Key Aspects:
- Voyager of the Seas’ next Alaska sailing, which embarks on June 19, 2026, is overbooked.
- Royal Caribbean is hoping some guests will be willing to make a last-minute change to their travel plans in exchange for some generous perks.
- Guests who volunteer to pivot may not hear if they were selected until one day before embarkation in Seattle.
Cruises to Alaska are always in high demand, but Royal Caribbean is learning the hard way what happens when a sailing becomes too popular.
Voyager of the Seas’ June 19, 2026, departure was oversold and the cruise line is now scrambling to tempt some guests to make last-minute changes to their travel plans.
The 7-night sailing features many of Alaska’s biggest highlights, including Juneau, Skagway, Endicott Arm Fjord, and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Royal Caribbean sent out its request to guests on June 12, 2026, exactly one week before embarkation in Seattle, Washington.
“Ahead of our Voyager of the Seas June 19, 2026, sailing, we are looking to see if you and your travel party have flexible travel arrangements,” Royal Caribbean wrote in a letter to its future guests, which was obtained by Cruise Hive.
Adding another layer to this last-minute predicament, those who volunteer to reschedule might not hear if their offer is accepted until as late as June 18, one day before departure.
One cruiser inquired on Reddit: “Our plans are flexible a week out. But a couple days might be an issue. It eventually says if you haven’t heard from us BY JUNE 18th you are on your original travel plan. That’s the day before lol. Surely they’ll tell us before?”
Especially as many avid cruisers like to travel to their departure port early to allow time for potential delays, Royal Caribbean is certainly cutting things close.
What Options Do Guests Have?
If passengers are unable to change their travel plans at this late hour, there is no requirement to do so. They can simply mark the email as “read” and move on.
But if guests can be flexible, Royal Caribbean hopes they will volunteer to switch to a different Alaska itinerary. Volunteering will come with a complete refund of their cruise fare plus a 50% future cruise credit to put toward a new voyage.
These guests would also be booked in the same or a similar stateroom category and would be reimbursed for any non-refundable, pre-purchased travel expenses.
If passengers are married to specifically sailing onboard the 3,602-guest Voyager of the Seas, one option is to wait for her 7-night Alaska cruises that embark in Seattle on September 18 or September 25, 2026.
Alternatively, they could switch to Anthem of the Seas’ August 24 itinerary, which is a 7-night sailing from Seattle to Ketchikan, Sitka, Endicott Arm Fjord and Dawes Glacier, Juneau, and Victoria.
The Quantum-class ship also has room on its subsequent August 31 sailing, which will visit Sitka, Skagway, Juneau, and Victoria over the course of seven days.
As another option, another possible itinerary will be operated by Ovation of the Seas and will depart from Royal Caribbean’s brand new cruise terminal in Seward, Alaska, on August 28.
This is another 7-night cruise that will sail one-way from Seward to Vancouver, calling at Hubbard Glacier, Juneau, Skagway, and Icy Strait Point along the way.
If none of these options sound good, passengers can also opt to cancel in exchange for a full refund and a 100% future cruise credit to put toward any Royal Caribbean sailing they want.
Will More Sailings Be Overbooked?
While nothing is certain, this isn’t the first overbooked Royal Caribbean sailing that Cruise Hive has covered, and it likely will not be the last.
In order to maximize revenue and counteract last-minute cancellations and no-shows, it’s standard practice for cruise lines to book beyond 100% capacity. An empty cabin is perishable revenue and some guests always do drop out.
Experts analyze historical data to pinpoint how many cabins the cruise line can safely sell for each voyage, but sometimes the estimates don’t get it exactly right.
The Alaska cruise season also tends to be particularly busy. Not only is Alaska one of the most sought after cruise destinations in the US, but the season overlaps with summer break when kids are out of school and families like to go on vacation.
All that said, cruisers shouldn’t be worried about their sailing being oversold. Typically, there are many passengers who will happily snatch up the compensation to adjust their plans so that remaining guests get the onboard experience they want and expect.
