Offered Upgrade Bid, Web Site Shows Sold Out

[mugtech]

Sailing on 2/24 out of Hong Kong 9 nights on Quantum, booked in a balcony, just got an email with possible bids for JS, 1 Bedroom Suite or Grand Suite.  Could also, with a minimum bid of $50, go for a bigger balcony cabin.  When I go online they are only selling inside cabins at about the same price we paid for our balcony.  Is this normal or does it have anything to do with sailing out of Hong Kong?  Could bid $180 pp and try for a JS.  Would we get double C&A points if we upgrade to JS?

[suesnake2002]

You would not get double points with the royal up bid in your situation. You eould only get double points if uou originally booked a suite, and bid for a different suite. 

The booking web sites do not show all the rooms available. If you are interested in bidding for a suite go ahead and bid. And cross your fingers

[Clarea]

1 hour ago, mugtech said:

Sailing on 2/24 out of Hong Kong 9 nights on Quantum, booked in a balcony, just got an email with possible bids for JS, 1 Bedroom Suite or Grand Suite.  Could also, with a minimum bid of $50, go for a bigger balcony cabin.  When I go online they are only selling inside cabins at about the same price we paid for our balcony.  Is this normal or does it have anything to do with sailing out of Hong Kong?  Could bid $180 pp and try for a JS.  Would we get double C&A points if we upgrade to JS?

 

Normal.  Could be there is more inventory that is not reflected online and/or theya re asking for bids for market research.

[beardedladies]

They also seem to have a habit of removing inventory or even the entire cruise once royal up starts. For example, we're on the 1st March Allure TA and there are reports today of people starting to get royal up offers. Surprise surprise the inventory is currently completely absent on the website, but just yesterday it was there with all cabin categories available. I would not be surprised if they deliberately set aside cabins for royal up offers.

 

Also, even if it is completely sold out, it only takes one big suite late cancellation to create a cascade of royal up opportunities (e.g. owners suite cancellation then gives grand->owners, junior->grand, balcony->junior etc)

Edited January 25, 2020 by beardedladies

[SRF]

Royal Up is administered by a 3rd party.

 

It is entirely likely that they send out offers whether there are aboslutely no rooms available.

 

However, there is the always the possibility of a cancellation.

 

If an Owner's Suite becomes available, they have people willing to pay to move up from a GS.  Then someone to pay for the GS from a JR Suite.  then someone from a balcony, someone from a OV, and finally someone from an Inside.

 

So 5 paid for upgrades.  

[John&LaLa]

On 1/25/2020 at 6:01 AM, mugtech said:

Sailing on 2/24 out of Hong Kong 9 nights on Quantum, booked in a balcony, just got an email with possible bids for JS, 1 Bedroom Suite or Grand Suite.  Could also, with a minimum bid of $50, go for a bigger balcony cabin.  When I go online they are only selling inside cabins at about the same price we paid for our balcony.  Is this normal or does it have anything to do with sailing out of Hong Kong?  Could bid $180 pp and try for a JS.  Would we get double C&A points if we upgrade to JS?

 

Massive existing thread on this

Lots of good info on this and examples of actual bids

 

Start at end and read backwards😉

 

 

[kernow]

We're on the cruise before you and had offers a few weeks ago with no cabins showing as available. 

 

I do wonder now with these sailing involving Hong Kong if they will get some last minute cancellations. 

[Balsam12]

On 1/25/2020 at 8:27 PM, beardedladies said:

They also seem to have a habit of removing inventory or even the entire cruise once royal up starts.

Why would they do this?

 

So they can make a few dollars more from a Royal Up bid, as compared to selling the cabins at full price via their website?

That makes zero sense to me, and I don't believe that's what happens.

Royal Up is a form of insurance for RCI... if they have last minute cancellations in anything except an inside cabin, they can upgrade someone via Royal UP and make a few bucks extra.

[boscobeans]

Could be a lot due to cancellations considering the Coronavirus scare??  

[RCLcruiser2012]

On 1/25/2020 at 4:18 AM, Host Clarea said:

 

Normal.  Could be there is more inventory that is not reflected online and/or theya re asking for bids for market research.

Too bad cruise lines can't be straight forward.  I know it is a business but Royal Up seems to be shady shade.... LOL 

[Biker19]

3 hours ago, RCLcruiser2012 said:

I know it is a business but Royal Up seems to be shady shade.

Plusgrade (the company that runs Royal Up) supports 60+ businesses including Azmara, Celebrity, MSC and NCL.

Edited January 26, 2020 by Biker19

[hal2008]

 

To add to all the guessing of the complexities involved, here is the actual data point

 

a) paid for inside GTY

b) bid up (more than minimum) for outside

c) bid got rejected

d) same day found out that was upgraded, free of cost

 

So. go figure. Process is obviously not perfect.

[Biker19]

13 hours ago, hal2008 said:

So. go figure. Process is obviously not perfect.

That's likely because Plusgrade (who runs Royal Up) and RCI GTY cabin assigners don't talk to each other.

[SRF]

3 hours ago, Biker19 said:

That's likely because Plusgrade (who runs Royal Up) and RCI GTY cabin assigners don't talk to each other.

 

More likely, the COMPUTER systems of Plusgrade and RCI don't talk.

 

Maybe because RCI code is written in Fortran. 😄

 

 

[SG65CB]

7 hours ago, SRF said:

 

More likely, the COMPUTER systems of Plusgrade and RCI don't talk.

 

Maybe because RCI code is written in Fortran. 😄

 

 

 

Hey! What's wrong with Fortran? My first three jobs were Fortran programming!

[RCCL Fan]

On my cruise, on enchantment, we were in a grand suite.  

 

The owners suites showed full and some days royal suite showed available and some days not.

 

Well I bid up for the owners suite, just because, knowing they had been full for months.

 

Turns out someone in the owners, upgraded to the royal suite.

 

I got their owners,  someone else got my grand,  and some in an outside got the balcony that person was in.

 

All of us were on the same roll call, and so we were able to see how everyone got bids taken thanks to one person at the top moving up.

 

[SRF]

13 hours ago, SG65CB said:

 

Hey! What's wrong with Fortran? My first three jobs were Fortran programming!

 

All that means is you are OLD.

 

I know, I learned Fortran in school. 😄

 

[mugtech]

So now all cabin categories for 2/24 Quantum are again available on the website.  Of course the itinerary listed still has the cruise starting in Hong Kong, must be very difficult to change itineraries.  Of course the contract says they can change the itinerary however they like, as long as they sail the days you paid for.  Can't wait to see how many actually take this cruise.  The new itinerary I got eliminated Ilocos, Philippines, and has Manila arrival time at 11 AM, making some tours inoperable.

[kernow]

Our Quantum trip departing before yours on 15/02 also now has all categories available. Lots of people seem to have cancelled and of course the Chinese are not allowed to board. Fingers crossed for upgrades🤞