RoyalUP? (Bid for stateroom upgrade)

[Arzeena]

On 1/11/2023 at 9:46 PM, sunnydaysmile said:

We received an email that our offer has not been selected yet, and the team onboard is still reviewing and may choose it based on availability before departure.  

Has anyone been upgraded after boarding?

Friends of ours on board got a call in the cabin that they can be upgraded to a balcony from inside cabin. They had put in a bid for $180 prior to the cruise and had not cancelled their bid. Onboard they were asked for $350 to upgrade to the balcony cabin. They counter offered and said that they were only willing to pay what they originally bid (for $180). They got it!  So happens. Cabin they got was all the way in the front on deck 9, but that did not bother them.

 

I met my past cabin attendant in our hallway and and while chatting with him, he told me that quite a few deck 6 cabin he was attending to got upgraded, and he had a "few empty rooms."
 

This was the Anthem Jan 2 cruise.

[Toddcan]

Another data point/experience.. 

 

Anthem of the seas March 12 sailing.  We had a deck 6 obstructed balcony, and put in a bunch of Royal Up bids, and ended up winning a large balcony on the hump. 

 

Original cabin:  2E Obstructed Deck 6 balcony. $750 pp 

Royal Up: 2C Balcony with Large Balcony (on the hump)

Cost: $250 pp upgrade. (net new price $1,000 pp) 

 

The bid was accepted Feb 3 on a March 12 sailing 

Edited February 4 by Toddcan

[Bronx12]

I am wondering some of the successful bids on Wonder of the Seas from any interior cabin to any balcony cabin. Thanks for your help 🙂

 

[ravenclan]

Wondering if anyone can please help?

We are sailing on Quantum on April 12th (transpacific Brisbane to Hawaii), and some people on our cruise have already started receiving Royal Up emails.

 

I haven't received one yet but there seems to be a bit of a glitch in that I am not receiving ANY marketing emails from Royal. I have double checked and I have opted in for them. My husband is receiving marketing/promo emails so I know they are sending them out, I'm just not receiving them. As the main contact on our booking I would be the one to receive any Royal Up offer is that correct?

 

I have gone to the Royal Up page and put info in, but I get the 30 day message.

 

(I have cleared my history/cache, put my name in upper case and lower case, tried different browser/devices)

[Starry Eyes]

6 minutes ago, ravenclan said:

Wondering if anyone can please help?

We are sailing on Quantum on April 12th (transpacific Brisbane to Hawaii), and some people on our cruise have already started receiving Royal Up emails.

 

I haven't received one yet but there seems to be a bit of a glitch in that I am not receiving ANY marketing emails from Royal. I have double checked and I have opted in for them. My husband is receiving marketing/promo emails so I know they are sending them out, I'm just not receiving them. As the main contact on our booking I would be the one to receive any Royal Up offer is that correct?

 

I have gone to the Royal Up page and put info in, but I get the 30 day message.

 

(I have cleared my history/cache, put my name in upper case and lower case, tried different browser/devices)

Does anyone on your reservation have a different last name that you could try?

 

Please realize not everyone gets bid offers.  One explanation is that some Travel agents (we are not allowed to name TA on CruiseCritic but one is big box agency that starts with C).  Other times it seems to happen inexplicably, even with direct bookings.

[ravenclan]

4 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

Does anyone on your reservation have a different last name that you could try?

 

Please realize not everyone gets bid offers.  One explanation is that some Travel agents (we are not allowed to name TA on CruiseCritic but one is big box agency that starts with C).  Other times it seems to happen inexplicably, even with direct bookings.

We all have the same last name, and booked direct with Royal.

 

I'm sure it has something to do with not receiving marketing emails, but other than opting in for them (I have opted out and back in again as well) I'm not sure what else to do.

 

I will keep trying on the royal up page, but maybe we just aren't eligible?

[ravenclan]

also can someone please let me know who the email comes from?
Is it Royal, or Plusgrade?

