RoyalUp Winning Bids

[Matt]

I'm working on a blog post, and need input from all of you.

If you won a RoyalUp bid ever, can you share....

• Stateroom you moved up from and to
• Bid amount
• Do you recall if it was minimum? Maximum? Somewhere in the middle?
• Any other anecdotes

Thank you in advance!

[Kelseylovestocruise]

I moved from an interior to a boardwalk balcony specifically to cabin 10329 on harmony of the seas. Bid amount was $125 and it was the lowest amount. 
 

my mother just won a royal up bid on navigator of the seas (she’s on the sailing now). She went from an interior to a balcony. Bid was $100 and it was the minimum. 
 

edit: I was platinum in 2018 for the harmony sailing and my mother is emerald for the navigator sailing (she turns diamond on this sailing). 

Edited May 2 by Kelseylovestocruise
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[CanHardlyWait]

Got your back jack!

Icon May 4th 2024

Booked directly with Royal Caribbean on Day 1 of bookings, October 2022 (I think it was.)

Booked inside GTY. 

At 45: days (per barcode trick) received inside plus cabin deck 10 forward.

Bid minimum bid in 5 different categories. 

(Everyone on Facebook started reporting getting there Royal Up bids with minimum bid)

At 30: days received an ocean view infinite balcony deck 10 midship for minimum bid $170 pp. Which may seem high, but we paid day 1 rate when we booked. That rate was only $1100 pp. Sadly a real steal for Icon. 

Between 45 days and 30 days there were many reports of Royal Up wins being sent to people in the Facebook group. Earlier bidding (pre 45 days seem to make winning bid almost a given)

The ship was half empty at the 30 day mark a few weeks ago. Infinite balconies seem to be the last thing still available. They don't seem to sell well. I would do mock bookings and check availability minimum 5 times per day from at 60 days out till ship no longer showed up (about 2 weeks ago)

I held out on doing Royal Up till I was able to use barcode trick to see what I was given. While very happy with GTY assignment, the amount of availability still showing at 45 days, plus the Facebook buzz about winning bids, all made us decide to splurge on some $100 to $190 pp minimum bids. 

Compared to stories I have researched it seems like this trip is an exception to the rule. Almost as if they were giving Royal Up bids away. I would say lack of initial interest in infinite balconies played a factor in a large portion of the guest ending up somewhere other than the cabin they started out with.

Trip begins on Saturday! Wish us a Bon Voyage. Off to the airport and Miami this afternoon. Hope this info helps. 

[Bazza]

Hi Matt

Grandeur of the seas, 20 Feb 2022.  14 night cruise from Barbados. Booked Gty Ocean View in January 2021 on back of a Flash Sale email. Amazing deal coming out of covid. 

Bid £175 (approx. $200)pp for Ocean View Balcony and got it 1 month before sailing. We were just over the minimum bid I seem to recall. 

14 nights, double points, upgrade, from Barbados, awesome itinerary. Best value cruise so far!

Not done any others since as we have been on B2Bs and don't want to move rooms!

 

 

 

[smokeybandit]

Twice upgraded from a GS to a GT (2 BR suite). On Liberty (March 2022) and Jewel (March 2023).

Bid one click up from the minimum for both.

The Liberty GT was booked, but must have been a very last minute cancellation, as when we boarded, there was a medical fridge and a sharps container staged in the room.

 

The Jewel one was just an unsold GT, which was a rare thing.

[Neesa]

Serenade of the Seas November Thanksgiving sailing. Owners Suite to 2 bedroom Owners Suite aft, from deck 10 to deck 7.  Bid was on the lower end at I believe 385.00, it said low bid on the counter. 

The 2 bathrooms was key, but the balcony was terrible, super small.  Not really feeling like this was a "true" upgrade.  More of a switch for a bit more money. Every other ship calls this cabin a 2 bedroom grand suite so I felt a little duped. Won't stop me though, I love the process and the euphoria of "winning" just plain fun!

[Ampurp85]

I have only won on minimums, and I am 2/2 on winning bids. 

Mariner of the seas Jan 24th, 2022: Original room was an interior, changed cruise because I did Star class cruise with Ashley. Bid on a Spacious Panoramic OV $30pp min and won. This was during the restart, since I was cruising two others before this, I was notified I believe the second day of my Harmony Star class cruise. 

Oasis of the seas Jan 15th, 2023: Original room Interior, it was a prime cruise. Bid on OV balcony minimum $70pp and won. This one was surprising as I had cancelled my bid when it was $300pp and then the minimums dropped, 15min after I placed the new bid I had won. Got a deck 8 balcony midship. 

Edit: I was Emerald when I won in 2022 and Diamond, just a couple point shy of D+ when I won in 2023

[Lovetocruise2002]

Won twice.

First time was WN July 2023. Bid was $980pp. That bid was somewhere between min and middle. Went from CL to A2. The A2 was showing as available on a mock booking up until my bid went to pending. 

