RoyalUP? (Bid for stateroom upgrade)

[Cruise a holic]

4 minutes ago, Tigerman4LSU said:

On a whim, I called my travel agent to see how much a straight upgrade would cost compared to a Royal Up bid.  The straight upgrade price was a $100 cheaper than the minimum Royal Up bid.

 

 

interesting!  better to upgrade now if you can!

[vjmatty]

20 hours ago, barbeyg said:

 

Yeah, but they yanked them all at once, one day this week.  I know because I was watching daily.  There was availability in GS, OS, CLS, then they all disappeared on the same day.  The minimums for the Royal Ups are within about $500 of the price they had for each of those categories.   Makes me wonder if they are just offering them thru Royal Up, hoping to maximize the selling price of each with high bids (rather than lowering the prices any further).

I don't think so.... our Oasis sailing on 10/24/21 still shows suites available and that is only weeks away.  10/10 and 10/17 show even more.  Two months out seems a bit early to remove them from inventory in the hopes that the Royal Up bids will be enough.

 

Then again, trying to apply logic and consistency to the Royal Up program is probably a fool's errand on my part.

[barbeyg]

56 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

Then again, trying to apply logic and consistency to the Royal Up program is probably a fool's errand on my part.

 Yep, I agree.  🤣

 

I was thinking that our cruise might be a test, since it's close to the holidays.  But, who knows?  🙂  The only thing certain is that Royal Up is all over the place.

[tomservo]

Just got my upgrade email! Sailing on Oasis 10/10. Went from a GS to a Crown Loft for 405pp (810 total). I think min bid was 300 or 350pp. 

[bajathree]

54 minutes ago, tomservo said:

Just got my upgrade email! Sailing on Oasis 10/10. Went from a GS to a Crown Loft for 405pp (810 total). I think min bid was 300 or 350pp. 

The current cost difference between a GS to a CLS on my Dec Allure sailing is $508/pp ...so really not that different from what you bid.

[RFerrington]

56 minutes ago, tomservo said:

Just got my upgrade email! Sailing on Oasis 10/10. Went from a GS to a Crown Loft for 405pp (810 total). I think min bid was 300 or 350pp. 

Congratulations.  That’s a wonderful upgrade.  Enjoy it !

[barbeyg]

1 hour ago, tomservo said:

Just got my upgrade email! Sailing on Oasis 10/10. Went from a GS to a Crown Loft for 405pp (810 total). I think min bid was 300 or 350pp. 

Congrats! Have a great time. 🙂  

 

And thanks for coming here to let us know. 👍🏼

Edited October 7, 2021 by barbeyg

[tomservo]

3 hours ago, bajathree said:

The current cost difference between a GS to a CLS on my Dec Allure sailing is $508/pp ...so really not that different from what you bid.

I think the original booking price difference between the 2 rooms was decently more. I don't remember the exact difference at the time I booked the GS, however if it was only 800 more I probably would have booked it. The other difference is this is out of NYC, and for whatever reason suite prices are crazy expensive on Oasis sailings out of NYC. The same room and the same week in 2022 is nearly 3k more than what I paid.

[brillohead]

On 10/6/2021 at 1:18 PM, compman9 said:

Just got a double Royal Up

 

Booked an Inside

Got an Up to a Spacious Ocean View

Then got an Up to a Balcony

 

After a price drop, I have saved ten bucks on the Balcony

 

🤣🤣🤣

I did this by myself, no bidding required, due to price drop. 

Went from an inside to a balcony GTY and saved an additional $129 in the process!

[bajathree]

11 hours ago, tomservo said:

I think the original booking price difference between the 2 rooms was decently more. I don't remember the exact difference at the time I booked the GS, however if it was only 800 more I probably would have booked it. The other difference is this is out of NYC, and for whatever reason suite prices are crazy expensive on Oasis sailings out of NYC. The same room and the same week in 2022 is nearly 3k more than what I paid.

