FPJC03

Tigergrl - thanks for the great info. We are on same Getaway 3/10 cruise. Currently in minisuite midship balcony and had bid on Spa Haven and Courtyard Haven at $550 and $600 each respectively. Just increased my spa bid to $620 and courtyard to $650. Hope that is enough to get one of them. THANKS.

51 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

 

I have seen minimum bids change, but keep in mind, if they DO lower the minimum bid on your sailing, it is likely that someone has already bid at least the old minimum, so depending on inventory, you are unlikely to win by bidding the new minimum.

Jamie - on my cruise on 3/10 Getaway, the retail price on Haven categories has dropped but the BID amount minimums has NOT dropped. So I reduced my amount a bit so that if my offer is accepted, I won't be paying the same amount as the reduced minimums and still not get all the new Haven perks.

Booked on 3/10 Getaway midship balcony. Price on Spa Haven reduced to $2250, so reduced bid down to $500, since price difference now is just $900.  Also bid on courtyard Haven at $600 since that was reduced to $2650. My bid would be 50% of the difference. The upgrade meter shows them both in the High Poor to Low fair category. Availability is still good, with about 40 percent still available in both categories.

I am on the 3/10 getaway cruise, bidding on H5 and H9 from mini-suite balcony. Bid $800 for each, which shows border of poor-fair. Just saw that Haven pricing was reduced $500 recently. The H6 and H7 are mostly sold but my 2 categories have 50 and 75% available cabins left. With only 2 weeks till sailing, hoping to get one of those!!!

No, you don't lose the perks that you received at the lower category. You do NOT get the new ones at the upgraded level.

I have been in similar thermal suite on HAL and the idea is that you should relax and BE QUIET! The spa is there to unwind and chill, not to have loud conversations. Just let the waters massage your body and take out the tensions, a real oasis....

The negative issue with the forward facing Haven suite (H9),is that it is so far forward towards the bow that you will get lots of motion compared to midship locations. My question for the ladies - did you CHOOSE this cabin or was it part of a upgrade bid situation? If you chose it, I would have researched the best locations for FF and the positives and negatives.

GETAWAY March 10 sailing - started midship minisuite. Bid on courtyard haven (min $500 - bid $700), spa haven (min $500 bid $700) and aft haven (min $750 - bid $800). Waiting on one successful bid, hopefully. The first two are in the LOW fair category and the aft is in POOR. 

Do you consider the fact that SOME people might EMBELLISH the truth to get their point across and make them look like great negotiators? Just because it is on the internet, doesn't mean it is TRUE. Also, if there are more empty cabins on one sailing than on yours, there is a better chance of lower bids being accepted.

Spacedaisy - nice try and I see how it got off on a tangent. I understand that different cruise dates could have different results depending on capacity. Maybe the best factor is the rating of your bid as POOR, FAIR, GOOD and where in that range you stood? 

BTW, I was going to bid on an aft Haven suite but minimum was $750 and $1200 in the fair range. Wondered if you get the effects of being in the Haven class that far back on the ship. Those aft suites are HUGE with a great balcony. But we declined that one and the forward haven suites too.

You are right on. Maybe we need to start a NEW post that says "WINNING BIDDERS - what was your successful bid?"

Might generate some people to think it over and add their two cents... couldn't hurt. This thread has just gotten sooooo long and out of hand. Also looking for spa or courtyard Haven for 3/10 Getaway. Bid $700 on each, listed in low fair category. Last checked there was availability in those two categories, looked to be about 75% vacant in Haven sections.

I would agree with huntersh2 and their angle calling out the posters as selfish and short-sighted. But considering that many of the successful bids are sent within 2-3 days of the cruise sailing, many of them are probably already en route to the port. So they might not have the chance to send a response. It would be great if CC would let the users of the forum contact those successful bidders and vice versa via email. Then we would have a better chance to get that info. 

