Can you change or upgrade a stateroom after booking your cruise?
It might feel like your stateroom choice is a significant decision, one that will set your cruise experience in stone.
Whether you want to save money with an interior cabin, feel the ocean breeze in a balcony stateroom, or enjoy luxury in an elegant suite, choosing a stateroom is a big deal.
A cruise cabin becomes your home for the length of the sailing, so picking one that fits your travel needs is essential.
Desires can also change throughout the process of preparing for a cruise.
Maybe you want to splurge on a bigger room, change the location, or try a different stateroom category.
Whatever the reason, it is possible to change your stateroom, even if you've already made your final payment.
Here's how you can do so.
Read more: How to upgrade your cabin on Royal Caribbean
Changing your cruise cabin
Assuming there's unbooked cabins for your sailing, if you wish to change your cruise cabin, you can do so anytime before the sail date by contacting your travel agent.
If you do not have a travel agent, call Royal Caribbean customer service at 866-562-7625. They will assist you as best they can with finding and booking a new stateroom.
If your desired stateroom is an upgrade from the previous category, you can expect it to be repriced and any promotions from the original booking would be lost to the current promotions.
Any previous payments or deposits you've made will apply to the new prices, but you'll have to pay the difference.
When your new stateroom costs more than the previous one for any reason, you'll have to pay the difference.
If you're choosing the same room category, you'll switch at no extra charge.
The cost of changing your room will be the difference between your current booking and the cost of the prevailing rate for the new stateroom.
It's important to remember that you will not receive any refunds if you're changing staterooms after the final payment has been made. Even if your new stateroom costs less than the previous one, you won't receive any of your money back.
Additionally, Royal Caribbean has many offers that change frequently.
If you booked your cabin with a particular sale or offer, you may lose the booking incentives of that offer.
Prices fluctuate constantly, so when changing rooms, Royal Caribbean will use the current rate of the new cabin on the day that you change it.
This new stateroom price will determine the fare difference.
Last-minute rates can also be quite high, so you should be prepared to pay an extra cost for changing your room, even if you're staying within the same stateroom category.
Finding a stateroom
Of course, changing your stateroom also depends on there being unsold cabins left to switch to.
Most cruise ships sail completely full, so you can expect staterooms to sell out in the weeks before the cruise.
Read more: How full is my cruise ship: How to tell if your cruise is fully booked
The closer to the cruise you attempt to change your room, the fewer options you'll have available.
If you're wondering which cabins are available to switch to, you can go to the Royal Caribbean website and begin a mock booking.
In the booking process, select your desired stateroom category, and the screen will show you exactly what cabins are still available.
If you see any that suit your preferences, you can close the fake booking and proceed to call Royal Caribbean or your travel agent to begin the process of switching to that cabin.
Bid for a RoyalUp upgrade
If you specifically want to upgrade your cruise cabin, another option is to make a bid for it.
Royal Caribbean has a bidding program that allows you to bid for a higher cabin category, called the RoyalUp program.
With this blind bidding program, you can place a bid for cabins that cost more than the one you previously booked.
Essentially, cruisers can bid on a possible range of prices you'd be willing to pay.
Using the Royal Caribbean website, you'll browse through the available stateroom categories and select the amount you'd be willing to pay for each upgrade.
Read more: RoyalUp tips & tricks
When you make your bid, you'll enter your payment information. If you win the bid, your card will be automatically charged and you will be switched to the new stateroom.
It's important to note that this final charge is not refundable. If you win the bid, it becomes binding.
However, you can withdraw or cancel the bid before any decisions are approved.
Bids are accepted up to 2 days before embarkation day.
The benefit of using the RoyalUp program is that you can make a bid that is cheaper than the cost of simply upgrading to the cabin.
It's also easy to do; you merely select your bid from the Royal Caribbean website.
However, one downside is that it's a guessing game without any guarantee. You won't know if there are any cabins available to upgrade to, or what other cruisers are bidding for them.
It's purely based on luck.
You also won't be able to choose the cabin's location, if you are granted an upgrade.
Additionally, you cannot use the RoyalUp program to gain extra Crown and Anchor Society points. If you book a standard cabin originally, but make a bid and successfully move up to a suite, you'll still only receive one point per night of the cruise.
Can I change my room after I get on board?
We recommend that you book the category of room you desire, or try to change the cabin before your sail date.
It is possible but very unlikely that you'll be able to change your stateroom after you get onboard.
Royal Caribbean's website reads: "Because of the popularity of cruising almost all our rooms are occupied. It is very unlikely to be able to change or upgrade your room onboard."
Since the cruise line makes an effort to fill its ships each sailing, empty staterooms are rarely available.
However, if you still want to switch cabins when you get onboard, you can go to Guest Services to request this.
For the best chance, try to speak with them as soon as you get on board.
