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RoyalUP? (Bid for stateroom upgrade)

John&LaLa

By John&LaLa,
in Royal Caribbean International

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dacsmom

dacsmom

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 pages.

6 hours ago, A3hourtour said:

Just wondering if anyone has used the Royal Up bidding system yet?  Do you know if they're still doing the traditional call and offer upgrades at a discounted price?

I think you may find a few in the previous 97 pages. I have not seen any of the offers since the Royal Up program started.

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ndabunka

ndabunka

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21 hours ago, A3hourtour said:

Just wondering if anyone has used the Royal Up bidding system yet?  Do you know if they're still doing the traditional call and offer upgrades at a discounted price?

That answer IS in the prior posts.  NO, they do not do it the old way any longer.  ONLY option is to get the invitation and even then, you are restricted as to your options and your prices.  As an example, those who were already booked into suites got offered CLS or AS at reasonable "opening bid" prices.  Those of us in balconies on the same ship & same cruise date were only offered a JS @ a reasonable starting bid or the OS @ excessive ($2,200 total) "opening bid" price points.

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HighlandBoy

HighlandBoy

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9 hours ago, ndabunka said:

That answer IS in the prior posts.  NO, they do not do it the old way any longer.  ONLY option is to get the invitation and even then, you are restricted as to your options and your prices.  As an example, those who were already booked into suites got offered CLS or AS at reasonable "opening bid" prices.  Those of us in balconies on the same ship & same cruise date were only offered a JS @ a reasonable starting bid or the OS @ excessive ($2,200 total) "opening bid" price points.

 Not the only way. you can now check to see if you are eligible for an following the link below and filling in your details if sailing in the next 30 days.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/experience/cruise-room-upgrade?icid=bkdpgr_tctclp_ryl_lrdybk_cntntr_3278

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Ourusualbeach

Ourusualbeach

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10 hours ago, ndabunka said:

That answer IS in the prior posts.  NO, they do not do it the old way any longer.  ONLY option is to get the invitation and even then, you are restricted as to your options and your prices.  As an example, those who were already booked into suites got offered CLS or AS at reasonable "opening bid" prices.  Those of us in balconies on the same ship & same cruise date were only offered a JS @ a reasonable starting bid or the OS @ excessive ($2,200 total) "opening bid" price points.

To be fair the person you quoted most  likely started a new thread that was merged into this one.

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John&LaLa "Live from...." Rare

John&LaLa

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10 hours ago, ndabunka said:

That answer IS in the prior posts.  NO, they do not do it the old way any longer.  ONLY option is to get the invitation and even then, you are restricted as to your options and your prices.  As an example, those who were already booked into suites got offered CLS or AS at reasonable "opening bid" prices.  Those of us in balconies on the same ship & same cruise date were only offered a JS @ a reasonable starting bid or the OS @ excessive ($2,200 total) "opening bid" price points.

 

I hardly think $2,200 total to go from balcony to OS is excessive. List price is way higher.

 

Looking at Harmony in August

Balcony $3,200 total

Owner Suite $8,360 total

 

 

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ndabunka

ndabunka

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11 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

I hardly think $2,200 total to go from balcony to OS is excessive. List price is way higher.

 

Looking at Harmony in August

Balcony $3,200 total

Owner Suite $8,360 total

 

 

To me that is like comparing MSRP to discounted prices on a car.  After-the-fact upgrades aren't priced ANYWHERE near retail but your point is understood.  Some may be willing to pay $2,200 for the upgrade which is why RCI does it this way. 

As others have pointed out, they were able to "self" upgraded for a few hundred dollars to go from a Balcony to a Junior Suite from which point the upgrade to the Owner Suite (or others) was far more reasonable.  I guess it's just another example of how to play the game with the new rules.  Get yourself into a Junior Suite a cheaply as possible & then pay for the upgrade from there.

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John&LaLa "Live from...." Rare

John&LaLa

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10 minutes ago, ndabunka said:

To me that is like comparing MSRP to discounted prices on a car.  After-the-fact upgrades aren't priced ANYWHERE near retail but your point is understood.  Some may be willing to pay $2,200 for the upgrade which is why RCI does it this way. 

As others have pointed out, they were able to "self" upgraded for a few hundred dollars to go from a Balcony to a Junior Suite from which point the upgrade to the Owner Suite (or others) was far more reasonable.  I guess it's just another example of how to play the game with the new rules.  Get yourself into a Junior Suite a cheaply as possible & then pay for the upgrade from there.

 

I disagree on the MSRP reference.  This is the price, plus I think its within final payment.  

 

My point is that no matter when you book, the spread between OS and balcony on a 7 day cruise is way more than two grand.

 

I do agree that using the UP to score a suite can be cost effective,  but it's a gamble

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Dennis#1

Dennis#1

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16 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

....My point is that no matter when you book, the spread between OS and balcony on a 7 day cruise is way more than two grand.

 

I do agree that using the UP to score a suite can be cost effective,  but it's a gamble

Agree with both points.  

