Cruises
Royal Caribbean GroupHeadquarters
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Complaints
This profile includes complaints for Royal Caribbean Group's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 1,423 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 423 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
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Submit a ComplaintThe complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.
Initial Complaint
Date:07/19/2022
Type:Product IssuesStatus:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
My husband and I, along with my Mother in law and her sister (who were both close to 80 at the time) booked a ******* cruise on September 8 2019 for a 7 night ******* cruise leaving June 29 2020 from ******* **********. Because of the Pandemic we cancelled our cruise as our older family members were afraid to sail for obvious health risks. Soon after we cancelled our cruise, the cruise line, themselves, cancelled our cruise as the cruise lines were told to shut down.I had tried for months and over two years to get our deposit back for both myself and my mother in law. They offered us a cruise credit but this is where we ran into problems. Our older relatives refused to rebook for fear of obvious health risks. I wanted to rebook but they no longer offered the exact same cruise. The cruise they offered was both shorter with less stops (5 days instead of 7) and was twice the price. I talked to many superiors and they all refused to give us a full refund. This is unacceptable as the Pandemic was not a fault of ours. I also will not pay for a lesser cruise costing more money! They need to do the right thing and refund us our $500 deposit. My mother in law and her sister should also be refunded their $500 deposit, ($250.00 per person). Please help us get this issue resolved..I have tried for over 2 years and have gotten no where. Im told theres nothing that can be done but I refuse to take that as an answer. I want a full refund as none of this was our doing! Thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you soon. ************************* P S our booking #******* SR#********Business Response
Date: 08/04/2022
Subject: *******
Case: 17590765
Thank you for forwarding a copy of the complaint filed with your agency. We appreciate this opportunity to respond.
The guests voluntarily cancelled under our Cruise with Confidence 100% Future Cruise Certificate offer. This provides guests with Future Cruise Certificates, not refunds, for non-refundable deposit amounts.
This party has not rebooked and is not limited to same itinerary in doing so. The Future Cruise Certificates can be used for any cruise destination offered by Royal Caribbean, and have no expiration date. For those guests who are unable to use their offer, they can opt to transfer the certificates to another guest of their choosing. No refunds can be given.
Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We have thoroughly reviewed this complaint and consider it resolved.
Sincerely,
Guest Experience ManagementCustomer Answer
Date: 08/05/2022
Complaint: 17590765
I am rejecting this response because:
I had to cancel our cruise because we were cruising with two 80 year old ladies (both health compromised) who could not risk getting sick because of Covid!! Right after we cancelled, the cruise lines canceled all cruises per the government lock down! This is just a pathetic, sorry excuse to not give us and our relatives our deposit back. I also could not use the cruise credit because you no longer offer that same cruise itinerary which is not our fault either! It is now two days less, one less stop and double the moneyI refuse to be held responsible for a pandemic that was not my doing! Do the right thing Royal and give us our money back. I have spoken to many, many people who are shocked and disgusted by your lack of compassion and understanding during an unprecedented ongoing event in recent history. Royal Caribbean is NOT the professional and customer satisfaction driven ********************** line I thought it was. My mother in law and her sister will probably never cruise again because of all the trauma this has caused them at their age. I hope you all have trouble sleeping at night knowing that two 80 year old relatives of ours, surviving on Social Security, can no longer afford to take a cruise that they were so looking forward to.
Sincerely,
*************************Business Response
Date: 08/12/2022
Subject *******
Case: 17590765
Thank you for forwarding a copy of the complaint filed with your agency. We appreciate this opportunity to respond.
The Cruise with Confidence offer was introduced in early March, 2020 with the intent of providing Future Cruise Certificates,not refunds, for those who chose to cancel. This was an entirely optional offer provided to guests, and guests needed to take steps to opt-in. For more information about this offer, please see our website: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-with-confidence
We fulfilled the offer chosen by this party. We understand some guests may want to change their offer after the fact,however, there is not any opportunity to do so. We are happy to be flexible in making it possible for the guests to use the offers provided, or to transfer to another recipient. We are unable to issue the requested refunds.
Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We have thoroughly reviewed this complaint and consider it resolved.
