How is the bidding system doing? Any comments?

[HiCCCs]

1 hour ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Just an rhetorical thought since I have not been on a Royal Class ship.  Why did Princess do away with Ocean View rooms?  Are obstructed balcony cabins more expensive than what an Ocean View would have cost?

 

And here I sit with envy as everyone seems to be getting their bid accepted (at minimum).  Mine is still "pending" with less than a month away.  Inside to Balcony bid.

Patience....just wait and see!!!

 

[karelboy]

On 2/16/2023 at 4:50 AM, WAussieSFO said:

 

Our Bid is been removed after 5 days from Windowsuite to penthouse Aft Weak and Windowsuite to Owner suite Good both have been gone should I try it again or did princess reject the offer?

[cr8tiv1]

1 hour ago, karelboy said:

Our Bid is been removed after 5 days from Windowsuite to penthouse Aft Weak and Windowsuite to Owner suite Good both have been gone should I try it again or did princess reject the offer?

I understood that you would be notified if rejected.  I love window suites and wouldn’t bother (except for maybe owner’s suite).  See if you could bid again.

[karelboy]

1 hour ago, cr8tiv1 said:

I understood that you would be notified if rejected.  I love window suites and wouldn’t bother (except for maybe owner’s suite).  See if you could bid again.

We did twice now and both times it said canceled now after few days, we leave it as it is, although the website said it should be in the same currency as the booking an since we book this cruise in the UK maybe that makes sense?

[caribill]

4 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Just an rhetorical thought since I have not been on a Royal Class ship.  Why did Princess do away with Ocean View rooms?  Are obstructed balcony cabins more expensive than what an Ocean View would have cost?

 

Yes

[Mary Ann 2]

15 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Just an rhetorical thought since I have not been on a Royal Class ship.  Why did Princess do away with Ocean View rooms?  Are obstructed balcony cabins more expensive than what an Ocean View would have cost?

 

And here I sit with envy as everyone seems to be getting their bid accepted (at minimum).  Mine is still "pending" with less than a month away.  Inside to Balcony bid.

Especially frustrating as people post for this cruise (we are also on your cruise) that they are getting "smoking hot offers" (their words).  I would like those of us that booked beforehand (probably at higher $$) to get some good offers!  We also have heard nothing about our bids.

[HiCCCs]

Here is a response from Princess' ACCESS OFFICE. I sent my email to them on April 4th and it read:

 

Greetings and peace to you!  I have a question about the new Princess Bid to Upgrade Program. Are the ADA staterooms/bathrooms included among the pool for possibly being awarded as an upgrade? I ask because I would not want one of those rooms as someone who really needs it should be given the chance to win the upgrade....but primarily because it simply won't work for my travel mate and I because of the bathroom design. IF they are included in the pool as a possibility for an upgrade, I will never participate in the program--which would be too bad since it's potential lost revenue for Princess. Perhaps there is a way to "check a box" stating not to upgrade to an ADA stateroom/bathroom so that the program overrides an award of that type of room if selected. I look forward to hearing your information and feedback before considering whether or not I will participate in the new program. Peace and all good!

 

I received this response from the ACCESS OFFICE today,  April 25th: 

 

The bidding program is offered to all guests. Should an accessible stateroom become available, it will be offered to guests requiring the adaptive features of an accessible stateroom outside of 60 days prior to the sailing date. Within 60 days of a sailing date, all staterooms will become available on a first come, first served basis. This is accordance with the guidelines of the Americans With Disabilities Act, a United States federal law.  Princess has procedures in place for this process.  We advise the guests accordingly. We have Mobility Questionnaires and attestations for guests to review upon booking into an accessible stateroom. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Guest Services Desk or Shore Excursion Desk once on board.  Bon voyage and safe travels.

[happy42cruise]

7 hours ago, HiCCCs said:

Here is a response from Princess' ACCESS OFFICE. I sent my email to them on April 4th and it read:

 

Greetings and peace to you!  I have a question about the new Princess Bid to Upgrade Program. Are the ADA staterooms/bathrooms included among the pool for possibly being awarded as an upgrade? I ask because I would not want one of those rooms as someone who really needs it should be given the chance to win the upgrade....but primarily because it simply won't work for my travel mate and I because of the bathroom design. IF they are included in the pool as a possibility for an upgrade, I will never participate in the program--which would be too bad since it's potential lost revenue for Princess. Perhaps there is a way to "check a box" stating not to upgrade to an ADA stateroom/bathroom so that the program overrides an award of that type of room if selected. I look forward to hearing your information and feedback before considering whether or not I will participate in the new program. Peace and all good!

