RoyalUp - price changes?

[footeam]

I am on Symphony in September and got a RoyalUp offer a few weeks ago. Starting bids were $125 pp for large balcony all the way up to $5,300 pp for a Royal Loft. On Monday, I got another email and this time the prices ranged from $170 pp for the large balcony and the Royal Loft is $7420. I was all set to try and bid on a Crown Loft with a min bid of $800 pp, but when I go to bid, the min price is now $1135 pp, which is even more that the 2nd email, which listed $1120. Is this normal? I think I'll just stick with my balcony in a good location.

[JoeFan]

I saw this too. Crazy

[Biker19]

12 hours ago, footeam said:

Is this normal? 

Min Royal Up prices can change, though usually not often. 

[CruisingHogFan]

Yel, I’ve seen them change on many sailings and the last couple cruises had a special discount that had a deadline.
 

Always bid as soon as you get the email. 

[Cruise a holic]

18 minutes ago, CruisingHogFan said:

Yel, I’ve seen them change on many sailings and the last couple cruises had a special discount that had a deadline.
 

Always bid as soon as you get the email. 

However, I would "assume" the upgrades go to the highest bid.  Also if you are in a very desirable cabin/suite. the profit may be worth the line moving you up.  If you love the cabin you are in-keep it.

[smokeykat]

I received my Royal Up for Oasis leaving beginning of August. Junior Suite $420 pp. I love my balcony location so I am not going to bid...unless this comes down to half lol

 

[OCSC Mike]

18 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

However, I would "assume" the upgrades go to the highest bid.

 

From what I've read, it's not that simple and no one truly knows how the algorithm works. It likely factors in the cabin you're currently in, not just the bid like a standard auction. They may prefer to free up certain categories more than others.

[orville99]

40 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

However, I would "assume" the upgrades go to the highest bid.  Also if you are in a very desirable cabin/suite. the profit may be worth the line moving you up.  If you love the cabin you are in-keep it.

We have won three with minimum bids.

[CruisingHogFan]

47 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

However, I would "assume" the upgrades go to the highest bid.  Also if you are in a very desirable cabin/suite. the profit may be worth the line moving you up.  If you love the cabin you are in-keep it.

A lot more to it then just the highest bid. Current cabin and price originally paid for that cabin factors into it apparently. 

 

The days of bidding minimum bids and receiving a nice upgrade are about over now that ships are full again. Just don’t expect to go from a interior to a crown loft.

Edited July 10, 2022 by CruisingHogFan

[Cruise a holic]

35 minutes ago, orville99 said:

We have won three with minimum bids.

Going from what type of cabin/suite to what?

[ONECRUISER]

1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

From what I've read, it's not that simple and no one truly knows how the algorithm works. It likely factors in the cabin you're currently in, not just the bid like a standard auction. They may prefer to free up certain categories more than others.

Yes like the Casino, The House always Wins

[orville99]

5 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

Going from what type of cabin/suite to what?

JS to CLS.

[Jerseygirl1416]

The minimum bids for suites on the email I just got are not much less than just upgrading yourself. A “fair” or “stronge” bid would be more than upgrading yourself. I guess they count on people not doing their homework.

Edited July 10, 2022 by Jerseygirl1416

[Cruise a holic]

We are in a cls. I bid on star class.  But I really love cls so I might cancel my bids

[little britain]

On Anthem the stating bid ( JS to GS) was $100pp and now it’s $140pp. Wondering whether to submit purely to secure a space in CK 🤷‍♀️

[leisuretraveler223]

Our entire economy is being crippled by spiraling inflation and people here are surprised it's actually impacting upgrade bids on cruises.  

 

There is no hope for us.

[cublet]

Hello,

 

I think the RoyalUP is an exercise in smoke and mirrors supplemented with a good dose of BS.

 

The price on RCI's website is 'the price'  (E&OE) whereas the RoyalUP website is Plusgrade's that is only updated periodically. How do I know this?

