend a lot of time in my stateroom.
Royal Caribbean: I received the email to bid on 6/28. I submitted my bid for 2 rooms on 6/30 and I received an email on 7/1 that my bid was accepted for one of the rooms. I was THRILLED because the balcony wasn't available when I originally booked. The minimum bid was $210 and I bid $305. My cruise leaves the second week of August.
Bidding on both legs of a back to back cruise is risky. It would be difficult to get the same cabin on both legs when bidding. If you don't mind moving then go for it.
Sadly only one of your vids usleless to me as this not a Disney thing. If it was the bidding would be astronomically unattainable lol. As Disney fans can be crazy lol . Keep up the good work
You might learn you bid was successful if your cabin number changes. Alternatively your credit card statement will have the bid added to it indicating your change.
We have 3 upgrade bids on the Coral Princess out of Perth Australia setting sail on the 9/15/2024. We haven't heard anything yet 11 days from sailing and the cruise is sold out so I can't figure out how they have any cabin upgrades available? Do they rely on cancelations?
Went for an upgrade on a P&O Australia cruise, didn’t get it. When onboard I asked guest services for hints and tips for next time. I was told that the ship was completely full and no upgrades were successful, and she didn’t know why they had offered as the cruise line knew this all along.😢😢😢
I have always hesitated on doing these upgrades- since I sail with NCL- the only upgrade I would consider is from my mini-suite to the Haven but I wonder, are the upgrades I have already made get refunded back to me? Like extra specialty dining? Like thermal spa? Just curious is all. Thanks for this video. Informative
Bid to move from a balcony to the Haven on NCL last March. Did not get the message that we did not receive the upgrade until we had been on the ship for about 3 1/2 hours.
I am going on a cruise transatlantic and have booked a solo inside cabin on MSC. Can I upgrade to balcony or only to a ocean view? Also I booked solo, but if I get the bid, will I be charged double as if two people in cabin or just one since it is just me?
If you booked a Balcony cabin and won a bid to upgrade to a Suite you still will only get the points for the Balcony rate 1p/1n instead of the Suite rate of 2p/1n or 2p/1n and 3p/1n for single.
I've booked a package with Ambassador cruises, drinks package comes with " priority for complimentary upgrade (subject to availability). What in the hec does that even mean? First time cruising
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We just bid $25 over the lowest amount to upgrade from a guaranteed obstructed view to a large balcony and got it . . . We were surprised as we are two months out from our cruise date so didn't expect to hear anything until closer to sailing date. We are super happy as the cabin is mid ship and not far from staircases and elevators. So a good thing for us and reasonable too.
Just won an upgrade from interior to ocean balcony, bid $150 (so $300 all together) Our new room is very close to the elevators which we love.
Nice!
I was fortunate to bid $300 and got a balcony. I saved several thousand dollars. I only did it because we had an inside cabin and my husband later got a better paying job so I went for it. We loved the balcony. We enjoyed it!
I am glad you mentioned that you can't choose where your upgrade will be. The challenge is that sometimes the cabin is not desirable, I once bid to a junior suite on a Princess ship, and it was accepted. We were initially happy until we found the location to be under the "skywalk", and it had a glass flooring.... there was no privacy while sitting on the balcony. Never again will bid on an upgrade.
Ugghh good point
We were given three cabin number choices for our recent HAL upgrade for Norway.
I bid on an upgrade on RC and received a balcony cabin, but it was directly over a music venue that was So Loud that I could sing along (although I was really tired and wanted to sleep) and the mattress was So Thin, it was like sleeping on cardboard. I insisted on a different cabin (although not usually done) and will not do it again. There is a reason these cabins have not been booked already.
We had booked an inside cabin on a cruise to Alaska. We bid for an upgrade and ended up with an obstructed view balcony cabin that also had a loveseat. It was a great cabin, because the obstruction was very small. The lifeboat was level with the balcony rail, so it didn't really impede our view at all. That worked out well for us. Fortunately, Princess told us what cabin we would get if we accepted the upgrade, so we could go online and see the view from that cabin before making our decision. We will probably do that again next year on our second Alaska cruise.
