Royal Up - how much would you bid?

[Sosai X]

My family and I (two adults, two kids ages 9 and 5) are in a Family Oceanview Stateroom aboard Jewel of the Seas, a Radiance-class ship.   There's a Royal Up opportunity to bid on the "Ocean View Suite - 2 Bedroom (No Balcony)" that has two separate bedrooms, two baths, and while it affords suite benefits, they're not as impressive as what you'd get on some of the larger vessels.

 

The minimum bid is $50 per adult; the max is $400.   Right now we're in at the top end, but are questioning whether or not it's worth it.

 

So tell me, fellow cruisers; what would you bid?  WOULD you even place a bid?  And why, or why not?

 

 

[FionaMG]

Does your current cabin have 2 separate bedrooms and 2 bathrooms? If it doesn't, that would be a very good reason to put in a bid on the suite.

Is the suite a lot bigger than your current cabin? That would be another good reason.

How much time are you likely to spend in your cabin? If you are the kind of family that's always out and about and are only in there to shower and sleep it's probably not worth going for the higher bid. But if you like to have some quiet family time in your cabin then the extra comfort and space would be worth a higher bid.

[Merion_Mom]

I want to be sure that you understand:  A RoyalUp price is always 2X what you bid.

 

Sailing solo?  2X

 

Two people in cabin?  2X

 

Three people in cabin?  2X

 

Four people in cabin?  2X

 

So you would only be paying 2 times that $50-$400, in other words, $100 to $800. 

 

So make your judgment with those amounts in mind.

 

🙂

 

(yes, I would bid.  How much depends on 1. how much I paid in the first place   2. how much my money is worth to me)

[John&LaLa]

Bid the $400 ($800 total)

 

Location alone is worth it😁

[John&LaLa]

2 hours ago, FionaMG said:

Does your current cabin have 2 separate bedrooms and 2 bathrooms? If it doesn't, that would be a very good reason to put in a bid on the suite.

Is the suite a lot bigger than your current cabin? That would be another good reason.

How much time are you likely to spend in your cabin? If you are the kind of family that's always out and about and are only in there to shower and sleep it's probably not worth going for the higher bid. But if you like to have some quiet family time in your cabin then the extra comfort and space would be worth a higher bid.

 

Current cabin has 1 bath, and a tiny closet with bunk beds and a curtain for the second bedroom. It's also at the extreme forward part of the ship.

 

2 bedroom grand is the old CL. Great central location, much larger, panoramic windows, a second vathroom, and a real bedroom.

 

Room service, and ease of boarding/departure would work well with a young family 😁

[bobmacliberty]

Your kids may be too young but once you get to the teen years, the second bathroom alone is worth the price.  

[xtremegk]

I'd bid, mid- to high-range if you're comfortable with it. Even with just one kid, having an actual bedroom where you can close the door and enjoy a drink after they go to bed is very useful (if we can't get more than a curtain, we aim for a balcony so we have that space), having a second bath with two kids comes in handy, and it does appear to be quite a bit more space (which is my #1 reason for bidding).

[luckyinpa]

a 2nd bathroom is a huge plus even with 2 people so id bid. whatever you do bid on make sure you are ok with the new position in the ship. last time i had a side facing crown loft and even though i bid on star loft, i realized it faced the rear of the ship and would offer no privacy so while i wanted to win. i'm kinda glad i didnt. 

[publicpersona]

5 hours ago, Sosai X said:

 There's a Royal Up opportunity to bid on the "Ocean View Suite - 2 Bedroom (No Balcony)" that has two separate bedrooms, two baths, and while it affords suite benefits, they're not as impressive as what you'd get on some of the larger vessels.

 

This is the old Concierge Lounge on the Jewel. If I recall correctly, the windows were immense. But I chose not bid on this one since it had no balcony.

[HicksRA]

Would be a no brainer for me. (The few) suite benefits, beautiful views through floor to ceiling windows, two separate bedrooms, two bathrooms and a perfect location. 

[FionaMG]

3 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Current cabin has 1 bath, and a tiny closet with bunk beds and a curtain for the second bedroom. It's also at the extreme forward part of the ship.

 

2 bedroom grand is the old CL. Great central location, much larger, panoramic windows, a second vathroom, and a real bedroom.

 

Room service, and ease of boarding/departure would work well with a young family 😁

 

I guess in that case I'd be jumping on it!

[RosieRoo]

Although the suite benefits aren’t as great as they are on the larger ships, there still are benefits.  Priority boarding, access to the Concierge Lounge with a Concierge who can make reservations for you, free drinks from 5-8 in the lounge, breakfast in a specialty restaurant, etc. I’d definitely bid whatever I felt comfortable with for the extra space alone. 