C2E80FA0-20ED-4F75-A9A3-DF612A7BFCA1.png.041620ff47fe39d62640aa175e9cfb76.png

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ndabunka

ndabunka

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23 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

I disagree on the MSRP reference.  This is the price, plus I think its within final payment.  

 

My point is that no matter when you book, the spread between OS and balcony on a 7 day cruise is way more than two grand.

 

I do agree that using the UP to score a suite can be cost effective,  but it's a gamble

Seeing past post it's apparent we don't see eye-to-eye on some things so no surprise but saying your "don't agree with the MSRP reference and then in the next sentence saying "this is the price" is contradicting yourself.  You see "the price is the price" IS THE SAME THING as saying MSRP.... It's what you have to pay to buy it at "book" and I DO agree that the MSRP price would be more than the $2,200 price point so we actually DO agree on that point.  Also please keep in mind that $2,200 is the LOWEST POSSIBLE cost for the bump from balcony.  There are no assurances that bid would be accepted by Royal in the end so the Royal up program is ALWAYS a gamble (so we do agree there as well...LOL).

 

Now, my point is that those of us that are looking at buying through the royal up or other methods, are seeking "discounted" prices...aka DEALS.  To you $2,200 may be a DEAL to go from a balcony to a OS & that's fine.  Nobody is saying you don't have a right to that opinion. 

THIS paragraph is my point....

Others already in suites that they may have gotten into cheaply or even FREE from casino programs, early bookers, Travel Agent deals have been able to get into that same OS suite or other similarly desirable cabins for far, far, FAR less than the Royal Up offers.  If you are trying to save money, the better approach may be to do as others in this thread pointed out they did by paying a small $300 or $400 fee to upgrade themselves into a JS and THEN to take advantage of a more discounted Royal Up bid to get themselves into an Owners Suite.  One of the posters in this thread basically did that approach and got into an OS for something like $700 TOTAL costs so that they did not have to pay the $2,200 "minimum" & I think that even you would agree that the extra leg work may make it worth saving $1,500 for the exact same upgrade.

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John&LaLa "Live from...." Rare

John&LaLa

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6 minutes ago, ndabunka said:

Seeing past post it's apparent we don't see eye-to-eye on some things so no surprise but saying your "don't agree with the MSRP reference and then in the next sentence saying "this is the price" is contradicting yourself.  You see "the price is the price" IS THE SAME THING as saying MSRP.... It's what you have to pay to buy it at "book" and I DO agree that the MSRP price would be more than the $2,200 price point so we actually DO agree on that point.  Also please keep in mind that $2,200 is the LOWEST POSSIBLE cost for the bump from balcony.  There are no assurances that bid would be accepted by Royal in the end so the Royal up program is ALWAYS a gamble (so we do agree there as well...LOL).

 

Now, my point is that those of us that are looking at buying through the royal up or other methods, are seeking "discounted" prices...aka DEALS.  To you $2,200 may be a DEAL to go from a balcony to a OS & that's fine.  Nobody is saying you don't have a right to that opinion. 

THIS paragraph is my point....

Others already in suites that they may have gotten into cheaply or even FREE from casino programs, early bookers, Travel Agent deals have been able to get into that same OS suite or other similarly desirable cabins for far, far, FAR less than the Royal Up offers.  If you are trying to save money, the better approach may be to do as others in this thread pointed out they did by paying a small $300 or $400 fee to upgrade themselves into a JS and THEN to take advantage of a more discounted Royal Up bid to get themselves into an Owners Suite.  One of the posters in this thread basically did that approach and got into an OS for something like $700 TOTAL costs so that they did not have to pay the $2,200 "minimum" & I think that even you would agree that the extra leg work may make it worth saving $1,500 for the exact same upgrade.

 

In my understanding MSRP is a totally fake number. That is why I disagree.

 

I'm quoting you actual prices.

 

Also, as far as I know, the cheap casino upgrades are history. This is what I hear from folks on the Casino Royale threads. UP is the new reality.

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sandebeach

sandebeach

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41 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

In my understanding MSRP is a totally fake number. That is why I disagree.

 

I'm quoting you actual prices.

 

Also, as far as I know, the cheap casino upgrades are history. This is what I hear from folks on the Casino Royale threads. UP is the new reality.

Totally agree on prices for casino upgrades, much more expensive this year to upgrade to a suite, than previous years. 

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grapau27

grapau27

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3 minutes ago, island lady said:

Boarding Mariner in the morning.  Never heard one peep from RCI one way or the other on my big.  Oh well, happy with my "hump out" JS anyway.  🙂 

Hope you both have a fantastic Cruise.

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molly361

molly361

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31 minutes ago, island lady said:

Boarding Mariner in the morning.  Never heard one peep from RCI one way or the other on my big.  Oh well, happy with my "hump out" JS anyway.  🙂 

You should get your rejection email tonight. Have fun

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grapau27

grapau27

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2 hours ago, island lady said:

 

Thanks!  We plan on it...my sister and her husband joining us.  🙂 I just finished packing, we head out in the morning.  

Sounds wonderful, I'm sure you will have a fantastic time.

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