RoyalUP? (Bid for stateroom upgrade)

[fsjosh]

30 minutes ago, KB Cruisin said:

We got our fourth Royal Up email for our May Harmony cruise.  This is our first cruise.  Can you tell me which (if any) are worth it?  7 day cruise.  

 

We are in a Large Balcony with Ocean View, just 2 people.  Ocean view is important (I think I read somewhere that some of the Junior Suites have obstructed views.)

 

Crown Loft - $1000 pp

Owners - $900 pp

Grand Suite - $500 pp

Junior Suite - $250 pp

Ultra Spacious Ocean View with Large Balcony - $150

 

I have no frame of reference since I am a newbie.  I have a nice room on the 10th floor right now.  I would not mind an upgrade but not if my view will be obstructed or if I will be above or below a bunch of noise.  How do I find out where suites are located on the Harmony to know where I could be placed?

 

Any thoughts or help could be appreciated.  We are sold out but I have seen some people get last minute upgrades even being sold out.  

 

Thank you!!!

 

The only answer you can get with your question of worth is, is it worth it to other people in different situations. If you can't afford $2000, it doesn't matter if that Crown loft is the deal of the century. If you are a billionaire, who cares what the cost is. You really need to decide if those amounts are worth it to you in your situation. Some of that factor is how much you've paid already. If you are in your current room for $1000 versus $2000 makes the upgrade value different. Whether its a deal or not really is irrelevant. Look at the room type. See how much you've already paid. How much you are going to bid for a specific room. Add it up and ask yourself if you'd pay that for that room. If not, don't do it regardless what others would do. 

 

As for suite locations, the easiest way is to look at a floor plan. They are on RCI's site, but there are other sites with easier to search floor plans. I just go googling when I need to find one. Room type can be scattered among floors or locations. Theres no way, especially on a sold out cruise, to tell which room you could end up with. 

[paudy1]

Booked for Oasis on June 27th (7 nights) and received the Royal Up mail about 3 weeks ago.

 

Currently booked in an Ocean View Balcony Room but would certainly consider an upgrade (at the right price), options are:

 

Spacious Ocean View Balcony - From $100

Ultra Spacious Ocean View with Large Balcony - From $150

Junior Suite - From $200

Grand Suite - From $500

Owners Suite - From $800

 

Have only cruised once before and that was in the Spacious Ocean View Balcony so wanted to get peoples view on some of the suite options.

 

We are a family of 2 parents and 2 teenage kids so extra space would be the main perk for us.

 

Any and all advice welcomed.😃

 

 

Edited May 2, 2019 by paudy1

[John&LaLa]

40 minutes ago, paudy1 said:

Booked for Oasis on June 27th (7 nights) and received the Royal Up mail about 3 weeks ago.

 

Currently booked in an Ocean View Balcony Room but would certainly consider an upgrade (at the right price), options are:

 

Spacious Ocean View Balcony - From $100

Ultra Spacious Ocean View with Large Balcony - From $150

Junior Suite - From $200

Grand Suite - From $500

Owners Suite - From $800

 

Have only cruised once before and that was in the Spacious Ocean View Balcony so wanted to get peoples view on some of the suite options.

 

We are a family of 2 parents and 2 teenage kids so extra space would be the main perk for us.

 

Any and all advice welcomed.😃

 

 

 

Try for the ultra spacious ov with large balcony. Huge room, I think it has a seperate sleeping area.  Used to be called Family OV Balcony.

 

Heck, I'd bid the max if you have two teenagers. 4 in a normal balcony is rough

Edited May 2, 2019 by John&LaLa

[amyhphoto]

19 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Try for the ultra spacious ov with large balcony. Huge room, I think it has a seperate sleeping area.  Used to be called Family OV Balcony.

 

Heck, I'd bid the max if you have two teenagers. 4 in a normal balcony is rough

Totally agree. The room is massive. The only downside is, there's only 5 of those cabins so the chances of winning are slim. I've bid max on my sailing, even though it's just the three of us and my kids are little, but they would freak out over the bunk beds! 