 

OK, this is for Celebrity, but I cancelled a X cruise three days out and rebooked because of a massive price difference. For those three days the 'old' booking was still live on Plugrade (with the previous/existing upgrade costs) whereas the new booking was not there. The 'massive price difference' was a 56% reduction and if there was any logic to the pricing structure then the up bid prices should be reduced by a similar amount otherwise those bidding were overpaying twice - first on the original price at which they booked and secondly on historical differences on cabin grade prices that were not updated.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[Biker19]

9 hours ago, cublet said:

The price on RCI's website is 'the price'  (E&OE) whereas the RoyalUP website is Plusgrade's that is only updated periodically. How do I know this?

Folks here are routinely advised to check self upgrade costs and prices outside of Royal Up. RCI and Plusgrade are not in business to save you any money.

[cublet]

21 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Folks here are routinely advised to check self upgrade costs and prices outside of Royal Up. RCI and Plusgrade are not in business to save you any money.

Hello,

 

I don't disagree with you. What I am questioning is the oft-quoted 'algorithm' when I think it's just a finger in the air.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[Biker19]

2 minutes ago, cublet said:

What I am questioning is the oft-quoted 'algorithm' when I think it's just a finger in the air.

I don't think RCI would chance the highest overall income potential to a finger in the air.

[trafaelwyr]

I just received my Royal Up email yesterday.  I'm booked in an interior cabin (by my own choosing), but hey, if I can score a cabin with a balcony, that'd be very nice.  If not, eh...oh well. 

[Mum2Mercury]

On 7/9/2022 at 7:15 PM, footeam said:

I am on Symphony in September and got a RoyalUp offer a few weeks ago. Starting bids were $125 pp for large balcony all the way up to $5,300 pp for a Royal Loft. On Monday, I got another email and this time the prices ranged from $170 pp for the large balcony and the Royal Loft is $7420. I was all set to try and bid on a Crown Loft with a min bid of $800 pp, but when I go to bid, the min price is now $1135 pp, which is even more that the 2nd email, which listed $1120. Is this normal? I think I'll just stick with my balcony in a good location.

Supply and demand.  Likely the first time they offered large balconies, they had a glut of them -- and people upgraded.  With fewer large balconies available, they raised the price. 

On 7/10/2022 at 11:15 AM, ONECRUISER said:

Yes like the Casino, The House always Wins

Oh, yes.  They can only win by offering the option to upgrade.  

1 hour ago, cublet said:

I don't disagree with you. What I am questioning is the oft-quoted 'algorithm' when I think it's just a finger in the air.

I think the "algorithm" has to do with more than a single room.  I am sure they look for a pattern in which they can move this Inside to that Balcony and that Balcony up to a Grand Suite.  It's about multiple people, not just you; thus, since you can never know who else is in the mix, you can never grasp the entire system.  Luck is involved.  

 

I've worked with high school schedules, and I suspect it's kinda the same thing:  4th period Geometry is really overloaded ... so let's move these eight students into that small 2nd period English ... no, six bloats that class, so four to 2nd period English and four to Art.  Every change we make causes ripples into other classes, and that's without money involved!  

[OCSC Mike]

6 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I think the "algorithm" has to do with more than a single room.  I am sure they look for a pattern in which they can move this Inside to that Balcony and that Balcony up to a Grand Suite.  It's about multiple people, not just you; thus, since you can never know who else is in the mix, you can never grasp the entire system.  Luck is involved.  

 

Largely agree with all of this.

[Rogueperson]

The last time I royaled up was for my March cruise this year.  It was a 12 night on Enchantment.  I scored a balcony on Enchantment (which are premiumly priced) for a bid of 225/person (450 total) from an interior (2V).  At the time, a balcony was going for 4K for 2 people.  I ended up paying 2K total for that room.

Also, when i got the bid email, they were offering "discounts" on the bids, whatever that means.  

Edited July 14, 2022 by Rogueperson