Royal Up with diamond level

[BND]

45 minutes ago, Tin can said:

 

You have done well, I have put in maximum bids a couple of times now and not won the upgrade.

 

In fact I have put bids in at nearly every level and not won those either so I have no idea how the algorithm works but whatever I am doing its not working for me 😀

Well, as long as you realize just because they offer a category up doesn't mean it's actually available.  It's really just a backup for them if someone cancels after final payment.  We've been offered bids on categories that are sold out, so the reality is, it doesn't mean anyone is winning a bid for a particular category as there may not be any cabins actually available.  Think of it as insurance for Royal.

[Engineroom Snipe]

39 minutes ago, Tin can said:

 

Yes I guess you are right, I wonder why they bother then with the process.

 

My maximum bids were for Grand Suites which I didnt win but then on the FB group for the cruise, which was pretty much sold out, lots of people won minimum bids for interiors to balconies. 

 

For this to work there has to be movement up the chain but if I'm not moving from my JS to a GS for a maximum bid then where do the balconies go that have to move for the interior winning bids.

 

Perhaps I am over thinking this 😀

 

 

 

During the pandemic, there were many last-minute cancellations. At the time, the cancellations were able to get Future Cruise Credits.

 

The Royal Up program was designed to mitigate the open cabins by getting a cascading action which generates revenue. A Grand Suite is vacant.  A Junior Suite pays for an upgrade to that room.

A balcony pays for an upgrade to the Junior Suite. An Oceanview pays for an upgrade to the balcony. An interior goes to an Oceanview. They are now only stuck with a vacant interior. 

 

Those are four transactions of additional revenue.

 

But you need vacate rooms to start the effect. High-capacity cruises have very few vacant rooms.

 

 

Edited January 19, 2023 by Engineroom Snipe
grammer

[parrotfeathers]

If RCL was that concerned with rewarding "status" they would not have invented Royal Up and would have continued giving away upgrades.

 

Last cruise I got upgrade to Owners Suite for minimum bid which was $100 PP I think. Those days for sure are gone.

[BecciBoo]

2 hours ago, Tin can said:

whatever I am doing its not working for me 

I believe the key is whether or not your particular ship is booked.  The bigger the ship, the more likely to have a few rooms unbooked.  Symphony was the one we won, Adventure and Vision, not!

[Engineroom Snipe]

5 hours ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

 

During the pandemic, there were many last-minute cancellations. At the time, the cancellations were able to get Future Cruise Credits.

 

The Royal Up program was designed to mitigate the open cabins by getting a cascading action which generates revenue. A Grand Suite is vacant.  A Junior Suite pays for an upgrade to that room.

A balcony pays for an upgrade to the Junior Suite. An Oceanview pays for an upgrade to the balcony. An interior goes to an Oceanview. They are now only stuck with a vacant interior. 

 

Those are four transactions of additional revenue.

 

But you need vacate rooms to start the effect. High-capacity cruises have very few vacant rooms.

 

 

 

As a follow up, NCL, which is a competitor to RCI lines, just gave a SEC disclosure. I mention NCL as to have some type of factual comparison to RCI and what appears to be their more aggressive actions to find "efficiencies" in their operations. 

 

NCL stated that they had 87% Occupancy during the 4th Quarter of 2022 (October, November, and December) which could be argued to be the least desirable time to sail due to historical weather patterns. NCL was not profitable for the year (to be expected) but surprisingly, they were not profitable that quarter at 87%! There was revenge travel going on and like RCI they had increased on board spending.

 

I do not see prices coming down soon (NCL) and I am expecting more decreases in service or amenities.

 

RCI would have less incentive to lower any existing prices or fares at this time due to a competitor like NCL undercutting them and taking away potential RCI customers.

 

As of December 31, 2022, NCL stated they have over 62% occupancy booked for the year 2033.

 

 

[Starry Eyes]

14 minutes ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

 

As a follow up, NCL, which is a competitor to RCI lines, just gave a SEC disclosure. I mention NCL as to have some type of factual comparison to RCI and what appears to be their more aggressive actions to find "efficiencies" in their operations. 

 

NCL stated that they had 87% Occupancy during the 4th Quarter of 2022 (October, November, and December) which could be argued to be the least desirable time to sail due to historical weather patterns. NCL was not profitable for the year (to be expected) but surprisingly, they were not profitable that quarter at 87%! There was revenge travel going on and like RCI they had increased on board spending.

 

I do not see prices coming down soon (NCL) and I am expecting more decreases in service or amenities.

 

RCI would have less incentive to lower any existing prices or fares at this time due to a competitor like NCL undercutting them and taking away potential RCI customers.

 

As of December 31, 2022, NCL stated they have over 62% occupancy booked for the year 2033.

 

 

I had the impression NCL was choosing not to cut prices aggressively to fill their ships after the restart.  When I looked NCL prices were never cheap at my local port. I do not think NCL was undercutting its competitors; one might argue the opposite.  Royal was more willing to cut prices aggressively, thus Royal filled their ships.  
 

I think NCL still has refundable deposits and with shipboard sales transferable deposit certificates.  Those future bookings are not locked in.  Of course, I personally like refundable deposits. I’m just saying people who commit to a NRD are making a firmer commitment,

Edited January 19, 2023 by Starry Eyes

[Engineroom Snipe]

2 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

I had the impression NCL was choosing not to cut prices aggressively to fill their ships after the restart.  When I looked NCL prices were never cheap at my local port. I do not think NCL was undercutting its competitors; one might argue the opposite.  Royal was more willing to cut prices aggressively, thus Royal filled their ships.  
 

I think NCL still has refundable deposits and with shipboard sales transferable deposit certificates.  Those future bookings are not locked in.  Of course, I personally like refundable deposits. I’m just saying people who commit to a NRD are making a firmer commitment,

 

Good observations. The opposite being that maybe NCL lost customers to RCI. 🤔

[Starry Eyes]

14 minutes ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

 

Good observations. The opposite being that maybe NCL lost customers to RCI. 🤔

I think so.  Before the shutdown, we did interspersed the occasional NCL cruise with our RCI cruises.  Different menu, different shows, different venues at a good price.  After the shutdown, every time I looked RCI seemed a better value than NCL.  Maybe I missed some deals, but that’s what I’ve seen   Since Royal put more ships at our closest port (PC), it has been easy to just move among Royal ships.

[Shocked91]

Royal up has nothing to do with being diamond. It’s done through a third party.

[Engineroom Snipe]

3 hours ago, Shocked91 said:

Royal up has nothing to do with being diamond. It’s done through a third party.

 

Agreed. There are many offshoots of the first posting.

[Engineroom Snipe]

3 hours ago, Shocked91 said:

Royal up has nothing to do with being diamond. It’s done through a third party.

 

The most important item is how many rooms are vacant that are eligible to be in the Royal Up program?