It really is all about percent of capacity on the ship. I am on the 3/10 Getaway and ALL categories are still available 5 weeks out. I bid on H5 and H9 in the low fair range. Hope to get one of them accepted, but in midship minisuite, so won't be disappointed if we get rejected. You have to look at it as a game - keep checking on capacity of each category and bid a bit more if needed. Just so you don't overbid and feel cheated if you get it and price yourself at the retail price!

Detected the LAWNG ISLAND accent. Great honest descriptions and emotions on the video. I am from Oceanside but now in Ohio for while. Will be on the Getaway in early March for first time on NCL. How does it compare to other lines? Have been on RCL, Celebrity, Holland and Regent 7 Seas. Prefer Celebrity overall.

Jamie has great advice - you should be happy with your original cabin choice if you bid is declined and HAPPY if it is accepted, as long as you don't believe you bid TOO MUCH. Buyers remorse is a terrible thing. Waiting 5 weeks till 3/10 Getaway, but in a mini-suite now, which would be fine for me. Bid on Courtyard and Spa Haven in low fair range.

Fun review, but could have done some editing to make it shorter and to the point. Honest review of many areas of the ship. Sounds like you are retired NYers living in Florida. I am originally from Long Island, now in Ohio. Good comparision with RCL.

Don't you all see that this is the "American way" using the bidding system? How many of you go to a yard sale and pay what the label says? You bargain and negotiate until you agree on a price you are satisfied with. Same here. We booked a midship minisuite that is a fine cabin and then bid on a Haven spa and courtyard suite in the lower FAIR price range. Having checked the availability of Havens, there are still more than 90 percent empty. So we expect to get upgraded for this March cruise.

As one other poster said, perhaps you are on a date that is fully booked. Same as an airline that is at capacity or hotel fully booked. If you want to be on it, you pay a higher price than if the plane or hotel were almost empty.

I was born and raised in New York, where you bargain for everything and only suckers pay retail. Might be a bit harsh but that is the reality of the capitalist system....

On the Getaway for 3/10 Western Caribbean. All categories are available, over 90% of Haven suites still open. Booked midship mini-suite on deck 11. Bid $600 for spa haven and $700 for courtyard Haven. Both are in upper poor-lower fair range. Hoping to get one of them.

The only place to wear a baseball cap is at a BASEBALL game. It looks classless and shabby. Also makes it look like you couldn't take the time to wash your hair or clean up enough for a nice dinner. 

2 hours ago, nosaints43 said:

MC (?) mini-suite with balcony.  Going to H7 Haven forward facing penthouse.  $2000/pp (excellent range). 10 floor

Nosaints43 - congrats on winning the bid, but why did you offer so much to get it? Were they the last suites left in the Haven? I am in a midships mini-suite with balcony and have offered $700/pp for courtyard and spa suite Haven and it is the lower half of the FAIR range. Not much has sold in the Haven for 3/10 cruise, so hope to win that one.

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

 

 

The NCL site will only show a max of 15 available rooms in any category. There are other TA sites what will show up to 100 in a category.

So can you share those sites that consumers can check on? On the NCL site, it shows the Haven categories on the deck plan and lists how many are still available for sale. 

10 hours ago, Sensenigr said:

Hi.  How do you check the occupancy of a cruise?

I go on the NCL website, pull up the cruise date and check each category, how many are still available vs how many cabins total.

Booked on Getaway on 3/10 in mini-suite.  Bid on H5 Courtyard Haven and H9 Spa suite for $600 and $500 respectively offers.

Checked on occupancy and both categories are 90% EMPTY so far. I know that it is 8 weeks until sailing but both bids are in the upper level of POOR or lower level of FAIR offers. Might decide to increase the bids if more cabins get occupied.

You would leave the bags at baggage claim, usually the airline puts them in customer service room at lower level. So you can use the Lounge after arrival and get your bags later.

Are you a frequent flyer with an airline? Then get a one day pass to their LOUNGE at MIA. There you can relax and enjoy some snacks and check emails and phone calls in a relaxed atmosphere. It would be cheaper than paying for a short stay hotel and two cabs or Ubers. We did that with Delta and paid about $50 for a day pass, was very relaxing.