Bidding to upgrade room

[willow949]

This is new for me. We got a email about bidding for a upgrade. We are now in a regular unobstructed balcony. The bidding for a larger veranda starts at $45.00 and a mini suite is $390.00 to start. Are either of those offers worth it?  If you bid, when will you know you got the upgrade? And will they tell you what room #?  Also, does the bidding ever go down?

Thank you in advance for information. 

[Wishing on a star]

A lot of 'if's' here!

 

This whole bidding system is new, so all anyone her can go by is what we see on the web-site and what others have posted here so far.

 

I am guessing that by saying larger veranda, you mean a Deluxe Balcony? 

These are slightly bigger balcony cabins with the little double seat sofa.

And, of course, a Minisuite is even larger and nicer.

 

I think some are getting notices that their bid has been accepted fairly quickly.  The Princess information states that you can find out as late as the last minute.

 

Okay, do you have a location that you like?

When you bid on an upgrade, they put you in that higher category, but it can be in any location on the ship.  (far forward, under or over a louder venue, etc...)

How much would you appreciate the space?  What is that worth to you?

 

NOTE:  by policy, you accept the possible upgrade, and you don't get to decide to decline.  If you were to be able to get out of the upgrade, and not pay, you could lose the cabin you are in if it becomes unavailable.     Also, if you get an upgrade and your new cabin assigned, and there is another cabin available with that exact category, like mini suite category MA,  then you can do a switch to any other MA cabin.  

 

We don't know what your fare was, or how much it would cost you to simply pay the difference to move up.  I am assuming that the bids here would cost a bit less than that.  That would be the bottom line for you.  

 

No, I don't think the bidding goes down.  It is pre-set.  You could place the min. bid and hope for the best.

Can you pull up your sailing, like you were booking another cabin, and see how many show up, how booked up the ship is?   That might be an indicator on whether Princess will be upgrading at the min. bids.

Edited October 23, 2022 by Wishing on a star

[Arizona Wildcat]

Your bid can be accepted any time from pretty much immediately to about 72 hours before departure.

Definitely your personal decision if you thing it is a good value. Do you care about the location of your cabin?  A lot?  A little?  Is a minisuite worth $$ to you?  Those answers vary.

On other cruiselines I have only occasionally seen minimum bids accepted and never had minimum bids reduced.

FYI my minimum bid to a Club Class mini suite from mini suite was $450.  I will stay where I am.

[Mary Ann 2]

Just so you know, the price quoted is per person.  There is more information on the Princess.com site if you want to read all about it.

[roxievegas]

How long is your cruise - can you stand to be in your cabin or are you do you want something bigger.

personally, the $390 pp for a mini is very high - I would not pay that - just me

 

I currently have a regular balcony and I bid $150 total for a Premium Deluxe Balcony, which gives us a "couch"- more like a loveseat, but we don't like sitting on the bed all the time when reading.

 

If our bid is not accepted, we will live with what we have - it's only 7 days

[waltd]

If I’m upgraded, then what?

• It's simple. You'll get an email from us with the good news up to 3 days before you sail, and then you'll pay for the accepted bid amount via one of the following methods:
  • Pay through your Cruise Personalizer at princess.com
  • Have your travel advisor pay through POLAR Online
  • Call our Contact Center at 1-800-Princess (774-6237)
• You’ll see your new stateroom number when you log into your My Princess account. (It’s assigned based on availability.)

And if I’m not?

You’ll keep the comfortable stateroom you have and won’t be billed for the extra amount.

What if I make multiple offers?

Each one is considered on its own, and only one will be accepted based on availability and whether it wins.
 

[socialworker]

I'm unsure of what I'm seeing in the Upgrade Offer.  We have an obstructed ocean view that's really not obstructed and we're happy with it.  The offer from Princess contained three possible upgrades, Oceanview, Standard Balcony and Premium Balcony. Then we decided what we'd be willing to pay for each balcony option (only worthwhile choices). When I clicked on submit an upgrade bid, what popped up was a box with a line with a red dot and the number $1040 and the continuation of the line. Under that was the "button" to "submit a bid."  I was afraid to click the upgrade button because I sure didn't want to bid an additional $1040 per person. 

Can someone please explain how I go about submitting a bid and what the heck was that $1040 representing.

Thanks.   

[HBCcruiser]

36 minutes ago, socialworker said:

I'm unsure of what I'm seeing in the Upgrade Offer.  We have an obstructed ocean view that's really not obstructed and we're happy with it.  The offer from Princess contained three possible upgrades, Oceanview, Standard Balcony and Premium Balcony. Then we decided what we'd be willing to pay for each balcony option (only worthwhile choices). When I clicked on submit an upgrade bid, what popped up was a box with a line with a red dot and the number $1040 and the continuation of the line. Under that was the "button" to "submit a bid."  I was afraid to click the upgrade button because I sure didn't want to bid an additional $1040 per person. 

Can someone please explain how I go about submitting a bid and what the heck was that $1040 representing.

Thanks.   

What you are seeing is the upgrade bid dial. You can bid the minimum or higher by moving the dial. You will see that the bid price (multiply by 2 - double occupancy) increases as you move the dial. You select the price you are willing to pay for the upgrade and submit the bid. You will be asked to enter a CC but you will NOT be automatically  charged if you win. You will need to do that through the online portal or your TA. If your bid is accepted you will receive an email listing your new cabin number as well as an email asking you to pay. 

Edited October 24, 2022 by HBCcruiser

[willow949]

I thought I was told you may not have a room number until sail. Just like a guaranteed room. I want a room with the location I know ahead of time. Can you cancel the bid if you don’t like where they put you?

[deepcman]

There's a 30 page forum similar to what you started and I'm sure all your questions will be answered. 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2879420-how-is-the-bidding-system-doing-any-comments/?do=getNewComment

Happy reading. 😉

[sonomaphil]

On 10/24/2022 at 8:49 AM, socialworker said:

I'm unsure of what I'm seeing in the Upgrade Offer.  We have an obstructed ocean view that's really not obstructed and we're happy with it.  The offer from Princess contained three possible upgrades, Oceanview, Standard Balcony and Premium Balcony. Then we decided what we'd be willing to pay for each balcony option (only worthwhile choices). When I clicked on submit an upgrade bid, what popped up was a box with a line with a red dot and the number $1040 and the continuation of the line. Under that was the "button" to "submit a bid."  I was afraid to click the upgrade button because I sure didn't want to bid an additional $1040 per person. 

Can someone please explain how I go about submitting a bid and what the heck was that $1040 representing.

Thanks.   

I'm guessing if you moved the slider just over to the right you're seeing what the minimum bid they will accept it.  That may be different than what you're willing to spend. So yes, they want $1040 per person for that upgrade. You can't just bid what you choose. 

[HBCcruiser]

30 minutes ago, willow949 said:

I thought I was told you may not have a room number until sail.

Actually once my bid was accepted they assigned me my new cabin number. Other cruise lines do not do that! 

 

[Doug R.]

32 minutes ago, willow949 said:

I thought I was told you may not have a room number until sail. Just like a guaranteed room. I want a room with the location I know ahead of time. Can you cancel the bid if you don’t like where they put you?

I got my new cabin number immediately upon upgrade. It may occur anytime before sailing just like guarantees. No way of asking for a location. You pay your money and takes your chances.

[jagoffee]

6 hours ago, HBCcruiser said:

Actually once my bid was accepted they assigned me my new cabin number. Other cruise lines do not do that! 

 

Celebrity does as well, but I am not sure about other cruise lines.