Just days after former Chief Meteorologist for Royal Caribbean International James Van Fleet officially announced his separation from the company, the cruise line has posted a job opening for the position.

The new career opportunity comes shortly before the official start of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, just when personalized updates on weather conditions that might affect cruises would be most welcome.

New Chief Meteorologist to Be Hired

Royal Caribbean International has posted a job opening for a Chief Meteorologist, the position most recently held by experienced weather personality James Van Fleet. Van Fleet recently announced his separation from the company, effective May 1, 2023.

Now, the cruise line is seeking a new chief meteorologist with at least 15 years of forecasting experience and a bachelor’s degree in meteorology or a related science, such as climatology, atmospheric chemistry, oceanography, or environmental science, with a masters or doctorate degree preferred.

Other qualifications for the position include different traits that would be ideal when working with a cruise line and interacting with various international teams and guests worldwide.

Excellent verbal and written communication skills; the ability to present forecasts via television, radio, and social media; operational experience from a transport sector; and substantial media and public speaking experience are all listed as key qualifications.

Cruise-specific experience or vacation preferences with a cruise line is not part of the job description, but would undoubtedly be helpful as well.

What Does a Cruise Line Chief Meteorologist Do?

The duties listed in the job description of course include forecasting, analyzing and interpreting weather data, but also feature a range of other potential roles within the company.

The Chief Meteorologist, for example, will also be responsible for maintaining a prominent presence on social media to serve as a “key subject matter expert spokesman for weather situations which are of public interest,” as well as acting as a “liaison with academic institutions and the science community for oceanographic and meteorological data collection and analysis.”

Since Royal Caribbean is often at the forefront of cruise ship design, introducing new features and innovations onboard each new class of ships – such as the first-of-its-kind AquaDome coming on Icon of the Seas – it is sensible that they would expect their Chief Meteorologist to be at the forefront of weather forecasting.

The Chief Meteorologist would also be responsible for advising on long-term global ship deployment plans based on seasonal weather patterns, providing guidance for fuel savings based on weather, managing meteorological training programs for other fleet officers, and overall managing the cruise line’s fleet weather support services.

It is unclear whether or not these are all duties that James Van Fleet performed, or if the cruise line has either expanded or contracted the scope of responsibilities for the position since Van Fleet’s departure.

There is also no mention of compensation or overall salary or benefits. It is likely these terms would be negotiated individually with a selected candidate based on their unique qualifications.

Rehiring for the Position

The posting of the Chief Meteorologist position is particularly curious, since Van Fleet had previously responded to his followers’ comments that the position was not to be filled after his departure.

Those comments now appear to have been removed, and it is likely that Van Fleet is not privy to the company’s plans now that he is no longer employed by Royal Caribbean.

Since the cruise line is seeking to fill the position, it is unknown why Van Fleet was released. Speculation was that eliminating the position was simply a cost-cutting measure, and while Van Fleet’s salary as well as the salary for the new position is not public information, there are many reasons why he may have left the company.

Salary negotiations, change in duties, emergency availability, travel responsibilities, public appearances, and other factors could all have been cause for renegotiation of Van Fleet’s contract, and if both sides cannot agree, it makes sense for Royal Caribbean to seek someone new to fill the position.

Royal Caribbean International is increasing the required, non-refundable deposits for suites for all bookings reserved on or after June 1, 2023.

The fleetwide change will make suite deposits 10% of the cruise fare, rather than a flat rate, regardless of the total fare price. How will this affect bookings for these highly popular staterooms, and what about bookings made prior to the change?

Suite Booking Deposits to Increase

In an announcement made to guests in the cruise line’s loyalty program, Royal Caribbean has confirmed a change for its booking deposit policies for suites on all ships, in all sailing regions, and for all upcoming cruises.

“Beginning June 1, 2023, Royal Caribbean is adjusting the deposit requirement for new suite bookings confirmed on or after this date. The new suite deposit requirement will be calculated as 10% of the cruise fare per guest and is applicable fleetwide,” the announcement reads.

This is a change from the current flat-rate deposit fee of $200-900 (USD), depending on the cruise length.

The only time the standard flat-rate deposit fee will apply to suites is if the 10% calculation would be less than the standard amount. In that case, the required deposit will remain at the standard fee.

Because most suite cabins have much higher fares than non-suite staterooms, this could significantly increase the deposit amount for bookings. Because these deposits are non-refundable, that can be a sizeable financial commitment for interested travelers.

Furthermore, the new policy also applies to Junior Suites, which will also have non-refundable deposits for new bookings on or after June 1, 2023. Guarantee suites will also be covered under the new policy.

Worth Reading: Princess Cruises Limits Refundable Deposits on New Bookings

Deposit requirements for the different balcony, oceanview, and interior staterooms are not changing at this time. Those deposits remain at a flat rate and refundable under the appropriate conditions, if cancelled 90 days or more prior to setting sail for cruises 5 nights or longer, or 75 days or more prior to setting sail for cruises from 1-4 nights in length.

The fee change does not apply to bookings made prior to June 1, regardless of sailing date, even if those bookings are changed in the future. If the booking is cancelled, however, and new booking is made on or after June 1, the new deposit rate will apply.

Upgrading to a Suite

Another change is if guests book a non-suite stateroom, such as a balcony or oceanview, pay the standard deposit, but later upgrade to a suite.

After June 1, because suites will no longer be covered under the flat-rate deposit policy, guests will be required to pay the difference in the deposit amount at the time of upgrade.

For example, if guests booked a $2,000 stateroom and paid a $250 deposit, but later upgraded to a suite that has a $4,000 fare, they would be required to pay the difference in the deposit amount: 10% of the $4,000 fare is $400.

The original $250 deposit would be deducted since it was already paid, and guests would then have to pay an additional $150 to complete the deposit for the suite.

Protecting Suite Bookings

While there has been no official explanation for this policy update, there could be several reasons behind the change.

First, the higher non-refundable deposit amounts bring more cash into the cruise line, helping with financial stability in a fluctuating economy, when debts amassed during the industry-wide shutdown are still a concern.

Second, because suites generally sell out very quickly, the increased deposits could ensure only those travelers who are committed to sailing will arrange the booking.

This will eliminate the practice of making bookings only to cancel them closer to the sailing date, when it can be much more challenging to sell more expensive staterooms.

Will higher deposits stop you from booking a suite? Share your thoughts on the Cruise Hive boards!