Royal Caribbean Giving Guests a Way Out of Oversold Cruise
For passengers booked on Allure of the Seas’ April 24, 2025, sailing whose bags aren’t fully packed just yet, Royal Caribbean is offering a chance to rethink plans, without losing money.
In a message sent to guests set to sail the 7-night roundtrip Western Mediterranean cruise from Civitavecchia (Rome), the cruise line offered three ways to change course – literally.
The options include transferring to a different sailing, downgrading their cabins, or cancelling altogether in exchange for a full refund and a future cruise credit.
It’s a cruise equivalent to airport staff requesting volunteers to give up their seats on oversold flights, and it’s purposely hard to resist.
“We are looking to see if you and your travel party have flexible travel arrangements,” began the letter to passengers from Royal Caribbean.
“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,” it continued.
For anyone interested in transferring to either another 7-night option on the 5,484-passenger Allure of the Seas on May 18, 2025, from Barcelona, or May 29, 2025, from Rome, guests will receive a 100 percent refund of the original cruise fare and enjoy the later sailing for free.
The May 29 option is identical to the April 24 cruise and visits Naples and La Spezia, Italy; Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca, Spain; and Marseille, France. The Barcelona choice calls in Rome.
The option also extends to a May 25, 2025, voyage from Rome on the 4,198-guest Odyssey of the Seas to the Greek Isles. The itinerary includes calls in Santorini and Mykonos, Greece; Naples, Italy; and Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey.
Royal Caribbean is also providing a fee-free cancellation to anyone who feels like taking the offer, skipping the April 24 journey.
If they do, they will receive a free cruise in the future via a 100 percent Future Cruise Credit along with a full refund for the missed getaway.
“We’ll also reimburse you for any non-refundable, pre-purchased travel expenses (e.g. hotel, flight) you have incurred,” enticed the cruise line.
That offer extends to those who postpone their voyage as well.
More Incentives for Those Who Say No
The crowded Western Mediterranean cruise aboard the newly refurbished Allure of the Seas isn’t fully sold out, however, as Royal Caribbean’s third option is a downgrade.
Guests currently booked in Balcony staterooms can elect to move to an interior room, which means sailing from Rome on April 24 in a “cozy” cabin without a view.
However, the cruise line sweetened the deal by refunding passengers 100 percent of the fare and letting them sail for free.
In addition, affected guests aboard the 225,282-gross-ton ship will receive $300 per stateroom in onboard credits to use while sailing.
This isn’t a first for Royal Caribbean. Like airlines, the cruise line often oversells its sailings due to last-minute cancellations and changes that often occur.
But sometimes, every passenger is accounted for and ready to embark on a voyage, leaving the cruise line scrambling to accommodate everyone.
Allure of the Seas has been through this before in its 2023 season in the Caribbean, sending an alert to guests a week before a May 14, 2023, departure and a day before an April 30, 2023, voyage.
Wonder of the Seas was so popular during its late 2022 and early 2023 season that it oversold three cruises and had to ask passengers to reschedule or cancel.