Bidding on an upgrade

[DaisyUK]

9 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

I've had two of these emails overnight -

 

Thank you for your offer to upgrade your stateroom for your upcoming voyage. Unfortunately, on this occasion, you have been unsuccessful.

 

 

Oh that's a shame, I guess you were prepared for it though with the first sailing being sold out. 

[Host Hattie]

Thanks all, I was optimistic initially but got less so as time went on ! 

 

[MrsHat]

We bid on all the available options, and we were in an obstructed-view ocean view so I put in the max bid for each of three categories we were offered (max was 350 pounds pp for Britannia Club Balcony). I got "sorry no" emails on two of the bids, but today, the day before we sail, we just got bumped up to Sheltered Balcony (which I prefer to open balcony anyway!) at 40/pp. So 80 pounds from a Late Saver fare to a balcony, and I am thrilled!

[Host Hattie]

Thanks for the update, that's very interesting. 

Which ship are you on ? QM2 is the only ship with Sheltered balconies and her next sailing isn't until Friday (I hope or we're going to miss it !)

[MrsHat]

Augh I'm mistaken - I'm on QV tomorrow and QM2 in July and it's the latter that got upgraded. And I am SO CONFUSED because I don't remember bidding on an upgrade for QM2...must call them!

[Host Hattie]

How confusing! Bon Voyage for tomorrow and good luck sorting it out.

[T5LHR]

I mean, airlines and hotels have been doing this for ages... Was only a matter of time before it became more popular for cruise lines. 

 

I have made use of it on airlines, best one managing an upgrade from Johannesburg to London from Economy to Business for £400, which was the minimum bid. Sadly, it was on Virgin Atlantic, shockingly bad seat and woeful service, but at least I managed a little sleep and could elevate my feet. 

 

I don't think it is something that I would consider for a cruise. I put a lot of effort into finding a stateroom that is where I want it, including sometimes paying a higher price within the grade to secure one in the right place. I don't want to end up somewhere that will annoy me for the sailing, and especially having paid more to do it. 

[alto400]

On 3/30/2023 at 10:50 AM, Host Hattie said:

Possibly, I guess it depends how successful it is.

We were recently on a Celebrity cruise and received an e mail inviting us to bid for an upgrade. We didn't do so but there we met some people who had received a free upgrade. So Cunard may well follow suit if they have the cabins available. This couple did not discover that they had been upgraded until embarkation.

[fourmile.ranch]

Just wanted to ask this as I haven't seen in this thread. The status on my bid became 'Expired' with no accompanying email. When I inquired with Cunard this was their response:

 

Good afternoon, I hope all is well. My manager investigated the screenshot you sent me and was able to confirm the offer itself has expired. This is likely because another bidder has now won the upgrade. Thank you for patiently waiting for my Response.

 

Is this the normal status when a bid is unsuccessful?

[Host Hattie]

I don't think I went back to check ours after we'd had the email. 

[palomarboy]

I received an offer to bid from a sheltered balcony on QM2 to a club or regular balcony.  When I checked the prices for these the cruise showed sold out.  Based on other comments it seems that an upgrade on a sold out cruise is unlikely.  Anyway, would love to heart from others who were upgraded on a sold out cruise.  

[BeachTunes]

Hello! 

 

We booked an obstructed view guarantee balcony stateroom for our upcoming October 7-night cruise aboard the QE. The price at the time was too good to resist. Last weekend we were offered options to bid on an unobstructed balcony starting at only $50 Canadian per person up to $120 per person. We put in a bid because it's such a nominal uncharge for the potential of being assigned a nicer balcony. (We know the risks of not choosing a cabin but since we booked a guarantee anyway, we have nothing to lose, aside from the small financial investment.)

 

Bidding for a Club Balcony is being offered at $270 per person up to $975 per person Canadian. We're taking a pass as I'd like to test out the Britannia dining room and the savings will be put towards shore excursions, drinks and shopping! 🙂 

 

Our first Cunard experience can't come soon enough! At least we should have several weeks nice, summer weather to enjoy while we wait! 

 

Happy Bidding!

