RoyalUP? (Bid for stateroom upgrade)

[Boz575]

10 minutes ago, marktwothousand said:

Nice!

 

the thing is, I am always seeing sales on RCCL’s webpage. Are these true sales or just sales tactics? I’m never sure when to jump on something because the countdown timer on their homepage is always resetting

Keep in mind, you (or your TA) can always ask Royal to reprice a cabin if you see a lower price. I watch mine like a hawk and reprice a lot before sail. Did a reprice today for Ovation in Aug 2022. Price was down a couple hundred. Royal gave me the lower price, no problem. 

[marktwothousand]

1 minute ago, Boz575 said:

Keep in mind, you (or your TA) can always ask Royal to reprice a cabin if you see a lower price. I watch mine like a hawk and reprice a lot before sail. Did a reprice today for Ovation in Aug 2022. Price was down a couple hundred. Royal gave me the lower price, no problem. 

I’m a last minute booker (usually within a month out) so I don’t know if that would apply to me. I doubt they could do anything after final payment

[Boz575]

Never hurts to ask. 

[binro01]

3 minutes ago, marktwothousand said:

I’m a last minute booker (usually within a month out) so I don’t know if that would apply to me. I doubt they could do anything after final payment

I have seen OBC given after final payment has been made.

[Merion_Mom]

18 minutes ago, marktwothousand said:

I’m a last minute booker (usually within a month out) so I don’t know if that would apply to me. I doubt they could do anything after final payment

Currently, RC is giving OBC for price drops right up until 48 hours before sail date.  I don't know how long this will last.

[Biker19]

11 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

I don't know how long this will last.

Assuming CWC doesn't get extended, I think the price drop policy should be on all sailings till 4/30/22.

Edited November 1, 2021 by Biker19

[benkon]

18 hours ago, borg1of2 said:

When you say no option to modify, is it greyed out when you look at the bid(s)?  Mine allows to modify or cancel, so maybe not in the hopeful stage with 3 days out. 

The modify/cancel button is actually gone from the bid completely.

[AustinCruise]

6 hours ago, benkon said:

The modify/cancel button is actually gone from the bid completely.

In my case it locked and unlocked several times.  I think it’s how they sync with Royal data. But just a guess

 

 

[B&J_Pgh]

I know as a business they need to make money.  How long has it been since (maybe 3 years) you've had to pay more in order to pick your own cabin.  

[B&J_Pgh]

On 10/29/2021 at 12:53 PM, borg1of2 said:

My take is that ships were always sailing very near full, and the few available were given for c&a to surprise, or for the high tier members. Then RoyslUp came along to manage the availability. I was curious with now because ships aren’t full, if anyone got one at the pier. 

It used to be called the "Upgrade Fairy"  Haven't heard about one in years!

[brillohead]

3 minutes ago, B&J_Pgh said:

I know as a business they need to make money.  How long has it been since (maybe 3 years) you've had to pay more in order to pick your own cabin.  

It's always been that way... GTY rooms have always been cheaper to begin with (although that isn't always the case these days).  

[B&J_Pgh]

12 minutes ago, brillohead said:

It's always been that way... GTY rooms have always been cheaper to begin with (although that isn't always the case these days).  

I'm sorry to contridict but it hasn't always been this way.  You were weren't charged more for a cabin which you picked.

 

On 10/29/2021 at 12:53 PM, borg1of2 said:

My take is that ships were always sailing very near full, and the few available were given for c&a to surprise, or for the high tier members. Then RoyslUp came along to manage the availability. I was curious with now because ships aren’t full, if anyone got one at the pier. 

It used to be called the "Upgrade Fairy"  Haven't heard about one in years!

[Biker19]

2 hours ago, B&J_Pgh said:

You were weren't charged more for a cabin which you picked.

If both a pick your cabin and GTY rate is offered at the same time, the norm is to have the GTY rate be less (for obvious reasons). The exception is when the pick your cabin rate is less than GTY and likely a short lived mistake on RCI's part.

[marktwothousand]

Sorry for the DUMB question, but I just booked through a TA, and when I go to upgrade site, it gives me this error (see below). Does it usually take some time before I am eligible to do a bid? I think I am in category: ZI-GTY. thanks in advance for advice 

 

Please ensure your sailing is within the next 30 days
Please ensure there are no errors in the information you entered

[binro01]

42 minutes ago, marktwothousand said:

Sorry for the DUMB question, but I just booked through a TA, and when I go to upgrade site, it gives me this error (see below). Does it usually take some time before I am eligible to do a bid? I think I am in category: ZI-GTY. thanks in advance for advice 

 

Please ensure your sailing is within the next 30 days
Please ensure there are no errors in the information you entered

How long ago was the booking? If it was recent it could take a little time for the info to get to the RoyalUp program. Also, some TAs do not allow their booking to participate in RoyalUp from what I have read.

