Royal Caribbean makes generous offer to fix overbooking issue
Some Royal Caribbean cruisers just got the chance to sail practically for free if their travel plans are flexible.
Although overselling flights is common among some airlines to compensate for “no-shows,” overselling cruises is not something cruise lines regularly do.
Occasionally, it does happen, potentially when the cruise line anticipates receiving some late cancellations. But other factors can contribute to cruise overbookings, too.
Related: Royal Caribbean follows Carnival with new island development move
When cruise overbookings happen, certain cruisers sometimes get the chance to score big if they’re willing to be flexible with their travel plans.
One such opportunity was just presented to some Royal Caribbean cruise passengers booked on an upcoming Mediterranean cruise. And in this case, even just being willing to switch to a different stateroom category could reward select flexible cruisers with a nearly free vacation.
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Royal Caribbean offers free cruise to flexible Allure of the Seas passengers
Royal Caribbean reached out to some passengers booked in an oversold stateroom category on the May 15 Western Mediterranean cruise aboard Allure of the Seas. They received a very generous offer to entice them to change their booking, according to RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com, an unofficial fan blog not affiliated with the cruise line.
“If your plans are set in stone, please mark this email as 'Read,' and gear up for your upcoming adventure — although, there are some pretty sweet options below,” the cruise line’s email suggested.
Royal Caribbean outlined two enticing options that could be available to passengers with flexible travel plans, and both options came with a full refund of their cruise fare, even though they’d still get to cruise.
Related: Royal Caribbean CEO reveals key trend that’s costing cruisers
The first option offered a full refund plus a $200 onboard credit to passengers willing to move to an interior stateroom, which suggests that only the higher stateroom category these passengers booked was oversold.
The second option also offered a full refund of their cruise fare, but required the passengers to transfer to a different sailing on another ship – the May 18 Greek Isles cruise aboard Odyssey of the Seas that departs from Rome, the same port as their original Allure of the Seas sailing.
With this option, passengers would get the same stateroom category, but the complimentary transfer would only cover their cruise fare for the new sailing and exclude taxes, fees, and gratuities (about $280 per person).
Allure of the Seas is a popular ship that just got major upgrades
For most cruisers, especially those set on their itinerary, departure date, and ship, changing stateroom categories would likely be a more attractive option if they want to take advantage of the generous refund offer.
The cruise ship and itinerary likely matter most in this specific situation. Although the two cruises both leave from Rome on seven-night itineraries, they visit different ports and sail on ships from different classes.
It’s likely that many passengers would want to stick with Allure of the Seas due to the fact that Royal Caribbean just completed a highly anticipated $100 million upgrade of the fan-favorite Oasis Class cruise ship.
Related: Royal Caribbean adds new onboard WiFi option cruisers will love
Highlights of the revamped ship include new bars and restaurants, a reimagined resort-style pool deck, and new thrills like the 10-story dry slide, the Ultimate Abyss. The ship’s renovation also added more than 100 additional staterooms across various categories.
Allure of the Seas is cruising in Europe this summer for the first time since 2015, sailing seven-night Western Mediterranean cruises from Rome and Barcelona, visiting destinations in Spain, France, and Italy.
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