In 2019, Celebrity Cruises introduced MoveUp, a bidding program that allows guests to upgrade their stateroom after purchasing their cruise. To bid on an upgrade, guests must be opted-in to Celebrity Marketing emails and sign up for the program. If your booking is within 30 days of the cruise departure date, you may be eligible.
The bidding process is simple: browse through stateroom options and submit an offer based on the amount you are willing to pay for an upgrade for each room. For example, to upgrade to Aqua Class, a minimum bid of 700 is required. If you bid 200, you commit to 400, which works great for a family of four. However, Celebrity Cruises cannot guarantee that all the upgraded cabins will be close together.
To reject an upgrade after it is accepted, guests can make a fake booking on the Celebrity site for the same trip in the cabin level they are bidding into. The minimum bid on an upgrade for that class of room is 500pp. Celebrity Cruises will notify you if your bid has won, and you will be automatically charged for the upgrade. Your offer can be accepted any time from when your original purchase price is refunded.
In summary, the bidding process for Celebrity Cruise upgrades is a simple and efficient way to upgrade your stateroom after purchasing your cruise. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can find the best deals and submit your bid for a successful upgrade experience.
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Is it worth upgrading cabins on board?
Bottom line. An upgraded cabin is almost always better than the most basic room on board. The only thing stopping you from splurging on a larger space, a private balcony and extra perks is your budget.
If you change your mind once you’ve booked, you’ll find several ways to upgrade your cabin to a higher-category room. However, there are times when you should just say no to that cabin upgrade offer, especially if what the cruise line thinks is a nicer room is not what you’d consider better accommodation.
If you think you’d be happier in an upper-category cabin, it’s always a good idea to book it right away so you have control over which type of room you’ll have and the exact ship location you will most enjoy on your vacation.
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Is it cheaper to buy a drinks package on board?
Some rumors have circulated that onboard-purchased drinks packages will save you money, but that is almost always not the case. According to Cruise Critic member pete14, “The only price reductions for a drinks package that I have seen are a special offer for buying the package in advance. Whether even the advance discounted price is good value is debatable and dependent on how many drinks you intend to buy.”
Wine at dinner aboard Costa Toscana (Photo: Aaron Saunders)
The best time to buy a drinks package, if you believe you need one, is almost always prior to your sailing. The pros tend to outweigh the cons for this option. This doesn’t mean that purchasing your drinks package onboard is a particular bad idea, though. For some cruisers, it’s more ideal to “see how they feel” once they’re on the ship or potentially save money by not purchasing it for the first or second day.
How do I upgrade from classic to premium on Celebrity?
How can I upgrade from the classic drink package to the premium drink package if I have booked All Included? Guests can upgrade their drink package either onboard or before their cruise by logging into http://www.celebrity.com/booked. Pre-cruise drink package pricing is always lower than on board.
Will there be Refundable and Non-Refundable Fares forAll Included?
Do the Non-Refundable Fares apply to new bookings made inside final payment?
Will theAll Includedpackage prices change with currency fluctuations?
How do I upgrade my already booked cruise?
Top Excellent Way to Upgrade Your Cruise Cabin After Purchase. 1. Contact the cruise line or travel agent. Contacting the cruise operator or your travel agent is one of the simplest and most effective ways to upgrade your cruise accommodation. Most cruise lines offer cabin upgrades for an additional fee. You can inquire about availability and pricing for higher-tiered cabins. Prices may vary depending on the cruise line, ship, and availability, so it’s best to enquire beforehand.
2. Bid for upgrades. Some cruise lines allow passengers to bid for upgrades as the departure date approaches. This technique will enable you to bid on a higher-tier cabin for an amount you’re willing to pay. If your bid is accepted, you will be upgraded; however, be careful not to overbid. The bidding process often considers factors such as your cruise line loyalty, the amount you originally paid for your voyage, cabin availability, and your original booking category.
3. Cruise line promotions. Cruise lines frequently do promotions that involve free cabin upgrades. These deals are especially prevalent during certain seasons, such as winter trips, when interior staterooms are in great demand. Take advantage of these deals to experience an upgraded cabin at no extra cost. Keep an eye out for special offers and schedule your cruise appropriately.
Is it cheaper to upgrade on cruise ship?
Not all cruise cabin upgrades are free. Typically, the cruise line will offer the upgrade at a discount, meaning you’ll pay less for the upgraded room than it would cost to book it outright, but more than what you paid for your original cabin.