@@KenBragonier that’s fabulous! So glad that worked out so well
I would love it if you could do a video on the pros and cons of booking with a travel agent as opposed to booking with the cruise line directly...if you haven't already done that :)
@@carylosborn1808 it’s been a while (3 years), but the info is pretty much the same. If you search RUclips you should find it, but perhaps time for a redo :)
If you upgrade to a suite or higher the gratuities that will be charged to your account will be higher so you will need to factor that into your budget.
Our first NCL cruise, I didn't even know the Haven was a thing, but I starting reading about upgrade bidding and Haven perks. Eventually, I checked the price for a 2BR Haven suite vs our upgrade bid, and honestly, the numbers were close enough to warrant just booking it outright. The Haven ended up selling out shortly thereafter, so I don't think anyone's upgrade bids into the Haven were accepted. So my tip for any upgrade, Haven or not, is to check the prices in case it's cheaper (or similarly priced) to just upgrade directly, then you get to pick your cabin/suite from what's available. (As a side note, with NCL, the Haven gets double Latitude points, but you do not get that if you win an upgrade bid into the Haven.)
Another thing to look out for is the additional costs of moving up to a higher cabin type. On NCL, the per diem service fee is higher in the Haven than on the rest of the ship. I'm not sure if that's the case on other cruise lines or if there's ever a difference between other cabin types (e.g., if balcony pays higher than ocean view, etc.) on NCL or other cruise lines.
Lastly, just because you're being offered an opportunity to bid for an upgrade does not mean it's better accommodations for your party, even aside from parties with connecting rooms. For our last cruise this past spring, we booked a 2BR Haven suite but were invited to bid for a "higher" suite. Bidding on this suite would have meant paying more for what amounted to a downgrade for our family of four. The suite we'd booked was a 2BR/2BA, so our kids didn't have to share a bed and each bedroom had a door. The "upgrade" would have been to a suite with one bathroom, so our kids would have had to share the pull-out couch, and there was no door between our bedroom and the kids' sleeping area.
@@RBXChas you did such a smart thing! Thanks for the extra point about potential additions in cost (gratuity/service fees)
On June 21, we took a 10 day Alaska cruise on the Cunard Queen Victoria . About a month before the cruise we were offered an auction on an upgrade. Our original room was a balcony room with an obstructed view on deck five and I was bidding for a club balcony room. When I checked the slider, the minimum bid per passenger was a bit too rich for my blood so I did not bid at that time. But then I waited two weeks and checked again and the slider showed a minimum bid that was lower by over $300 per passenger. That was better for me so I placed the bid and won. We got the club balcony room three decks higher on deck eight and it also came with both the Britannia restaurant and the Britannia club, which was a private dining room for people in these rooms. It was really a nice experience. I figure that we saved $1000 per person by waiting.
Two years ago I had booked a studio cabin on NCL and I was offered the bid option via email. They said I could upgrade to a balcony cabin for a minimum of $75 per person. I was traveling solo, but a balcony was supposed to be for 2 people so I offered $80 per person, ($160 total), just $5 over the suggested amount. Of course, I investigated how much it would cost me to upgrade on the page and it was $500. I waited for my bid to be accepted even though it said all the time that my offer was too low. Guess what! Two days before leaving to Europe for my cruise I got the email that my offer had been accepted. I had the pleasure of having a balcony cabin all by myself during that Med sailing. It is worthy to bid and you don't have to offer that much. Just wait!
I was a happy winner on Royal Caribbean. Originally had an ocean view but had an email about bidding for an upgrade to a balcony or suite. Minimum bid for a balcony was $300 I bid $350 still was cheaper by a few hundred dollars if I did book a balcony. Bids closed about a week before sailing. We didn’t have a cabin number originally,as we decided initially to let the cruise line allocate us but knew which floor on the ship we would be on .On arrival but then found out when we won that we were going up 5 floors mid ship we were given our new cabin number when we won - will do it again. The trick is just don’t over bid with the expectation that if your bid isn’t successful- you know you still have your original cabin. After all you only sleep and shower and dress in your cabin - it’s not like you live in it. FYI this was for a 13 day cruise to New Zealand from Brisbane Australia.Bargain!!!
i just got an upgrade from an interior to an aft balcony for $280 total! i was kind of skeptical and not excited until I watched your videos on the pros and cons of having an aft cabin. so excited 🙂
Im not fussed where our cabin is located. I'm more excited about having a higher catagory cabin ❤❤
Great video. YES, we did bid for one move up on Celebrity that was AWFUL. We went from the PERFECT SV that we had chosen a year ahead, and got a 'suite' that was DIRECTLY BELOW the Ocean View Cafe. Worst 11 day Mediterranean cruise of our cruising-lives. Noise 24/11. The ONLY saving grace was being in the wonderful Med ports. It was awful in our cabin. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH [bid] for, because it might just come true, and BE WORSE than what you originally booked. Never again!!!!
