I am currently waiting for my second MSC cruise which was upgraded to the yacht club. My first MSC cruise was last November and we originally booked the Bella experience in a balcony cabin. I then purchased an internet package and a non-alcoholic drink package. Later I was offered an upgrade to the Aurea level which I bid for $400. I heard nothing for quite awhile but then I got an email stating my bid was rejected, but they offered a counter offer for the yacht club for $1080 total not each. I called and talk to someone about cancelling my two packages I had booked and they cancelled them right on the spot. (took a few weeks to get the refund). I went ahead and book the yacht club and my wife and I are hooked on the yacht club it is great. So now on the upcoming cruise in May I booked a balcony cabin with the Fantastica experience. I almost immediately was offered a yacht club upgrade. I was offered both an interior cabin upgrade and a balcony cabin upgrade. The interior offer was quite low and I bid on that but I also bid quite a lot $1250 each and was awarded that right away. I could have bid less but that is what we really wanted.
I had taken my first ever cruise on the MSC Seashore March 3, 2024. I had booked an inside cabin because I figured we wouldn't be in the room much anyway. I had mixed feelings about getting an upgrade email because we chose our location and I didn't want to end up somewhere we wouldn't be as happy. In the end we didn't get an email and our location was great, we had a great time.
I agree. Sometimes I like being able to pick my location. I usually chose aft below the buffet. I will sacrifice location to get in the YC but that’s about it.
Just to be fair, this upgrade program is not available in all countries, e.g. Sweden does not have this program. One problem is that you don't get to select your cabin number which can lead to a cabin in a place that you don't like such as under the pool area, below a noisy bar, close to elevators/lifts or a cabin with a connecting door (noise). One can be sure that MSC does not lose any money on this upgrade program. One should check how much the cabin you upgrade to cost when you booked your first cabin. I have seen on FaceBook forums that the price was lower if they had booked the (upgraded) cabin first. We have talked to MSC in Sweden and they do not know why this program is not available in Sweden or in other countries. We did cruise on MSC World Europa from Dubai, in Yacht Club, and we thought that the YC was little to big, more cabins and thus people and that did spoil that exclusive feel YC has. We have done 10 YC cruises, some in an inside cabin and we do like "smaller" ships. MSC Seaside, Seaview and Seashore are nice. MSC Belissima and Meraviglia are not as nice in the YC (Top sail Lounge and pool).
Yeah… the upgrade program is handled by a third-party and they have limitations on what countries they can operate in. Hmmm, never seen an instance where you wouldn’t save at least a little bit over booking it outright. Facebook sometimes just doesn’t make sense… if it’s cheaper you can simply change your booking to the higher category rather than bid on it. 🤷♂️ As we say, bidding is a gamble… it’s not for those who really want a particular room or experience. 😊😜😊
Hey, love your PodCast. Me and my bestie are sharing a cabin on the seashore and she received an email to upgrade and I did not. We decided to bid the min. For yacht club and to our surprise the bid was accepted. We are thrilled and looking forward to our cruise.
I was sent an email for upgrading a few months ago, I've noticed the closer we get to our cruise the more the rate has gone up. YC was 800pp and now it's 1600pp, so imo if you are going to upgrade do it early.
I was upgraded from an inside room to a yacht club inside room. I am beyond excited. I didn't think it was going to be possible. I started with the middle amount and added 10.00 a day and my offer was accepted after a few days. I had never received the email to bid but used the website to see if I was eligible and I was. I was surprised to see the yacht club was an option so I went for it. We leave in 20 days!
The Aurea package is really lovely as you get access to a restricted lounge area with a private but very large hot tub and they provide you with towels too. Plus better room locations, free room service delivery, priority tender on ports that require a tender, etc. also anytime dining which is quite nice.
Plus you can eat at all the Aurea restaurants. There’s a few of them that only both Aurea and Yacht club can eat at too. The only thing is they all serve the same menu, it’s just a different atmosphere. At least on the Seascape. We were in the yacht club and prefer that experience instead. Like you it was our first time in the yacht club so we went in blind and didn’t take full advantage of all the services you have. Next time I will. However, everyone is different.
