Royal Caribbean has made it possible for guests to use the Cruise with Confidence policy further into 2022. The company has lifted the policy over the summer holidays and included June, July, August, and September into the eligible sailings.
The extension comes after the cruise line has been forced to cancel multiple ports of call and several cruises due to the spread of Omicron worldwide. The extension is geared to give guests greater confidence in booking a cruise without being afraid they will lose money in case of a necessary cancellation.
4 Month extension to Cruise With Confidence
Recently, a surge of Omicron cases has made Royal Caribbean International rethink its refund and cancellation policies. The company, which has cancelled several cruises in recent weeks, seen several ports of call cancelled, and saw a surge of cases onboard its ships, has decided to extend its Cruise with Confidence policy through the summer months into September 2022.
What does this mean? Any guests who have booked a cruise or have reservations confirmed on or before March 31, 2022, and who are sailing through September 30, 2022, are covered under the policy.
The program offers guests the peace of mind they need when booking an expensive cruise in uncertain times. Qualifying reservations can be cancelled up to 48 hours before sailing, for any reason, for a 100% future cruise credit.
“As we make strides towards our fleetwide return, we want to ensure that planning your clients’ vacations is as worry-free as possible. Therefore, we’ve made the decision to extend our popular Cruise with Confidence program to reservations confirmed on or before March 31, 2022 and sailing through September 30, 2022.”
“This program continues to offer much-needed reassurance and flexibility as it enables qualifying reservations to cancel up to 48-hours prior to the sail date in exchange for a 100% Future Cruise Credit.”
The future cruise credit can be applied to any voyage through December 31, 2022, or one year from the original sailing date, whichever is later. The previous policy has already been extended multiple times and only included cruises through May 2022. It will, therefore, be a welcome initiative for guests booked through the summer months.
What is Cruise With Confidence?
Royal Caribbean’s Cruise with Confidence program is designed to remove any trepidations guests may have when booking a cruise. Whether this is because they are scared of a COVID infection, whether they think a lower price may come up after they’ve booked, or if private or worldwide events force guests to have to cancel a voyage. The multifaceted program includes a flexible cancellation policy, the best price guarantee, and a final payment extension.
The final payment plan and the Cruise with confidence policy allows guests to book a cruise and cancel at any time, without incurring costs. Should the cancellation happen before the 30-day final payment date (down from 90), guests can avail of a full refund should the cancellation occur after the last payment date, guests can avail of a Future Cruise Credit. Any bookings cancelled after the 48-hour window are subject to the original policies.
Another advantage of the Cruise with Confidence policy is the opportunity for guests to avail of a cheaper cruise fare for the same booking should this become available. Guests can quickly transfer their booking to the lower price by contacting their travel agent or the cruise line.
Will the Extension Boost Confidence?
Several cruise ships have been denied entrance to different ports around the Caribbean, even private islands owned by cruise lines in the past weeks. The Cruise with Confidence policy will undoubtedly help boost guests’ confidence to book a cruise, despite the uncertainty that has evolved.
Also Read: Royal Caribbean Extends Mask Policy Through January
Whether the situation levels out and cruising returns to normal, or if we see more port closures and cruise cancellations, guests will be able to choose to take their cruise or cancel. At least with this policy, there is no money lost.
Guests can be confident that cruises are still safe despite all the media attention towards cruises in the past weeks. With vaccination mandates, testing requirements, health and safety measures, mask mandates, and social distancing, there is no safer place to take your next vacation. And now you can book that vacation without worrying you will lose money.