I recently bid to upgrade my interior cabin for an upcoming Sun Princess cruise, but didn't think I would be successful because the ship had very few cabins available. I bid on three categories and increased my bids by a small amount after a couple of weeks. It is a Caribbean cruise to islands I have been to before so will be spending more time on the ship to enjoy my cabin. I found out a month before my cruise that I now have a deluxe balcony cabin in an OK location close to lots of activities so I am very excited about it and will make great use of the balcony. I have bid successfully about 60% of the time, going into the lower part of Fair on the sliding scale and after checking to see what my costs would be to simply upgrade normally.
We are 3 for 3 on upgrade bidding-we always bid the lowest bid available and it has always been accepted. And these are 10-13 day cruises. AND the placement of the upgraded cabin has always been super-of course our loyalty level may play into it.
@@oneluxelife fabulous 👏
As a solo traveler, I bid up all of the time. One thing you need to know is that the solo traveler will be charged double what you bid (because the bid is accepted based on two travelers). Also, if there are perks with the higher level cabin, you most likely will not get them. You only get the perks that accompany your original cabin. I have not had any negative experiences- on a cruise last December with RCCL, while traveling with a friend, we booked a one-bedroom suite. I put a low bid in for a two bedroom/two bath aft suite and it was accepted within 2 weeks. Currently, I am booked in July in a Haven balcony suite on NCL. I put in a bid to upgrade to an aft balcony cabin in the Haven and am still waiting to hear.
@@erinf4712 thanks for sharing- important points
We didn’t bid for an upgrade, but we received one because we didn’t choose our stateroom. We got an email two weeks before sailing that we went from an inside cabin to ocean view. Then we checked in, we found we had been upgraded again to a balcony. Great! Except our luggage didn’t make it to our new cabin. We found it at customer service after dinner the first night.
We bid on a cabin upgrade for the first time and our bid was accepted. I did not realize that I could not deny the upgrade and we had to cancel the trip due to an illness. We did have insurance (purchased through our travel agent) but the process to submit a claim was not easy (proof from a doctor, etc.). Thankfully, we went through a travel agent and were not only able to re-book for an identical cruise a few months away, but the cruise line (MSC) honored the upgrade and the insurance company transferred the policy to our new cruise.
When booking a cruise we take insurance offered by our cruise agent or from the cruise line - at the time of booking. The cost of the insurance is based upon the cost of the cruise. If you bid on a cabin and the bid is accepted - say for $500 more per person - what happens to the insurance for the cruise? The insurance was based upon the original price you paid, and not for the increased price due to an upgrade bid being accepted.
Thank you for ensuring everyone knows it is the first 2 people in a cabin that you will pay for. That also goes if you are a single occupant in a cabin for 2 people, you will be charged the upgrade cost for 2 people. I just cruised in May as a single occupant, bid for an upgrade and received an interior balcony and paid $90.00 times 2 ($180.00) for for the upgrade on Royal up as it is meant for 2 occupants.
Thanks for clarifying that
@lisajohnson1035 - I would not have thought of that; thanks for sharing that info.
How did you like your upgrade when all was said and done?
Wow, great point! Good to know! Thank you for sharing!
@@SharonPerson-hm9ds I enjoyed the interior balcony on the Allure of the Seas. It overlooked the Boardwalk with a perfect view of the water show. However, I probably only spent two hours on the balcony due to the heat. Next time I will hope for an ocean facing balcony with perhaps a little breeze.
This was actually new information and I didn't even know this existed. Thank you! Since I would be a budget cruiser, probably not for me, but good info!