[SteelCityCruiser10]

2 minutes ago, ravenclan said:

also can someone please let me know who the email comes from?
Is it Royal, or Plusgrade?

my first notice to bid and winning bid email both came from royalup@rccl.com 

[ravenclan]

5 minutes ago, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

my first notice to bid and winning bid email both came from royalup@rccl.com 

 

Thank you 🙂

[Morecruisesplz]

16 minutes ago, ravenclan said:

We all have the same last name, and booked direct with Royal.

 

I'm sure it has something to do with not receiving marketing emails, but other than opting in for them (I have opted out and back in again as well) I'm not sure what else to do.

 

I will keep trying on the royal up page, but maybe we just aren't eligible?

There is no real good reason why some cruisers can bid and some cannot. In January we had 3 cruises b2b on the Explorer. On one we offered Royal Up. On 2 we could not.

[Starry Eyes]

1 hour ago, ravenclan said:

We all have the same last name, and booked direct with Royal.

 

I'm sure it has something to do with not receiving marketing emails, but other than opting in for them (I have opted out and back in again as well) I'm not sure what else to do.

 

I will keep trying on the royal up page, but maybe we just aren't eligible?

 

1 hour ago, fredmdcruisers said:

There is no real good reason why some cruisers can bid and some cannot. In January we had 3 cruises b2b on the Explorer. On one we offered Royal Up. On 2 we could not.

If you have tried going to the RoyalUp page, I doubt your issue is linked to marketing emails.  I’ve had the opportunity to bid on all my past cruises, yet I do not have offers for my next one.  I keep checking.  Maybe I’ll eventually get bid offers; I suspect I won’t this time.  It seems random to me.  As you can see, other regular cruisers have had the same issue pop up out of the blue, too.

Edited February 6 by Starry Eyes

[Engineroom Snipe]

On 2/3/2023 at 8:29 PM, fsjosh said:

How early before a cruise does RoyalUP open up? It suggests 30 days on the form, but I didn't know if that was accurate or more of a placeholder number. 

 

I have an inside guaranteed cabin fully paid for (most people do by about 90 days before their cruise.).

 

My invitation to bid came via my TA yesterday, 74 days before the cruise.

 

I put in minimum bids but the likelihood of cabins being free is very low. Almost any current offering is for "inside, connecting inside, outside, and connecting outside. Even those seem to be "grayed out" (unavailable) every other day when I do mock bookings.

 

Two of the offerings only have one cabin each onboard. Ultra-Spacious Ocean view and Spacious interior (about 233 square feet as opposed to 147 square feet). I just need a place to sleep, shower, and change on this trip.

 

Oceanview balconies were an option, but the starting bid was $700 for two people. On this particular cruise, I was looking for a different itinerary and low price. I would have paid upfront for a balcony knowing they are in short supply on smaller and older vessels, but it was not important enough to justify the price in my evaluation.

 

Your chances of getting a neighborhood balcony GTY on an Oasis class is much better than mine. 😜

 

i would not get my hopes too high since the occupancy levels have been at 100%+ this year. 

 

 

[silentbob007]

Did not get an email but was able to put in some bids for my April 2 cruise. Had a hold on a specific cabin but was able to book a GTY when it came time to make payment for substantial savings (and got a decent room assignment). Any bid I make is playing with house money on the off chance one gets accepted.  

[AccustomedOne]

On 7/3/2021 at 4:16 AM, AccustomedOne said:

I have been stalking out this forum for a bit now and I must say it has been very helpful!

 

Just putting a few observations here (for the next clueless cruiser that comes along)

 

1. Do make multiple bids on different kinds of staterooms! I made 3 different bids across JS, GS 1 BR and GS 2 BR! 
 

2. I noticed that my bids on the GS went from “Pending” to “Expired” whilst my bid on the JS could no longer be modified or cancelled. From what I gathered on this forum, this is a good thing! So take heart when this happens, more likely than not, an upgrade is on its way! This happened about 8 days from our sail date and we got the confirmation email about 2 days later! See point 4 below!