Carnival offers upgrades to Diamond and Platinum statutes first, then to other passengers. I'm gold with MSC, and I always get the offer to upgrade if there's any vacancy.
@Taste-Try-Travel it was our first time on MSC. We went from the aft to the front. We were in a way bigger cabin Aurea class to YC. MSC spoiled us. The only bad part about our trip was our luggage met us when we had two days left on our trip.
The first time we cruised on MSC, neither one of us was offered the upgrade (We had separate cabins on the same cruise, as we were not a couple back then). Our first cruise together we got an upgrade offer, but we didn't do anything with it because the minimum bid seemed to be WAY too high as we already had a balcony cabin. T-Minus one Episode for all the DEEEEETS!
Besides how they decide who gets to upgrade, how much they “suggest” someone bids also seems to be a mysterious “algorithm”…😵💫 MSC is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma! 🤪🥸🤪
The one thing I couldn't find anything on the web for was... if you have multiple bids, lets say to a Deluxe Balcony and YC and you then receive an acceptance to the Deluxe Balcony, but never received a "not accepted" email on the YC, can you still get upgraded later to the YC? I saw on their Bidup FAQ that you would only ever be charged for one upgrade.... However while on a call with an MSC rep they said, "it could still happen and that I would pay the difference," from what I paid on the first upgrade. Has anyone had more than one bid accepted in this scenario?
Hopefully someone has experience with that situation because we don’t know the answer. We’ve never heard of that happening, but an MSC rep would know what they’re talking about. 🧐
I was thinking to myself the other day that I would love to hear your thoughts on traveling to Europe, and now it’s happening?! Enjoy the ship, she is amazing! (But the YC is far to big unfortunately)
It seems like everybody who bids gets their bid accepted. Has anyone bid unsuccessfully ? I’m on the Seascape a few weeks from now and it seems like there are very few cabins available in the yacht club. I’m trying to figure out my odds of actually winning my bid.
Definitely unsuccessful bid stories out there… Hope others chime in with theirs (although, it’s not as much fun to talk about those🤪). Keeping our fingers crossed for you!😊🤞😊
Make sure when bidding, you're doing it on a computer. My daughter did her first "bid" for YC on her I phone and thought all was well. Only to find out a week later it didn't even go through. She then did it on the computer and said it looks different...she was not able to see the bidding dial on her phone. She bid the lowest amount in the green and nothing. After a day, she updated her bid by $5 and it got accepted. Hope this helps. We're on the Seascape coming up in April 😊 super excited
I did a max bid for an interior yacht club and didn't get it on Seashore in April of 2024. I was certain that a max bid would be accepted but it wasn't
Does MSC consider the amount already paid in conjunction with your bid to determine if the upgrade is granted or does the minimum required bid amount increase to offset the difference?
From our experience and research, the minimum amount MSC suggests for a bid does change depending on your original rate. Sometimes it is quite a bit… but other times, the difference is minimal.
What other MSC bookings do you have coming up? Divina or Seaside? (Seascape is a carbon copy of Seashore with the exception of the Robotron from what I’ve heard)
Hmmm… that’s a question we do not have an answer for, sorry. Somehow you’ll have to let those who approve the upgrades of that criteria… and we just don’t know how that would happen, except to call MSC directly. Their bidding system is handled by a third party, so they’d be the ones who know how/if that’s possible. Sorry we don’t have a better, more complete answer for you. 🙁
If we’re understanding your question… you can bid on different room types inside Yacht Club (as long as they offer them)… but not a specific room #. If you’re asking something else, let us know.
when you consider the price point at yacht club is it really worth it - as it comes pretty close too silver sea end even MSC Explora I and then you have an entire ship and not just a part of it ! ???
Yes that is a good point but on the other side of the coin… the bidding aspect makes something like YC accessible to those that might never be able to afford Explora or Silver Seas. There is the plus also of being able to enjoy the big ship amenities and then run back to your YC to be spoiled 😊 Just our opinion
@@Taste-Try-Travel yes i do agree to a point but it has a tendency to be SOOO crowded and LOUD specially in the evening ;). Great channel though - keep up the good work
We are sailing MSC for the 1st time Feb 2025. We are currently booked in a yacht club interior. Do you think we can upgrade to a yacht club balcony for a decent price?