Oct 17 sailing on Oasis out of NY.....while there aren't any GS's available the current price difference between a JS and CLS is $1000/pp. Would have to think that the GS would have had to be at least $500/pp over a JS....so again that put the price difference between a GS and CLS around $500/pp

[tomservo]

32 minutes ago, bajathree said:

Oct 17 sailing on Oasis out of NY.....while there aren't any GS's available the current price difference between a JS and CLS is $1000/pp. Would have to think that the GS would have had to be at least $500/pp over a JS....so again that put the price difference between a GS and CLS around $500/pp

Yeah maybe that's the difference normally, I'll keep an eye on it. At least I didn't overpay lol

 

Prices are so much right now, even the JS you mentioned above is several thousand more than I paid for the GS plus the upgrade cost.

 

22 hours ago, bajathree said:

This one I don't see the worth....already in a JS and already will have access to dinner in Coastal....also have 5 drinks per day now as well as prime so already have built in drink package. I don't honestly see any value in bothering to bid at those prices. Even at the lowest bid..would cost me like $600 (or a $100/day) to go from a JS to a GS for what?!?!

You do get more things from being in Sky Class over Sea Class, but I agree, I have myself wondering if it really is worth it. I've only been in Sea Class on RCI, we usually do the Haven on NCL. I think if I were in your shoes and had higher status I would probably be more inclined to book balconies and JS.

 

For the record here are the additional benefits to Sky over Sea Class:

Bigger rooms (even GS is about 400sqft vs 300 for JS)

Concierge (which has been useful in booking restaurants and shows in advance, which is very useful right now)

CK for breakfast and lunch (haven't tried before)

CK for dinner without requiring reservations (pre-Covid)

Internet for each Pax

Priority Boarding/Departure (not really happening right now)

Priority Dinner Reservations/Seating area (not sure if this is happening right now either)

Suite Lounge Access (one of the benefits for us since we're not Diamond)

[tomservo]

16 hours ago, tomservo said:

Just got my upgrade email! Sailing on Oasis 10/10. Went from a GS to a Crown Loft for 405pp (810 total). I think min bid was 300 or 350pp. 

 

I just saw on the FB group someone won an upgrade from an OS to an A2, which is a huge jump. I'm happy for them but annoyed for me 😆

 

They said they bid 10% over min, I'm not sure what their min was but I bid 950pp on a 700 min, so about 30% over min for me. I would like to try Star Class but I'm not willing to pay more than what I would pay in the Haven, so upgrading is my only path.

[Cruise a holic]

We love the CLS.  However is it necessary?  Depends upon your budget.  If you can afford it- go for it- a wonderful experience.  

 If this will really hit your budget in a negative way- enjoy any cabin on the ship  We have had wonderful times in a CPV cabin on deck nine-which is a great cost effective cabin to travel in on the Oasis ships.

 

Enjoy.

[tomservo]

1 hour ago, Cruise a holic said:

We love the CLS.  However is it necessary?  Depends upon your budget.  If you can afford it- go for it- a wonderful experience.  

 If this will really hit your budget in a negative way- enjoy any cabin on the ship  We have had wonderful times in a CPV cabin on deck nine-which is a great cost effective cabin to travel in on the Oasis ships.

 

Enjoy.

Thanks! For me it’s not about affording it, but I’m still evaluating value for the money for the suite product. If I sail once or twice a year, I’m probably only getting a suite once a year or every other year, so I want to make sure I’m getting my money’s worth for my suite dollars. It’s especially hard to evaluate because the Oasis is such a different ship, and in my mind  I’ll be comparing it to our last cruise in the Haven on the Bliss (that was a fantastic cruise, we had an Aft suite that was incredible). I have the feeling that I will probably end up saving my suite dollars for NCL and stick to balconies and JS for Royal. What we paid for this cruise plus the upgrade is about what we paid in 2020 on the Bliss. I think the other consideration is suites will be less of a priority once I gain meaningful status on either line. 

[bajathree]

30 minutes ago, tomservo said:

Thanks! For me it’s not about affording it, but I’m still evaluating value for the money for the suite product. If I sail once or twice a year, I’m probably only getting a suite once a year or every other year, so I want to make sure I’m getting my money’s worth for my suite dollars. It’s especially hard to evaluate because the Oasis is such a different ship, and in my mind  I’ll be comparing it to our last cruise in the Haven on the Bliss (that was a fantastic cruise, we had an Aft suite that was incredible). I have the feeling that I will probably end up saving my suite dollars for NCL and stick to balconies and JS for Royal. What we paid for this cruise plus the upgrade is about what we paid in 2020 on the Bliss. I think the other consideration is suites will be less of a priority once I gain meaningful status on either line. 

