Scored with the upgrade advantage bid process

[Mr and Mrs C]

I received a second email today reminding me of my option to upgrade on my Jan. 8 cruise. Wondering if the bidding process is not working as well as they hoped?

 

 

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[Jrlang1]

Has NY one check or know how to check if these cruises are selling all of the suites or are they being left empty.

[gogo65]

I received email yesterday with offer to bid on my upcoming cruise in January. Just completed my bid process. How do you know that your bid was considered "low"? I just got another email telling me that my bids were excepted.

 

Sorry do you mean the email said your bid was accepted? Not excepted? If so that means your upsell was successful!

I can't multi quote, but further down you said you'd be happy staying in your angled b9 but it seems you're already successful.

[katiecat]

I'm trying to prepare myself for the bidding and doing mock bookings to see what's left.

There are 15 mini suites by the stairs & elevators to bid on but they are three different categories.I want to bid on all three can you do that in one bid ?

 

Most people want to stay away from those heavy traffic areas but me I'm a smoker it's convenient.;)

[Scoobs9]

Our bid was aceepted 5 days prior to embarkation but our bid was quite low (505$ canadian dollars) for a H5 from BX. Leaving sunday!

 

I saw some higher bids accepted sooner, but I guess it is smart from NCL to do this that way. We would of been happy with our balcony cabin and were not willing to pay big bucks to upgrade, but we've been lucky!

 

I also agree that it might be more interesting for NCL to get balcony and inside people upgraded and empty some of those cabins, because that's what it still sell last minute because its cheaper.

 

Was that $505 CDN for each person or for the two of you?

[Scoobs9]

We are on the Jan 2 Getaway cruise and haven't been offered a bidding email as of yet. Do they send the email to you directly or through your TA?

[Odesitka70]

I got the email directly. Looks like they use third party to send emails and process the bids. I don't know how they select who gets the emails.

 

 

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[Scoobs9]

I got the email directly. Looks like they use third party to send emails and process the bids. I don't know how they select who gets the emails.

 

 

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Thanks. I'm going to try calling them and try a "bid.";)

[CasinoCruzGirl]

Was on a balcony room and my offer was accepted for The Haven Courtyard Penthouse with Balcony (H5) for 498/pp. I started with a 300 bid and increased the bid every few days. Today offer was accepted. Excited for the haven experience. :)

 

 

Great. Enjoy

 

Oops already sailed. Hope it was awesome

 

 

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Edited November 7, 2016 by CasinoCruzGirl

[Taylor95]

I got the email directly. Looks like they use third party to send emails and process the bids. I don't know how they select who gets the emails.

 

 

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Thanks. I'm going to try calling them and try a "bid.";)

 

 

I booked using an online travel agency and called NCL today to request an email. I was told that the agency I booked with opted out of the process therefore it's not possible for me to bid on an upgraded cabin. We sail December 11th so I asked if I could call back in a few weeks to do an old fashioned upsell and was told no for that also because their system had changed. So basically if the agency you booked with doesn't participate, you are out of luck.

 

 

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[taylortime05]

I booked using an online travel agency and called NCL today to request an email. I was told that the agency I booked with opted out of the process therefore it's not possible for me to bid on an upgraded cabin. We sail December 11th so I asked if I could call back in a few weeks to do an old fashioned upsell and was told no for that also because their system had changed. So basically if the agency you booked with doesn't participate, you are out of luck.

 

 

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I would think that this may hurt the online travel agency's business. I have my first NCL cruise booked for next Nov with an online travel agency that starts with Pric.. I will need to contact them to see if they participate in the bidding because it's the only way that I might be able to afford a haven. I would love to have the Haven SPA. Right now I have a mid balcony.

[Taylor95]

I would think that this may hurt the online travel agency's business. I have my first NCL cruise booked for next Nov with an online travel agency that starts with Pric.. I will need to contact them to see if they participate in the bidding because it's the only way that I might be able to afford a haven. I would love to have the Haven SPA. Right now I have a mid balcony.

 

 

I agree. I have used this online agency (not the same as yours) for all of my NCL cruises, but probably will not next time if the bidding options are still going on. I am satisfied with our current rooms, but would like to try for different cabins that are too expensive to initially book.

 

 

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Edited November 8, 2016 by Taylor95

[mjcatlvr]

Ugh, I wish I had seen your post yesterday. We just got off of the fabulous Escape Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed the Haven for the first time. Met several folks that used the new bidding system successfully. Upon returning, I called NCL to see if TA's reservations also qualified for upgrade program and I was told a flat "yes"! I am sad to say that I then booked and paid in full for a Jan. 22 sailing on the Getaway through our TA. Today, come to find out that our TA has "opted out" of the program. BUMMER! So very sad.

[bam1957]

It appears that they are not accepting bids until the last minute. We sail on the 3rd and nothing yet. I check everyday and the cabins are not moving. I increased my bids in hoping that it would have prompted them to look again and maybe accept but nothing.

