The “RoyalUp” program of Royal Caribbean is a mirror-image of Norwegian Cruise Line's “Upgrade Advantage”. A letter that was sent to travel partners by the cruise line indicates the new system goes into place beginning on Wednesday, November 28.
Passengers eligible to bid will receive e-mails telling them which cabin categories are open to them, as well as what the minimum bid for each grade would be. Vacationers can bid on one or more cabin categories, as they will only be required to pay for whichever bid happens to be accepted. When placing a bid, this amount is per-person, based on double occupancy.
However, in case a bid is accepted, Royal Caribbean assigns a cabin in the new category, but guests won’t have the opportuniity to choose a location or change it. Those who are traveling with a group and already have a number of cabins booked, are not guaranteed that the bids of everyone will be accepted or, in case they are, that the new cabin assignments will be close to one another.
Bidding presents people with a chance to try something they might not otherwise afford. It can be a great way to go from an outside stateroom to a balcony at a relatively minimal price. However, those who are the type of traveler who needs to know where their stateroom will be, might not prefer it.