Edited July 25, 2023 by BeachTunes

[techteach]

If a cabin comes open they can quickly fill it from people who have made bids. I would assume the person with the highest bid wins. 😉 We bid on an upgrade from Q5 to Q4 and got it. I just won a bid on Royal Caribbean for a cabin that was sold out at the time I booked the cruise. In both cases I did my homework to locate possible cabins to ensure I wasn’t too far forward or aft. 

[BeachTunes]

On 7/25/2023 at 3:42 PM, BeachTunes said:

Hello! 

 

We booked an obstructed view guarantee balcony stateroom for our upcoming October 7-night cruise aboard the QE. The price at the time was too good to resist. Last weekend we were offered options to bid on an unobstructed balcony starting at only $50 Canadian per person up to $120 per person. We put in a bid because it's such a nominal uncharge for the potential of being assigned a nicer balcony. (We know the risks of not choosing a cabin but since we booked a guarantee anyway, we have nothing to lose, aside from the small financial investment.)

 

Bidding for a Club Balcony is being offered at $270 per person up to $975 per person Canadian. We're taking a pass as I'd like to test out the Britannia dining room and the savings will be put towards shore excursions, drinks and shopping! 🙂 

 

Our first Cunard experience can't come soon enough! At least we should have several weeks nice, summer weather to enjoy while we wait! 

 

Happy Bidding!

 

What a surprise it was this morning to open up an email stating our upgrade bid from an obstructed view guarantee balcony stateroom to a Britannia Balcony was accepted! We have been assigned a nicely located stateroom on Deck 6 midship and are very pleased. This was unexpected as we don't sail until October. 

 

For those who are curious, we bid the maximum amount of $120 Canadian per person. We felt this was a good value if accepted, as it would give us peace of mind leading up to the cruise. We will no longer be sitting around worried about being assigned a less than desirable cabin with an obstructed view! 🙂 

 

 

Edited August 1, 2023 by BeachTunes

[Host Hattie]

Congratulations, enjoy your balcony. 

[alibabacruisers]

Congratulations on your winning bid and thank you for letting us know your outcome!

[BeachTunes]

Thank you @Host Hattie and @alibabacruisers! 

 

I will definitely post a recap and photo review when we return. (In the meantime, I will likely have a bunch of questions before departure. LOL!) 

 

Wishing those who choose to make upgrade bids all the best! 🙂

Edited August 2, 2023 by BeachTunes

[tv24]

Yesterday we submitted bids for upgrades on our Sept. 5 Queen Elizabeth sailing.  Our TA thinks the cruise is sold out, so both he and I don't understand why bids are being accepted.  Maybe Cunard knows something that is not disclosed to TAs?  Anyway bidding was painless.

[LadyL1]

3 hours ago, tv24 said:

Yesterday we submitted bids for upgrades on our Sept. 5 Queen Elizabeth sailing.  Our TA thinks the cruise is sold out, so both he and I don't understand why bids are being accepted.  Maybe Cunard knows something that is not disclosed to TAs?  Anyway bidding was painless.

I hope something good turns up for you. Our next voyage later in the year has been showing all grades Britannia Club and upwards sold out for some while, so it will be interesting to see if bidding invites are sent out.

However, this is from the UK FAQs, which states only direct bookings! Are T&Cs different across The Pond?

 

You are eligible for our stateroom upgrade programme if you meet all the requirements below:

• you have booked directly with Cunard
• you are the lead guest
• you are aged 18 or over
• you have paid your balance in full 
• you have not opted out of receiving pre-cruise communications

If eligible, you will receive an invite to this upgrade offer approximately 80 days prior to your cruise departure.  

Most voyages will be included in the upgrade programme, but Cunard reserves the right to exclude voyages for commercial reasons.

If you meet all the eligibility requirements but still cannot access the upgrade offering website, please call our Customer Contact Centre (local call charges apply) and choose the “Cunard Upgrade programme" option.