 

I received this response from the ACCESS OFFICE today,  April 25th: 

 

The bidding program is offered to all guests. Should an accessible stateroom become available, it will be offered to guests requiring the adaptive features of an accessible stateroom outside of 60 days prior to the sailing date. Within 60 days of a sailing date, all staterooms will become available on a first come, first served basis. This is accordance with the guidelines of the Americans With Disabilities Act, a United States federal law.  Princess has procedures in place for this process.  We advise the guests accordingly. We have Mobility Questionnaires and attestations for guests to review upon booking into an accessible stateroom. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Guest Services Desk or Shore Excursion Desk once on board.  Bon voyage and safe travels.

WOW, as someone who needs an accessible stateroom this is another example of poor customer service.  It would be so simple to add into the bidding process and for this person to throw in the guidelines of the ADA without actually responding to what you asked is astonishing. I'm shaking my head as I type this. 

[roxievegas]

We are going on our final cruise for 2023 in 85 days, so put in a bid.

 

Currently in a Balcony on the 14th deck

 

bids available

 

club mini suite    mininum bid $275pp highest $60pp

regular mini suite  mininum $`150pp  highest $425pp

premium balcony   mininum $65pp  highest $185pp

 

I decided to go with a mini suite bid of $150pp  -  all mini suites on the Emerald are located on deck 8 and all of deck 9 is minisuites except for 4 suites.

 

we like having a bathtub and my husband likes the couch.

 

probably won't get it with a lowest bid possible, but I will see how long it takes to reject and then will go with a bid for the premium.

 

will post our win or loss

[RedIguana]

13 minutes ago, roxievegas said:

probably won't get it with a lowest bid possible, but I will see how long it takes to reject and then will go with a bid for the premium.

It is quite possible the rejection letter will not be sent until the first night when you are already on your cruise.

[Buckeye10640]

1 hour ago, roxievegas said:

We are going on our final cruise for 2023 in 85 days, so put in a bid.

 

Currently in a Balcony on the 14th deck

 

bids available

 

club mini suite    mininum bid $275pp highest $60pp

regular mini suite  mininum $`150pp  highest $425pp

premium balcony   mininum $65pp  highest $185pp

 

I decided to go with a mini suite bid of $150pp  -  all mini suites on the Emerald are located on deck 8 and all of deck 9 is minisuites except for 4 suites.

 

we like having a bathtub and my husband likes the couch.

 

probably won't get it with a lowest bid possible, but I will see how long it takes to reject and then will go with a bid for the premium.

 

will post our win or loss

Place all bids you want now. Once your bid is rejected (or simply times out and is not accepted) it may be too late for a new bid.  I placed low bids to go from balcony to deluxe balcony and mini. My mini bid was accepted 30 days prior to sailing. Never received any email on the deluxe bid. If I look at my cruise everything shows sold out now except for interiors. 

[roxievegas]

Our last cruise in April we were notified two weeks before the cruise that one of our bids had been excepted.  We were in a balcony bid on a deluxe, premium balcony and mini suite.  Our bid for the deluxe was accepted, did not care for the deluxe.

[StrawberryHill]

Sorry if this has been covered before, did not want to look at all 55 pages.  if your bid is acceped are you automatically moved to that cabin and lose your exisiting cabin?   On the Island in a month and have a nice mid ship large balcony cabin.  Thinking about puttting in a small bid ($135) for a mini suite and want a chance to say yes or no depening upon location ( dont want an aft one ).   It used to be the upgrade fairy would send an email and give you 24 hrs to accept or reject without losing your current cabin.

[jwattle]

Its 

2 minutes ago, StrawberryHill said:

Sorry if this has been covered before, did not want to look at all 55 pages.  if your bid is acceped are you automatically moved to that cabin and lose your exisiting cabin?   On the Island in a month and have a nice mid ship large balcony cabin.  Thinking about puttting in a small bid ($135) for a mini suite and want a chance to say yes or no depening upon location ( dont want an aft one ).   It used to be the upgrade fairy would send an email and give you 24 hrs to accept or reject without losing your current cabin.

it's automatic now

[caribill]

2 hours ago, StrawberryHill said:

 Thinking about puttting in a small bid ($135) for a mini suite and want a chance to say yes or no depending upon location ( dont want an aft one ).

 

2 hours ago, jwattle said:

I

it's automatic now

 

So automatic that you will be charged for the upgrade before you even know it happened.

[StrawberryHill]

8 hours ago, caribill said:

 

 

So automatic that you will be charged for the upgrade before you even know it happened.