[PhillyFan33579]

I have bid 3 times for a suite over the past several months and have been upgraded all 3 times with a minimum bid.   With capacities already lower combined with the likelihood that a fair number of people will cancel their cruise based on the new mask policy and/or the omicron variant, I think low bids will continue to be successful more other than not. Of course if you really want the upgrade, I would bid the maximum, which should come close to guaranteeing you will get upgraded. 

[Ashland]

I have posted to the OP on another of her threads about this. 

 

Extended family has had the #8500 (Radiance) on two different sailings. They had a small toddler so there was no need for an extra bathroom. The curtained off area was nice for the pack-n-play.

 

The cabin they can UpBid on is indeed the old CL and extended family has that booked on Serenade in 2022....the kids aren't toddlers anymore and the whole layout of this cabin with a 2nd bath and an actual 2nd bedroom is going to be great.

 

OP was concerned about internet for her streamers....which would be $550 for her family which isn't included for suites other than Oasis/Quantum class.

 

I would definitely do the UpBid and keep checking for a cheaper internet or ..... Eeeek...go without.

Edited December 19, 2021 by Ashland

[Sosai X]

59 minutes ago, Ashland said:

 

I would definitely do the UpBid and keep checking for a cheaper internet or ..... Eeeek...go without.

While it wasn't my thread, I did comment on it as it was Royal Up related.   And I appreciate the input, thank you!  My wife reminded me how I'd said we needed to spend our money on experiences over things, and this was a perfect example of that, so we did bid the top amount, $400 per adult.   

 

Oddly enough, when checking the RCI website to determine if this cabin were available to book, it doesn't appear as a selectable category when looking for suites on that sailing.  I know a certain percentage of cabins won't be offered on a given sailing, but is it commonplace for RCI to hold back certain categories of cabins entirely?

[Merion_Mom]

10 minutes ago, Sosai X said:

While it wasn't my thread, I did comment on it as it was Royal Up related.   And I appreciate the input, thank you!  My wife reminded me how I'd said we needed to spend our money on experiences over things, and this was a perfect example of that, so we did bid the top amount, $400 per adult.   

 

Oddly enough, when checking the RCI website to determine if this cabin were available to book, it doesn't appear as a selectable category when looking for suites on that sailing.  I know a certain percentage of cabins won't be offered on a given sailing, but is it commonplace for RCI to hold back certain categories of cabins entirely?

 

It can't be booked on line.  You must call RC.

[John&LaLa]

3 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I have bid 3 times for a suite over the past several months and have been upgraded all 3 times with a minimum bid.   With capacities already lower combined with the likelihood that a fair number of people will cancel their cruise based on the new mask policy and/or the omicron variant, I think low bids will continue to be successful more other than not. Of course if you really want the upgrade, I would bid the maximum, which should come close to guaranteeing you will get upgraded. 

 

Be aware the one off cabin might not even be available anyway

[Ashland]

6 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

It can't be booked on line.  You must call RC.

If we're talking about the #1054 on the Radiance class (which I thought the poster was)...it sure was available to book online. I booked it for some of our extended family sailing with us on Serenade Oct 2022 to Alaska.

[George C]

I also would go for the 400, while the perks aren’t as good as larger ships there not that bad, lounge with drinks, breakfast is specialty restaurant, concierge. 

[LLWS_Uncle_Rick]

Keep an eye on the number of cabins open and the price of the cruise.  The cruises i have booked in January the the price is dropping and the number of cabins available is going up.   Personally I  would bid in the low to mid range because of the availability of cabins.  Let us know how you make out. 

[Aussie FF]

This is our favourite category of Suite.

I would book mid range for the Suite benefits, especially Concierge Lounge access & free drinks.
And I already get most of them, including free drinks.:)

Edited December 20, 2021 by Aussie FF

[bobmacliberty]

It's also possible that the cabin is booked and they are taking bids in case of a cancellation (or to gather pricing/marketing info).  Just because you can bid, doesn't mean that it will be available.  I always bid above minimum and have never been upgraded.

[cruiselvr04]

It helps me when I bid to think how much more I’m paying per day.  If this is 7 days is the extra room worth $100 per day?  My guess is, it is. (  Of course this is assuming you can afford to upgrade.  )

 

[thethreeofus]

Is the bid up price per day or for the entire cruise? If they bid $100 , it’s $100x 2 so $200. Is that per day or the cruise?

[Sosai X]

1 minute ago, thethreeofus said:

Is the bid up price per day or for the entire cruise? If they bid $100 , it’s $100x 2 so $200. Is that per day or the cruise?

 

It's per person to a maximum of two adults, and for the duration of the cruise, not per day.