How To Bid For A Stateroom Upgrade on Norwegian Cruise Line (2019)
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- First introduced in 2017, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Upgrade Advantage program is as popular as it is confusing to many first-timers.
We go through a real-life booking on Norwegian Escape.
Basically, this program allows guests to bid for a cabin upgrade before their sailing. The Upgrade Advantage essentially killed the famous upgrade fairy for Norwegian Cruise Line.
If you’re hoping to be upgraded from the stateroom you booked to something a little nicer, it’s important to know exactly how this program works.
How to Bid For An Upgrade: cruiseradio.ne...
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Have you ever bid for an upgrade and won it or got rejected? Let me know.
Cruise Radio I was booked in a spa mini suite on the Breakaway. I was given several Haven choices to bid on. The spa Haven suite was the lowest starting bid at $500 pp. I bid that and waited. About a week away from the cruise I still hadn’t heard so I went back to NCL and bumped my bid to $750 pp. I was notified of my rejection the Friday afternoon before the cruise. I was already in Florida! In my cruise group on FB we had some people learn of their winning bid 3 weeks out and everything in between. There is a 3rd party that sorts this all out. I led a discussion about this on NCL latitudes members FB page. I learned there is NO STINKIN’ STRATEGY! It’s all luck. I do think it’s smart to check pricing before you bid. If there is a price drop you may be able to just upgrade and pay the difference which could be lower than the starting bids.
One question: Are there starting bids on all cabin categories? You said at the start of the video people bid what they want but on Haven suites the started at a minimum $500 pp and went up from there! I posted this video to the NCL latitudes members FB page. Lots of people don’t understand the bidding or even know you could do that.
Was booked on a Baltic cruise in the Haven. Fairy emailed me and asked if we wanted a 2 bedroom/2 bath suite. Bid and refused to remember the price- in the Haven is expensive enough. Won the bid and and all I can say is it was WONDERFUL! We don't cruise NCL much (3 times)-and this was the only way to cruise them. Food, service- we had a butler- was beyond belief!
@@lauragwillim1055 You "bid what you want" but yes, it's within a designated range. So there's definitely a minimum bid. On the plus side, there's also a maximum bid. As far as strategy, it basically works like this: The bids go out in rounds. Let's say you're in an inside room and you bid on a balcony. And let's say I'm in a balcony and I bid on a Spa Balcony. If my bid gets accepted, I move up into the spa balcony. That means MY previous balcony room is now empty, and they can move someone (maybe you, from your inside) into it. Usually, you'll hear about some people getting results from their bids while others are still waiting. That's because there will then be a second round, once all the shuffling happens. So even though people on your sailing have already found out their bids were accepted, it could still be days or even weeks before you have a definitie answer as to whether or not YOUR individual bid was accepted. Hope that helps!
Richard Simms yes, I know that’s how they shuffle around. Plus cancellations at the last minute and I thought I read the cruise line sometimes will hold back a few rooms so even if it says sold out on a certain cabin category it may not be. But still it’s a crap shoot. Lots of people are discovering the bidding thing now so your odds of winning will go down as more people bid. It’s fun to bid and if you get your dream cabin it’s even more fun! I’ve had a lot of people respond to this video on the NCL latitudes FB page. It’s very helpful and explains it a lot more clearly than the NCL video🤗
Always have been rejected...
I was upgraded this way on the Sun from interior to a balcony. Best part is my lady had no idea I put in for the upgrade and really didnt pay attention much to the person who checked us in and gave us the key cards. We were a little frustrated because we decided to be good on time sailors and arrived and boarded early so the rooms weren't ready for atleast a hour or so. But the face and excitement she had when we went into our room and she noticed the balcony was priceless. Made the whole trip great for me.
Nice. Thank you for watching.
But what was your bid?
@@rgruenhaus just bid 100. They usually put it through if there are empty rooms
@@rgruenhaus.. what type of cruise destination??
Bid the minimum ($50 pp) to upgrade from balcony to club balcony "suite" and got that instead of the $350 pp I bid on the Haven balcony. I did as was suggested in this video, started a booking for the same cruise and sure enough, Haven was all sold out so it makes sense. The only difference between what I had and what I've got seems to be a few more sq feet by the entrance to the stateroom and a tub rather than the "telephone booth" shower.
