We are doing a 5 day in late October and received the bidding email a few days ago. There are no suites showing availability online so I am not sure if there are any, but we put in bids anyway! We have a reserve mini as of now.
I wanted to change an obstructed balcony to a deluxe obstructed balcony and the website and my CVP from Princess would not allow me to book a specific cabin for 2 people, only 3.
My CVP connected me with headquarters in Arizona and the woman I spoke to was able to change it for me, no questions asked! It is for my son and his fiancé who are joining us. I am elite with Princess so maybe that made a difference, but always worth a try.
I totally understand your point of view, however it isn't "the best perk" for sure, but definitely one of the nicer perks. We book a suite for other reasons, this is just a very nice bonus, in my opinion 🙂