With just days to go before Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas is due to embark on a sailing to Bermuda on May 24, 2025, it’s a bit late in the game to be changing travel plans.
But with the 5-night cruise overbooked, the cruise line is making some hard-to-refuse offers to passengers who are willing to cancel or switch to a different sailing.
“Ahead of our Liberty of the Seas, May 24, 2025, sailing, we are looking to see if you and your travel party have flexible travel plans. If your plans are set in stone, please mark this email as “Read”, and gear up for your upcoming adventure,” Royal Caribbean wrote to booked guests.
“If your travel plans are flexible, you may be able to take advantage of our special offer,” the enticing message continued.
The first option is for guests to transfer to a different, pre-selected 2025 voyage – which includes 9-night sailings to Bermuda onboard Liberty of the Seas and 7-night cruises to the Bahamas and Perfect Day at CocoCay onboard Symphony of the Seas.
All of the selected cruises set sail from Cape Liberty Bayonne in New Jersey – which is where the overbooked voyage is based.
In appreciation of guests’ flexibility, they will receive a 100% refund for their original sailing and the transfer will come at no additional cost – so they would essentially be getting a free, longer cruise.
In addition to the cruise fare, guests who choose this option will also be reimbursed for any non-refundable, pre-purchased travel expenses, such as airfare and hotel stays.
The second option is to cancel outright for a 100% refund and 100% future cruise credit to book an alternate Royal Caribbean sailing that embarks on or before May 24, 2026.
Once again, any additional non-refundable travel expenses will be refunded as part of this offer.
Why Does This Keep Happening?
While guests aren’t usually impacted by overbooking, the practice is common in the cruise industry – as it allows cruise lines to maximize their occupancy and revenue even when some passengers cancel or “no show” at the last minute.
But for sailings that take place during peak season – such as around spring and summer break – or with particularly exciting itineraries, there might be more demand than the brand was expecting.
Thankfully, enough guests usually take the cruise line up on their offers so that the passengers who remain onboard can still enjoy their vacation as they normally would.
Royal Caribbean fans may also be feeling a bit of déjà vu right about now – as this is not the first time this year that the cruise line has had to appeal to guests on oversold voyages.
It happened first for Allure of the Seas’ April 24, 2025, voyage – which was a 7-night Western Mediterranean sailing that was based in Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy.
Guests were again given the option to switch to a different sailing and receive a full refund or to cancel and receive a full refund and a 100% future cruise credit.
But in this case, guests in balcony cabins were also given an additional option to downgrade their stateroom category to sail in an interior stateroom – which would again result in a 100% refund.
Read Also: Royal Caribbean Amenities You Should Pre-Book
Even more recently, Allure of the Seas’ May 15, 2025, cruise from Rome found itself overbooked – and guests were given the same three options as the Oasis-class vessel’s previous packed sailing.
They could downgrade from a balcony cabin to an interior stateroom (this time for a full refund and a $200 onboard credit!), switch to a different sailing and receive a full refund, or cancel their cruise to receive a refund and a 100% future cruise credit.