@@juliehall2893 so glad this was helpful & thanks for watching 😊
Yes, I will admit it. I am a Carnival fan. I recently received an upgrade offer for an upcoming cruise. It included a specific cabin number and a fixed price for the upgrade. That made it easy to determine that my original cabin was preferable to the "upgrade".
Ilana, this is a great topic no one has ever covered. Thank you for providing strategies to make it work.
@@meddyven glad you enjoyed the video & thanks for your kind words 😊
I bid on an upgrade in April for my May cruise on Celebrity Ascent. I was notified in about an hour and a half that I won my bid to a suite! It was in a great location and having access to the Retreat was wonderful!
@@theresarominelee7998 can’t go wrong with that 👏
We had a bid accepted 3 times, and was very happy. I won't do it on huge ships as Oasis class for the same reason I don't book a guaranty cabin on that class of ships. You may end up in a cabin extremely far from the elevators. Ooops! Forgot the phone in the cabin....
Haha that’s a great point
You are right….So Very picky, i book early and scout out exactly where I want to be, i just could not tolerate being where I do not want to be🚢🙂
@@eminiarvii definitely not for everyone. It would be sad to br disappointed in the cabin location
The bottom line is that you should not bid on a cabin unless you are willing to be places in ANY cabin in that category on the entire ship. As noted, if you need an accessible cabin, you can not bid for an upgrade as the upgrade is unlikely to be accessible. Another example, on Virgin Voyages there are a few balcony cabins at the ends of the ship that do not have hammocks--it has to do with the steel beams in the ship and the attachments available. SO, if you consider a hammock to be a must in their balcony, do not bid.If you are placing a bid. choose an "off beat" amount. For instance, avoid amounts that end in 0 or 5. If you are willing to bid $100, bid $103 or $107. This makes your bid stand out from the rest and may be that little nudge that you need.
One thing that can sometimes work is trying to purchase an upgrade at the terminal. This is something that everyone can do because you can see exactly what upgrade you are purchasing. If you know the ship, you can easily figure out where that cabin is and any potential shortcomings. We have been able to do this, moving from an oceanview accessible to a balcony accessible at the terminal. We've also done it in the "olden days" before we needed the HA to make some great moves. This is not a "bid"situation. The rep will have a chart showing the price of the upgrade based on what category you originally booked and what you are moving into. You see the cost and then take it or let it go.
Bottom line, always book a cabin where you will be happy. regardless of what you need to be happy. Do not depend on an upgrade bid or at port upgrade.
@@kathryncashner3294 that’s a great tip
I have been really happy, and been upgraded twice on Celebrity….went from Concierge Class to The Retreat, and was really happy. Both times, it was international cruises…once to Patagonia and once to Iceland. I was accepted for upgrade about 3 weeks before the cruise….
@@joshuajason9744 wow! Great upgrades
I put in a minimum bid and won an upgrade from balcony to club balcony suite. The curtain to divide the room and the walk-in closet were worth it!
We received an invitation to bid on a recent MSC cruise from NY. A week before sailing our bid was accepted for upgrade to MSC YACHT CLUB. Wonderful experience. After trying that I think I will forever be interested in bidding for an upgrade, whenever available.
I’ve learned a lot since I subscribed to your channel. And purchased lots of goodies for my future cruises. Many thanks 💜
We did bid the minimum on Norwegian in 2022 for a balcony to a club balcony. We won and I believe that was a good upgrade since we had 2kids with us. We weren’t that lucky last year we n the Prima.
Thanks for sharing!!
We bid for a balcony cabin on Royal Caribbean from an inside cabin book this way on purpose with plans to upgrade and got the balcony for $250 each. Before the pandemic however
That was lucky 👏👏
Plandemic
Thank you so much for talking about tea lights for my interior cabin and baseball hat under my raincoat. Totally enjoyed my Alaskan cruise.
@@barbaraandrasevits2860 so glad you enjoyed 👏
Great video as always. Just a note that if you get the upgrade it does not change you're cruiser status points. They will still be the same as your original booking. When I found that out, I decided not to do the upgrade bidding, especially since I was happy with my cabin location.