We were on the Getaway in April. Had a mini-suite and bid $200.00 per person for upgrade to Spa Mini-suite which was cheaper than purchasing spa pass. Nice to have option.
Nice So you got it? Thank you for watching.
We won a bid for a nominal amount for an upgrade for our cruise around New Zealand to Sydney Australia from an outside cabin to a very large Sapphire Suite for 4 people with great extra amenities including s butler and special restaurant and observation seating. We enjoyed it very much and have just pkzced a similar bid for a suite for our cruise to ANtARTICA .
It's worth noting that yes u can put in multiple bids but the system will always give u the highest room category if accepted. In other words u put in bid for balcony and for mini suite u dont have to worry about screwing your self out of mini suite with the balcony bid. They will see if mini suite is available first and then move on to lower category of the balcony
Thank you for watching.
Thanks! I’ve been looking for that answer and customer service at NCL couldnt answer that.
Last cruise I put in a bid for $200 on The Gem and won. I was surprised that such a low bid was accepted. I ended up paying only $400.00 for a balcony on an 11 day cruise. So worth it. That steal of a deal. Roll the dice and take the chance.
Nice work. Thanks for sharing your story.
I will be taking my fourth cruise with NCL in May. I just recieved an upgrade email for the first time. I am a single mother of 3 so we always do the inside. My oldest 2 are getting big and it is quite the squeeze. So I am super excited at the prospect of a family oceanview or balcony at a decent price.
I'm excited for you. What's the itinerary for your trip? Thank you for watching.
We bid on an upgrade from an inside cabin to a balcony and got it almost immediately. Happened on a Mediterranean cruise out of Barcelona April 2018 with Norwegian Spirit. We did not respond to the first upgrade notification, but got a second two weeks later, and felt in a better position to give a minimum bid. Thanks for your video explaining the upgrade process. Currently waiting on an upgrade offer to a Haven suite from a minisuite. Minimum bid about a month ago.
I'm so glad it helped. Thank you for watching.
I was on the first sailing for pride of america since the pandemic. I bid the min and they upgraded me to an aft view balcony. That been the only time i done it
Loved "NCL killed the upgrade fairy" comment 😆
Thanks for watching.
Thanks, gives some real clarity to a confusing topic. If only the cruise line itself would break it down this well.
Thanks for the kind words and watching.
Thanks for clarifying it is double occupancy. I am traveling alone. They do not tell you that in the website. I had to contact them and they sent me the link to their policy. Very sneaky.
I have been on a few sailings that I bid on a balcony from an inside and got it for $55 so $110 for myself. I travel solo and enjoy it. I had the mini suite as well from an inside I only bid $50 so $100 was well worth it. I have an ocean view for this Saturday on the Escape out of Miami and bid for a spa mini suite and a spa balcony as well as the balcony.No word yet but it really is a gamble so it’s worth it either way.
Nice. Maybe you'll get lucky. Thank you for watching.
I booked a guaranteed inside cabin. Then I bid on a balcony at $100 per person, really $200 for the cabin upgrade.
I won!! For $200 more than a guaranteed inside I scored a balcony!!!
It couldn’t be better as I’m going on a 12 day Panama Canal cruise.
That's amazing! Congratulations. Will this be your first cruise? Thank you for watching.
Cruise Radio 4th cruise first long one at 12 nights and my first balcony.
When did you get notified that you where upgraded? How far away from the cruise date?
Johnny Sibaja Oct 21 for a Nov 22 cruise
Norwegian looks like the most fun!
It really does. Thank you for watching.
I bided for a haven forward facing balcony from an aft facing balcony. I am waiting to see if bid gets accepted. I hope it does.
Fingers crossed. Thank you for watching.
Thank you very helpful we just received an email for bidding from inside cabin to ocean view or balcony. Will give it a try.
You're welcome. Thank you for watching.
Oh wow fire that would be scary .3 years no way thats way too much .oh nice enjoy your cruise Ty for your updates enjoy your sleep get ready for more news updates lol 😊
Haha. Nailed it. Thank you.
This video came right on time. My husband and I were just talking about this because we're booked on the Escape (inside cabin) for Dec. We would love to upgrade without breaking the bank. Thanks for the info!!!
How cool. Let me know if you get the upgrade. Thank you for watching.
Keisha Mariner when in December we are also on escape in December for a couples trip?
