Royal Up

[mittmott]

Hi, a quick question... I received an email from RC about bidding on an upgrade... We are in a Jr. Suite...We bid (the lowest possible) for an owners suite....We win, we win, we don't we don't.. Not that important to us..  Just curious, has anyone ever gotten the upgrade by bidding the lowest amount possible?   We are leaving This Sat for Bermuda on the Anthem

 

[coneyraven]

Yep .... We low-balled to go from an interior to an Oceanview .... We were upgraded to a Spacious Oceanview on Brilliance over the Easter Holiday ..... shocked the blankety-blank out of us.

[mittmott]

Ohhhh,,, I didn't think it could happen... My guess is that they might move us if they need our room for another upgrade....This way, even if lowballed, they can collect from 2 parties.lol. Thanks for the reply.

[Matt]

Based on absolutely no scientific research, it seems like people moving up to a room of balcony or lower seem to do quite well with RoyalUp. Hitting suites seems to be more elusive. 

[mittmott]

Thank you.

I'm assuming the only way we get it is,,,, if enough people want to move up to my category and the suite I want is open

 

[tonyfsu21]

43 minutes ago, Matt said:

Based on absolutely no scientific research, it seems like people moving up to a room of balcony or lower seem to do quite well with RoyalUp. Hitting suites seems to be more elusive. 

Yep it certainly seems like it. I’m guessing most are bidding on suite level and it’s more competitive. With that being said, anyone bid lowest number on a grand suite and above successful? 

[WAAAYTOOO]

It's always the most competitive at the top of the pyramid.  I think Tony has a really good point...I would guess the chance of getting a big suite with a low-ball bid is far less probable than getting a balcony or lower with a low-ball bid. There are just more of them at the balcony and below level.

[jamie forbes]

so im lost how do i go about doing something like this? so how do and where do you go to do bids on rooms

[JennyB]

Just now, jamie forbes said:

so im lost how do i go about doing something like this? so how do and where do you go to do bids on rooms

You might receive an email.  It would be advertising the Royal Up bid program.  Not everyone gets those emails though.  I am not sure if you can just request to bid. 

[WAAAYTOOO]

1 minute ago, jamie forbes said:

so im lost how do i go about doing something like this? so how do and where do you go to do bids on rooms

Don't feel alone !  This is a relatively new program and lots of people still have lots of questions !

From what I have been able to determine, there is no rhyme or reason as to who gets "invited" to participate in the RoyalUp program.  But it DOES seem to be true that you cannot bid on an upgrade unless you have been "invited".  There is a website (but I can never remember what it is !!!) where you can go and see if you are eligible to bid on an upgrade (hopefully someone else will chime in and provide that website) but from what I have heard and read, you are not permitted to bid unless you have received the RoyalUp email.

Good luck !

[CruiseLife72]

4 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

There is a website (but I can never remember what it is !!!) where you can go and see if you are eligible to bid on an upgrade (hopefully someone else will chime in and provide that website) but from what I have heard and read, you are not permitted to bid unless you have received the RoyalUp email.

Here's the link for the Royal Up website: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/experience/cruise-room-upgrade

[WAAAYTOOO]

2 minutes ago, CruiseLife72 said:

Here's the link for the Royal Up website: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/experience/cruise-room-upgrade

Thanks.  I'm writing it down this time !

[tonyfsu21]

17 minutes ago, jamie forbes said:

so im lost how do i go about doing something like this? so how do and where do you go to do bids on rooms

I was in the same predicament last week. Thanks to this forum I found out that you need to go into your RC account and allow “email promotions” from Royal Caribbean. The next day I received a Royal Up email for my June Mariner cruise.

[Skid]

31 minutes ago, JennyB said:

You might receive an email.  It would be advertising the Royal Up bid program.  Not everyone gets those emails though.  I am not sure if you can just request to bid. 

From the Royal Up FAQ site

 

Why did I or someone I’m traveling with not receive an invite to bid on a RoyalUp℠ stateroom upgrade?

