Was your 'Royal Up' a thumbs down?

[Averick]

I just won a royal up today. It's from a mid-ship balcony stateroom (ocean viewing) to a Junior Suite facing aft with a connecting door.

I'm quite disappointed. I learned (from calling Royal) - they put all their unattractive rooms which tend to be harder to sell on Royal Up.

Here's the kicker - i would have taken minus the connecting door. Obv you can't go back to your previous room. They told me if i wanted it, i'd have to pay more.

 

My thing is my upgrade is not really an upgrade. Maybe more room? But for an aft view, far from an elevator on a low floor with a connecting door. Not good.

 

This cruise is on Aug 21 from Copenhagen. 

When i found this out today - i cancelled my Royal Up bid on Wonder of the Seas on Sept 1 from Rome. I only have a central park balcony there - but i don't want to risk getting a random room far from an elevator with another connecting door.

 

Has anyone else experienced this? Yes, i know you never know what you get - but .. this was a thumbs down.

 

Any tips, feel free to chime in. thanks!

 

[smokeybandit]

That's definitely an upgrade.

[Husky1987]

5 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

That's definitely an upgrade.

It really is.

 

Like most have said on here....if you're going to be unhappy with the worst location of the upgrade category you're bidding on, don't chance it.

[BirdTravels]

15 minutes ago, Averick said:

I just won a royal up today. It's from a mid-ship balcony stateroom (ocean viewing) to a Junior Suite facing aft with a connecting door.

 

Any tips, feel free to chime in. thanks!

This is a super upgrade.👍👍👍

 

Zero idea what the problem is. Most people pay a premium price for a aft-facing room... and a JS to add. SCORE!!!!

Edited July 30, 2022 by BirdTravels

[rrraydon]

An aft facing suite...are you kidding me??? That's a great upgrade!

[Averick]

27 minutes ago, Averick said:

I just won a royal up today. It's from a mid-ship balcony stateroom (ocean viewing) to a Junior Suite facing aft with a connecting door.

I'm quite disappointed. I learned (from calling Royal) - they put all their unattractive rooms which tend to be harder to sell on Royal Up.

Here's the kicker - i would have taken minus the connecting door. Obv you can't go back to your previous room. They told me if i wanted it, i'd have to pay more.

 

My thing is my upgrade is not really an upgrade. Maybe more room? But for an aft view, far from an elevator on a low floor with a connecting door. Not good.

 

This cruise is on Aug 21 from Copenhagen. 

When i found this out today - i cancelled my Royal Up bid on Wonder of the Seas on Sept 1 from Rome. I only have a central park balcony there - but i don't want to risk getting a random room far from an elevator with another connecting door.

 

Has anyone else experienced this? Yes, i know you never know what you get - but .. this was a thumbs down.

 

Any tips, feel free to chime in. thanks!

 

The aft facing one is not the upgrade.. the upgrade is at the back (but not facing back) - with a connecting door. 

[brillohead]

For starters, no, they don't hold back the "unattractive" rooms for RoyalUp -- they just use the program to sell whatever didn't sell before.

A Junior Suite is absolutely an upgrade over a regular balcony room. 

And a room with a connecting door is actually more expensive than a room without a connecting door, so that, too, is an upgrade.  

If you aren't happy with a room that is far from the elevators, then why on earth would you submit a RoyalUp bid, knowing that the assigned room could literally be almost anywhere on the ship????

What is considered an "upgrade" is typically price.  So any category that is more expensive than the category you originally paid for is considered an upgrade.  What one person considers a "better" room might be what another person considers to be a "worse" room.  

It sounds like you didn't consider that the RoyalUp program is basically like booking a GTY room, but that's on you, not on Royal.  

[brillohead]

46 minutes ago, Averick said:

The aft facing one is not the upgrade.. the upgrade is at the back (but not facing back) - with a connecting door. 

I'm not understanding you -- your first post said:

 

1 hour ago, Averick said:

I just won a royal up today. It's from a mid-ship balcony stateroom (ocean viewing) to a Junior Suite facing aft with a connecting door.

 

So how is it "facing aft" in the first post but "not facing back" in the follow-up post?????

[Biker19]

6 hours ago, Averick said:

Any tips, feel free to chime in. thanks!

There may be some other suites available to move to still available now or when you board. You could even maybe ask to be “downgraded “ to a J4 elsewhere. 

[firefly333]

I'm a huge fan of aft facing. For me was worth the extra walk. I considered it a special cabin.

 

As far as some rep saying they put all their unattractive cabins hard to sell on royal up. I doubt any rel said those words. That's how you took it. Which cabins are unsold varies from one week to another. 

 

I had a balcony not even a JS facing the aft and was delighted. 

