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Canceling a cruise can be stressful, especially when you have already paid a deposit or the full fare. If you need to cancel a Royal Caribbean International reservation, the amount you receive back depends mainly on your fare type, cruise length, and how far in advance you cancel.
Royal Caribbean allows eligible guests to cancel certain reservations online. However, cancellation does not automatically mean you will receive a full refund. Cancellation charges can increase as the sailing date approaches, while some fares include deposits that are specifically nonrefundable.
This guide explains how to cancel your reservation, when you can expect a refund, what happens to a nonrefundable deposit, and what you should check before submitting the cancellation.
Yes. A Royal Caribbean cruise reservation can generally be canceled before the sailing date, but the refund depends on the applicable cancellation policy.
For U.S. and Canadian bookings, Royal Caribbean's standard policy applies different cancellation charges according to the length of the cruise and the number of days remaining before departure. Certain promotional fares and booking conditions can modify the standard rules.
The most important factors are:
If you booked through a travel advisor, you should normally contact the advisor to cancel or modify the reservation rather than trying to handle the booking directly.
If you booked directly with Royal Caribbean, you may be able to cancel your reservation through your Guest Account.
Go to your Royal Caribbean Guest Account and sign in.
You can also use the reservation lookup option if you need to access your booking.
Select the applicable cruise reservation and choose the option to manage the reservation.
Follow the cancellation instructions displayed for your booking.
Before completing the cancellation, carefully review the refund amount or cancellation charge shown to you.
Submit the cancellation request only after checking the consequences. Once Royal Caribbean receives the cancellation notice, the applicable cancellation rules determine how much is refunded.
Royal Caribbean states that eligible online cancellations can take 7 to 10 business days for the refund to be processed back to the original payment method.
Royal Caribbean cancellation and refund information
For U.S. and Canadian bookings, the standard cancellation charges are based on the cruise's length and how close the cancellation is to the sailing date.
| When you cancel | Standard cancellation charge |
|---|---|
| 75+ days before sailing | No charge, except nonrefundable deposit |
| 74–61 days | 50% of total price |
| 60–31 days | 75% of total price |
| 30 days or less | 100% of total price |
| When you cancel | Standard cancellation charge |
|---|---|
| 90+ days before sailing | No charge, except nonrefundable deposit |
| 89–75 days | 25% of total price |
| 74–61 days | 50% of total price |
| 60–31 days | 75% of total price |
| 30 days or less | 100% of total price |
| When you cancel | Standard cancellation charge |
|---|---|
| 120+ days before sailing | No charge, except nonrefundable deposit |
| 119–61 days | 25% of total price |
| 60–41 days | 50% of total price |
| 40–25 days | 75% of total price |
| 24 days or less | 100% of total price |
These are Royal Caribbean's published standard U.S./Canadian cancellation schedules. Specific fares, promotions, groups, occupancy arrangements, and bookings outside the United States and Canada can have different terms.
You may receive a full refund of refundable amounts if you cancel sufficiently far ahead of the sailing and your fare does not contain a nonrefundable deposit.
For example, under the standard policy, a qualifying 5-to-14-night cruise canceled 90 or more days before departure has no standard cancellation charge. However, a nonrefundable deposit may still be retained.
It is therefore important to distinguish between no cancellation charge and a completely refundable booking.
A reservation can have no additional cancellation penalty while still losing a nonrefundable deposit.
A nonrefundable deposit is generally not returned when you cancel.
Royal Caribbean states that, outside final payment, when a reservation with a nonrefundable deposit is canceled, the full deposit amount is held as a penalty and additional payments are refunded.
For example, suppose you paid:
If you cancel under circumstances where the nonrefundable deposit rule applies, the $500 deposit can be retained while the additional $1,500 may be refunded.
Your actual result depends on the fare and booking terms attached to your reservation.
For eligible online cancellations, Royal Caribbean says to allow 7 to 10 business days for the refund to be processed back to the original payment method.
The payment route also matters.
If Royal Caribbean received payment directly by credit card, the refund is generally returned to that credit card. If payment was made through a travel advisor, Royal Caribbean states that the refund is provided back to the travel advisor.
If the expected refund does not appear after the stated processing period, check your payment account and then contact Royal Caribbean or your travel advisor.
Applicable taxes and fees can be refundable when a cruise is canceled.
Royal Caribbean's published cancellation policy states that applicable taxes, fees, and fuel supplement charges are refunded in connection with a canceled cruise or CruiseTour.
However, don't assume that every amount attached to your vacation is automatically refundable. Flights, hotels, transfers, shore excursions, specialty dining, spa services, photography, wedding services, travel protection, and other pre-booked arrangements can have their own cancellation terms.
Travel protection can affect what happens when you need to cancel, but purchasing protection does not necessarily mean every cancellation receives an automatic full refund.
Royal Caribbean specifically notes that travel protection has separate terms and conditions. Other vacation components, such as flights, hotels, transfers, shore excursions, and pre-purchased amenities, may also have separate cancellation rules.
