Here’s another reason to use the bidding process. I recently had a cruise on Princess where the cost of a Balcolny was more than I was willing to pay so I booked an ocean view & was willing to except that & if the bidding didn’t work out I would keep what I had. I bid the minimum amount for a Balcolny & was aware that I would have.to except wherever they would put me. I received numerous emails saying that my bid was too low & that I didn’t have much of a chance to have my bid excepted. My bid was excepted & YEA I was happy with what I received. FYI….The whole bidding process, on Princess, is done by a group not a part of the Princess Cruise Line. Another thing that I have done & that was once on the ship I went to the Customer Service desk on Princess to see what they had & the price. They had a list & I purchased an upgrade & I was able to choose what I wanted.
Hi Tim. I just discovered your Channel. Very interesting and very helpful because my husband and I want to start cruising. Can you tell me where you went on the cruise that had no tender ports. I would have some difficulty getting into these boats as I am partially disabled. Thanks.
Just found your channel Tim. Great info and videos ! I’m going on 2 Princess cruises next year and hope I get a chance for the upgrade bids. Carnival doesn’t do this.
Thanks so much for your kind words! I'm glad you've found the videos helpful. Best of luck in your bidding endeavors and have fun on your cruises. It's also good to know that Carnival doesn't do this. I've never been on Carnival, and to be honest, I'm not in a big hurry to try. :)
What other charges will be increased as a result of a successful upgrade? We chose the Plus package. Will the package price increase to include a larger gratuity, for example.
I compared my invoices and my trip insurance went up, but that was the only thing. I also have the Plus drink package and there was no additional charge on the invoice for that. I'm not sure if I'll be charged extra once onboard. I'll let you know after the cruise.
Only NCL they only allow you to bid two cabin classes above your current (I believe this was my experience on NCL from a studio to a balcony). It looked like you had more flexibility. With Princess, can I bid on suites from and inside?
@bertassoa there is a similar limit with Princess. Last year we booked an inside and the highest category we were able to bid on was a Premium Deluxe Balcony and we had no options to bid on anything that was a Mini-Suite or higher. Our friends we were traveling with had booked a standard balcony and they were able to bid on mini-suite and up. They landed a mini-suite on a minimum bid and we landed a Premium Deluxe Balcony on a minimum bid ($335/pp)
From my experience, after 43 cruises on Princess, in bidding the category you in, the bidding process will show you what categories are available from where you are, including an inside stateroom. If you book an inside on a Princess cruise & try the bidding process please post what you find.
I am doing my first cruise this December and it is 34 days long! I am going solo but only had to pay a 10% supplement! Just curious if that would carry over to this bidding process? (I doubt it). Thanks for educating me on how the system works
I hope you have a great time on your cruise! Unfortunately, the solo supplement discount you got would not carry over to bidding. The price will always be based on double-occupancy so you will have to pay for two. You may still be able to score a deal though!
Yes, I got an email to this effect. I guess tightening their belts a bit is inevitable with how much money they lost during the COVID times. Still, I've never had bad service on a cruise (on any line).
Here’s another reason to use the bidding process. I recently had a cruise on Princess where the cost of a Balcolny was more than I was willing to pay so I booked an ocean view & was willing to except that & if the bidding didn’t work out I would keep what I had. I bid the minimum amount for a Balcolny & was aware that I would have.to except wherever they would put me. I received numerous emails saying that my bid was too low & that I didn’t have much of a chance to have my bid excepted. My bid was excepted & YEA I was happy with what I received. FYI….The whole bidding process, on Princess, is done by a group not a part of the Princess Cruise Line.
Another thing that I have done & that was once on the ship I went to the Customer Service desk on Princess to see what they had & the price. They had a list & I purchased an upgrade & I was able to choose what I wanted.
Hi Tim. I just discovered your Channel. Very interesting and very helpful because my husband and I want to start cruising. Can you tell me where you went on the cruise that had no tender ports. I would have some difficulty getting into these boats as I am partially disabled. Thanks.
Just found your channel Tim. Great info and videos ! I’m going on 2 Princess cruises next year and hope I get a chance for the upgrade bids. Carnival doesn’t do this.
Thanks so much for your kind words! I'm glad you've found the videos helpful. Best of luck in your bidding endeavors and have fun on your cruises. It's also good to know that Carnival doesn't do this. I've never been on Carnival, and to be honest, I'm not in a big hurry to try. :)
Tim, can I bid for upgrade 5 days before final payment is due or do you have to wait until final payment?
Are you still paying for double occupancy if there are 3 or 4 people in your room?
What other charges will be increased as a result of a successful upgrade? We chose the Plus package. Will the package price increase to include a larger gratuity, for example.
I compared my invoices and my trip insurance went up, but that was the only thing. I also have the Plus drink package and there was no additional charge on the invoice for that. I'm not sure if I'll be charged extra once onboard. I'll let you know after the cruise.
Only NCL they only allow you to bid two cabin classes above your current (I believe this was my experience on NCL from a studio to a balcony). It looked like you had more flexibility. With Princess, can I bid on suites from and inside?
Sorry, I'm not sure on this because I've never booked an inside cabin on Princess. I'll see if I can find out.
@bertassoa there is a similar limit with Princess. Last year we booked an inside and the highest category we were able to bid on was a Premium Deluxe Balcony and we had no options to bid on anything that was a Mini-Suite or higher. Our friends we were traveling with had booked a standard balcony and they were able to bid on mini-suite and up. They landed a mini-suite on a minimum bid and we landed a Premium Deluxe Balcony on a minimum bid ($335/pp)
@@BenFyvie You're an all star. Thanks for all the great info. This is exactly the confirmation I needed. Thanks!
From my experience, after 43 cruises on Princess, in bidding the category you in, the bidding process will show you what categories are available from where you are, including an inside stateroom. If you book an inside on a Princess cruise & try the bidding process please post what you find.
I am doing my first cruise this December and it is 34 days long! I am going solo but only had to pay a 10% supplement! Just curious if that would carry over to this bidding process? (I doubt it). Thanks for educating me on how the system works
I hope you have a great time on your cruise! Unfortunately, the solo supplement discount you got would not carry over to bidding. The price will always be based on double-occupancy so you will have to pay for two. You may still be able to score a deal though!
OK NOT so good….they now charge for Alfredo’s pizza, room service, and done now app. 🤬
The cruise line has declined substantially.
Yes, I got an email to this effect. I guess tightening their belts a bit is inevitable with how much money they lost during the COVID times. Still, I've never had bad service on a cruise (on any line).