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

I'm also a bit confused as to whether it's actually aft facing or just located in the aft of the ship ... if it's aft facing then OH MY GOODNESS YES, that is prime real estate!

 

That said, it's your opinion that matters. If there are other JS available on that sailing, you can sometimes switch to a different one if you call Royal and don't mention the whole Royal Up scenario.  Just say "Hey, I'm in Junior Suite XYZ and I'd like to move to Junior Suite ABC." Doesn't always work, but worth a try if you're that unhappy with your upgrade. 

[OCSC Mike]

Moral of the story...

 

Look up the cabin locations of any category before you bid. If any are so undesirable that you determine the risk isn't worth it, don't bid on that category.

Edited July 30, 2022 by OCSC Mike

[John&LaLa]

6 hours ago, brillohead said:

For starters, no, they don't hold back the "unattractive" rooms for RoyalUp -- they just use the program to sell whatever didn't sell before.

A Junior Suite is absolutely an upgrade over a regular balcony room. 

And a room with a connecting door is actually more expensive than a room without a connecting door, so that, too, is an upgrade.  

If you aren't happy with a room that is far from the elevators, then why on earth would you submit a RoyalUp bid, knowing that the assigned room could literally be almost anywhere on the ship????

What is considered an "upgrade" is typically price.  So any category that is more expensive than the category you originally paid for is considered an upgrade.  What one person considers a "better" room might be what another person considers to be a "worse" room.  

It sounds like you didn't consider that the RoyalUp program is basically like booking a GTY room, but that's on you, not on Royal.  

 

Only an upgrade if you want it, and then only if you can get the pair. 😉

[John&LaLa]

6 hours ago, brillohead said:

I'm not understanding you -- your first post said:

 

 

So how is it "facing aft" in the first post but "not facing back" in the follow-up post?????

 

Confused as well

[island lady]

There are a lot of unsold CLS cabins on my next Harmony Sept. cruise.   A few on each side, and every single one of the aft facing CLS is still available.  

 

I won't bid on those...knowing I could get stuck with one of the aft facing CLS.  Those (IMHO) are awful.  No privacy on the balconies, blaring loud punk music, loud noise from the sports court and mini bites below...with no view down to the waves below us.  

 

I would always check to see what cabins are still showing available before I bid.  Check the worst cabins in each cat.....to see if you could live with it.  

 

Royal up is a gamble.  

[vjmatty]

7 minutes ago, island lady said:

There are a lot of unsold CLS cabins on my next Harmony Sept. cruise.   A few on each side, and every single one of the aft facing CLS is still available.  

 

I won't bid on those...knowing I could get stuck with one of the aft facing CLS.  Those (IMHO) are awful.  No privacy on the balconies, blaring loud punk music, loud noise from the sports court and mini bites below...with no view down to the waves below us.  

 

I would always check to see what cabins are still showing available before I bid.  Check the worst cabins in each cat.....to see if you could live with it.  

 

Royal up is a gamble.  

The last time I saw Royal Up bids for CLS, the minimum bid was the same as the cost to upgrade from JS. This was on Oasis rather than Harmony, but it may be worth looking into if there are still ocean side cabins available. 

[island lady]

5 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

The last time I saw Royal Up bids for CLS, the minimum bid was the same as the cost to upgrade from JS. This was on Oasis rather than Harmony, but it may be worth looking into if there are still ocean side cabins available. 

 

Thanks...though I already knew that would not be the case.  

 

We are on Harmony in Sept., currently in a nice hump JS.  (which I hesitate to change).   

 

Minimum upgrade to bid Royal Up:   Total 1680 for two pax.  

 

Going from the price I paid at 4121....to current price of 7400....difference of 3149.   And that is with FL, senior, military, and Pinnacle discount.  Not worth it to me for just one week.  

 

But again..thanks anyway.  🙂 

[vjmatty]

1 hour ago, island lady said:

 

Thanks...though I already knew that would not be the case.  

 

We are on Harmony in Sept., currently in a nice hump JS.  (which I hesitate to change).   

 

Minimum upgrade to bid Royal Up:   Total 1680 for two pax.  

 

Going from the price I paid at 4121....to current price of 7400....difference of 3149.   And that is with FL, senior, military, and Pinnacle discount.  Not worth it to me for just one week.  

 

But again..thanks anyway.  🙂 

 

Yeah that is a big difference, almost enough for another cruise.  And it isn't worth the risk of getting an aft facing CLS to take the chance on Royal Up.  Maybe a GS would be worth it since they tend to be in good spots.

 

 

[wdwkings]

10 hours ago, Averick said:

I just won a royal up today. It's from a mid-ship balcony stateroom (ocean viewing) to a Junior Suite facing aft with a connecting door.