[nacnac22]

My take is this is an automated system that has triggers so I'm not increasing my bid as I think the more activity the system sees the longer it waits to award bids. Just my opinion. Crossing my fingers

 

 

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[jaceyb0130]

Is this process entirely different from the Upsell phone calls that usually take place 2 days before departure? We usually always book the inside room and wait for the upsell call. Last year we upgraded to a lovely mini suite for 150$ a person. Are upsell phone calls still done on top of this process?

 

I read the terms and see that you are only allowed to upgrade 2 categories above, meaning if you booked inside the highest you could go would be balcony?

[Scoobs9]

Is this process entirely different from the Upsell phone calls that usually take place 2 days before departure? We usually always book the inside room and wait for the upsell call. Last year we upgraded to a lovely mini suite for 150$ a person. Are upsell phone calls still done on top of this process?

 

I read the terms and see that you are only allowed to upgrade 2 categories above, meaning if you booked inside the highest you could go would be balcony?

 

I was just told by NCL that the upset calls are history. They also told me that the bidding emails are totally random and that my TA has to have registered to get them, but that my TA hadn't as of yet registered. After calling my TA, they said they HAVE registered and were confused, so they conferenced my call with NCL and NCL said the TA IS registered and were confused why I was told (by another NCL rep 10 min earlier!), that they weren't. :confused:

 

Very confusing!!! NCL seems like they're growing too fast, trying TOO many new initiatives and don't have the manpower and coordinated effort to pull all this off.

 

In a nutshell, I will wait and see if my "random" email comes through or just stay in our hand picked balcony cabin and keep my $1400 CDN it would cost to "bid" for a haven cabin (on average, bidding for balcony to Haven = $500pp USD).

[czimm]

Are all ships participating in this right now? I though it was just Breakaway and Getaway at the moment?

[tmilak]

I stay in the Haven most of the time. Does anyone know if they have given any upsell ops for the folks that may be interested in a higher category?

[Sea Hag]

My take is this is an automated system that has triggers so I'm not increasing my bid as I think the more activity the system sees the longer it waits to award bids. Just my opinion. Crossing my fingers

 

 

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I think you've got it!

[17cruisesnsl]

I stay in the Haven most of the time. Does anyone know if they have given any upsell ops for the folks that may be interested in a higher category?

 

We are in a H4 on January 28 and received the bid offer on Tuesday for a H3 or H2 starting at 750 pp. with a note that only the first and second persons in the cabin would be charged.

 

I passed on the offer for a few reasons: we are doing a b2b and there are only 2 of us in the H4; my cousin had to cancel due to surgery, so we will have plenty of room and really like having 2 full baths.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[LadyShiva]

We are in a H4 on January 28 and received the bid offer on Tuesday for a H3 or H2 starting at 750 pp. with a note that only the first and second persons in the cabin would be charged.

 

I passed on the offer for a few reasons: we are doing a b2b and there are only 2 of us in the H4; my cousin had to cancel due to surgery, so we will have plenty of room and really like having 2 full baths.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Your logic makes sense to me!

 

I'm really good with getting outbid on the H2 and H3 cabins... I didn't really want to pay $2K+ to move into a room with a flimsy divider between the living rooms that evidently sound carries through.

 

But that H6, though... LOVE those cabins!

[reney313]

Has anyone booked their cruise within 60 days of sailing and received the upsell offer? We are looking at a cruise in January and I can see that others on that sailing have already received this bidding email. I'm just wondering what the chances are we would receive it after booking?

[Loonbeam]

Did a little research:

 

1> If not totally gone already (I haven't checked the latest list of ships), the current upsell process will be completely eliminated once all ships are on the new system. That phone tree will be disabled (and I have no idea what may happen to the agents). There is conflicting information if there will be any demand based NCL issued upgrades/upsell offers before bidding kicks in - i.e. if they are running high on a cabin class.

 

2> Bid offers will vary from cruise to cruise based on a variation of the yield management system (i.e. the system will attempt to figure out what cabins they can sell, what they need and how much they can get, etc.) Much like traditional upgrades, if you are in a cabin class that they have demand for, you are more likely to get an email. (Unconfirmed: they are slowly ramping up the number of emails per slot available.)

 

3> Bidding will close at 3 days prior, however, certain cabins or classes may go earlier based on the demands of the YMS. For example, if std balconies are selling well 4 weeks out, they may take some bids from those cabins up to higher ones if those bids are the highest or meet the target reserve. Note that they are NOT obligated to take the highest overall bid, although of course they certainly will as much as possible. Absent cabin need, the bidding will stay open as long as possible.

 

4> Traditional NCL designated upgrades will still be given if the YMS says those cabins are needed, tho of course these are rare.

 

5> For right now, the system is going to stay blind bidding, but the option exists for competitve ebay style bidding in the future.

[ljrfrm]

Has anyone booked their cruise within 60 days of sailing and received the upsell offer? We are looking at a cruise in January and I can see that others on that sailing have already received this bidding email. I'm just wondering what the chances are we would receive it after booking?

 

I booked 32 days out and still received the email the next morning.