[Cruise a holic]

7 hours ago, binro01 said:

How long ago was the booking? If it was recent it could take a little time for the info to get to the RoyalUp program. Also, some TAs do not allow their booking to participate in RoyalUp from what I have read.

Yes- my nephew uses a big box TA and they do not participate in the Royal Up program.  

[Cruise a holic]

On 10/31/2021 at 8:24 PM, Biker19 said:

Yes, that’s a self upgrade- possible at any time. 

Since the upgrade would only be $200 pp, it pays to do it yourself.  You might get a cabin with a preferred location.  When you bid for an upgrade- you get the "left overs"  Might not be an ideal location.  So why gamble?

[Biker19]

29 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

So why gamble?

Everyone puts a different value on money, cabin location and lots of other things.

[brillohead]

22 hours ago, B&J_Pgh said:

I'm sorry to contridict but it hasn't always been this way.  You were weren't charged more for a cabin which you picked.

I've been cruising since the 1980s, and a room you picked has historically and typically ALWAYS been more than a GTY room. (Just recently I've seen GTY rooms quite often being even more expensive than pick-your-own rooms, likely a product of Royal's IT department's ineptitude with coding the algorithms for supply/demand pricing... kind of like when an inside or outside window room is more expensive than a balcony room due to supply/demand.)

I think you're getting hung up on the fact that they now offer you the choose-or-not option during the booking process for pretty much every category.  It's not that they're charging more to pick your room, it's that they're offering you a chance to save money to let them pick your room.  

A large number of cruisers don't have any preference at all about where their room is located.  They literally don't care because their room isn't their destination -- the ship itself is. 

 

Whenever I hear people get all in a tizzy about room location, I wonder how they deal with booking a room at a hotel.  VERY few hotels show you all available rooms on any given day and let you choose which one will be yours at the time of the booking.

 

 

[benkon]

On 10/31/2021 at 8:52 AM, benkon said:

Correction to my last reply:  we are six days out and still pending with no option to modify/cancel.  Fingers crossed!!  (Not obsessed at all.  lol)

We got the JS upgrade email just now!!  Super excited.  Can anyone tell me what kind of bathroom to expect (shower/tub/# of toilets/etc.)?  The Odyssey has only sparse details about staterooms on the site.  We are in 12638 -  J4 starboard on the bump out.  I'd appreciate any details you might have!

 

Woo-hoo!!!

[jonj]

15 minutes ago, benkon said:

We got the JS upgrade email just now!!  Super excited.  Can anyone tell me what kind of bathroom to expect (shower/tub/# of toilets/etc.)?  The Odyssey has only sparse details about staterooms on the site.  We are in 12638 -  J4 starboard on the bump out.  I'd appreciate any details you might have!

 

Woo-hoo!!!

Congrats. May I ask what you had before and what you bid? Which date are you on? We are hoping for a RoyalUp option but we don't travel until end of January. 

 

[amc80]

1 hour ago, benkon said:

We got the JS upgrade email just now!!  Super excited.  Can anyone tell me what kind of bathroom to expect (shower/tub/# of toilets/etc.)?  The Odyssey has only sparse details about staterooms on the site.  We are in 12638 -  J4 starboard on the bump out.  I'd appreciate any details you might have!

 

Woo-hoo!!!

 

I've been following your "journey." At what point did your modify/cancel option go away? We sail on the 28th and just got the RoyalUp email last Friday.

[ustasmom]

22 hours ago, marktwothousand said:

Sorry for the DUMB question, but I just booked through a TA, and when I go to upgrade site, it gives me this error (see below). Does it usually take some time before I am eligible to do a bid? I think I am in category: ZI-GTY. thanks in advance for advice 

 

Please ensure your sailing is within the next 30 days
Please ensure there are no errors in the information you entered

 

I have gotten that message on two different cruises. And I never got an email to Royal Up either.

[benkon]

51 minutes ago, amc80 said:

 

I've been following your "journey." At what point did your modify/cancel option go away? We sail on the 28th and just got the RoyalUp email last Friday.

The modify/cancel option disappeared about 7 days ago.  We sail on 11/6.  Our Royal Up was from a Spacious Balcony to a Junior Suite at $135pp.  

[benkon]

2 hours ago, jonj said:

Congrats. May I ask what you had before and what you bid? Which date are you on? We are hoping for a RoyalUp option but we don't travel until end of January. 

 

Spacious Ocean View Balcony to Junior Suite at $135pp.  We sail on11/6