It really depends on the sailing… and if MSC offers it to you. But, other than a private balcony, you’ll have the exact same experience as everyone else in the Yacht Club. We would not be disappointed with a YC interior *at* *all* 😊🤩😊
@@Taste-Try-Travel I definitely wont be disappointed as like you said make sure you book what you want going in. I wanted Yacht Club and the interior was affordable. But I sure would love an opportunity to bid on an upgrade to a balcony.
@@bmlaurent32137 Absolutely… love sitting on the balcony in the refreshing ocean air communing with the sea and contemplating our place in the vastness (or just scrolling thru funny cat videos)🤪😊🤪
We are sailing MSC Grandiosa YC around the Med this month. We have received an Upgrade email. We currently have an interior room. The opening bid is £540 up to £710 per person. Having looked on the website, I can see there are only 5 YC rooms left, all balcony. Good luck!
Here is the upgrade option offered, along with our initial booking cost. Booking: $1290.98 (Includes Easy Plus Package & WiFi) Ship MSC Seashore Date Feb, 2024 (3 Nights) Stateroom Number 10195 Stateroom Deluxe Balcony YACHT CLUB Deluxe Suite From $420 USD pp YACHT CLUB Interior From $160 USD pp Gran Suite Aurea From $390 USD pp Premium Suite Aurea with Whirpool From $260 USD pp Premium Suite Aurea with Terrace From $195 USD pp Suite Aurea From $160 USD pp Balcony Aurea From $65 USD pp
Hey there… this is Beth. I’m answering this as Chris doesn’t do any of the booking so he’s not sure. How I determine this would be to see what prices are to book outright. Looking at that list, YC stands out for sure. I’m assuming 2025 so booking YC interior straight would be $1,771. Pros for this are that you know exactly what you are getting and can choose your room. Some people feel comfort with that choice. If you bid, you would save a couple hundred dollars… con with that is your not sure if you will get it and if you do, you can’t pick the room. Not so much an issue as all YC rooms are close together. Pro with this is of course saving money and also the possibility of getting the bump up to a YC balcony (which happened to us). There really isn’t a huge price difference either way you go. It’s your comfort level and what experience you REALLY want to have on the ship. And to add another option… you can make multiple bids for several rooms. So if you go down the bidding route, bid for several and that helps your chances. If they accept, it will be only one. Let me know if that helps you!
![25 Things Cruisers MUST Know Before Your First MSC Cruise [MSC Cruise Tips 2024]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/k0NLxi5ZzMI/mqdefault.jpg)
![25 Things Cruisers MUST Know Before Your First MSC Cruise [MSC Cruise Tips 2024]](/img/tr.png)
I am currently waiting for my second MSC cruise which was upgraded to the yacht club. My first MSC cruise was last November and we originally booked the Bella experience in a balcony cabin. I then purchased an internet package and a non-alcoholic drink package. Later I was offered an upgrade to the Aurea level which I bid for $400. I heard nothing for quite awhile but then I got an email stating my bid was rejected, but they offered a counter offer for the yacht club for $1080 total not each. I called and talk to someone about cancelling my two packages I had booked and they cancelled them right on the spot. (took a few weeks to get the refund). I went ahead and book the yacht club and my wife and I are hooked on the yacht club it is great. So now on the upcoming cruise in May I booked a balcony cabin with the Fantastica experience. I almost immediately was offered a yacht club upgrade. I was offered both an interior cabin upgrade and a balcony cabin upgrade. The interior offer was quite low and I bid on that but I also bid quite a lot $1250 each and was awarded that right away. I could have bid less but that is what we really wanted.
Sounds like you are working this system perfectly… great job!!!! Hope others read your experience because this is great info! Thanks!!!😊
I had taken my first ever cruise on the MSC Seashore March 3, 2024. I had booked an inside cabin because I figured we wouldn't be in the room much anyway. I had mixed feelings about getting an upgrade email because we chose our location and I didn't want to end up somewhere we wouldn't be as happy. In the end we didn't get an email and our location was great, we had a great time.