Thank you all   Maybe we will wait for the upgrade fairy the day of the cruise 🤞

[Sailaway617]

We are about 10 days out from embarkation and I just received an email that says “we have a counter offer for you.” It says they have reviewed my offer and cannot accept it. It was for a Reserve Mini Suite, from a regular Mini, for $160 pp. Which was on the low end of the range I was given for a bid. One of the options I had was to bid on a Penthouse Suite for $990 per person. This “counter offer” was for a Penthouse Suite for $900 pp. Not in the budget, so not gonna happen. Oh well, happy with our Mini.

[cr8tiv1]

35 minutes ago, Sailaway617 said:

We are about 10 days out from embarkation and I just received an email that says “we have a counter offer for you.” It says they have reviewed my offer and cannot accept it. It was for a Reserve Mini Suite, from a regular Mini, for $160 pp. Which was on the low end of the range I was given for a bid. One of the options I had was to bid on a Penthouse Suite for $990 per person. This “counter offer” was for a Penthouse Suite for $900 pp. Not in the budget, so not gonna happen. Oh well, happy with our Mini.

 

I understand you not willing to do a counter offer, but truly do appreciate that you posted this. Have you been monitoring your cruise?  Were Reserve Mini Suites sold out?  

 

I haven't been denied with cruise just around the corner.  I am still holding on with a thread of hope.

[rheathslc]

A word of warning:

For the 2nd leg of my B2B on the Royal I was going to have to move from a Reserve Class mini-suite (which was an upgrade I bid on from a balcony) to an inside cabin. I put in a minimum bid for an obstructed balcony and obstructed deluxe balcony. Two days later and less than a week before sailing I was notified I got the obstructed balcony. I totally lucked out and got one of the least obstructed views available and it's right by the forward stairs/elevator bank, which since my priorities on this cruise are pampering and relaxation the easy elevator trip to both the spa and the Retreat made the location perfect for me. But if I hadn't been so lucky the other obstructed views could have been much worse. So just keep in mind when you bid that you only bid on the category and get stuck with the cabin they assign. Depending on the cruise your TA or PVP might be able to move you to another available cabin in that category. In my case the cruise was completely sold out and there were no other cabins to move to. I'm shocked I even got the upgrade tbh. 

I'm super happy with my two upgrade experiences so far but realize I've just gotten really very lucky with both.

[Sailaway617]

2 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

I understand you not willing to do a counter offer, but truly do appreciate that you posted this. Have you been monitoring your cruise?  Were Reserve Mini Suites sold out?  

 

I haven't been denied with cruise just around the corner.  I am still holding on with a thread of hope.

Yes, Reserve Mini’s were showing they were sold out about a month ago. But there were quite a few Premium Suites and Penthouse Suites available up until last week, along with quite a few regular mini suites. Some time last week all cabins above inside were posted as sold out, essentially overnight. So I’ve been thinking that there would still be a chance that those in Reserve Minis could bid on the full suites and Reserves could open up.
 

BTW, I just checked my bid, in my account and it still showed pending. I was able to modify it by adding $5 pp. I moved the dial from weak to fair. Probably won’t make a difference but it was worth a try to me. 

One more thing I noticed, all of the suites in my original bid offer have had the starting bid offer reduced a bit. For example, the Premium Suite was from $840 pp in my first email at 85 days from departure and it is now $745 pp. 

 

Just a few reasons to hold out hope on your bid, fingers crossed…

[SwimCarrie]

I pulled the trigger and bid on a balcony from an inside. Basically making my "free" casino cruise a not so free casino cruise but YOLO. If I get a really far forward or really far aft cabin, can I move back to an inside (and get my money back) if I contact Princess? Does anyone have experience with this? 

[sunviking90]

2 minutes ago, SwimCarrie said:

I pulled the trigger and bid on a balcony from an inside. Basically making my "free" casino cruise a not so free casino cruise but YOLO. If I get a really far forward or really far aft cabin, can I move back to an inside (and get my money back) if I contact Princess? Does anyone have experience with this? 

No, you can’t get your money back, but I won a bid and was able to have my CVP change the location to another cabin in the same category. I knew this was a possibility as my cruise was not selling well, but if your ship is near full, it may not be possible.

[cr8tiv1]

Current policy is that they charge you immediately after the assignment.  No going back to what you had.  Others have said you can "look" at other locations that match your category and "maybe" move.  

[SwimCarrie]

1 minute ago, sunviking90 said:

No, you can’t get your money back, but I won a bid and was able to have my CVP change the location to another cabin in the same category. I knew this was a possibility as my cruise was not selling well, but if your ship is near full, it may not be possible.

Hmmm. Not allowed to even go back to a lower category even if it's a different cabin? 

[sunviking90]

Just now, SwimCarrie said:

Hmmm. Not allowed to even go back to a lower category even if it's a different cabin? 

You probably could, but you wouldn’t get any money back I don’t think.

Edited May 16, 2023 by sunviking90