 

3. I bid fairly moderate on this occasion… I can no longer remember what the starting bid was, but I ended up being quite close to half the meter! Anyway for completeness, I booked 2 separate rooms and bidded on both of them separately… and we got 2 upgrades to JS. Both for the same price!

 

4. Last but not least, leaving the screenshot of the very sweet email that came in 6 days before we were due to sail! 

I hope this offered some light or at least some inspiration to try for the Royal Up! Thanks guys for the entertaining read of 197 pages worth of combined experience!

 

Take care always!

 

It has been almost 2 good years since my last cruise and also my last bid. 

 

I wanted to chime in once again because I noticed that the number of posts have also seem to have doubled since I last posted. 

 

I do have a couple more observations to add:

 

1. I only booked my cruise 3 weeks before it was due to set said and I did not receive any RoyalUp email.

 

Collective wisdom and experience from this site would have you know that: (a) you do not need the RoyalUp email to go straight to the RoyalUp website to try bidding (b) it appears to only work for bookings made directly with RC and selected Travel Agents (i.e. not all bookings are eligible for RoyalUp) (c) The window for trying your luck typically starts 30 days before you are due to set sail (but others have reported an early opening too!)

 

2. You should always bid within your means and logic! At the end of the day, it appears to be a financial decision for RC! So place a bid that reflects how much you want the upgrade and what you are willing to pay for! 

 

3. I reiterate point 2 of my previous post on 3 July 2021! This time round, my bid for the JS went from "Pending" to "Expired" while my my bid for GS went from "Pending" to the "locked out" mode (i.e. no cancellation / modification allowed). I got my confirmation from RC on the successful bid in about 24 hours after my bids were expired / no longer modifiable. 

 

4. Mock bookings... Like many others here, I have often used mock bookings to determine whether I actually have a shot at the upgrade! What I have come to notice is that RC may be keeping a couple of rooms to either let go on the RoyalUp programme or some last minute marked up sale! So my takeaway goes back to point 2.. Bid what you can for the room that you want! At the end of the day, its a vacation and don't let it detract you from the good time that you planned!

 

Best of luck to everyone!  And to end it off again, here's the sweet email that makes it 2 successful RoyalUp bids out of 2 RoyalUp bids attempts! 

 

Take care always!

 

 

[Starry Eyes]

9 hours ago, AccustomedOne said:

 

It has been almost 2 good years since my last cruise and also my last bid. 

 

I wanted to chime in once again because I noticed that the number of posts have also seem to have doubled since I last posted. 

 

I do have a couple more observations to add:

 

1. I only booked my cruise 3 weeks before it was due to set said and I did not receive any RoyalUp email.

 

Collective wisdom and experience from this site would have you know that: (a) you do not need the RoyalUp email to go straight to the RoyalUp website to try bidding (b) it appears to only work for bookings made directly with RC and selected Travel Agents (i.e. not all bookings are eligible for RoyalUp) (c) The window for trying your luck typically starts 30 days before you are due to set sail (but others have reported an early opening too!)

 

2. You should always bid within your means and logic! At the end of the day, it appears to be a financial decision for RC! So place a bid that reflects how much you want the upgrade and what you are willing to pay for! 

 

3. I reiterate point 2 of my previous post on 3 July 2021! This time round, my bid for the JS went from "Pending" to "Expired" while my my bid for GS went from "Pending" to the "locked out" mode (i.e. no cancellation / modification allowed). I got my confirmation from RC on the successful bid in about 24 hours after my bids were expired / no longer modifiable. 