[KB Cruisin]

3 minutes ago, amyhphoto said:

Totally agree. The room is massive. The only downside is, there's only 5 of those cabins so the chances of winning are slim. I've bid max on my sailing, even though it's just the three of us and my kids are little, but they would freak out over the bunk beds! 

So is there any website where you can look and see if any ultra spacious cabins have obstructed views?  I would also appreciate more room but do not want to give up a good ocean view for more space.  Anyone know of a website to check out which category of rooms (on the Harmony for us) have obstructed views?  Or where certain category rooms are located on the ship?

[dacsmom]

15 hours ago, ndabunka said:

If the upsell is $410pp then isn't it 4X $410 since you have 4 people or does PP only apply to the 1st two in the cabin?  My wife and I are traveling with our 16 year old son  and ignored all upsells to this point due to understanding that they would charge for EACH person.  Not just the 1st two in the cabin

From the FAQ page: The RoyalUp℠ offer amount is per person for the entire duration of the cruise. Offers are based on two occupants per stateroom - only the first and second guest will be charged.

[paudy1]

34 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Try for the ultra spacious ov with large balcony. Huge room, I think it has a seperate sleeping area.  Used to be called Family OV Balcony.

 

Heck, I'd bid the max if you have two teenagers. 4 in a normal balcony is rough

Thanks for the advice, have amended the bid for the max on this room on the off chance one becomes available!

 

Agree 4 in a room is tight but it was a last minute booking so we took what we could get 😀

[amyhphoto]

24 minutes ago, KB Cruisin said:

So is there any website where you can look and see if any ultra spacious cabins have obstructed views? 

https://www.cruisedeckplans.com

[Dan-P]

In February,  I booked a quick 4nt getaway on the Navigator for the end of May.  It was booked through my T/A.  On April 12th, I received the RoyalUp email.  I had a junior suite booked.  I bid $200/person on an upgrade to a grand suite.  That was lower middle of the bid range.  Received an email on April 30 confirming my bid was accepted.  So $424 total with the additional suite gratuities for the upgrade to a GS over the JS.

 

That is at the top end of my price comfort level for a 4nt cruise, but was still much cheaper overall than it would have been to direct book the grand suite.

 

I'm happy and she (my other half) will be super surprised which makes it even more worth it!  😍

 

Dan.

[norway olin]

30 minutes ago, paudy1 said:

Thanks for the advice, have amended the bid for the max on this room on the off chance one becomes available!

 

Agree 4 in a room is tight but it was a last minute booking so we took what we could get 😀

This is not likely in your case, but be wary of the fact that  a max bid can sometimes  be more than paying the advertised price for an upgraded room.

[crusinthrough]

5 hours ago, paudy1 said:

Booked for Oasis on June 27th (7 nights) and received the Royal Up mail about 3 weeks ago.

 

Currently booked in an Ocean View Balcony Room but would certainly consider an upgrade (at the right price), options are:

 

Spacious Ocean View Balcony - From $100

Ultra Spacious Ocean View with Large Balcony - From $150

Junior Suite - From $200

Grand Suite - From $500

Owners Suite - From $800

 

Have only cruised once before and that was in the Spacious Ocean View Balcony so wanted to get peoples view on some of the suite options.

 

We are a family of 2 parents and 2 teenage kids so extra space would be the main perk for us.

 

Any and all advice welcomed.😃

 

 

 

4 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Try for the ultra spacious ov with large balcony. Huge room, I think it has a seperate sleeping area.  Used to be called Family OV Balcony.

 

Heck, I'd bid the max if you have two teenagers. 4 in a normal balcony is rough

 

I would bid on the JS for $400 total.  The JS is a nice size room with a few suite perks to include costal kitchen. 

[tinkr2]

On 3/20/2019 at 5:09 PM, rachelfran said:

Doesn't the upgrade cost depend on what you paid for the cruise to begin with?

That is what I thought but it does not appear to be true. On my sailing group we all received the identical offers. I booked forever ago at a very Loe rate and I know one of them booked late at a high rate. So original price paid does not appear to be a factor.

[John&LaLa]

3 hours ago, crusinthrough said:

 

 

I would bid on the JS for $400 total.  The JS is a nice size room with a few suite perks to include costal kitchen. 