@@dorothygee915 December 7-14
Keisha Mariner when we are getting off you are getting on we are the 30th to the 7th
@@dorothygee915 It sure would've been nice to be on the same sailing. Don't be surprised if you find in your inbox the morning of the 7th asking questions.😁😁
If anyone is curious... We just got upgraded to a balcony!! 🙌🏻 2 weeks out
Amazing! What's the itinerary for your trip? Thank you for watching.
I won a minimum bid to upgrade from interior to ocean view recently. I had bought the cruise insurance originally and while my upgrade only cost $50 there was an additional $30 for the cruise insurance. Thought that was kind of steep when just going to ocean view from interior.
Thank you for watching.
Good to know.
The insurance is on the full value of the new room
I'm booked on the Bliss for November in a solo studio. It's my understanding that we will not be offered an opportunity to bid for an upgrade. For this cruise, I'm actually okay with no upgrade, as I am interested in the studio lounge to try it out. A friend of mine booked a balcony on the same sailing, and has offered the use of his balcony when I want to check it out. Sometimes, friends who travel has perks that don't cost extra! We are 3 decks away from each other, so not too far.
Not bad. The lounges are tiny at 100 sq feet but do the job.
So I am currently booked in the second best cabin on the Norwegian Sky (SD - Aft facing Penthouse with large balcony) on August 12th, and they sent me an offer to upgrade to the best cabin (SA Owners Suite) …yet at the moment when I look at doing a new booking, all suites on the ship are currently sold out. Why would they offer me the ability to bid on something that isn’t even available?
I have bid on 2 previous cruises and was rejected on both...We'll try again if asked
Oh wow. Was it an instant denial? Thanks for watching.
Good to know
Thanks for sharing
How do they deal with a wheelchair cabin?
Stupid question but if they don’t take your bid they don’t take your money correct correct?
Nailed it. Only if you get will they charge. So keep that credit limit open.
I made a bid for a Haven 2 bedroom suite for the highest amount, I was expecting to get approved almost immediately but it’s been 12 days and nothing. A little confused, what could be the problem, if the suite wasn’t available then there should not be an option to upgrade to it. I guess it’s possible several people bidded the max as well.
So what's the point of bidding into Haven if you don't get the perks??
Got the upgrade message, started researching and found your video. Thank you! Is there a video that efficiently shows what upgrades aren't worth the money? We currently have room 9120, category B6.
Thanks Doug. My question is, what if you originally booked in an handicapped accessible stateroom. If say your bid is accepted for an oceanview room, is that new room also handicapped accessible too?
No, that's not guaranteed. It is based on what is available.
@@sarahpalazzo1504 thank you
Would you be notified via email if your offer is rejected? Or does no news mean no upgrade?
When we did it we weren’t notified when rejected, only if you get it. Things could have changed though. That was back in 2019.
Doug, Thanks for this information. Never cruised with NCL but planning to in the future. Thanks
You bet, Dennis. Thank you.
I've put a bid in for 2 different rooms, if I get 1 does the other bid cancel automatically?
Whichever accepts first.
I just got the email, and I'm wondering if if it's per person/per day or just whatever you bid times 2😅
When placing a bid, the dollar amount is per person, double occupancy. Translation: Whether there are one or four people staying in the stateroom, your bid is for two people.
Here is the article we did on the upgrade program: cruiseradio.net/how-to-bid-for-an-upgrade-on-norwegian-cruise-line/
@@CruiseRadio thank you!!!
Is there a minimum bid for the Haven?
Is there a way to raise the chances that you will receive a bidding email?
Well...I have heard the more you cruise , the more likely it is you will get one. I get one almost every time I cruise and I bid every time
Great voice and professional video. I'm waiting to see if my "Celebrity" bid is accepted.........guess they stole this concept from NCL. It's a moneymaker.
I appreciate the compliment. Thank you for watching.
question = what if we place our bids and are not receiving any response, can we go back in and change our bid to something higher? or are we only allowed one shot/one chance at placing our bids?
@Judy Serra thanks... thank you for your reply. since I posted my question, I've since been bidding multiple times on Norwegian - they do allow you to go higher or lower as many times as you want up until embarkation, which I think is a quite nice feature.