 

[tiggis]

Booked only a couple of weeks ago on a QE Med cruise in October in PG, and earlier this week we received the invitation to bid for an upgrade. Every QG category was available. We went for Q4, at a little above the minimum bid price, and barely 24 hours later heard that we were successful. Very happy with this. I assume that this cruise is not heavily booked.

[tv24]

7 hours ago, LadyL1 said:

I hope something good turns up for you. Our next voyage later in the year has been showing all grades Britannia Club and upwards sold out for some while, so it will be interesting to see if bidding invites are sent out.

However, this is from the UK FAQs, which states only direct bookings! Are T&Cs different across The Pond?

 

You are eligible for our stateroom upgrade programme if you meet all the requirements below:

• you have booked directly with Cunard
• you are the lead guest
• you are aged 18 or over
• you have paid your balance in full 
• you have not opted out of receiving pre-cruise communications

If eligible, you will receive an invite to this upgrade offer approximately 80 days prior to your cruise departure.  

Most voyages will be included in the upgrade programme, but Cunard reserves the right to exclude voyages for commercial reasons.

If you meet all the eligibility requirements but still cannot access the upgrade offering website, please call our Customer Contact Centre (local call charges apply) and choose the “Cunard Upgrade programme" option.

 

LadyL1:  I can't answer your question about the rules.  We simply received an opportunity to bid, so we did!  It's all a bit of a black box to me.  Yet another reason why I am not at all confident that our bid will be accepted.

[bluemarble]

10 hours ago, LadyL1 said:

I hope something good turns up for you. Our next voyage later in the year has been showing all grades Britannia Club and upwards sold out for some while, so it will be interesting to see if bidding invites are sent out.

However, this is from the UK FAQs, which states only direct bookings! Are T&Cs different across The Pond?

 

You are eligible for our stateroom upgrade programme if you meet all the requirements below:

• you have booked directly with Cunard
• you are the lead guest
• you are aged 18 or over
• you have paid your balance in full 
• you have not opted out of receiving pre-cruise communications

If eligible, you will receive an invite to this upgrade offer approximately 80 days prior to your cruise departure.  

Most voyages will be included in the upgrade programme, but Cunard reserves the right to exclude voyages for commercial reasons.

If you meet all the eligibility requirements but still cannot access the upgrade offering website, please call our Customer Contact Centre (local call charges apply) and choose the “Cunard Upgrade programme" option.

 

 

The Terms and Conditions are different on the Cunard US website. I'm pretty sure the original terms included having to book directly with Cunard but they don't any more. I booked our next voyage through a US travel agent and received an upgrade offer email for that booking.

 

Here are the eligibility requirements stated in the US Terms and Conditions (emphasis mine to highlight the key difference).

 

(Q) Who is eligible for stateroom upgrades and for which voyages?

 

(A) You are eligible for our stateroom upgrade program if you meet all the requirements below:

 

   • you have booked a fare that qualifies for the Cunard Upgrade program

   • you are the lead guest

   • you are aged 18 or over

   • you have paid your balance in full 

   • you have not opted out of receiving pre-cruise communications

 

If eligible, you will receive an email approximately 80 days prior to your cruise departure inviting you to submit an upgrade offer.

 

Most voyages will be included in the upgrade program, but Cunard reserves the right to exclude voyages for commercial reasons.

 

If you are uncertain whether you meet the eligibility requirements or have received an email inviting you to participate in the program but still cannot access the upgrade offering website, please call our Cunard Customer Service department at 800 728-6273.

[majortom10]

We are due on QV at the end of November in a PG and unfortunately away on another cruise with different cruise line so it looks as if we do get the chance of an upgrade by e mail we will be unable to make an offer so will miss out.

[palomarboy]

I bid on a TA on QM2 for August 18th for a Brittiana Club as we had a sheltered balcony.  We booked this is early June and at that time the sheltered balcony and below were the only cabins available.  About 30 days out from our trip, I received an email offer to bid.  The Cunard site showed the cruise completely sold out.  I put a good bid in as I wanted the Club or higher all along and the total price with bid was still lower than what is usually offered.  But now I wait and my enthusiasm for success is waning.  

 

[alibabacruisers]

Fingers crossed for you.