Being honest and sailing Oasis class in almost every category cabin from an interior all the way to the Royal suite and ATS , CLS and in-between....it's much more for the cabin than the "suite" perks. Royal honestly doesn't do suite the best compared to other lines. You mention The Haven on NCL....I have never sailed in The Haven so can't comment much other than what I have read of people enjoying it very much and usually say after trying a suite on Royal that it didn't compare to NCL. I have sailed Royal's sister line Celebrity in suite class and if you want what sounds something similar to the Haven then I suggest trying a suite on Celebrity Edge Class where they have the full dedicated Retreat. Celebrity does suite class much better than Royal does and you will be spoiled in the Retreat on Edge class.

It's all good and you will love your CLS...it's a really cool cabin. 17th floor is very private and quiet.The perks I enjoy most in suite class on Oasis is use of the suite sundeck since you can smoke a cigar up there and use of Barefoot Beach in Labaddee ...which unfortunately isn't a current port stop again yet. The suite lounge is also nice for pre-dinner cocktails during 5-8:30 for free drinks if you don't have any loyalty perks. 

Edited October 8, 2021 by bajathree

[George C]

17 minutes ago, bajathree said:

Being honest and sailing Oasis class in almost every category cabin from an interior all the way to the Royal suite and ATS , CLS and in-between....it's much more for the cabin than the "suite" perks. Royal honestly doesn't do suite the best compared to other lines. You mention The Haven on NCL....I have never sailed in The Haven so can't comment much other than what I have read of people enjoying it very much and usually say after trying a suite on Royal that it didn't compare to NCL. I have sailed Royal's sister line Celebrity in suite class and if you want what sounds something similar to the Haven then I suggest trying a suite on Celebrity Edge Class where they have the full dedicated Retreat. Celebrity does suite class much better than Royal does and you will be spoiled in the Retreat on Edge class.

It's all good and you will love your CLS...it's a really cool cabin. 17th floor is very private and quiet.The perks I enjoy most in suite class on Oasis is use of the suite sundeck since you can smoke a cigar up there and use of Barefoot Beach in Labaddee ...which unfortunately isn't a current port stop again yet. The suite lounge is also nice for pre-dinner cocktails during 5-8:30 for free drinks if you don't have any loyalty perks. 

I do like rccl suite perks but agree celebrity does it better on all ships , our favorite for a ship within a ship concept is definitely MSc yacht club , totally it’s own area and it has live music most of the night , really don’t need to leave the area. There suite beach on there private island is also nicer than barefoot beach we we do like.

[Cashsmoney]

On 10/7/2021 at 11:58 AM, Tigerman4LSU said:

On a whim, I called my travel agent to see how much a straight upgrade would cost compared to a Royal Up bid.  The straight upgrade price was a $100 cheaper than the minimum Royal Up bid.

 

 

was the upgrade price just the difference of what you paid already and what was published on royal's web site?

[Biker19]

50 minutes ago, Cashsmoney said:

was the upgrade price just the difference of what you paid already and what was published on royal's web site?

Yes, that's a self-upgrade.

[mttwinmom]

Just received my royal up e-mail confirming my upgrade from a panoramic view (no balcony) suite on Freedom of the Seas this Monday to a two bedroom suite (two full bathrooms!) My 16 year old's will be thrilled they aren't sleeping in bunkbeds. 

[BekkaW]

Our Royal up bids have been quite odd over the last few days. All but 1 showed as expired yesterday with GS still showing pending. Today the GS shows “upgrade unavailable” and some of those which did say expired are back to pending 

 

Has anyone encountered this before? 

[Biker19]

26 minutes ago, BekkaW said:

Has anyone encountered this before? 

Just about any combination of Royal Up bid status is possible at any time. Don't read anything into any status - just look for a charge on the credit card (when you won the bid) or denial e-mail (when you didn't).

[Cruise a holic]

18 hours ago, tomservo said:

Thanks! For me it’s not about affording it, but I’m still evaluating value for the money for the suite product. If I sail once or twice a year, I’m probably only getting a suite once a year or every other year, so I want to make sure I’m getting my money’s worth for my suite dollars. It’s especially hard to evaluate because the Oasis is such a different ship, and in my mind  I’ll be comparing it to our last cruise in the Haven on the Bliss (that was a fantastic cruise, we had an Aft suite that was incredible). I have the feeling that I will probably end up saving my suite dollars for NCL and stick to balconies and JS for Royal. What we paid for this cruise plus the upgrade is about what we paid in 2020 on the Bliss. I think the other consideration is suites will be less of a priority once I gain meaningful status on either line. 

