Bid on upgrade email, two weeks prior cruise date

[reaperman]

I'm a bit new to this bid on upgrade email thing. Having read many posts on the issue I'm surprised I got the email. Especially since I just booked the cruise three days ago and the cruise leaves in less than two weeks. I booked a guaranteed balcony. The upgrade offer is all the way up to the owners suites. Being I booked with only two weeks before the cruise and got the offer tells me there must be a lot of rooms still available. I have no real interest in upgrading to a suite. And I'm not sure if I would even want to roll the dice for as little as $25pp, for a shot at a mini suite. But curiosity might get the best of me for that price. My worry is if I were successful at snagging mini for that price, I might end up on a lower deck than I may get now. And for what? A larger bathroom? I really don't care what part of the ship my room is on, I've cruised just about all geographical areas of a ship and the rooms I prefer is one close to a elevator. But for me to get this offer is whats most intriguing. Especially with many other cruisers who have been booked months ago or longer.

[peacefulOR]

I think you're smart. We book a GTY balcony about 9 months out and got the upsell email a few weeks ago. Very high starting prices because we had such a good deal to start. You probably got the offer because of people like us who turned it down. We don't want to risk an big balcony on the starboard side (sailing East) and end up in something we can't control. I don't think the minis are worth it for the bathroom size if you end up with a worse location.

[BirdTravels]

I'm a bit new to this bid on upgrade email thing. Having read many posts on the issue I'm surprised I got the email. Especially since I just booked the cruise three days ago and the cruise leaves in less than two weeks. I booked a guaranteed balcony. The upgrade offer is all the way up to the owners suites. Being I booked with only two weeks before the cruise and got the offer tells me there must be a lot of rooms still available. I have no real interest in upgrading to a suite. And I'm not sure if I would even want to roll the dice for as little as $25pp, for a shot at a mini suite. But curiosity might get the best of me for that price. My worry is if I were successful at snagging mini for that price, I might end up on a lower deck than I may get now. And for what? A larger bathroom? I really don't care what part of the ship my room is on, I've cruised just about all geographical areas of a ship and the rooms I prefer is one close to a elevator. But for me to get this offer is whats most intriguing. Especially with many other cruisers who have been booked months ago or longer.

 

Normally, automated bidding (on those ships that use it), opens 80 days prior to cruise. Unless there are a massive number of unoccupied rooms, the shuffling of people upwards with bids starts the week before cruise with notifications going out 2-3 days before cruise. So, regardless if you booked 2 years ago or two days ago, you have equal chance to bid and have your bid accepted. With the prior system of calling for upsells (unless there is a large number of unoccupied rooms) they began accepting upsell requests about 2 weeks before the cruise, always trying to fill every suite on the ship.