Thanks for all the videos Ilana, great information. I just won a bid last night, about one month out. First time winning one. The original celebrity move up email came out when we booked in June but minimum was more than we were prepared to pay. I saw a general 4th July promotion yesterday and thought I’d pop back into the link sent to see if there was a change. 30% off! I really didn’t think we’d get it. Bid lowest amount for balcony and ocean view. We got the balcony one for €200 each. I had been keeping an eye on the upgrade price so I feel we got good value. Got a bit spoilt with a balcony last year!! We also got 40% off drinks package a few weeks ago. It’s definitely worth keeping an eye out for deals as the weeks go by, they are not always in your email. Delighted!
@@juliebellew1473 wow, fantastic 👏
We bid on an ocean view balcony on RC after I mistakenly did the GTY and got an interior balcony. We bid $800 total (fair-strong on scale). Our bid was accepted a week before and the only inconvenience was printing new tags. The other benefit was we were never charged. 😬 Doubt that will happen again.
We got a bid for a suite from a balcony cabin. However we learned that we do not get added points for having an upscale cabin. The suite cabin was literally by the elevators. Very convenient. Plus it was a cabin for individuals who were physically impaired and was huge. The bathroom was massive with a roll-in shower.
@@sharonhinsley5335 thanks for sharing your experience
Thank you, new to cruising and have been on the lookout for the email upgrade. Now after watching this video, I will feel comfortable making a bid.
I booked an ocean view cabin early in the piece and then kept looking at what other cabin options there were. There were still plenty of options and we ended up paying to upgrade to a balcony cabin suite as it is a 15 day cruise and there are 4 of us. It was about AUD$1,000 more in total, but we chose our preferred location.
We did get offered an internal spa suite for $130 total as an upgrade on the balcony suite, but I felt that wasn’t worth it for us as we’re not really spa type people. I’m happy just to sit in a hot tub in the adult area or on my balcony 😊
@@karinaday4690 thanks for sharing 👏
I was super disappointed on my last cruise. I had booked a guaranteed cabin. I received my cabin assignment a couple weeks before sail date. I really liked my cabin location and the cabin on deck 7. Then a week or so later I won my “upgrade”, it was a worse cabin and on the 2nd deck! I didn’t even know there were cabins down there. I called and after speaking to a lot of people they would give me my original cabin back, but I would be forfeiting the amount I bid for the upgrade. No refunds. Very sad about my now port hole window when I had a larger window. Thanks for your videos, they always have great information.
@@Cruise-hair-why-care oh no!!
Yes I bid on an upgrade won the 'celebrity suite" on the equinox 4 adults best time ever so spoiled for the whole week
Personally would rather book what i want, rather than gamble on being given what no else wants. Appreciate if you booked an inside cabin and for a 100 dollars more you can get a balcony, then maybe? Also I've heard if you do get upgraded to the next level, you may not get any perks that would normally be associated to that stateroom? Im sure there are winners and losers in this, similar to when you book a guaranteed cabin grade? Just not for me.
Two guest on our last cruise said they got carried away and bid more than if they had outright paid for the cabin. Glad you gave heads up
This is my first time doing this. Hopefully ours can be upgraded. It will be from ocean view to balcony. 🤞
Awesome!! Good luck
To an extent, this bidding drives me nuts. We've been cruising long enough to remember the days when upgrades were given as a loyalty perk. My MIL almost always was upgraded to a suite. These days: loyalty smoyalty 😕
Holland offered me a discounted upgrade, not a bid a couple of times. It was nice. They offered me great deals at the last minute to upgrade. I also upgraded to specific cabins which I knew would be good
We just finished our first cruise. We booked an interior cabin based on cost. I submitted the lowest possible bid for an ocean view and a balcony. We ended up getting an ocean view for a $50 ($100 total) bid.
We got an email 5 days before embarkation, but I totally missed it. First time I noticed was when I checked the NCL app.
@@stevenrothstein7397 wow, very worth it 👏
The first time we were on NCL we won a bid for an upgraded cabin. It spoiled me so now I just get the cabin I want. I much prefer a balcony cabin. I can’t go back til an ocean view or inside cabin!
Excellent tips and advice love it so much thank you. Your a angel of cruising 🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌊🌊🌊🌊🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌊🌊🌊🌺🌺🌊🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌊🌊🌺🌊🌊🌺🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌺🌺🌊🌊🌺🌺🌺🌊🌊🌺🌺🌊🌊
Glad you enjoyed the video Lauren :)
@@LifeWellCruised of course always 🥰🥰
Thank you for posting this… it was right on time 😊
One thing to also note is you don’t get double loyalty points for a suite upgrade when you upgrade. At least for Royal Caribbean. Meaning if you purchased a balcony and you Royal Up to a suite, you will not get double crown & anchor points like you would if you purchased the suite originally.