If your reason for canceling is covered by your travel protection policy, review the policy's eligibility requirements and claim procedure rather than assuming the standard cruise cancellation schedule applies.
Yes, you can still request cancellation after final payment, but the potential financial penalty is usually much higher.
The standard cancellation schedule becomes increasingly restrictive as the sailing date approaches. Depending on the cruise length, cancellations within the final 24 to 30 days can result in a cancellation charge of 100% of the cruise price.
This means that waiting until the last few weeks can eliminate the refundable portion of your cruise fare.
If you know you cannot travel, check your cancellation terms as soon as possible instead of waiting until the departure date.
A last-minute cancellation generally does not produce a refund.
Royal Caribbean states that cancellations after the cruise has begun, early disembarkation, and no-shows are generally without refund or compensation.
If you know before departure that you cannot travel, cancel the reservation as soon as possible and obtain confirmation of the cancellation.
This is different from voluntarily canceling your reservation.
If Royal Caribbean cancels a voyage, or delays embarkation by three days or more and you decide not to take the delayed or substitute voyage offered, Royal Caribbean states that you may be eligible for either a refund or a Future Cruise Credit (FCC).
Royal Caribbean says its practice may be to issue an FCC automatically, but guests can contact the company to request a refund instead.
Refund requests in this situation must be made within six months of the cancellation date or scheduled embarkation date, whichever is earlier.
If your Royal Caribbean cruise was booked through a travel advisor, contact the advisor before canceling.
Royal Caribbean states that guests who booked through a travel advisor should contact the advisor for booking changes. Its terms also explain that when the booking was made through an agent, the agent handles the written cancellation process in applicable markets.
The advisor can confirm:
This is especially important if your reservation includes flights, hotels, transfers, or other vacation components booked through the agency.
Before clicking the final cancellation button, review the following:
Calculate exactly how many days remain before departure. Your cancellation penalty can change substantially when you cross a policy deadline.
Look at your confirmation documents to determine whether your deposit is refundable or nonrefundable.
Know whether you paid Royal Caribbean directly or through a travel advisor. This affects where an eligible refund is sent.
Cruise cancellation does not necessarily cancel every vacation component automatically. Review excursions, dining, hotels, flights, transfers, and other prepaid services separately.
Keep the cancellation confirmation, booking number, date of cancellation, and refund information until the refund has appeared in your account.
If your travel plans have changed but you still want to cruise, changing the ship or sailing date may sometimes be worth considering instead of canceling.
Royal Caribbean states that guests who booked directly and want to change their original ship or sailing date should contact its Consumer Outreach team, while guests who booked through a travel advisor should contact the advisor. Applicable change fees and additional payments may apply.
Compare the cost of changing the reservation with the amount you would lose by canceling.
Sign in to your Royal Caribbean Guest Account, open the reservation under Manage Reservation, and follow the cancellation instructions. Royal Caribbean says eligible refunds can take 7–10 business days to process.
It depends on the fare. A refundable deposit may be returned when the cancellation is made within the applicable penalty-free period, while a nonrefundable deposit is generally retained as a penalty.
Under the standard U.S./Canadian policy, a cancellation 30 days or less before a 1-to-4-night or 5-to-14-night cruise carries a 100% cancellation charge. Longer cruises have a similar full-penalty period beginning 24 days before sailing. Specific booking terms can differ.
For eligible online cancellations, Royal Caribbean advises allowing 7–10 business days for the refund to be processed back to the original payment method.
Applicable taxes, fees, and fuel supplement charges are refundable under Royal Caribbean's published cancellation policy. Other prepaid services may have separate cancellation terms.
Yes, but cancellation charges may apply. The closer you are to sailing, the greater the potential penalty, and cancellations during the final penalty period can result in no refund of the cruise fare.
A no-show is generally treated as nonrefundable. Royal Caribbean states that no-shows and cancellations after the cruise has begun are without refund or compensation.
If Royal Caribbean cancels the voyage, or delays embarkation by three days or more and you decline the delayed or substitute sailing, you may be eligible for a refund or Future Cruise Credit.
Yes, but contact your travel advisor to process the cancellation. Royal Caribbean directs guests who booked through an advisor to work with that advisor for booking changes.
Depending on your booking, you may be able to change the ship or sailing date. Royal Caribbean says direct bookings should contact its Consumer Outreach team, while travel-agent bookings should be handled through the advisor. Applicable fees can apply.
The best way to cancel a Royal Caribbean cruise and maximize your refund is to act early and check your specific fare conditions before submitting the cancellation. The standard policy uses different penalty periods based on cruise length, while nonrefundable deposits can be retained even when no additional cancellation charge applies.
If you booked directly, you may be able to cancel online through your Guest Account. If you booked through a travel advisor, contact the advisor. Once an eligible cancellation is processed, Royal Caribbean says refunds generally take 7–10 business days to process back to the original payment method.
Always check the terms attached to your particular reservation because promotional fares, travel protection, international bookings, groups, and separately purchased travel services can have different rules.
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