 

4. Mock bookings... Like many others here, I have often used mock bookings to determine whether I actually have a shot at the upgrade! What I have come to notice is that RC may be keeping a couple of rooms to either let go on the RoyalUp programme or some last minute marked up sale! So my takeaway goes back to point 2.. Bid what you can for the room that you want! At the end of the day, its a vacation and don't let it detract you from the good time that you planned!

 

Best of luck to everyone!  And to end it off again, here's the sweet email that makes it 2 successful RoyalUp bids out of 2 RoyalUp bids attempts! 

 

Take care always!

 

 

Congratulations on the upgrade.  Enjoy the 4 nights in the GS.

[IRMO12HD]

I received my Royal Up offer at 45 days out.  I'm in an Interior Virtual Balcony on Navigator (5 night sailing).  Here are my upgrade options and minimum bid amounts:

Promenade View Interior/$15pp = $30

Ocean View/$20pp = $40

Spacious Ocean View/$25pp = $50

Spacious Panoramic Ocean View/$25pp = $50

Ultra Spacious Ocean View/$30pp = $60

Ocean View Balcony/$65pp = $130

 

YMMV, of course!

 

 

[FionaMG]

We just received our offer to bid now for our Anthem cruise at the end of April - 75 days out.

 

We won't be bidding this time round though, mainly because we have two rooms for this cruise but also because we are perfectly happy with the very cheap rooms we already have (two of the square obstructed balcony cabins on deck 6).

 

For the record, and in case it's of use to anyone, our options and minimum bids are:

GS 1BRM with large balcony: $840 pp

GS 1 BRM: $560 pp

JS: $350 pp

OV with large balcony: 105 pp

OV balcony: $65 pp

 

[BecciBoo]

I have a theory......Eeny Meeny Miney Moe!

[Amberle3]

I have a cruise in 2 weeks, I submitted my first-ever Royal Up bid about 2 weeks ago.  I've seen people talking about their bid status saying "pending" or "cancelled" etc, but all mine has ever said is "submitted".  Is that a normal thing?

[Engineroom Snipe]

Just now, Amberle3 said:

I have a cruise in 2 weeks, I submitted my first-ever Royal Up bid about 2 weeks ago.  I've seen people talking about their bid status saying "pending" or "cancelled" etc, but all mine has ever said is "submitted".  Is that a normal thing?

Yes, yes, and yes. Need I say more?

[Morecruisesplz]

3 hours ago, Amberle3 said:

I have a cruise in 2 weeks, I submitted my first-ever Royal Up bid about 2 weeks ago.  I've seen people talking about their bid status saying "pending" or "cancelled" etc, but all mine has ever said is "submitted".  Is that a normal thing?

Yes. Some have said R Up is pretty much over with full ships again.

[Funky Fusion FoodsJ]

6 hours ago, fredmdcruisers said:

Yes. Some have said R Up is pretty much over with full ships again.

 

6 hours ago, fredmdcruisers said:

Yes. Some have said R Up is pretty much over with full ships again.

It is definitly still alive and well.  There will always be last minute cancelations.  

[Ourusualbeach]

1 hour ago, Funky Fusion FoodsJ said:

 

It is definitly still alive and well.  There will always be last minute cancelations.  

Just not nearly to the same extent that it was 6 months and a year ago when ships were sailing at lower capacities.  Back then many were getting upgrades now its a very few per ship.  

 

The way that it's worded tends to create a lot of real hopefulness with new cruisers that ultimately does not happen.

[Funky Fusion FoodsJ]

33 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Just not nearly to the same extent that it was 6 months and a year ago when ships were sailing at lower capacities.  Back then many were getting upgrades now its a very few per ship.  

 

The way that it's worded tends to create a lot of real hopefulness with new cruisers that ultimately does not happen.

Where there is a "pending" status there is always hope......it's a glass half empty or glass half full perspective........

[Ourusualbeach]

3 minutes ago, Funky Fusion FoodsJ said:

Where there is a "pending" status there is always hope......it's a glass half empty or glass half full perspective........

Hope and reality are two entirely different things.