Imagine being days away from your cruise when Royal Caribbean sends you an unusual offer: give up the cabin you booked, move into an interior stateroom and get your entire cruise fare back.
That's the deal reportedly being offered to some passengers booked aboard Allure of the Seas this weekend.
Royal Caribbean has contacted selected guests ahead of the ship's September 27 departure from Fort Lauderdale, offering incentives to voluntarily change their accommodation or move to another sailing.
And one of the options could effectively turn the six-night Caribbean cruise into a free holiday.
Move to an interior cabin and get your cruise fare back
According to communications sent to affected passengers and reported by Cruise Hive, selected guests can agree to move from their existing cabin into an interior stateroom.
In return, Royal Caribbean will provide 100% of their cruise fare as refundable onboard credit.
Because the credit is refundable, any amount left over after onboard spending can be returned to the guest rather than disappearing at the end of the cruise.
In other words, passengers accepting the offer can still take the same six-night cruise but effectively have their cruise fare refunded.
There is, of course, one fairly substantial catch: goodbye, original cabin. Hello, interior.
For someone booked into a balcony or another higher-category cabin, that's quite a downgrade. For someone who doesn't particularly care where they sleep and would happily trade their view for the money back? That's a very different proposition.
Image: Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean is also offering alternative cruises
Passengers aren't limited to the cabin-swap option.
Selected guests have reportedly also been offered the opportunity to move their booking to another eligible Royal Caribbean sailing, with further incentives attached.
Importantly, the offers are voluntary. Guests aren't being told they have to give up their existing booking simply because they've received the email.
Royal Caribbean appears to be looking for passengers willing to change their plans in exchange for compensation.
Exactly why the cruise line needs the additional flexibility hasn't been publicly confirmed.
Is Allure of the Seas overbooked?
That's the obvious question.
Royal Caribbean's own website currently shows no available rooms for two guests on the September 27 departure.
That doesn't necessarily mean the entire ship has been overbooked.
Cruise ships have numerous cabin categories, and inventory problems can occur within particular categories even when the total number of passengers remains within the ship's capacity.
Cruise lines can also make voluntary offers when they need to rebalance accommodation inventory.
Without confirmation from Royal Caribbean, describing Allure of the Seas as definitively “overbooked” would be jumping ahead of what we actually know.
But whatever is happening behind the scenes, Royal Caribbean clearly sees enough value in freeing up certain cabins that it's prepared to refund the entire cruise fare of passengers willing to move.
And that's a pretty persuasive way to ask.
The sailing leaves Fort Lauderdale on Sunday
Allure of the Seas is scheduled to depart Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, September 27 for a six-night Western Caribbean and Perfect Day cruise.
The itinerary includes:
- September 28 – Perfect Day at CocoCay, Bahamas
- September 29 – Sea day
- September 30 – Falmouth, Jamaica
- October 1 – Sea day
- October 2 – Nassau, Bahamas
- October 3 – Return to Fort Lauderdale
Royal Caribbean's website continues to show the sailing departing as scheduled at 4pm Sunday. Royal Caribbean
Would you give up your balcony for a free cruise?
It's an interesting choice.
For passengers who deliberately paid more for a balcony, ocean-view cabin or a particular location on the ship, moving into an interior room just days before departure might be a hard sell.
But getting 100% of the cruise fare back while still taking the cruise?
Suddenly that interior cabin might start looking surprisingly attractive. 😂
