One of the most popular add-on's for Perfect Day at CocoCay now has a new way to score one, potentially for less than full price.
Cabanas are among the most highly sought after extras at Royal Caribbean's private island because of how luxurious and amenity-rich they are.
Now, you can bid for any unsold or last-minute cancelled cabanas.
There have been bidding opportunities for cabins for many years, but it appears they're extending this to cabanas too.
Bidding for cabanas
A passenger booked on an upcoming Wonder of the Seas sailing shared a screenshot of the option to Royal Up bid for a cabana.
The process is similar to bidding for a cabin. RoyalUp Cabanas allows guests to select which cabanas they'd be interested to place a bid, with the option of bidding on multiple types.
"Browse through the cabana options below and select the amount you’re willing to pay. If applicable, making a bid on multiple cabanas will increase your chances of getting one. In the event that space becomes available, you’ll only pay for one cabana."
Bids work both before the cruise and during the sailing, as Royal Caribbean says winning bids will be notified via email pre-cruise, or onboard the ship should one become available then.
Each bid is per cabana, regardless of the amount of people that will be in the cabana.
Based on the description, it sounds like the RoyalUp Cabanas is being utilized as a fall back for people that cancel cabanas and to prevent them from going unsold.
"Important to note, the cabana you are bidding on may not be available as of today but we will keep your bid in the event a cabana becomes available. "
Passengers can cancel anything they booked through Royal Caribbean for a full refund, including cabanas, as long as they do so with enough time before the visit.
Screenshots shared by Royal Caribbean Message Board user sludog, prices start at $500 per cabana.
This person said they received the option after successfully bidding for a cabin, "We RoyalUp bid from our junior suite to a grand suite about 2 months ago. Just got word 12 days before sailing that our minimum bid was accepted."
"A couple of hours later received another email that we could bid on cabanas at Perfect Day."
Bidding instead of booking comes with good and bad
Ever since Royal Caribbean introduced the option to bid for a stateroom upgrade, it's introduced a dichotomy of choice.
In this case, you could spend less than the advertised price to enjoy a cabana on your vacation.
This potentially means more money left in your vacation budget to use elsewhere. And it lowers the barrier of entry for some that might otherwise not be able to afford the cabana.
Prices for CocoCay extras have skyrocketed in recent years as demand as soared.
On the other hand, just because there is an opportunity to bid doesn't mean there's actually a cabana to bid for.
Just like cabins, Royal Caribbean utilizes the RoyalUp system as a "back up" when there are unsold options left.
Not only are expensive cabanas potentially stopping people from paying for them outright, but it might lead to them changing their mind later.
In my experience, guests tend to cancel things onboard the ship as the reality of their vacation hits them.
This is especially true on weeklong sailings where the visit to CocoCay is at the end of the cruise. After racking up big onboard spending through souvenirs, experiences, or the casino, some guests look to cut back by cancelling pricey add-ons they have left.
Or someone might simply have a change of heart as to what their plans are to be, because they lose interest or the weather forecast looks unfavorable.
Whatever the impetus, having a last-minute cancellation means lost revenue for the cruise line and these RoyalUp Cabanas could be the way to slide a paying customer back in.