I'm quite disappointed. I learned (from calling Royal) - they put all their unattractive rooms which tend to be harder to sell on Royal Up.

Here's the kicker - i would have taken minus the connecting door. Obv you can't go back to your previous room. They told me if i wanted it, i'd have to pay more.

 

My thing is my upgrade is not really an upgrade. Maybe more room? But for an aft view, far from an elevator on a low floor with a connecting door. Not good.

 

This cruise is on Aug 21 from Copenhagen. 

When i found this out today - i cancelled my Royal Up bid on Wonder of the Seas on Sept 1 from Rome. I only have a central park balcony there - but i don't want to risk getting a random room far from an elevator with another connecting door.

 

Has anyone else experienced this? Yes, i know you never know what you get - but .. this was a thumbs down.

 

Any tips, feel free to chime in. thanks!

 

Buyers remorse.

[wdwkings]

2 hours ago, island lady said:

There are a lot of unsold CLS cabins on my next Harmony Sept. cruise.   A few on each side, and every single one of the aft facing CLS is still available.  

 

I won't bid on those...knowing I could get stuck with one of the aft facing CLS.  Those (IMHO) are awful.  No privacy on the balconies, blaring loud punk music, loud noise from the sports court and mini bites below...with no view down to the waves below us.  

 

I would always check to see what cabins are still showing available before I bid.  Check the worst cabins in each cat.....to see if you could live with it.  

 

Royal up is a gamble.  

We got a Royal Up to the CLS on Harmony in May, knowing that aft facing was a risk.  We would never book one but I have to say it wasn’t as bad as I thought.  Especially in the morning, it didn’t seem like it impacted being out  on the veranda.  In the afternoons there was a bit more noise and action.  Just resorted to more people watching and it was OK.  Inside the room, no real noise or issues and having that two story suite was worth it.  

 

So unlike the OP’s make or break issues, were there things that were less attractive, yes, but were those issues the worst things in the world, no.  Complaining about upgrades to suites, even JS, really is a first world problem.

[vjmatty]

3 minutes ago, wdwkings said:

 Complaining about upgrades to suites, even JS, really is a first world problem.

 

This entire website is about first world problems.

[island lady]

51 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

 

Yeah that is a big difference, almost enough for another cruise.  And it isn't worth the risk of getting an aft facing CLS to take the chance on Royal Up.  Maybe a GS would be worth it since they tend to be in good spots.

 

 

 

Definitely....don't want to chance one of those aft CLS picks.  😮 

 

Not a fan of the GS cabins on Harmony, though we have done several...just really don't like that wall in the middle of the cabin.  Makes it feel closed in IMHO.   But we do enjoy the JS cabins on that ship.   Usually go with an OS...or side facing CLS on B2B cruises, but this is just a one week "fill in" in September for us.    

[reallyitsmema]

11 hours ago, Averick said:

I just won a royal up today. It's from a mid-ship balcony stateroom (ocean viewing) to a Junior Suite facing aft with a connecting door.

I'm quite disappointed. I learned (from calling Royal) - they put all their unattractive rooms which tend to be harder to sell on Royal Up.

Here's the kicker - i would have taken minus the connecting door. Obv you can't go back to your previous room. They told me if i wanted it, i'd have to pay more.

 

My thing is my upgrade is not really an upgrade. Maybe more room? But for an aft view, far from an elevator on a low floor with a connecting door. Not good.

 

This cruise is on Aug 21 from Copenhagen. 

When i found this out today - i cancelled my Royal Up bid on Wonder of the Seas on Sept 1 from Rome. I only have a central park balcony there - but i don't want to risk getting a random room far from an elevator with another connecting door.

 

Has anyone else experienced this? Yes, i know you never know what you get - but .. this was a thumbs down.

 

Any tips, feel free to chime in. thanks!

 

 

I would not want an aft facing balcony on Voyager unless it was on deck 10.  The JS on deck 6 and deck 7 are set way far back in the superstructure of the ship, not a great cabin.

 

You really need to consider the ship when bidding on Royal Up.  I would never place a bid on a JS for Voyager class ships or Freedom class ships specifically because of those deck 6 and 7 cabins.

 

I would not have cancelled bids on Wonder as I can not think of any cabin that would have similar issues.

[BecciBoo]

👎 because we originally had an excellent location mid- ship a few steps from the elevator, after our bid, we ended up way up towards the bow and it was too much walking for me going back and forth so much. So I don't think we'll be doing another.  Being able to pick exactly where we want to be is more important than a bigger cabin.

[fpcruiser]

That sounds like an awesome upgrade to me!!