I agree. Sometimes I like being able to pick my location. I usually chose aft below the buffet. I will sacrifice location to get in the YC but that’s about it.
Just to be fair, this upgrade program is not available in all countries, e.g. Sweden does not have this program. One problem is that you don't get to select your cabin number which can lead to a cabin in a place that you don't like such as under the pool area, below a noisy bar, close to elevators/lifts or a cabin with a connecting door (noise). One can be sure that MSC does not lose any money on this upgrade program. One should check how much the cabin you upgrade to cost when you booked your first cabin. I have seen on FaceBook forums that the price was lower if they had booked the (upgraded) cabin first. We have talked to MSC in Sweden and they do not know why this program is not available in Sweden or in other countries.
We did cruise on MSC World Europa from Dubai, in Yacht Club, and we thought that the YC was little to big, more cabins and thus people and that did spoil that exclusive feel YC has. We have done 10 YC cruises, some in an inside cabin and we do like "smaller" ships. MSC Seaside, Seaview and Seashore are nice. MSC Belissima and Meraviglia are not as nice in the YC (Top sail Lounge and pool).
Yeah… the upgrade program is handled by a third-party and they have limitations on what countries they can operate in.
Hmmm, never seen an instance where you wouldn’t save at least a little bit over booking it outright. Facebook sometimes just doesn’t make sense… if it’s cheaper you can simply change your booking to the higher category rather than bid on it. 🤷♂️
As we say, bidding is a gamble… it’s not for those who really want a particular room or experience. 😊😜😊
Hey, love your PodCast. Me and my bestie are sharing a cabin on the seashore and she received an email to upgrade and I did not. We decided to bid the min. For yacht club and to our surprise the bid was accepted. We are thrilled and looking forward to our cruise.
Yes! 🙌 Have an awesome YC adventure!!!!
I was sent an email for upgrading a few months ago, I've noticed the closer we get to our cruise the more the rate has gone up. YC was 800pp and now it's 1600pp, so imo if you are going to upgrade do it early.
I was upgraded from an inside room to a yacht club inside room. I am beyond excited. I didn't think it was going to be possible. I started with the middle amount and added 10.00 a day and my offer was accepted after a few days. I had never received the email to bid but used the website to see if I was eligible and I was. I was surprised to see the yacht club was an option so I went for it. We leave in 20 days!
Yay! Opening that acceptance email is one of the best moments, right?!? Love it!
Have a great time!!!😊
@@Taste-Try-Travel Yes, it was And I still wasn't close to my final bid !
The Aurea package is really lovely as you get access to a restricted lounge area with a private but very large hot tub and they provide you with towels too. Plus better room locations, free room service delivery, priority tender on ports that require a tender, etc. also anytime dining which is quite nice.
Thanks for the great feedback on your experience (love that lounge area perk)… we are hoping to try out Aurea soon!😊🤩😊
thanks for the advice, Im booked in a jacuzzi suite in aureia and think I wont bid on yacht
Plus you can eat at all the Aurea restaurants. There’s a few of them that only both Aurea and Yacht club can eat at too. The only thing is they all serve the same menu, it’s just a different atmosphere. At least on the Seascape. We were in the yacht club and prefer that experience instead. Like you it was our first time in the yacht club so we went in blind and didn’t take full advantage of all the services you have. Next time I will. However, everyone is different.
You will love the Europa - it's amazing. I did this YC from Dubai in Feb '23 - it got me hooked on MSC!
Cruising from Dubai sounds like a truly unique experience… and we’d love to do that someday. We can’t wait to get on World Europa!!!!🥳😊🥳
My first MSC cruise in 30 days. I got offer from Fantasia to Aurora and I bid minimum and got it
Yes… those stories are the best to hear! Have a wonderful trip!!!!😊🤩😊
Carnival offers upgrades to Diamond and Platinum statutes first, then to other passengers. I'm gold with MSC, and I always get the offer to upgrade if there's any vacancy.