To receive an email invitation to bid on a stateroom upgrade guest must be opted-in to RCI Marketing e-mails. To opt-in, to receive emails guests can sign up on our website, opt-in through the online check in process or within My Reservations section...

 

However, I've heard people say that even though they did opt in, they still never got emails ( @Lovetocruise2002 ??)

Also keep in mind that you may not like the location of the cabin they assign, be it the deck number, forward, aft, etc.

And, as @JLMoran so aptly stated, if your bid is accepted for a suite from a non-suite original booking you will not get double C&A points.

Also, If you are upgraded to a suite you will be charged the higher daily gratuity.

 

Other questions are answered on the FAQ page.

[tonyfsu21]

Anyone have a screenshot of a winning bid? Just wondering how they notify you. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

Correct! I have done everything possible and I still get snubbed for Royal Up! I just take matters into my own hands and upgrade myself when the price is right

[Skid]

5 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Correct! I have done everything possible and I still get snubbed for Royal Up! I just take matters into my own hands and upgrade myself when the price is right

Sooooo...what do you upgrade to from Star class? Captain Stubborn Canadian Scorpion bot??

[tonyfsu21]

1 minute ago, Skid said:

Sooooo...what do you upgrade to from Star class? Captain Stubborn Canadian Scorpion bot??

“Mario Class” is the only thing better then Star Class.

[12thman]

Do you get all the "perks" of Star class if you're upgrading from a lower class? I can't find the answer in the faq's. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

33 minutes ago, Skid said:

Sooooo...what do you upgrade to from Star class? Captain Stubborn Canadian Scorpion bot??

Don’t be silly...bots cannot sail star class every sailing

[Lovetocruise2002]

10 minutes ago, 12thman said:

Do you get all the "perks" of Star class if you're upgrading from a lower class? I can't find the answer in the faq's. 

Yes you do. This was confirmed by someone we know in another forum. They went from an owner’s suite to star class and they got all the benefits of star class. Not sure what happens if you are coming from a non-suite category though.

[coneyraven]

1 hour ago, tonyfsu21 said:

Anyone have a screenshot of a winning bid? Just wondering how they notify you. 

It was via email -- the subject line was "Your Stateroom has Been Upgraded"

Then the body of the email looked like this.

[Skid]

1 hour ago, 12thman said:

Do you get all the "perks" of Star class if you're upgrading from a lower class? I can't find the answer in the faq's. 

This is what a host on the other board said back in November. He is usually spot on with his information and is really a gentleman.

"You get whatever perks are associated with the stateroom to which you are finally assigned."  He did go on to clarify that you do not get the double C&A perks.

If you are considering bidding, I'd suggest calling Royal to verify.

 

[12thman]

1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Yes you do. This was confirmed by someone we know in another forum. They went from an owner’s suite to star class and they got all the benefits of star class. Not sure what happens if you are coming from a non-suite category though.

Thank you.

 

1 minute ago, Skid said:

This is what a host on the other board said back in November. He is usually spot on with his information and is really a gentleman.

"You get whatever perks are associated with the stateroom to which you are finally assigned."  He did go on to clarify that you do not get the double C&A perks.

If your are considering bidding, I'd suggest calling Royal to verify.

 

Thank you.

[mom2mybugs]

My last 3 cruises received the royal up email.  The first one I couldn't didn't even consider... We were trying an interior on allure for the first time and loved the location off Central Park.  I didn't want to lose the location.  The 2nd time we could have bid on a balcony but 400/person difference from ocean view seemed high.  We just got the last offer today... For a mere 500 per person we can jump from an ocean view to a balcony.  However, we booked the week after itineraries came out for Europe and snagged a large family ocean view with only 3 people...we got a great deal!  Totally not worth it to pay 1000 for the smaller room, even if it doesn't have a balcony.  

   With these royal up offers, I'm fiding if I want the bigger better room, it had been a better deal to book early and grab the room I want, rather than wait for royal up and try to bid... The cost seems much higher.  Jane