How You Can Get A Cheap Upgrade On Norweigan Cruises
We did our very first cruise with Norweigan (NCL) last November. We loved it so much we’ve booked one for next September. Safe to say we had a great time, and even without a cheap upgrade on Norweigan Cruises we’d have loved it.
Cruises can range in price massively depending on where you go, the time of the year, the ship you choose and the room type you opt for. You can pick up a cruise pretty cheaply if you’re open to the above things.
The cheapest room type is an inside cabin which doesn’t have any windows. And they’re located in the middle of the ship. We could have saved hundreds of pounds on our first cruise by choosing an inside cabin but I wanted to have a view of the ocean, especially as I didn’t know if I’d be seasick. There are ways to keep your costs low. But you can get a better stateroom by trying for a cheap upgrade on Norweigan cruises.
Upgrade bids
When you book your cruise with Norweigan you may be entitled to bid on an upgraded room. This will happen closer to your sail date. This usually happens when the cruise isn’t sold out and there are rooms available.
If eligible you’ll get an email and have the chance to bid on an upgrade. You can choose any room style higher than you booked that’s available. For example, we booked an Oceanview cabin on our cruise, so we could get a cheap upgrade on Norweigan cruises by biding for a balcony, club balcony, suite etc.
Bids start as low as $100, but it’s worth noting whatever you bid is per person. So if you bid $200 and win then you’ll be charged $400 for your upgrade. If you bid for an upgrade and it’s accepted then you’ll be automatically charged. You can’t opt out of the upgrade if you change your mind.
Norweigan would rather make a little extra money by you upgrading your room than having the room empty. So it’s a way for them to make some more money, especially on out-of-season cruises. So if you’re travelling in the off-season then you’ll have more chance of your bid being accepted.
Extra information on bids
You can choose the room type you bid on but not the specific room. So if accepted you’re upgraded room could be anywhere on the ship. So if having a room on a specific floor, or in the middle of the ship is important to you then bidding on an upgrade may not be right for you.
Offers can be accepted as close as the day before departure so make sure to keep an eye on your account. If you’ve already printed your passes and then get an upgrade remember to reprint them so your luggage has the correct stateroom number.
How we got a cheap upgrade on Norweigan cruises
We went on a Meditterian cruise during November so we were on an off-season cruise. The weather wasn’t super duper hot (but it was nice enough for me). Because it was off-season the cruise ship was not at capacity, I believe it was around 50% full.
A month or so before we got the email through to bid for an upgraded room. We thought what the heck. We placed the minimum bid for a balcony room which was about £100 each. A few weeks later we got an email to say our bid had been accepted. So we were charged and all of our stateroom information was updated. The whole process was super smooth and having a cheap upgrade on Norweigan cruises saved us quite a lot of money than if we’d just paid for a balcony room to begin with.
Having a balcony was amazing, especially for my first experience on a cruise, but now I think we’ll struggle to go back to the non-balcony room. For our next cruise, we have booked a balcony as we 100% want one and didn’t want to risk not getting an upgrade, plus we wanted to choose the side of the ship we were on.
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19 responses to “How You Can Get A Cheap Upgrade On Norweigan Cruises”
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All About Me
Rhian Westbury
Travels and Destinations
Nothing currently planned
We haven’t been on a cruise in 15 years – it would be fun to do it again! Good to know how to save money and get an upgrade too!
Hey, thanks for sharing this post! I’ve always wanted to go on a Norwegian cruise but have been hesitant due to the costs. The tips and tricks you provided on how to get a cheap upgrade will definitely come in handy.
I plan to have cruise package in near future. Will keep your tips in mind for upgrade.
We are looking at booking a cruise so will remember these tips to see if we can get a cheap upgrade
There’s just something special about a cruise and I never thought I’d be a cruise person x
Ohh wowo… I’m so looking forward to a good cruise trip after reading your story here. Hope it will not be long & I will also wish to get a upgrade just like the tips you’ve shared here. Thanks for sharing this here, learnt the upgrade tips from your sharing. Cheers SiennyLovesDrawing.wordpress.com
Wow! Thanks for sharing these tips with us! I will save this for future travel!
Great information here. I know that a real score for cruise passengers is a free or cheap cabin upgrade.
It makes such a big difference to the room x
Just like with airline seats, you cant always count on cheap upgrades but it sure feels great when it happens
oh wow!!! Going on a cruise trip is a dream! I would love to do it soon, the norweigan cruises are awesome.
Wow that is such a great tip that I will use when I travel on Norwegian Cruises.
Thank you for all of your tips. I have never been on a cruise before so I wouldn’t know where to start. I love the idea of a Scandinavian cruise
I am so excited for the Scandi cruise x
Your article on getting a cheap upgrade on Norwegian cruises is a treasure trove of useful information. Your tips are practical and easy to follow, and the personal anecdotes give readers a real sense of what to expect. Well done on providing such a valuable resource!
This is so handy to know. I can’t sat I have ever been on a cruise, but I know my mum would get so much from this post.
Your tips on booking during the off-season and taking advantage of deals were really helpful, and I appreciate your honesty about sometimes it just comes down to luck. Thanks for sharing and looking forward to more travel tips from you!
These tips are really so helpful. I have never gone on cruise because of the price. Now I can definitely plan one.
They can be expensive but if you go out of season and go for an inside cabin you can get a good deal x