No matter how good a deal that seems, if money is tight, don’t take the upgrade. Save your vacation budget for tours and shoreside fun or onboard treats like date-night restaurants and fun cocktails.
After all, you’ll get a bed and bathroom no matter which cabin you choose, but you won’t have as much fun if you have no budget left to spend once you’re on board.
Related: 15 ways that cruisers waste money on ships.
Is it worth it to upgrade to a balcony on a cruise?
Even on smaller, more luxurious ships that don’t feel crowded, a balcony is desirable; if the weather is such that you can spend a lot of time on your balcony, it’s like having an additional room.
What to Expect: The hottest new trend in expedition cruising—itineraries to the most remote destinations on earth—is vessels that have all the comforts of small luxury ships, including private balconies. Expedition vessels built since 2014 increasingly have more spacious accommodations that include verandas. Cruise lines whose newest expedition ships have private balconies include Ponant, Scenic, Seabourn, and Silversea. In other cases, lines such as Lindblad offer balconies only in top suite categories.
On Silversea’s Galapagos-based Silver Origin, a temperate climate offers lots of opportunities for enjoying your balcony; this one’s part of the Royal Suite. Photo: Silversea.
Is it cheaper to upgrade on a cruise ship?
Not all cruise cabin upgrades are free. Typically, the cruise line will offer the upgrade at a discount, meaning you’ll pay less for the upgraded room than it would cost to book it outright, but more than what you paid for your original cabin.
No matter how good a deal that seems, if money is tight, don’t take the upgrade. Save your vacation budget for tours and shoreside fun or onboard treats like date-night restaurants and fun cocktails.
After all, you’ll get a bed and bathroom no matter which cabin you choose, but you won’t have as much fun if you have no budget left to spend once you’re on board.
Related: 15 ways that cruisers waste money on ships.
Do you ever get upgraded on a cruise?
Several cruise lines now offer the opportunity to bid for an upgrade after you have booked your initial cabin. You place a bid on the type of cabin you want. If your bid is accepted, you get the upgrade at your bid price.
Of course, there is no guarantee your bid will be accepted, as it depends on many factors.
Working with a travel agent could increase your chances, as they may have access to information such as how much unsold inventory there is at higher accommodation grades on your specific cruise. The more unsold inventory, the lower the price you’ll need to bid to be successful.
Unfortunately for solo travelers, bidding on upgrades comes at a major disadvantage. The bidding process usually requires a minimum bid per person assuming double occupancy, which can make the upgrade quite costly for those traveling alone.
Is it worth bidding for an upgrade on Celebrity Cruises?
As far as “worth it” goes, it’s worth it to us if we get our bid accepted (unlikely) because the price to upgrade outright is so expensive. I placed the bid because it will likely be the only time we sail in either of these categories (e-Class).
On Silhouette, I found the Royal suite to be very worth the upgrade. Bigger room, soaking tub on the balcony, powder room, bar set up, dedicated butler, included specialty dining…if you bid to upgrade I say go for a category that will give you more than a bigger room.
How do I ask for a free upgrade on a cruise?
To try your luck, you’ll want to ask about an upgrade at guest services. Since the crew there will spend embarkation day fielding many questions and complaints from grumpy, travel-weary cruisers, your best bet may be to head to your assigned cabin. Then, wait until the second day of your cruise to ask for an upgrade.
Put on a big smile, be super friendly and ask if there is any chance a better cabin is available. If they don’t offer you an upgrade for free, you might suggest you are willing to pay a small fee.
Related: 6 reasons you’ll want to book a balcony cabin on your next cruise.
What is the best way to get an upgrade on a cruise ship?
10 Ways to Get a Cabin Upgrade on Your Next Cruise01 of 10. Book the Cruise Early. … 02 of 10. Be a Frequent Cruiser. … 03 of 10. Be a First-Time Cruiser. … 04 of 10. Ask Your Travel Agent. … 05 of 10. Book a Guarantee Cabin. … 06 of 10. Monitor Price on Cabin Before and After You Book. … 07 of 10. Inform Cruise Ship of Problems Early. … 08 of 10.
Choosing a cabin on a cruise ship can be a complicated task. Some ships have 20 or more categories, all with different prices, decks, and locations on the ship. When discussing cabin options, one frequent question travelers often ask of their travel agent or cruise representative is, “how do I get a free upgrade on a cabin?”
It’s important to remember that there’s no magic, secret, or guaranteed way to get an upgraded cabin. Like with hotels and airlines, it’s often luck or being at the right place at the right time. However, there are a few things you can try to improve your chances of getting an upgrade.
