Is Upgrade Advantage Program Running?

[JamieLogical]

My closest upcoming cruise is 94 days away, so I am not within the usual Upgrade Advantage window yet. For those of you set to sail in November or December, is Upgrade Advantage running as normal? Usually, it becomes available 80 days prior to sailing. Since final payment isn't due unto 60 days for these sailings, are you able to bid for an upgrade before making final payment on your initial booking?

[bravestwj]

Just now, JamieLogical said:

My closest upcoming cruise is 94 days away, so I am not within the usual Upgrade Advantage window yet. For those of you set to sail in November or December, is Upgrade Advantage running as normal? Usually, it becomes available 80 days prior to sailing. Since final payment isn't due unto 60 days for these sailings, are you able to bid for an upgrade before making final payment on your initial booking?

We are booked on the 11/22 sailing of the Jade from Tampa and received our Upgrade Advantage email on August 29.  We had already made final payment and are hoping to move up to a balcony from an oceanview.

[Summerstravel]

3 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

My closest upcoming cruise is 94 days away, so I am not within the usual Upgrade Advantage window yet. For those of you set to sail in November or December, is Upgrade Advantage running as normal? Usually, it becomes available 80 days prior to sailing. Since final payment isn't due unto 60 days for these sailings, are you able to bid for an upgrade before making final payment on your initial booking?

I don't see an option for that but I am booked in a solo cabin. So I may not be able to upgrade. I did upgrade my drink package with FCC's but I assume you are referring to Cabin upgrades. I have FCC left so I would love to bid on an upgrade. 

[Summerstravel]

6 minutes ago, bravestwj said:

We are booked on the 11/22 sailing of the Jade from Tampa and received our Upgrade Advantage email on August 29.  We had already made final payment and are hoping to move up to a balcony from an oceanview.

So the upgrade offer is an email? 

[JamieLogical]

21 minutes ago, Summerstravel said:

I don't see an option for that but I am booked in a solo cabin. So I may not be able to upgrade. I did upgrade my drink package with FCC's but I assume you are referring to Cabin upgrades. I have FCC left so I would love to bid on an upgrade. 

 

Studio cabins are never eligible to upgrade through the Upgrade Advantage Program. I was able to upgrade my studio to a balcony once by just paying the difference once they reduced the solo supplement on balconies for my sailing.

Edited September 30, 2020 by JamieLogical

[bravestwj]

10 minutes ago, Summerstravel said:

So the upgrade offer is an email? 

Yes

 

[Summerstravel]

4 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Studio cabins are never eligible to upgrade through the Upgrade Advantage Program. I was able to upgrade my studio to a balcony once by just paying the difference once the reduced the solo supplement on balconies for my sailing.

Thank you for the information I appreciate it. 

[MoCruiseFan]

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

My closest upcoming cruise is 94 days away, so I am not within the usual Upgrade Advantage window yet. For those of you set to sail in November or December, is Upgrade Advantage running as normal? Usually, it becomes available 80 days prior to sailing. Since final payment isn't due unto 60 days for these sailings, are you able to bid for an upgrade before making final payment on your initial booking?

 

Yes the program is in full operation

[Budget Queen]

I got 3 emails for upgrades  this past week.     All in the trash pile.  😉   

[Budget Queen]

2 hours ago, Summerstravel said:

Thank you for the information I appreciate it. 

Correct=   Studios never are able to upgrade.    And if you happen to be in another cabin,  upgrade offers are going to be for double occupancy,  so you pay twice the amount of your bid.     Even,  with a reduced solo rate,  etc.   bidding is always 2x your bid.    

[ggTexasGal]

I am not certain, but I doubt there is a method for using FCC(s) to pay for an Upgrade Advantage.

It's always been Credit Card payment only (as far as I know).

[don't-use-real-name]

You get the email -

Log in to your MyNCL account -

One of the rotating windows will have the invite -

Click on it and check out the details of the program -

You select what cabin category(s) you want to bid on -

Bid can be low bottom fish or high (maybe you should call NCL and just do a phone upgrade) -

A credit card payment is taken in advance for the bid -

Wait anywhere from the time you place the bid until 48 hours before sailing -

You win the bid - payment is automatically taken and email sent alerting you -

You lose no payment taken - an email sent - better luck next time -

You can alter your bid higher or lower at anytime up 48 hours from sailing -

If you win you can not back out of the process -

If you are bidding on more than one cabin class - any one may be a winner cancelling out the others -

Obviously you can only occupy one cabin at a time.

The cabin you previously were in is or maybe placed in the bidding pool for someone else to bid or book.

 

Good Luck !

 

 

[Summerstravel]

2 hours ago, Budget Queen said:

Correct=   Studios never are able to upgrade.    And if you happen to be in another cabin,  upgrade offers are going to be for double occupancy,  so you pay twice the amount of your bid.     Even,  with a reduced solo rate,  etc.   bidding is always 2x your bid.    

Oh wow thanks for the information yikes I would hate to pay that just for me. 