Second time was IC inaugural. Bid was also $980pp lol. That bid was also somewhere between min and middle. Went from Surfside Family Suite (SF) to Panoramic Suite (VP). The VP was also showing as available on mock bookings until all the suites got pulled at one point.

Anecdotal notes:

- Both wins were with 2 people only on the reservation. The times I have bid with 4 on the reservation, I never won. And once I bid max with 4 on the reservation and did not win, even though it was showing as available on mock bookings. Someone else won it.

- Both bids were won at about 10 days prior to sailing.

- Because I track prices, I know that both times I "won" in the sense that I paid less by using RU compared to booking the winning suite upfront. And that would be the price of the winning suite at the time of original booking, which in my case, is usually upon release of itineraries.

- Edit: Our C&A status is D+ and that was our status ever since the RU program started.

[smost]

Won RoyalUp on Mariner in 2022. Went from an Interior to a Spacious Balcony for $200 per person which was a little above the minimum. I think the minimum was $160/person. I was notified about the win 2 days before sailing. And when we got to the room, there were papers in the room for the couple that had booked the room originally.

[FionaMG]

Ship: Anthem of the Seas

Sail date: July 7th 2023

Original stateroom: OV GTY (3546 as per barcode trick)

Upgraded to: Ocean View with Large Balcony (7260)

Bid amount: $50 pp (minimum bid)

Anectdotal notes: I did not submit a bid until the barcode trick revealed that my assigned stateroom was as far forward as you could go on deck 3 and still actually be on the ship. At that time, the minimum bid for a standard balcony cabin was $65 pp, so $15 pp more than the large balcony stateroom. A mock booking suggested there was more inventory in the large balcony category so I bypassed the standard balcony entirely and bid only the large balcony. The e-mail acceptance came in a few days later, on June 1st, so more than a month before the sail date.

[MaryCS62]

I hate answering this, because we didn't get to go -

January 9, 2022, Anthem of the Seas - had 4 in a jr suite - me, DH, and 2 adult DD's (one of whom was disabled) - bid on & got a 2 BR Grand suite -- that we had to give up the day before the cruise, because older DD still tested positive for Covid, despite being exposed before Christmas (more than 2 weeks earlier!!), and so we couldn't go.

 

Don't remember exactly what we bid - $600 total? It would have been well worth it, as we would have gotten back what we paid for Voom and the DX drink package

[Lovetocruise2002]

While we are on this topic...a discussion on a post in the RU FB group came up today. It was whether or not someone's C&A status factored in. I am sure nobody really knows but I am going to go back and edit my earlier post in case anyone is keeping track.

[Diesel]

I have a 1 out of 3 success rate with a 4th pending.

The successful bid was on Allure in October 2021. We went from an Oceanview Balcony to Junior Suite for $350pp which I believe was in the Mid range. Keep in mind this was when cruising was still coming back from COVID, and the ship was about 75% capacity. We were also willing to spend a little more after not being able to cruise the previous 18 months. Was notified of the successful bid only a few days before sailing.

Both unsuccessful bids since that cruise were at or near the minimum bid.

Pending bid is on Oasis in a couple weeks. Trying to upgrade from Oceanview Balcony to Ultra Spacious Oceanview w/ Large Balcony. Originally had my bid 2 clicks above the minimum but just lowered it to the minimum of $150pp based on previous successes I've read in this thread. Minimum bids for other room options are more than we're willing to pay considering this cruise is in the Mediterranean, and we'll be spending a lot of time on land. Here is what minimum bids are currently at for other room options:

Junior Suite - $475pp

Grand Suite 1 Bedroom - $800pp

Grand Suite 2 Bedroom - $1,125pp

Owner's Suite 1 Bedroom - $1,450pp

Crown Loft Suite - $2,835pp

I'll report back if our pending bid gets accepted.

[Steve C]

We have had 2 successes.

1. Vision in Oct 22 from interior to oceanview for £100 per person bid

2. Symphony Apr 23 from Jr Suite to Grand Suite for £650 per person bid.

Hope this helps

[Irene P]

Won Royal Up from spacious ocean view to balcony, $120pp, almost minimum bid, Quantum of the Seas, Alaska cruise on June 17

[Va4fam]

Matt,

We were successful upgrading from Oceanview balcony to JS on Brilliance.    This was a Greek Islands cruise June 2022. The minimum was $90 and we won with a $100 bid.   The rooms were spacious and had great balconies. 

The best part was the Royal Up was for the room we booked for our kids, not our room........so technically, I have still never won a RoyalUp bid for myself.  

 

[SpeedNoodles]

Won a Royal Up from a Jr Suite to Crown Loft on Allure - October 2021 - I bid a bit over minimum.  I was Emerald at the time.

I also won one from an Oceanview Balcony to a Jr Suite on Navigator in June 2023 (the group cruise) at minimum bid.  I was Diamond.

[Clear Laker]

We have won 2 Royal Ups.  On Harmony from Jr. Suite to Crown Loft $600 pp.  On Voyager from Jr. Suite to Owners Suite $650 pp.  In both cases we bid above the minimum but not more than $400 above Total each time (well below the bid mid-point).  We have never had any luck with RU when we were in an OV Balcony cabin. 