Thanks, Doug! We are booked on NCl Star out of Venice. We booked a balcony stateroom and bid for Suite. Just got our assignment, but don't know if we got the upgrade approved? We did not get an email. Just or documents. Any tips? Thanks
Love the video! And thanks for the info!
Thanks for watching.
Hi , Cruise Radio master!! I'm a regular of Carnival, Princess & RCCL Cruises for many years (1986 Jubilee) Island Princess (1987) & Viking serenade (1992). Thank you for being so honest about how much you love to taking a cruise, and what it's worth doing so. I will always follow you and your adventures... Jeffrey's Cruises VLOGGER! Keep Vlogging!! You Rock!!
Thank you so much, Jeffrey Pooler! I greatly appreciate your compliments! It means a lot to me. Thank you for watching.
Can you ask once onboard and name your own price if rooms remain? Like, Heyyyyyy, does NCL want an instant $100? 😎😉😉
Great beginner's introduction to NCL "Upgrades!" Thanks!
This proved SUPER helpful
I'm glad it helped you. Thank you for watching.
Thanks for the info Doug, I wasn't aware this was a possible option before I watched this
Glad I could help. Thank you for watching.
Yeah, I got an email from Norwegian sending about the upgrade program. I’m a little skeptical about the whole bid thing. I never bid anything my whole like lol! This is new to me. I’m still don’t how this work after I bid and “IF” I win, are they going to charge the same amount if I bid for $200?? I’m kind of embarrass to ask. 🙈😬😂😂😂
They will charge you 2 times the bid for the first 2 in your room, so $400
I booked an inside stateroom on the Getaway back in 2017. I placed a bid in the fair range for a balcony room and it was accepted.
Very nice. What was the itinerary for your trip? Thank you for watching.
Western Caribbean - Coxen Hole Roatan, Harvest Caye, Costa Maya, and Cozumel.
How much was your bid?
I'm booked to sail on the Encore in 3 weeks, first time ever on NCL. To my surprise I received the "Upgrade Advantage" e-mail today. Perhaps it's changed since you made this video over 2 years ago. But I actually am allowed to go back in and modify and cancel bids. Even though I did get the "All bids are final" warning when submitting them. Kind of surprised me. I wanted to make a ridiculous offer on "The Haven" but they wouldn't even let me start for anything less than $1200 ($600 X 2) so I just bid on a couple of suites. Don't expect to win but who knows. Things are kind of crazy right now with capacities and pandemic demand. Thanks for this info Doug.
Did you win?
@@darrellq6954 I did but in the end I wish I hadn't. Because it led directly to a conflict between me and NCL over the wording that "suite guests don't pay room service fees" and the definition of a suite. (The room I won was a "Club Balcony Suite", their words not mine). Never say never, but I will most likely never sail on NCL again because I feel they are deceptive. Had I not won the bid, I would have stayed in my booked balcony cabin and there would have been no conflict. Moral of the story, be careful what you wish for.
@@socialmediagonewild4943 Well it wasn't much, it was the $9.95 room service fee. Had i not ordered room service, I wouldn't have known. And it wasn't the amount of the fee that disturbed me, it was what I felt was deceptive marketing practices. And honestly I'm not sure exactly how they define a suite for those charges. My room was called a "Club Balcony Suite" but it didn't qualify for "no room service fees." So I'm not sure what "suites" did and didn't qualify. They didn't specify, they just said "suite guests." (So what was I supposed to think?)
I've since learned everything is relative and while I'm still not happy about this event, it pales in comparison to a stunt Holland America pulled on my recent Panama Canal cruise. I don't know what the deal is with cruise lines right now, but it's pretty much "buyer beware" time out there.
If I have a balcony room would upgrading to the Haven be an option for me?
I am travelling on my own next month with NCL Jewel. I was offered an upgrade. I liked the look of the Penthouse balcony but the minimum bid started at $600 which means for me it's $1200. I thought bids started from zero and not an amount??
Zero is no bid. And then they set a minimum. They aren't giving away Haven suites for $20!
If you bid for more than one room will only one bid get accepted or will there possibly be a choice?
Only one will be accepted. The bids are final.
Do studio cabins have a chance to bid as well?
Studios aren't included in the program. Thank you for watching.
Yes they are now on the encore my Dad had 3 Choices, interior, oceanview and regular balcony
I am sailing on the Getaway in September and am currently in a studio. They gave me the option of an ocean view or balcony.