Over the last few months, a few stories about oversold Royal Caribbean cruises and tempting offers to impacted passengers have spread online. Why this happens and what cruise lines offer is still a hot topic.
A recent discussion on social media has once again brought this to the surface as a future passenger with Royal Caribbean asks, “Should I be worried?” after receiving an email from the cruise line.
The Reddit user shared an email from Royal Caribbean about their July 5, 2025, sailing on Liberty of the Seas. The message gave an option “to see if you and your travel party have flexible travel plans”.
The option was to transfer to a different 2025 sailing and receive a 100% refund, if their travel plans were flexible.
Specifically, it offered a choice to transfer to a 2025 sailing departing from Cape Liberty, New Jersey, and receive a 100% refund. Options included 9-Night Bermuda & Eastern Caribbean cruises on Liberty of the Seas departing in August, and 5-Night Bermuda cruises in September or October.
It also offered 7-Night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise options on Symphony of the Seas departing in August, September, or October.
The original poster immediately worried about potential overbooking and being turned away at the port, admitting they did not have flexibility to change plans.
Cruise Community Chimes in
But comments from the cruise community were quick to ease any worries. Comments like, “It says ‘if your plans are set in stone, please mark this e-mail as ‘read”…. That tells me you have nothing to worry about”.
Others echoed this sentiment, with one user noting, “Not one bit. There are always tons of people with flexible schedules who will take RC up on these generous reschedule offers in a heartbeat.”
So, why would Royal Caribbean send out such an email? And should cruisers who receive one be concerned?
Why They Do This
When a cruise line sends out one of these offers, it’s usually not about “overbooking” in the way you might typically think – like selling more tickets than they actually have space for. Instead, it’s part of a business strategy called yield management.
The main idea is to get the most out of every single sailing and make sure each ship is as full as possible.
Recent studies have shown that when ships are fuller, cruisers tend to spend more on average as well. It’s a crazy stat, but the numbers have backed it up.
- Optimizing Cabins: Cruise lines want the right balance of cabin types. If a cruise has many standard rooms but high demand for suites, incentives can shift some guests. This frees up those pricier rooms, boosting revenue. As one user noted, they might be “trying to open up some cabins for parties of 3 or more.”
- Accounting for No-Shows: Just like airlines, cruise lines expect some cancelations or no-shows. If fewer people cancel than anticipated, or a cruise becomes very popular, they might be nearing full capacity. They ask for volunteers to move to avoid port issues.
- Spreading Out Demand: Alternative dates often fall during lower-demand times (like hurricane season)). Encouraging guests to move helps distribute that demand, keeping ships full year-round.
- Handling Unexpected Changes: Sometimes operational issues come up like maintenance or itinerary changes (the recent Labadee port adjustment). Offering alternatives helps manage any impact on guests smoothly.
Should You Be Worried? It Depends on Your Plans.
The clear takeaway is that if your travel plans are already set in stone, you truly have nothing to worry about. As one user explained, “They asked IF you have flexible plans – there’s no pressure to take the offer.”
Royal Caribbean is simply giving you an option, not a demand. They’re counting on the fact that many travelers are open to changing plans, especially when there are some pretty generous incentives like a full refund and a new cruise waiting.
For those whose plans absolutely cannot change, just ignore the email. The fact that you already have a cabin number assigned confirms your booking is secure.
Ultimately, these offers are a clever business tactic by cruise lines to maximize revenue. They’re designed to benefit both the cruise line and, for those who are flexible, offer a potentially great deal on a future cruise.