RoyalUP? (Bid for stateroom upgrade)

[island lady]

Our bid was denied by email for our cruise this week...got the email this morning on DAY TWO!!  

 

Nice timing RCI.  😖

[OnTheJourney]

9 minutes ago, island lady said:

got the email this morning on DAY TWO!!  

 

That's crazy. Don't they have to complete and issue the winning bids prior to the cruise departing? Doesn't make sense. I can just see them telling someone that they have to vacate their room (once the cruise is underway) because their bid for an upgrade was successful! 

[jonj]

12 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

Thing I don't like is not knowing where you'll wind up. I considered bidding on a 2-bedroom GS (currently in a GS) and I'd love having any of the ones that are mid-ships since my room is a bit forward of mid-ship, but I checked the deck plans and see that there are two all the way aft. No interest in being there due to greater motion issues. No guarantee of which one I'd get (if I'd even get it). Same problems with the categories above GS - don't like the locations. I don't recall ever getting one of these offers before. 

If location is important then I would say do not bid. Once a bid is accepted you have to take what they give you, no changing or going back on it. 

[OnTheJourney]

J....yeah I noticed that. Think I'll stay where I'm currently scheduled. 

[Biker19]

21 minutes ago, island lady said:

got the email this morning on DAY TWO!!  

Was the email dated today? The latest I heard before was late night on sail away day.

[island lady]

1 hour ago, Biker19 said:

Was the email dated today? The latest I heard before was late night on sail away day.

 

RCI dated for last night at 7 pm, but I did not get until this morning.  Know that for sure as I had the usual insomnia checking emails at 4 am this morning.  This came in after we got back from breakfast this morning. 

 

Either way...late at night on day one...or next morning on day two.  Like that timing does you any good.  They need to let us know as they state..."up to three hours before sail away".   Not overnight after being unpacked and sleeping in the bed. 😮 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 3, 2022 by island lady

[Biker19]

10 minutes ago, island lady said:

RCI dated for last night at 7 pm, but I did not get until this morning.

Yes, that's the timing others have reported. So it's usually 6-8PM on the day before or sailaway day you get the denial emails.

[island lady]

2 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Yes, that's the timing others have reported. So it's usually 6-8PM on the day before or sailaway day you get the denial emails.

 

The day before would have been perfect, and would make sense......but after you are already on board, after you are unpacked, after dinner...and possibly already sleeping in the original cabin??!!  😣

 

 

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, island lady said:

and possibly already sleeping in the original cabin??!!  😣

 

Maybe Plusgrade is inheriting RCI's IT issues.

 

Biker, whose next door neighbor on Anthem upgraded the day after sail away.

[island lady]

3 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Maybe Plusgrade is inheriting RCI's IT issues.

 

Biker, whose next door neighbor on Anthem upgraded the day after sail away.

 

Agree...it sure does not make sense for them to wait that long.  

 

Your neighbor on Anthem then had to repack and move.  And anyone that would have received his original cabin as another upgrade would have to do the same...PLUS wait for that cabin to be cleaned.  

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 3, 2022 by island lady

[long4acruise]

1 hour ago, island lady said:

 

Agree...it sure does not make sense for them to wait that long.  

 

Your neighbor on Anthem then had to repack and move.  And anyone that would have received his original cabin as another upgrade would have to do the same...PLUS wait for that cabin to be cleaned.  

 

 

 

 

 

On Enchantment NYE - Jan 8th cruise.  Several friends were unable to make it (non-Covid), canceled 3+ days prior but noticed their JS cabins are empty!  Heard several say they'd bidded on a JS upgrade but never heard successful or unsuccessful.

We're in a JS, put a nice bid in over a month ago for a GS just for the heck to see if accepted.  Denied mid-day on Day 2!  I did my usual deck walks abd noticed there are several unoccupied Suites.  Hmm, is RoyalUp not working well or is it RC IT issues? A missed op for RC to increase revenue 

[Starry Eyes]

1 hour ago, island lady said:

 

The day before would have been perfect, and would make sense......but after you are already on board, after you are unpacked, after dinner...and possibly already sleeping in the original cabin??!!  😣

 

 

If the time came that you considered an upgrade more trouble than it was worth, perhaps cancel the bid yourself (assuming it was not locked).  
Given the current situation, late cancellations are likely occurring (positive pre-boarding test or new symptoms or positive close contact).  If the cancellation is an upper level suite, it could create a long cascade of paid upgrades.  While you might not want to be bothered the day before, somebody else might be thrilled to get word of an upgrade even on the day of sailing.  Granted, I would generally not to repack (though maybe for the right upgrade I would be happy even then).  People seem to participate in the “win a suite for rest of cruise” bingo, do some people are willing to repack and move.

[Cruise a holic]

14 minutes ago, long4acruise said:

On Enchantment NYE - Jan 8th cruise.  Several friends were unable to make it (non-Covid), canceled 3+ days prior but noticed their JS cabins are empty!  Heard several say they'd bidded on a JS upgrade but never heard successful or unsuccessful.

We're in a JS, put a nice bid in over a month ago for a GS just for the heck to see if accepted.  Denied mid-day on Day 2!  I did my usual deck walks abd noticed there are several unoccupied Suites.  Hmm, is RoyalUp not working well or is it RC IT issues? A missed op for RC to increase revenue 

We had a crown loft that we were supposed to have on our oasis of the seas cruise yesterday. Someone got a move up special.  Next week we had a star class panoramic suite    We had to cancel both

[island lady]

OK...after all that....this is the end result:

 

Yes, got the denial email on day 2.   On boarding, since my upbid was still showing as "pending" I went to GS desk.  She told me "If it is showing Pending, you did not get the upgrade".  I told her we are supposed to get the actual denial email.  She looked at me blankly, and said "no you don't get a denial email".   Ummm...OK.  

