Celebrity Move Up from Aquaclass to Sky Suite?

[rrixen]

Just looking for a recommendation from anyone who has experience with the move up program and if it would be worth it to try and upgrade from an Aquaclass room to a Sky Suite on the Apex?  I think it would be a nice surprise for my wife to have access to the retreat but looking for thoughts on if the upgrade from a midship Aquaclass to probably the worst suite worth it?

[mrgabriel]

There’s no right or wrong answer. It really depends on the price, what you would do otherwise with the money (excursions, specialty dining), and what you value. 
 

We were upgraded through Move Up once - from AQ to a Celebrity Suite and it was an amazing treat. The separate bedroom & massive balcony is fantastic for a cruise with lots of sea days. We would always bid - but will be judicious about the amount. 
 

My husband will tell you that there is a downside … we’re now spoiled forever 😆😆😆

[Cruisegirl6]

Just now, mrgabriel said:

There’s no right or wrong answer. It really depends on the price, what you would do otherwise with the money (excursions, specialty dining), and what you value. 
 

We were upgraded through Move Up once - from AQ to a Celebrity Suite and it was an amazing treat. The separate bedroom & massive balcony is fantastic for a cruise with lots of sea days. We would always bid - but will be judicious about the amount. 
 

My husband will tell you that there is a downside … we’re now spoiled forever 😆😆😆

How many days before your cruise did you get the upgrade/accepted?

[mrgabriel]

4 minutes ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

How many days before your cruise did you get the upgrade/accepted?

About 4 days.

 

As is noted very clearly on the Move Up site, they will upgrade until 48 hours in advance. 
 

[rrixen]

16 minutes ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

How many days before your cruise did you get the upgrade/accepted?

 

18 minutes ago, mrgabriel said:

There’s no right or wrong answer. It really depends on the price, what you would do otherwise with the money (excursions, specialty dining), and what you value. 
 

We were upgraded through Move Up once - from AQ to a Celebrity Suite and it was an amazing treat. The separate bedroom & massive balcony is fantastic for a cruise with lots of sea days. We would always bid - but will be judicious about the amount. 
 

My husband will tell you that there is a downside … we’re now spoiled forever 😆😆😆

Thanks for the reply - I really appreciate the insight!

[AtlantaCruiser72]

For me it would depend on a)which ship, b)minimum bid amount, c)length of cruise and d)number of sea days. I’d have to take all 4 items as whole to determine if it was worth the extra spend or not. 

[rrixen]

5 minutes ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

For me it would depend on a)which ship, b)minimum bid amount, c)length of cruise and d)number of sea days. I’d have to take all 4 items as whole to determine if it was worth the extra spend or not. 

It would be a 7 day cruise on the Apex with 2 days at sea.  The minimum bid is 500 per person.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

1 minute ago, rrixen said:

It would be a 7 day cruise on the Apex with 2 days at sea.  The minimum bid is 500 per person.

Sounds like a spend of $70-100ish/pp/day to me. The extra access Retreat spaces(Sun deck, lounge, Luminae) and increased space in the Sky Suite (with a REAL balcony) outweigh the loss of access to BLU and the thermal suite in my opinion. 

[rrixen]

3 minutes ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

Sounds like a spend of $70-100ish/pp/day to me. The extra access Retreat spaces(Sun deck, lounge, Luminae) and increased space in the Sky Suite (with a REAL balcony) outweigh the loss of access to BLU and the thermal suite in my opinion. 

Thank you!  I was leaning towards that line of thinking...I appreciate you taking the time to answer!

[AtlantaCruiser72]

1 minute ago, rrixen said:

Thank you!  I was leaning towards that line of thinking...I appreciate you taking the time to answer!

Happy to help you spend your money - LOL. Hope your bid is successful and you enjoy creating some amazing memories together!

[jelayne]

Are there Sky Suites available? And if so how many. Often  Suites are sold out so a Move Up is only possible if there are cancellations.  So in that case a minimum bid probably will be unsuccessful should there be a couple of cancellations.

 

If there are SS available how much would it cost to just  outright upgrade which would give you the Premium beverage & wi-fi, OBC, the prepaid gratuities and tge additional Captain's Club points.

  If you are in AQ with AI and win a bid you keep the Classic  beverage package & basic wi-fi and will be charged the difference in the daily gratuities and get the points for AQ.

[rrixen]

When I search it seems like there are a lot available currently.  I don't see where I can just outright upgrade?  Is that something I would call for or can it be done online?

[jean87510]

7 hours ago, rrixen said:

It would be a 7 day cruise on the Apex with 2 days at sea.  The minimum bid is 500 per person.

That's actually really good.  On the Equinox our upgrade bid from AquaClass to Sky Suite was $1000 pp for a 9 day sailing.  

 

Edited:  No, we didn't do it.  

Edited February 23, 2023 by jean87510

[jean87510]

6 hours ago, rrixen said:

When I search it seems like there are a lot available currently.  I don't see where I can just outright upgrade?  Is that something I would call for or can it be done online?

