I would pay the $250, especially if the agency lets you pick the location of the balcony cabin. It's my understanding with RoyalUp, even if you win a bid, you could get a cabin in a location you don't really like.
We just got off Adventure on Saturday & we both thought the beds were fine - slept great. Luck of the draw on mattresses or personal preference hard vs. soft maybe. (We had balcony cabin on Deck 8).
Thank you for asking this question Handbellplayer - same thing happened to me. I used the app to check in my husband & myself for our cruise in November -- Did them both the exact same way & mine came out expedited & his did not. From the helpful responses sounds like we can both go through the expedited line. Have a good cruise!
I've been on over 15 annual cruises with 2 of my girlfriends, several different ships, and the bed has always been fully made up each evening without asking.