Upgrades are the best!!!!
My wife and I loved the World Europa. We even was able to get the upgrade to the YC.
You are living our dream 😁😁😁😁😁
@Taste-Try-Travel it was our first time on MSC. We went from the aft to the front. We were in a way bigger cabin Aurea class to YC. MSC spoiled us. The only bad part about our trip was our luggage met us when we had two days left on our trip.
The first time we cruised on MSC, neither one of us was offered the upgrade (We had separate cabins on the same cruise, as we were not a couple back then). Our first cruise together we got an upgrade offer, but we didn't do anything with it because the minimum bid seemed to be WAY too high as we already had a balcony cabin.
T-Minus one Episode for all the DEEEEETS!
Besides how they decide who gets to upgrade, how much they “suggest” someone bids also seems to be a mysterious “algorithm”…😵💫
MSC is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma! 🤪🥸🤪
Any chance you can go over the muster drill on MSC on a future video. I understand it’s a bit different from other cruise lines. Thanks!
You betcha!😊
@@Taste-Try-Travel You’re the best!
Great information. Thanks guys.
Thanks!!!!😊
The one thing I couldn't find anything on the web for was... if you have multiple bids, lets say to a Deluxe Balcony and YC and you then receive an acceptance to the Deluxe Balcony, but never received a "not accepted" email on the YC, can you still get upgraded later to the YC? I saw on their Bidup FAQ that you would only ever be charged for one upgrade.... However while on a call with an MSC rep they said, "it could still happen and that I would pay the difference," from what I paid on the first upgrade. Has anyone had more than one bid accepted in this scenario?
Hopefully someone has experience with that situation because we don’t know the answer. We’ve never heard of that happening, but an MSC rep would know what they’re talking about. 🧐
I was thinking to myself the other day that I would love to hear your thoughts on traveling to Europe, and now it’s happening?! Enjoy the ship, she is amazing! (But the YC is far to big unfortunately)
Yes! We are beyond excited to be traveling back to Europe and (even better??) sailing on World Europa!🤩🤪🤩
What is the link to check? I don't see it in description, thanks!
Sorry. Added it to wrong video… it’s up now!😊
Thank you!
It seems like everybody who bids gets their bid accepted. Has anyone bid unsuccessfully ? I’m on the Seascape a few weeks from now and it seems like there are very few cabins available in the yacht club. I’m trying to figure out my odds of actually winning my bid.
Definitely unsuccessful bid stories out there… Hope others chime in with theirs (although, it’s not as much fun to talk about those🤪).
Keeping our fingers crossed for you!😊🤞😊
Make sure when bidding, you're doing it on a computer. My daughter did her first "bid" for YC on her I phone and thought all was well. Only to find out a week later it didn't even go through. She then did it on the computer and said it looks different...she was not able to see the bidding dial on her phone. She bid the lowest amount in the green and nothing. After a day, she updated her bid by $5 and it got accepted. Hope this helps. We're on the Seascape coming up in April 😊 super excited
I did a max bid for an interior yacht club and didn't get it on Seashore in April of 2024. I was certain that a max bid would be accepted but it wasn't
Does MSC consider the amount already paid in conjunction with your bid to determine if the upgrade is granted or does the minimum required bid amount increase to offset the difference?
From our experience and research, the minimum amount MSC suggests for a bid does change depending on your original rate. Sometimes it is quite a bit… but other times, the difference is minimal.
When are you booked on World Europa?
October this year… and are beyond excited! 🥳😎🥳
What other MSC bookings do you have coming up? Divina or Seaside? (Seascape is a carbon copy of Seashore with the exception of the Robotron from what I’ve heard)
We’ve also booked World America… and are working on 2 other MSC cruises that aren’t quite yet finalized… hopefully soon! 😊🤞 😊
If you book a wheelchair accessible cabin and you then bid for an upgrade, will you get an upgraded accessible cabin?
