RoyalUp Room Upgrades on a Back-to-Back Cruise: One Offer for Each Leg

RoyalUp is Royal Caribbean’s bid-based room upgrade. It works on one booking at a time, so a back-to-back means thinking about each leg separately. Here is what the terms say.

RoyalUp lets you name the price you would pay to move to a better room, and Royal Caribbean decides whether to accept it. It is tied to one booking. On a back-to-back each leg is its own booking, so each leg has its own invitation, its own offer and its own answer. Nothing we found says an upgrade on leg one carries to leg two.

How RoyalUp works

• You have to be invited. The terms say Royal Caribbean picks the cruises, sail dates and room types that take part, and it emails an invitation to the booking. Not every booking is picked, and the line does not promise an invitation. You can also enter your last name and reservation number on the RoyalUp page to see if your cruise is eligible.
• You bid an amount per person. The amount is for the whole cruise and is on top of what you already paid. It is charged for the first and second guests only. A single guest is charged the double amount.
• You can bid on more than one room type. The page says bidding on several raises your chances, and you only pay for one.
• Royal Caribbean decides. It can accept or turn down any bid, even if a room is free. If it does not accept, you keep your room and pay nothing extra. The FAQ says a bid can be accepted any time from when you send it until 1 day before sailing.
• You do not pick the exact room. The cabin number depends on what is free. The FAQ says you may end up on a lower deck, and a room with a view may be slightly blocked.

Money and refunds

• You are charged when the bid is accepted. If that is more than 24 hours before sailing, it goes on the card you gave. Inside 24 hours it can go on your onboard account.
• Accepted means final. The FAQ says you cannot reject an upgrade once accepted, and the amount is non-refundable. The terms list exceptions: Royal Caribbean cancels the cruise, or you cancel the booking. One FAQ answer says no refund even if you cancel the booking, so the pages disagree. Ask before you rely on a refund.
• Tips can go up. A better room can carry a higher daily gratuity. The bid does not include it, and the difference is added for all guests. The screen shows the total before you submit.
• Loyalty points do not change. Crown and Anchor points are earned at the room type you first bought, not the upgrade.
• Offers on your original booking stay. The upgraded room does not get promotions the new room type would have had if booked that way.

The pages also differ on the last day to change a bid. The FAQ says you can change or cancel up to 2 days before departure, if the bid is not yet pending or accepted. The terms say up to 12 hours before. Plan on the earlier date.

What it means for two legs

The FAQ says that if you hold two reservations, you send two separate bids and they are judged on their own. The line cannot promise both are upgraded, and if only one is, you cannot move guests into the upgraded room. The terms add that rooms booked together may not be next to each other. Our reading: you could get an upgrade on one leg and not the other, and so end up in two different rooms. That matters on turnaround day, because a room change means packing and moving.

If you cancel one leg, see cancelling one leg of a back-to-back for the rest. The terms say an upgrade is cancelled with the booking it belongs to.

Plan for it

1. Make sure each leg has the email address you check. The invitation goes to the one on the booking.
2. Use the RoyalUp page with the last name and reservation number of each leg to see if it is eligible.
3. Decide an amount you are happy to pay and treat it as final. Accepted bids cannot be taken back.
4. Ask for the same room on both legs when you book, if you want to avoid a move. An upgrade on only one leg can break that.
5. Use legtolegcruises.com to find the two legs.

Sources

The legtolegcruises.com Logbook is independent editorial and is not affiliated with Royal Caribbean International or Club Royale. Offers, fares, and program rules vary and change often; confirm every detail with Royal Caribbean before you book.