 

So, I asked her.  Do you have any Grand Suites that were not taken?  She said, most probably yes, but won't know for sure until after we push away and are under sail.   OK.."how much to upgrade from JS to GS?"  600.00.   "Don't unpack...come back and see me after sail away".   Was during dinner we had late sail away, back to GS to check on it.   

 

Granted upgrade with 600.00 charge.  Happy we did not unpack, simple to just move everything at 8 pm to new cabin.  

 

The kicker?   I had bid 500 per person for the GS.  Total of 1,000.    So I got the denial overnight, but actually got the cabin for 600.  Go figure.  😉  Score Island Lady...minus 400 RCI.  😄 

[suesnake2002]

I am 70 something days from sailing. I have balcony guarantee. Peeps on roll call got upgrade offer already. 

I know i can just go to upgrade website, plug in my resv # and name and viola, bid site comes up. 

But not this time. It says i must be 30 days within sailing. Or check my info. Info is correct. Is this 30 day thing because of unassigned room, or covid??

[Trailcon]

My Royal Up bids were canceled when my XB cabin was assigned for the 1/20/22 Anthem cruise.  I had to resubmit my bids.

[RFerrington]

26 minutes ago, suesnake2002 said:

I am 70 something days from sailing. I have balcony guarantee. Peeps on roll call got upgrade offer already. 

I know i can just go to upgrade website, plug in my resv # and name and viola, bid site comes up. 

But not this time. It says i must be 30 days within sailing. Or check my info. Info is correct. Is this 30 day thing because of unassigned room, or covid??

It might have something to do with  your guarantee booking or it might be that your booking will not be eligible for an RoyalUp offer this time.  Not every booking is offered RoyalUp.

[publicpersona]

6 hours ago, island lady said:

RCI dated for last night at 7 pm, but I did not get until this morning.

 

There may be a technical explanation for this. A bug related to the year change to 2022 plagued Microsoft Exchange mail servers around the world over the weekend, causing messages to hairball in the transport queue until the bug was fixed.

 

Now we know from many data points in this thread that bid loss messages routinely aren't sent until later than expected, but as to the specific case of a message being delay half a day after being sent, the bug is likely the explanation.

[Biker19]

2 hours ago, publicpersona said:

 

There may be a technical explanation for this. A bug related to the year change to 2022 plagued Microsoft Exchange mail servers around the world over the weekend, causing messages to hairball in the transport queue until the bug was fixed.

 

Now we know from many data points in this thread that bid loss messages routinely aren't sent until later than expected, but as to the specific case of a message being delay half a day after being sent, the bug is likely the explanation.

Folks have been reporting the denial emails arriving on the night of sail away for months - that started after cruising restart- no such reports pre March 2020. 

[davekathy]

6 hours ago, island lady said:

OK...after all that....this is the end result:

 

Yes, got the denial email on day 2.   On boarding, since my upbid was still showing as "pending" I went to GS desk.  She told me "If it is showing Pending, you did not get the upgrade".  I told her we are supposed to get the actual denial email.  She looked at me blankly, and said "no you don't get a denial email".   Ummm...OK.  

 

So, I asked her.  Do you have any Grand Suites that were not taken?  She said, most probably yes, but won't know for sure until after we push away and are under sail.   OK.."how much to upgrade from JS to GS?"  600.00.   "Don't unpack...come back and see me after sail away".   Was during dinner we had late sail away, back to GS to check on it.   

 

Granted upgrade with 600.00 charge.  Happy we did not unpack, simple to just move everything at 8 pm to new cabin.  

 

The kicker?   I had bid 500 per person for the GS.  Total of 1,000.    So I got the denial overnight, but actually got the cabin for 600.  Go figure.  😉  Score Island Lady...minus 400 RCI.  😄 

Right on. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Good thing you didn't cancel the bid yourself. Nice roll of the dice. 🎲🎲🍷

 

 

 

[publicpersona]

1 hour ago, Biker19 said:

Folks have been reporting the denial emails arriving on the night of sail away for months - that started after cruising restart- no such reports pre March 2020. 

 

I wrote that second paragraph to make it clear I knew that and wasn't talking about their letting people know after sail away. I was talking about the discrepancy between when that email was sent and when it was received.

[island lady]

6 hours ago, davekathy said:

Right on. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Good thing you didn't cancel the bid yourself. Nice roll of the dice. 🎲🎲🍷

 

 

 

 

Thanks!  It was interesting doing the "RCI two step", but it worked in my favor.  RCI lost out on that higher bid I would have paid.  😉  

[island lady]

Royal up still states "up until 3 hours before sail away".   Sending us the denial well after sail away in the middle of the night...doesn't cut it.  

 

Naturally I have will something to post on my survey.  😉 

[J&L~SetSail]

So...all of my additional offers say expired.  The upgrade I really want still says pending and it can't be modified.  Is this a good sign?

[ticketsunlimited]

5 minutes ago, J&L~SetSail said:

So...all of my additional offers say expired.  The upgrade I really want still says pending and it can't be modified.  Is this a good sign?

Yes my last to upgrades did the same thing.  Good Luck!!

What ship and sailing are you doing?