 

Well, its dinner only in a JS, and that is by availability only. I'd  still go with the untra spacious if I had 2 teens. 

 

As far as I know none of the ultras have obstructed views.  In fact, very few cabins on Oasis class are obstructed 

[heatherb1958]

On 4/30/2019 at 4:19 AM, KALCJ1 said:

Just curious...for your guarantee Explorer cabin, did you check to see if any other cabins were available on the deck you got?  It may be possible to switch locations as long as you're in the same category.  Just a thought.😎

 

Here in the UK I believe we cannot do that. Only ever been able to do it once and that was years ago.

[alphawave1]

So I have 2 upcoming cruises. 1 on Enchantment in 14 days and 1 on Liberty in 30 days. I have made bids to upgrade on both trips. 

In fact I bid on 2 different classifications on Liberty JS and GS. I got another e-mail wanting to know if I want to upgrade. I can confirm by viewing my bids that I properly submitted. 

Have not been accepted or denied on either sailing....odd that I got another e-mail, though.

While on the subject...any recent success with this Royal Up at this time of year? Most people are saying we won’t hear until the day before sailing.made bids above minimum, btw.

[Thorben-Hendrik]

1 minute ago, alphawave1 said:

odd that I got another e-mail, though. 

Not really..... 🙄

[CasinoCruzGirl]

I am on the Allure May 26 sailing. I received my 3rd email regarding Royal up. We are in a crown loft suite. We decided on the 3rd email to bid on the aqua 2 bedroom. On this sailing it’s showing only suites available. Everything else sold out. Giving it a shot. Kinda makes it exciting like I’m waiting on a last number to yell bingo for a full card lol

[alphawave1]

Oh, I hope you get it! 

No logic can be applied to this program, but it is kinda fun! 

[CasinoCruzGirl]

My question is this. We bid on a 2 bedroom aqua suite (Star) from a Crown loft Suite (Sky). I have already prepaid my gratuities.  If we win this bid will I get my $$ back?  Gratuities are included in Aqua Suite as one of the perks.  Not counting on winning the bid but you never know. 

Edited May 3, 2019 by CasinoCruzGirl

[Casino Comp Chick]

2 hours ago, alphawave1 said:

Oh, I hope you get it! 

No logic can be applied to this program, but it is kinda fun! 

 

If you follow as closely as I have you will see the patterns that emerge. 

[stompy]

38 minutes ago, CasinoCruzGirl said:

My question is this. We bid on a 2 bedroom aqua suite (Star) from a Crown loft Suite (Sky). I have already prepaid my gratuities.  If we win this bid will I get my $$ back?  Gratuities are included in Aqua Suite as one of the perks.  Not counting on winning the bid but you never know. 

 

Yes you’ll get anything prepaid back

 

the 2B Aqua gets you free booze, tips, and specialty dinning plus the Genie

[CasinoCruzGirl]

14 minutes ago, Casino Comp Chick said:

 

If you follow as closely as I have you will see the patterns that emerge. 

What patterns have you been seeing?

[slknappy]

We are going to Bermuda on Anthem tomorrow.  Got an upgrade from a large balcony to a Jr. Suite for $500.  I think that the minimum bid was $300.  I am thrilled to have some extra room.

[Journey2016]

We got an offer for RoyalUp for our March sailing and were successful. We are doing 3 cruises this summer: a B2B on the Freedom, and then a 3 day on the Navigator the very next day. We were waiting for the RoyalUp offer for the first cruise of the B2B. We didn't get one. When we called C&A, reservations, and the resolutions office, we were told the same thing all three times: that the people who get the offer are randomly selected by a lottery, and the fact that we are Diamond plus means nothing. Crown & Anchor upgrades are a thing of the past, because the way that the system is set up, a first time cruiser has the same chance of winning the RoyalUp lottery as a Pinnacle member. Apparently, this is a continuation of RCCL's ongoing efforts to cast aside the frequent cruisers. But at least you get a lapel pin.

[cruisegirl1]

I don’t feel slighted.  Royal up program never implied crown and anchor members would receive any special consideration. 

 

I do hope RCCL has or will change the C&A benefit list to remove the upgrade reference. 

 

M

Edited May 3, 2019 by cruisegirl1