Royal Caribbean just gave cruisers a whole new way to score premium extras for less. The Royal Caribbean RoyalUp expansion, called RoyalUp Experience, extends the line’s popular bidding system well beyond stateroom upgrades, now covering onboard casitas, daybeds, and private cabanas at Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Most cruisers already know RoyalUp as the program that lets you bid on a stateroom upgrade after booking, sometimes landing a suite for a fraction of its listed price. Royal Caribbean built its reputation on that system by treating unsold inventory as a resource rather than a loss, and the same logic now applies to premium onboard and destination experiences.
Here’s how the expanded bidding actually works. Guests receive an email offering eligible experiences tied to their upcoming sailing, browse the available options, and decide how much they’re willing to pay for each one. You can place multiple bids across different experiences, and you’re never charged unless the cruise line accepts your specific offer and confirms the upgrade. Bids can also be withdrawn or modified at any time before they’re accepted, giving you real flexibility right up until the moment a deal locks in.
On Icon-class ships, that means bidding on the ship’s adults-only Hideaway area, specifically its private casitas and two different daybed styles. At Perfect Day at CocoCay, eligible experiences include beach beds and cabanas across several sought-after locations, including South Beach, Breezy Bay, and Chill Island.
A few important rules are worth understanding before you dive in. Bidding amounts apply per experience, not per person, which makes a successful bid considerably more attractive for families or groups planning to share a cabana or daybed together. Pricing and availability also aren’t fixed. They vary by ship, sailing date, and even which day of your cruise you’re bidding for, with some reports suggesting daybed bids run cheaper on embarkation and port days compared to sea days, when demand for prime beach real estate is highest.
Once your RoyalUp Cabanas offer is accepted, your card gets charged immediately, and the purchase is treated as final. If you need to cancel after acceptance, you’ll have to call Royal Caribbean directly at least 24 hours before departure, or visit the Shore Excursions desk onboard at least 48 hours prior, to be eligible for a full refund. Simply changing your mind after your bid wins isn’t an automatic cancellation option the way an unaccepted bid is.
It’s also worth knowing that RoyalUp Cabana offers can’t be combined with Future Cruise Credits or Onboard Credit, since payment runs through a credit card provided directly at the time of bidding. And if you’re traveling as part of a larger group with multiple reservations, expect each booking to receive and be evaluated on its own separate offer. Royal Caribbean can’t guarantee that every cabana or daybed in your party will be accepted, or that they’ll end up located near each other even if they are.
This expansion connects directly to a broader strategy Royal Caribbean Group highlighted in its most recent earnings report, where leadership specifically pointed to growing pre-cruise purchases and onboard spending as a key driver of revenue. Giving guests more ways to bid on premium experiences before they even step onboard fits neatly into that push, turning unsold cabanas and daybeds into an active revenue opportunity rather than empty inventory.
For cruisers who’ve always wanted the CocoCay cabana experience but balked at full price, or who love the idea of an Icon-class casita without committing to the sticker price upfront, this expanded RoyalUp program is genuinely worth watching. Since these expanded bidding offers are currently being sent selectively rather than to every guest on every sailing, keep a close eye on the email address tied to your reservation as your cruise date approaches, and compare any offer against current Cruise Planner pricing before deciding what the experience is really worth to you.