Hmmm… that’s a question we do not have an answer for, sorry. Somehow you’ll have to let those who approve the upgrades of that criteria… and we just don’t know how that would happen, except to call MSC directly. Their bidding system is handled by a third party, so they’d be the ones who know how/if that’s possible.
Sorry we don’t have a better, more complete answer for you. 🙁
@@Taste-Try-Travel Personally I think it's too much of a risk. We'll ask if an upgrade is available once on the ship and see what happens
Can you bid on specific accomodation on Yacht club
If we’re understanding your question… you can bid on different room types inside Yacht Club (as long as they offer them)… but not a specific room #. If you’re asking something else, let us know.
when you consider the price point at yacht club is it really worth it - as it comes pretty close too silver sea end even MSC Explora I and then you have an entire ship and not just a part of it ! ???
Yes that is a good point but on the other side of the coin… the bidding aspect makes something like YC accessible to those that might never be able to afford Explora or Silver Seas. There is the plus also of being able to enjoy the big ship amenities and then run back to your YC to be spoiled 😊 Just our opinion
@@Taste-Try-Travel yes i do agree to a point but it has a tendency to be SOOO crowded and LOUD specially in the evening ;). Great channel though - keep up the good work
We are sailing MSC for the 1st time Feb 2025. We are currently booked in a yacht club interior. Do you think we can upgrade to a yacht club balcony for a decent price?
It really depends on the sailing… and if MSC offers it to you. But, other than a private balcony, you’ll have the exact same experience as everyone else in the Yacht Club. We would not be disappointed with a YC interior *at* *all* 😊🤩😊
@@Taste-Try-Travel I definitely wont be disappointed as like you said make sure you book what you want going in. I wanted Yacht Club and the interior was affordable. But I sure would love an opportunity to bid on an upgrade to a balcony.
@@bmlaurent32137 Absolutely… love sitting on the balcony in the refreshing ocean air communing with the sea and contemplating our place in the vastness (or just scrolling thru funny cat videos)🤪😊🤪
We are sailing MSC Grandiosa YC around the Med this month. We have received an Upgrade email. We currently have an interior room. The opening bid is £540 up to £710 per person. Having looked on the website, I can see there are only 5 YC rooms left, all balcony. Good luck!
What is the website to check if one is upgrade eligible? I cannot find it.
Hi 😊 the link is in the description of the video
When upgrading are you truly saving money or should you just book the desired cabin and experience from the start?
Here is the upgrade option offered, along with our initial booking cost.
Booking: $1290.98
(Includes Easy Plus Package & WiFi)
Ship MSC Seashore
Date Feb, 2024 (3 Nights)
Stateroom Number 10195
Stateroom Deluxe Balcony
YACHT CLUB Deluxe Suite
From $420 USD pp
YACHT CLUB Interior
From $160 USD pp
Gran Suite Aurea
From $390 USD pp
Premium Suite Aurea with Whirpool
From $260 USD pp
Premium Suite Aurea with Terrace
From $195 USD pp
Suite Aurea
From $160 USD pp
Balcony Aurea
From $65 USD pp
Hey there… this is Beth. I’m answering this as Chris doesn’t do any of the booking so he’s not sure.
How I determine this would be to see what prices are to book outright. Looking at that list, YC stands out for sure. I’m assuming 2025 so booking YC interior straight would be $1,771. Pros for this are that you know exactly what you are getting and can choose your room. Some people feel comfort with that choice.
If you bid, you would save a couple hundred dollars… con with that is your not sure if you will get it and if you do, you can’t pick the room. Not so much an issue as all YC rooms are close together. Pro with this is of course saving money and also the possibility of getting the bump up to a YC balcony (which happened to us).
There really isn’t a huge price difference either way you go. It’s your comfort level and what experience you REALLY want to have on the ship.
And to add another option… you can make multiple bids for several rooms. So if you go down the bidding route, bid for several and that helps your chances. If they accept, it will be only one.
Let me know if that helps you!
Never got an upgrade offer Also was told in profile to make sure your privacy settings allows for MSC offers and to accept sharing third party
Thanks! That makes a ton of sense… that may make an appearance in a future Cruise Cast! 😊🤩😊