We found out about 8 weeks prior, shortly after the final payment was due.
Great info as always
We learned, from going to Disney, book and pay for the room you want and you will never be disappointed. That being said, if people want to bid for a different cabin, go for it..... me personally, I want to know where we are going to be / the view / balcony we have, etc. but it's good options for everyone.
We are waiting to hear if one of our bids will be accepted. We are in an Endless Varanda cabin on the Celebrity Edge. Sailing to Alaska the end of August. We bid on Concierge Class, Aqua Class, and a Sky Sweet. Keeping my fingers crossed.
I was informed of my upgrade the day before my cruise
Thanks for this info! I have been wondering how the cabin upgrade worked and if we should try it or not. It will be our 3rd cruise and our 1st on Princess Discovery. I think we’ll stay where we have booked. 👍🏼
My wife was wanting to on a euro[pean cruise, when I noted that the most likely source of upgrades would be the next higher balcony rooms on the side that would be facing away land the vast majority of the cruise. Due to the worry about getting a bad location, we're never going to bid or accept an upgrade.
I get offers to upgrade all the time. The first time I did it was soon after the pandemic, so there were lots of empty cabins. I put in the lowest bid for an "obstructed view" balcony and won. The obstruction was the lifeboats, but they were under the balcony so they didn't really block anything. I lucked out that time, but I'm very picky about not having any noise, especially early in the morning. I am very careful when I pick my room, so I am not willing to chance getting one in a bad location. Besides, I'd rather spend that money on something else since the cabin is only for sleeping and changing my clothes.
I have been twice and did not receive an upgrade and I’m currently bidding in Royal up for a junior suite, (from a balcony) but we will see. 😀
On Icon of the Seas my daughter had a Central Park Balcony. She bid minimal $100. each for Infinite Ocean Balcony. Within a week received a email she had won. That was four week's before the cruise on this past May 30th seven night cruise.
Awesome!!
@dolorescarr6511 - How did she like the Infinite Balcony?
@@SharonPerson-hm9ds She wasn't a fan. Space is nice but actually missed the traditional Balcony.
We have bid on a cabin upgrade on RC cruise. We were extremely happy with what they gave us. Other bids on other cruise lines were not accepted.
I can’t find this answer, but I assume the bid is one singular charge? For example if I bid $100 to upgrade to a balcony from an ocean view and it’s accepted, is that $100 charged only once for the bid, or does it add it on additionally each day. (As in 100$ charged 7 times, for a 7 day cruise= 700$).
We had a suite booked....65 days before boarding, the prices of our room and the the owners suite had fallen substantially......checked price of Owners suite it was just total of $700 more ....called in and upgraded...might have easily bid more for this room 5 days later....as Ilana said "check the room prices before you bid!"
If I’m a solo cruiser, will I have to pay twice the accepted bid? I’m confused.
Last year I won a bid on a Celebrity "Move Up" from our balcony to an aqua class balcony. Unfortunately, our cabin was directly below the treadmills in the Fitness Center. Who are these people who run on treadmills at 4:45a?? :) We lasted two nights, then asked for and got another cabin. Since many cruise ships are now sailing almost full, I hesitate to try an upgrade for fear of not being able to move if something similar happens in the future.
I bid on an upgrade for a cruise back in April. Unfortunately, they gave me a cabin right above the casino, which was incredibly noisy. I ended up in Guest Services, and they were able to move me (which is not guaranteed). I am thinking never again.
@@bethbowen4612 thanks for sharing your experience. Good that they had an alternative cabin for you :)
I don't know if this has been mentioned but at least on Celebrity you will only receive points for whichever cabin you originally booked. You don'tearn the extra points if you bid on the cabin.. Even if you go from an inside to a suite, you will still only earn points for the inside cabin.
Got my last upgrade at the port while checking in which ment they had to reprogram everything at checkin.
Wow!