[Trimone]

Who would commit more money to something that won’t happen?

[JamieLogical]

5 hours ago, Trimone said:

Who would commit more money to something that won’t happen?

 

Under Upgrade Advantage, you only get charged if you get the upgrade. If the sailing doesn't happen, you won't get upgraded and therefor won't be charged. So there isn't any risk.

 

Does anyone have an answer to my initial question about whether you can bid on upgrades prior to final payment now that the final payment window falls inside of the upgrade window?

[Beach Life 1]

5 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Under Upgrade Advantage, you only get charged if you get the upgrade. If the sailing doesn't happen, you won't get upgraded and therefor won't be charged. So there isn't any risk.

 

Does anyone have an answer to my initial question about whether you can bid on upgrades prior to final payment now that the final payment window falls inside of the upgrade window?

 

[pmatawan]

15 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

My closest upcoming cruise is 94 days away, so I am not within the usual Upgrade Advantage window yet. For those of you set to sail in November or December, is Upgrade Advantage running as normal? Usually, it becomes available 80 days prior to sailing. Since final payment isn't due unto 60 days for these sailings, are you able to bid for an upgrade before making final payment on your initial booking?

I'm 61 days away from sailing on the Dawn & have not received Upgrade Advantage email. Maybe because they know they will not be sailing? Or maybe my travel agent does not participate in the program? Or maybe because I've not made final payment.

Edited October 1, 2020 by pmatawan
add

[Beach Life 1]

I think you may be wrong on this.   If you bid on upgrade, and say you pay $1000 for your upgrade, if it is accepted, you will be charged for that extra $1,000.   Then, if after that upgrade, the cruise is cancelled,  you indeed will be out that additional money.

[JamieLogical]

19 minutes ago, jezabel80 said:

I think you may be wrong on this.   If you bid on upgrade, and say you pay $1000 for your upgrade, if it is accepted, you will be charged for that extra $1,000.   Then, if after that upgrade, the cruise is cancelled,  you indeed will be out that additional money.

 

Well that's true, but typically upgrades are only accepted 5-7 days before sailing. Unless it's a very last-minute cancelation, upgrades wouldn't be processed before the sailing was canceled. My March 15 sailing was canceled only days ahead of time, but I don't anticipate something like that happening again unless there is a situation where a ship is delayed/quarantined due to a large outbreak onboard.

 

What seems far more likely for my January 3 sailing is that cruising just won't have started back up again by then and the sailing will be canceled well in advance. As things stand right now, I don't intend to actually make final payment at 60 days if it's not looking like sailing will be restarting, so then the whole upgrade situation will be moot.

[Trimone]

13 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Well that's true, but typically upgrades are only accepted 5-7 days before sailing. Unless it's a very last-minute cancelation, upgrades wouldn't be processed before the sailing was canceled. My March 15 sailing was canceled only days ahead of time, but I don't anticipate something like that happening again unless there is a situation where a ship is delayed/quarantined due to a large outbreak onboard.

 

What seems far more likely for my January 3 sailing is that cruising just won't have started back up again by then and the sailing will be canceled well in advance. As things stand right now, I don't intend to actually make final payment at 60 days if it's not looking like sailing will be restarting, so then the whole upgrade situation will be moot.

I’ve had upgrades at 37 days and 10 days.

[JamieLogical]

3 minutes ago, Trimone said:

I’ve had upgrades at 37 days and 10 days.

 

Were they for transatlantic or European cruises? Those seem to have upgrades processed far earlier than Caribbean cruises.

[Trimone]

No, Panama and st Petersburg both haven, lowest bid in poor both times

[JamieLogical]

3 minutes ago, Trimone said:

No, Panama and st Petersburg both haven, lowest bid in poor both times

 

Yeah the more "exotic" destinations do seem to get their upgrades processed very early compared to the normal Caribbean and Bermuda itineraries. My Jan. 3 sailing is a more unusual itinerary, so you could be right about upgrades happening earlier. It's the ABC islands out of NYC and returning to Miami. Since it's set to sail out of NYC, I have low expectations of it actually happening, but I have 33 more days until final payment is due, so we will see what happens between now and then.

[Trimone]

1 minute ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Yeah the more "exotic" destinations do seem to get their upgrades processed very early compared to the normal Caribbean and Bermuda itineraries. My Jan. 3 sailing is a more unusual itinerary, so you could be right about upgrades happening earlier. It's the ABC islands out of NYC and returning to Miami. Since it's set to sail out of NYC, I have low expectations of it actually happening, but I have 33 more days until final payment is due, so we will see what happens between now and then.

Good idea, because they snatch the payment immediately on upgrades.

ABC islands are fantastic, did it from San Juan on Dawn.

[ziggyuk]

From what I have seen in the past it's mostly very high bids that get accepted early on, probably so you don't change your mind.
I can't recall anyone reporting an average bid being accepted early doors but @JamieLogical would know better as she was running the upgrade mega threads.