We also had a Haven suite on the Breakaway and were extremely disappointed.  Perhaps the Bliss has been improved.  We found the Haven area very small.  The dining room seemed to serve the same food every day- the specialty restaurants had poor food- having sailed on most of the popular cruise lines, perhaps the worst.  We also found as soon as you left the Haven, the public areas were very crowded.  No main theatre so you couldn't find seats in the lobby area for any event held in that area.  I like the Oasis class ships and find the suite benefits great- The oasis, which is the original in this class, dosen't have a hot tub on the suite deck, and we didn't love that- but overall, with the exception of the Celebrity S class and Edge class ships, our favorite.  

[tomservo]

3 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

We also had a Haven suite on the Breakaway and were extremely disappointed.  Perhaps the Bliss has been improved.  We found the Haven area very small.  The dining room seemed to serve the same food every day- the specialty restaurants had poor food- having sailed on most of the popular cruise lines, perhaps the worst.  We also found as soon as you left the Haven, the public areas were very crowded.  No main theatre so you couldn't find seats in the lobby area for any event held in that area.  I like the Oasis class ships and find the suite benefits great- The oasis, which is the original in this class, dosen't have a hot tub on the suite deck, and we didn't love that- but overall, with the exception of the Celebrity S class and Edge class ships, our favorite.  

We did the Haven on the Getaway (sister to Breakaway) and I agree the Haven area is small, I would probably not do the Haven again on those class of ships. However the Haven area on the Bliss was way bigger, it has a huge sun deck with hot tubs, and the forward facing Observation lounge is very nice too.

 

That being said, our experience with the specialty restaurants was uneven, we had ok to poor experiences at the steakhouse and bbq restaurants, and good experiences at the seafood and Mexican restaurants. The Haven restaurant was also very good. I see a lot of complaints about the menu, but the CK dinner menu is similarly restricted in that it’s 3 different options each day, whereas the Haven has a very large menu and everything is available at once. 
Also the portions at CK are very small. I ordered a ribeye steak one night and it was maybe a 3oz tiny slice. At least in the Haven the filet was a normal sized portion.

 

I do agree with you about the crowding, it can get very crowded. One big advantage NCL has is all the outdoor areas, with outdoor seating at restaurants that face the ocean, also they have some really great aft facing suites. 

[Cruise a holic]

2 hours ago, tomservo said:

We did the Haven on the Getaway (sister to Breakaway) and I agree the Haven area is small, I would probably not do the Haven again on those class of ships. However the Haven area on the Bliss was way bigger, it has a huge sun deck with hot tubs, and the forward facing Observation lounge is very nice too.

 

That being said, our experience with the specialty restaurants was uneven, we had ok to poor experiences at the steakhouse and bbq restaurants, and good experiences at the seafood and Mexican restaurants. The Haven restaurant was also very good. I see a lot of complaints about the menu, but the CK dinner menu is similarly restricted in that it’s 3 different options each day, whereas the Haven has a very large menu and everything is available at once. 
Also the portions at CK are very small. I ordered a ribeye steak one night and it was maybe a 3oz tiny slice. At least in the Haven the filet was a normal sized portion.

 

I do agree with you about the crowding, it can get very crowded. One big advantage NCL has is all the outdoor areas, with outdoor seating at restaurants that face the ocean, also they have some really great aft facing suites. 

I do agree that the aft facing suites with two bathrooms are nice- We also love the Royal suite on Celebrity and their suite perks- the Edge having the best of all.  We found in the coastal kitchen on the Oasis class ships, they will do dining special requests- and the specialty restaurants are very good.  You cannot beat the entertainment and activities on RC Oasis class either.  In a suite you get priority when it comes to entertainment and dining.  

 

It is good that we have different tastes and prefer different ships- good for the economy!  I am sure we can agree cruising is great!

[luckyinpa]

did anyone get the star loft on oasis for tomorrow. i just wish they marked it 'you lost' instead of the torture waiting.