Timing your bid
I just did this using the Royalup and won the bid
When I get those e-mails telling me I can upgrade for $xxx, I actually turn them down. I'd rather have the money to spend on other things like shore excursions. That said, a friend and I took advantage of a free upgrade from interior to ocean view once, which was worth it because it didn't cost us anything. And I have had a couple of upgrades to nicer staterooms without actually having bid at all.
Anyway, I usually book a specific stateroom, and try and avoid "fun" locations like an inside stateroom right under the World Stage. But otherwise, I'm not too picky. In my experience, the only reason I need is stateroom is that I need a place to sleep, a place to shower and a place to keep my luggage. There is enough to see and do on a cruise that I don't actually spend a lot of time in my stateroom.
Royal Caribbean: I received the email to bid on 6/28. I submitted my bid for 2 rooms on 6/30 and I received an email on 7/1 that my bid was accepted for one of the rooms. I was THRILLED because the balcony wasn't available when I originally booked. The minimum bid was $210 and I bid $305. My cruise leaves the second week of August.
Bidding on both legs of a back to back cruise is risky. It would be difficult to get the same cabin on both legs when bidding. If you don't mind moving then go for it.
As a first time cruiser, I didn’t understand what a guaranteed cabin meant. I thought it was a good thing for my cheaper ticket.
Thanks for the video. Did Carnival Firenze offered the move up?
We bid the very lowest suggested amount. Virgin sent me back an email saying I really needed to offer more, but I didn’t and got the upgrade anyway.
Sadly only one of your vids usleless to me as this not a Disney thing. If it was the bidding would be astronomically unattainable lol. As Disney fans can be crazy lol . Keep up the good work
You may want to mention solo cruises as they need to pay for 2 people.
You’re right
You might learn you bid was successful if your cabin number changes. Alternatively your credit card statement will have the bid added to it indicating your change.
If you are prone to motion sickness you should keep your low cabin in the middle, and not bid!
I have tried bidding on most cruises and have yet to win one!
We have 3 upgrade bids on the Coral Princess out of Perth Australia setting sail on the 9/15/2024. We haven't heard anything yet 11 days from sailing and the cruise is sold out so I can't figure out how they have any cabin upgrades available? Do they rely on cancelations?
We bid once on Princess to Alaska last year. I bid the minimum to upgrade from balcony to a suite and did not get it. 😕
I had more success with having my bids accepted at the end of Covid. The ships weren't as full, and my low bids were accepted. Not as much any more
Went for an upgrade on a P&O Australia cruise, didn’t get it. When onboard I asked guest services for hints and tips for next time. I was told that the ship was completely full and no upgrades were successful, and she didn’t know why they had offered as the cruise line knew this all along.😢😢😢
I have always hesitated on doing these upgrades- since I sail with NCL- the only upgrade I would consider is from my mini-suite to the Haven but I wonder, are the upgrades I have already made get refunded back to me? Like extra specialty dining? Like thermal spa? Just curious is all. Thanks for this video. Informative
Bid to move from a balcony to the Haven on NCL last March. Did not get the message that we did not receive the upgrade until we had been on the ship for about 3 1/2 hours.
I have a cruise coming up that the cruise line’s website says the suites are sold out yet they are taking upgrade bids for suites.
The amount you bid it’s actually added to what we already booked for… is it x 2 ( couple )
FYI, if you book with Costco, you won’t receive an email from the cruise line for the upgrade bid because Costco does not participate in this program.
I am going on a cruise transatlantic and have booked a solo inside cabin on MSC. Can I upgrade to balcony or only to a ocean view? Also I booked solo, but if I get the bid, will I be charged double as if two people in cabin or just one since it is just me?
We found it confusing on Celebrity whether the upgrade included all the perks or not. Different answers from Cruise staff so did not bid.
Our travel always suggests to us the best one for us weve used her for several years all of you travel agents know better which ones are best
If you booked a Balcony cabin and won a bid to upgrade to a Suite you still will only get the points for the Balcony rate 1p/1n instead of the Suite rate of 2p/1n or 2p/1n and 3p/1n for single.
On Royal up if you win a suite upgrade you don't get the double points
I've booked a package with Ambassador cruises, drinks package comes with " priority for complimentary upgrade (subject to availability). What in the hec does that even mean? First time cruising