Upgrade to mini suite

[lbfluffy]

We are sailing on the Royal on March 2nd. I looked at the bidding for an upgrade, and it wanted $180 pp. So I decided to call to find out what I could get. I asked the sales department how much for a mini suite. The rep said total $276 for a mini suite guarantee. We jumped on it. We moved from our balcony cabin to the mini suite. We are quite pleased. We had a mini suite on the Majestic and loved it.

[Rick&Jeannie]

I was under the impression that just placing a bid for an upgrade was just that...a chance.  No guarantee.  It sounds like you were saying that the upgrade system wanted $180pp as a minimum.  You certainly will not "lose" that money if your bid is not accepted...but it's not a given that you'll get that upgrade.

[lbfluffy]

5 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I was under the impression that just placing a bid for an upgrade was just that...a chance.  No guarantee.  It sounds like you were saying that the upgrade system wanted $180pp as a minimum.  You certainly will not "lose" that money if your bid is not accepted...but it's not a given that you'll get that upgrade.

True. However $276 is less than what they required to bid. A phone call worked for us. However if you call, I would call when Princess opens. Not much of a wait.

[PacnGoNow]

1 hour ago, lbfluffy said:

True. However $276 is less than what they required to bid. A phone call worked for us. However if you call, I would call when Princess opens. Not much of a wait.

This is definitely a better deal than the bidding.  Guarantee room, you don’t know either what cabin you’ll have yet.

Good idea to call and ask.  You never know.

[Jeter02]

2 hours ago, lbfluffy said:

We are sailing on the Royal on March 2nd. I looked at the bidding for an upgrade, and it wanted $180 pp. So I decided to call to find out what I could get. I asked the sales department how much for a mini suite. The rep said total $276 for a mini suite guarantee. We jumped on it. We moved from our balcony cabin to the mini suite. We are quite pleased. We had a mini suite on the Majestic and loved it.

Enjoy your mini suite ☺️

[Sailaway617]

Good deal! Just curious, what kind of cabin did you have before the mini? Was it a standard balcony or deluxe balcony?

[nini]

9 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I was under the impression that just placing a bid for an upgrade was just that...a chance.  No guarantee.  It sounds like you were saying that the upgrade system wanted $180pp as a minimum.  You certainly will not "lose" that money if your bid is not accepted...but it's not a given that you'll get that upgrade.

The OP is not bidding. They purchased a mini guarantee.

[latebuyer]

So do you phone in for a mini suite guarantee and its cheaper than what is on the website? I am looking at a mini suite but they are pretty expensive.

[lbfluffy]

55 minutes ago, latebuyer said:

So do you phone in for a mini suite guarantee and its cheaper than what is on the website? I am looking at a mini suite but they are pretty expensive.

I called. It was less than bidding. 

[texswamper]

13 hours ago, lbfluffy said:

I called. It was less than bidding. 

Were you able to know the cabin number before agreeing?

[lbfluffy]

7 hours ago, texswamper said:

Were you able to know the cabin number before agreeing?

No, least expensive mini suite, MF category 

[coops]

On 2/11/2023 at 8:50 PM, lbfluffy said:

No, least expensive mini suite, MF category 

Hopefully it is not the ones up front that you can only use the balcony when in port. They lock the balcony when sailing so you can't go out. Let us know how it works out for you. 

[Colorado Coasty]

1 hour ago, coops said:

Hopefully it is not the ones up front that you can only use the balcony when in port. They lock the balcony when sailing so you can't go out. Let us know how it works out for you. 

That is not correct, you can use a forward facing balcony anytime.

 

 

 

 

[suekel]

3 hours ago, coops said:

Hopefully it is not the ones up front that you can only use the balcony when in port. They lock the balcony when sailing so you can't go out. Let us know how it works out for you. 

They do not lock the balcony.  I've had these twice and out of 25 days,  only 1 was it unusable. 

[donswife]

On 2/5/2023 at 1:01 PM, lbfluffy said:

We are sailing on the Royal on March 2nd. I looked at the bidding for an upgrade, and it wanted $180 pp. So I decided to call to find out what I could get. I asked the sales department how much for a mini suite. The rep said total $276 for a mini suite guarantee. We jumped on it. We moved from our balcony cabin to the mini suite. We are quite pleased. We had a mini suite on the Majestic and loved it.

So where did you end up?  I am taking my MIL on the Royal in April.  We have a midship obstructed balcony cabin.  I really wanted the loveseat but didn't want to pay for a minisuite. The location will be perfect for her.

[cjpj]

9 hours ago, donswife said:

So where did you end up?  I am taking my MIL on the Royal in April.  We have a midship obstructed balcony cabin.  I really wanted the loveseat but didn't want to pay for a minisuite. The location will be perfect for her.

Deluxe rooms have the sofa/loveseat in all categories. 

[coops]

13 hours ago, Colorado Coasty said:

That is not correct, you can use a forward facing balcony anytime.

 

 

 

 

That's good to know as I have read that those large mini suite balconys are great to have except for when sailing. Thank you for letting me know .

[coops]

11 hours ago, suekel said:

They do not lock the balcony.  I've had these twice and out of 25 days,  only 1 was it unusable. 

Why was the 1 unusable? Glad to hear they are not locked when sailing. Thanks

[Coral]

I posted on the bidding/upgrade thread.

 

I have a minisuite on my next trip. The cost to bid for an upgrade to a suite is more than the cost to just call Princess and upgrade. It is bizarre.

 

I am glad @lbfluffy noticed that also. For me - I am happy with my minisuite and won't be upgrading to the suite but the numbers just didn't add up. This is my first bidding exposure as my November TA was not included in the roll out.

 

@lbfluffyEnjoy your cabin! 🙂 

Edited March 11, 2023 by Coral

[suekel]

26 minutes ago, coops said:

Why was the 1 unusable? Glad to hear they are not locked when sailing. Thanks

Just the wind and light rain

[donswife]

6 hours ago, cjpj said:

Deluxe rooms have the sofa/loveseat in all categories. 

Yes. I left out the word Deluxe in my post. We got a midship Deluxe obstructed with a larger balcony.  And from what I have read, the only obstruction is looking down