Royal Caribbean makes a decision that is angering their customers. More information, right after this.

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Royal Caribbean set a new rule this week that is sending passengers into a frenzy.

Guests that buy their cruises long in advance of their sailing have several options when they book. Because cruises are typically months to years from the booking point, cruisers want some leeway, should they want to change their plans, or cancel their cruises completely.

One option is to pay the full published fair. These bookings tend to have great terms for changes and cancellations, but, for those options, your ultimately going to pay more for your cruise.

Until now, their was also another opportunity, guests could still book the lower fares, and if they decided to cancel, they would receive a future cruise credit for the amount they paid for their cruise, less a $100 processing fee.

For those wishing to make last minute changes or cancellations, the $100 fee was more than reasonable.

Well, Royal Caribbean has now changed that policy.

Starting June 1, 2022, a non-refundable deposit will be just that; Non-refundable.

Guests will no longer be able to receive a future cruise credit. Instead, if a late cancellation is made, Royal Caribbean will keep either the full cruise deposit or the current cancellation penalty at the time of the change, whichever is higher.


The new policy reads as follows: “Effective June 1, 2022, a change to our Non-refundable Deposit policy will occur. The Future Cruise Credit component is being discontinued and will no longer apply when canceling under this policy outside of the final payment period. Instead, the deposit amount will be withheld in full. Guests booked before June 1, 2022, are protected under the prior policy terms.”

The former policy came into play during the initial onset of the Covid-19 epidemic. The rule was a way to entice hesitant travelers, by giving they a way to change or cancel their plans, should the need arise.

The move from Royal Caribbean will intimately save the company money, as they will no longer be acting as a “Savings account” until the final decision to cruise is made by the customer.

It will also alleviate the abundant of passengers who book early, and wait to see if the price lowers before making a final choice.

The change will also open up much better cabin choices for those who wish to book, as cabins will no longer be held by people that aren’t even sure if they want to go on the cruise.

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