Try calling.  Then you can get the OBC plus other items.  It's what I did for an upcoming Reflection cruise.  I upgraded from AQ to Retreat.

[thebutlerdidit]

2 hours ago, jean87510 said:

That's actually really good.  On the Equinox our upgrade bid from AquaClass to Sky Suite was $1000 pp for a 9 day sailing.  

 

Edited:  No, we didn't do it.  

My 9 day Equinox sailing was the same. We also chose not to bid. 

[DCPIV]

8 hours ago, rrixen said:

When I search it seems like there are a lot available currently.  I don't see where I can just outright upgrade?  Is that something I would call for or can it be done online?

 

Since you are looking to upgrade to a suite, you can call 1-877-RETREAT instead of the main number.  That might save you a bit of time.

 

Definitely go with the direct upgrade if you know you want to do it and the price works for you.  You'll not only get to choose your room, but you also will get the upgraded wifi, upgraded drink package, and suite gratuities included in the fare.

 

If you go with Move-Up, you would only retain the standard drink package, wifi, and gratuties.  You would have to pay for upgrades out of pocket in addition to the MU bid.

[jelayne]

8 hours ago, rrixen said:

When I search it seems like there are a lot available currently.  I don't see where I can just outright upgrade?  Is that something I would call for or can it be done online?

Do a mock booking for a Sky Suite  and see what the difference in price is between the Sky Suite and what you paid your your current cabin.  That would be the cost to upgrade.  If that seems reasonable to you then you can call and pay to upgrade.

[DCPIV]

You might be able to do the upgrade online via "Manage Reservation."  There may be a link you can click on around your stateroom information, but it's not always there.

 

However, you still want to call because they can make sure you get the best deal.  The first time I did a direct upgrade, I thought I knew what it would cost after comparing fares, and it was essentially the same as the minimum MU bid.  I still called because I had a question.  I am VERY glad I did because I saved about 40% from what I expected to pay (i.e., about 60% of what the minimum MU bid would have cost) BEFORE upgrading all the other goodies.  Now, I doubt anything like that will ever happen again, but it sold me on calling!

[Nado44]

4 hours ago, jean87510 said:

Try calling.  Then you can get the OBC plus other items.  It's what I did for an upcoming Reflection cruise.  I upgraded from AQ to Retreat.

 

Came here to say this. Upgrades via phone can sometimes be had for a reasonable sum and include OBC, premium beverages, internet and gratuities. You will also get the additional Captain Club points that aren't awarded with a MoveUp.

 

With that said, I personally wouldn't upgrade to Retreat if the itinerary was port-intensive. IMO, a good number of (warm) sea days are needed to fully enjoy Retreat amenities and justify any paid upgrade especially if costly.

[keplerd]

We upgraded to a suite guarantee from a veranda and paid the difference. We received all the perks. It’s all relative to what price was originally paid and the cost of the suite guarantee. For us it was a better deal than move up because there was a price drop on suite guarantee. Good Luck! 

[rrixen]

I want to thank everyone for the replies!  I valued your input/ideas and they for sure helped me decide.   I did call and for us it did make sense to move up to the retreat.  It probably didn't help that it's -15 so I didn't care what it costs to warm up for 7 days!  :)

[PH2]

I have a related question - is this something that the Future Cruise desk on a sailing can help with? If we already have a future cruise booked that we might want to upgrade, are they able to work upgrade deals while we're on an earlier sailing, or is it better to just call the Retreat number and deal with them by phone?

[rrixen]

2 hours ago, PH2 said:

I have a related question - is this something that the Future Cruise desk on a sailing can help with? If we already have a future cruise booked that we might want to upgrade, are they able to work upgrade deals while we're on an earlier sailing, or is it better to just call the Retreat number and deal with them by phone?

I think I would call first and if the rates are too high maybe try the future cruise desk?  The call today was super easy – maybe 25 mins (15 holding).  The person on the other end of the call was really accommodating and took care of everything.  I think it's probably because there are several suites available with a little over a month before the departure date so maybe the cost wasn't crazy.

Edited February 23, 2023 by rrixen

[phoenix_dream]

4 hours ago, PH2 said:

I have a related question - is this something that the Future Cruise desk on a sailing can help with? If we already have a future cruise booked that we might want to upgrade, are they able to work upgrade deals while we're on an earlier sailing, or is it better to just call the Retreat number and deal with them by phone?

We have been told when asking this question onboard that the future cruise desk cannot help you with any current reservations. As Celebrity can be inconsistent at times perhaps others have been successful but don't count on it as an option. 

[Cruisegirl6]

20 hours ago, mrgabriel said:

About 4 days.

 

As is noted very clearly on the Move Up site, they will upgrade until 48 hours in advance. 
 

Thank you, she is very happy with the mid ship verandah cabin, I put in offer for Aqua class but all the cabins are the very last in the aft, so I think if I don't hear back by next friday (cruise is on Beyond March 19) I will cancel the order and save the money since she is happy with original cabin, just thought it be nice she get to dine with us in Blu but honestly, I dont see the menus to be much better so the MDR will be fine for us, thank you.