Edit:  We are Diamond

 

[Ryansox]

We decided to bid for the first time on only our 2nd cruise. We went from an ocean view balcony to a grand suite on Ovation of the Seas. We bid $1,500pp which was slightly above the minimum. We actually bid $1,000 which was the max bid for the junior suite, which we were slightly expecting to get. To our surprise we won the grand suite.

When we booked our cruise grand suites were going for $11,000 and we got the room for just around $5,000 all in. We consider that a score because we get all the benefits minus the double points for over half the price!!!

[Andy & Sheryl Unwin]

This morning, I placed a bid for Royal Up on the upcoming Freedom trip on May 20th. I will print all emails to PDF and retain them until the process is completed. All documents will be available for review.

 

Update: I haven't mentioned this to Sheryl; if successful, I would like it to be something of a surprise.

[Shari]

We went from Jr Suite to Owner's suite on Navigator of the Seas Monday after Thanksgiving 2023

$190 per person

Minimum bid.

We are both Diamond and had not bid on RoyalUp before.  We booked the Jr Suite at full fare at a little over 3 months before the cruise.

Best experience on a cruise ever and 1st time in a true suite.

[Va4fam]

It might be helpful to have everyone share the date of their successful Royal Up cruise.   Pricing has changed a lot in the last 2.5 years.

[Crown&AnchorEsq]

Oasis May 2022 Central Park Balcony to OV Balcony, 50 pp, minimum bid.  

[jenushkask8s]

We'll be sailing on Icon on May 11 and won our Royal Up last week. Here are the deets:

• Stateroom you moved up from: Grand Suite 1-bedroom
• Stateroom you moved up to: Icon Loft Suite
• Bid amount: $1625
• Do you recall if it was minimum? Maximum? Somewhere in the middle? It was the minimum

[USCG Teacher]

Won my bid going from a Suite Guarantee to 1 BR AquaSuite in July 2022.  Can't remember the exact bid amount, but it was $20 over minimum. Was notified over 40 days out!

[Lovetocruise2002]

3 hours ago, jenushkask8s said:

• Stateroom you moved up from: Grand Suite 1-bedroom
• Stateroom you moved up to: Icon Loft Suite

That is an awesome upgrade!

[SPS]

For both of our cruises in 2022, we won our RoyalUp bids.

Odyssey January 2022 (Southern Caribbean):
We went from an interior to an ocean view balcony.
I bid $400.
I bid about $100 above the minimum.
This was our first time with a balcony. I think the reduced sailing capacities at the time greatly increased our chances.

Quantum August 2022 (Alaska)
We went from a GTY interior to an Obstructed View Balcony.
I bid $300.
Our bid WAS the minimum.
Although we had an obstructed view balcony, being at the very back of the lifeboat row (combined with the height of deck 6) hardly obstructed our view at all.
 

 

[Koepper]

I have bid up and won an upgrade twice. Once on Princess and once on Royal. Both times I did the same thing.

Princess was an Alaska cruise early in the season. I was in an ocean view room. I noticed that there were a number of balcony cabins still available. I bid slightly above minimum; I believe $150.

The Royal cruise was a  January Caribbean cruise to Labadee, Puerto Plata, and Nassau on Adventure. I had an inside cabin. I noticed that there were a number of inside promenade view cabins. I bid slightly above minimum; $50.

I think the key to winning was the number of cabins available and being slightly above the minimum bid.

[Luv2Travel]

I finally won an upgrade through RoyalUp on an upcoming Mediterranean cruise at the end of May 2024 on Odyssey of the Seas. I noticed the ability to bid on an upgrade in my Cruise Planner 75 days before my sail date and I won my RoyalUp bid 60 days before our sail date. We were originally booked in a category 4D Oceanview balcony stateroom and we were upgraded to a J3 Junior Suite on deck 9. The minimum bid for us was $450/person and I bid $475/person. Our cruise appeared to be selling well with not many cabins left and I believe the reason I won my bid so early was to free up an Oceanview balcony stateroom that could be easily sold. 

[michaelp1446]

Won 2. Harmony Jan/22 1Br GS to 1Br ATS slightly above minimum.

            Oasis Jan/23 1Br ATS to Owners Panoramic. Bid around 1/3rd of max.

[jenushkask8s]

17 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

That is an awesome upgrade!

I know! We really didn't expect our bid to be accepted! We are so excited! 1 more week!

[Jersey Judie]

Being a Diamond member, I have bid on 4 cruises.

Freedom of the Seas April 2022-Low bid from Balcony to Jr Suite rejected,

Oasis of the Seas June 2022- Low Balcony to a Jr Suite rejected.

Oasis of the Seas Aug. 2023- Multiple low bids on 4 cabins ranging from Interior to balcony all rejected.

Freedom of the Seas May 2024- Finally an accepted bid! Promenade to a Panoramic View. Low bid of $100/person. Ironically enough...this is the only one that was a casino comp!