Book the Cruise Early. Booking a cruise early will sometimes result in an upgrade. Cruise ships usually sell out the most expensive cabins and suites first, but the cheapest cabins come next. If you are one of the first to book a cheap cabin, you might get upgraded as the cruise date gets closer if demand is high for your cabin category.
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Thanks for this advice. I actually booked a suite, but then wanted to check out the options for moveup to a different suite. I found they were asking $1000 pp minimum. Instead of using the moveup program, I set up a price tracking alert. Once the price of my cruise dropped significantly, I logged into my account and just changed rooms (to a higher suite) for no cost.
We have used Move-Up twice successfully (about 50% of the time) and been very pleased. Your drink package and WiFi are what you had in the original booking. So, if your Veranda Cabin booking included WiFi and the Classic Beverage Package and your MoveUp to a Magic Carpet Suite was accepted the drink package and WiFi transfer. We will use Move-Up to bid for upgrades from a Magic Carpet Suite and an Infinite Veranda on our next two cruises. I will warn that do not bid too early. If there is little activity Celebrity has been known to accept outstanding bids and then lower the minimum bid amount to get more interest… I will also warn you that not all bookings are eligible to participate in MoveUp. For example bookings through Costco and other big box stores cannot participate which is why I will not book Celebrity Cruises through Costco in the future.
When you said you have to purchase the wifi and drink packages again, that’s not true. You keep what you have. But if you go to a suite, you don’t get bumped up to premium drink package or premium wifi. No extra onboard credit. But I learned that I can get premium drinks in the retreat so I didn’t need to upgrade. And I had already upgraded wifi before boarding at a discount. One thing I do before bidding, I check what cabins are available to see what I might end up with. Concierge is always an unknown as I don’t like the deck below the pools/activities, so I usually don’t bid on those. But I usually book Aqua and try for Sky Suite or in some cases, Magic Carpet Sky Suite where you know you’ll be almost center. If I win, I can eat in Blu still but Luminae is exceptional.
Hi Tom,if you bid up to a Suite ALL drinks our free in the retreat lounge .So you can go in get what you want and take it out. Not as convenient as a drink package but better then paying and the drinks our all premium in the retreat. Also if you upgrade to aqua class you get to go to Blu like you said but you cannot use the beds in the thermal suite.
With respect to cabin location and pricing, this should be obvious to anyone, but is also covered in the fine print. Location is like booking a guarantee cabin. With respect to pricing and inclusivites, it is in the fine print, and that it is only the room, and onboard accesses, and not the fare amenities. Ppl need to start reading the offers available to them.
So nervous – we just ‘won’t an upgrade on Silhouette in Nov 2023, from Veranda to AQ SkySuite (directly under the Oceanview cafe! Oh goody!)… Now – it’s coming to light, that we won’t receive the premium drink package and premium Wi-Fi package… Sadly – our bid is actually MORE than what we paid for the entire 4 night cruise, including the drinks and Wi-Fi…. Live & Learn – but this was a costly learning experience
I looked at the price of an Aqua Class cabin for an upcoming cruise and decided to book a Concierge Class instead because it was only $100 more than a Verandah but we’ll get more points. The Aqua Class cabin was $1,100 more than Concierge so I put in a bid that would come out to about half of that and then some minimum bids on a couple suite options. If I get one, cool, but I always book at least a room that I’ll be happy with and never count on being able to upgrade.
Hi Tom, Great article! Would appreciate your help if you can tell me is it better for a couple and a friend (3 pax total) to book 2 inside cabins or the couple should book one inside cabin, wait for an upgrade, bid for a larger veranda room then make it a triple adding the friend. Do you see feasible? Would it cost less? Actually the single cabin is the same price as a double so we are thinking it might be a money saver.
Move up program is a disaster, I have been sailing with Celebrity since 1991…I cannot tell you all the amenities that since have been eliminated specially in the AQUA Class category. BUT, this move up program is one of the worst ever promoted by Celebrity, This reminds me of the candy sold at the check out in a supermarket…It is impulse buying the thrill of winning a bid…And in the end, Celebrity win and you lose…
Do you have a massive anti on Celebrity. We have watched several of your diatribes (I hesitate to call them articles or informative) and have come to the conclusion that 1. You are looking for freebies from Celebrity to shut up, or 2. You have some other axe to grind with them. Your diatribes are neither fair or rationale and bare no resemblance to our experience