Sincerely,
Guest Experience ManagementCustomer Answer
Date: 09/21/2022
Again, we could not use the cruise credit because the original cruise that we had booked was no longer available as Royal Caribbean chose to discontinue it! Also, the available cruise that was not even close to what we had originally purchased was less days and double the price. This is unacceptable as the cruise line chose to not give us the same cruise duration, ports of calls or price that we had previously purchased. How is this fair to us, the customer???? We should be fully refunded as the cruise we chose is no longer available because THEY changed the itinerary! Just give us our deposit back! That would be the decent thing to do, especially since two of the four travelers in our group are over 80 years old! They should have some decency for Gods sake!Business Response
Date: 09/28/2022
Subject *******
Case: 17590765 / BK#s ******* -9688953
Thank you for forwarding a copy of the complaint filed with your agency. We appreciate this opportunity to respond.
This party chose an offer that does not allow for refunds. Out of fairness to all who have this same offer, we cannot ***** any individual exceptions. For this reason, we must again decline the refund requested in this case.Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We have thoroughly reviewed this complaint and consider it resolved.
Sincerely,
Guest Experience ManagementInitial Complaint
Date:07/19/2022
Type:Service or Repair IssuesStatus:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
On April 14,2022,I purchased a cruise fare which I paid in full before the due date reservation # *******. On June 29,2022,I contacted Royal Caribbean afterI noticed a price drop in the cruise fare. In addition, a Royal Caribbean representative modified my reservation and told me that I was going to be receiving $324.00 dollars in the form of onboard credit.A few days later, I received an email from Royal Up stating that a bid that I had previously made was canceled because of the changes made to the reservation. I attempted to make a second bid, but it was canceled for the same reason. After trying for several days, I was able to make a third bid; however, the bid amount was greater per room than the previous one.On July 13,2022,I called Royal Caribbean because the$324.00 dollars onboard credit was not credited to my cruise planer as stated by the representative. After attempting to resolve this problem over the phone for over one hour, Mr. ************************* (supervisor) told me that the previous modification to my reservation was not going to be honored because the **** employee did not know what she was doing . As a result, Mr. ******* was once again changing my reservation to the original one.Minutes later afterIhanged up with Mr. ******** I called RoyalCaribbean customer service department to inquire about canceling my trip. At this time, I made contact with **************** (supervisor) who was quick to remind me that the full refund date had already passed and did not offer any other solution. I asked **************** if I could talk to his supervisor and he stated that there wasnt another supervisor above him. To make matters worse, I now have an outstanding balance of $142 dollars from a reservation that was originally paid in full.Instead of the credit of $324 I was promised.I am requesting for the onboard credit of $324 dollars to be honored and the new charge of $142 dollars to be removed. I have emailed **** multiple times with no response.Business Response
Date: 07/29/2022
Subject: ******
Case: 17588806
Thank you for forwarding a copy of the complaint filed with your agency. We appreciate this opportunity to respond.
The RoyalUp program terms and conditions are found on our website at the following link:
https://www.royalcaribbean.com/terms-and-conditions/royalup-upgrade-program
They advise, in part: If RCI has accepted the Offer and Guest modifies or cancels the booking, the Upgrade and the Offer will be cancelled.RCI will have no obligation to invite the Guest to submit a new Offer on the modified or new booking or to apply the Upgrade to the modified or new booking or to issue a refund or credit of any kind. Upgrades are non-refundable unless Guest cancels the booking. If Guest cancels the booking, Guests cruise fare will be refunded in accordance with RCIs standard cancellation policy,and Guest will receive a refund for the Total Amount of the Upgrade.
The guests booking is paid in full and we have given an Onboard Credit as a goodwill gesture. No further offers will be provided.
Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We have thoroughly reviewed this complaint and consider it resolved.
Sincerely,
Guest Experience ManagementCustomer Answer
Date: 08/02/2022
Complaint: 17588806
I am rejecting this response because: I havent received the $324.00 dollars onboard credit. I called this morning and this information was verified by a customer service representative. If you are not going to honor the invoice made on June 29, 2022 by RCCL which states that I will be getting the amount of $324.00 dollars onboard credit let me know so a can take this matter to the small claim court in *****. I have spent so many hours of my time trying to resolve this issue caused by a RCCL representation. As a case in point, this morning i was placed in hold for over two hours (call log is available). I have been a loyal customer since 2010 and I never had any problem like this before.
Sincerely,
***********************Business Response
Date: 08/09/2022
Subject: ******
Case: 17588806
Thank you for forwarding a copy of the complaint filed with your agency. We appreciate this opportunity to respond.
Our records show that the guest called in and while waiting to be connected to Guest Experience Management disconnected the call. There are no notes indicating we would honor the $324 Onboard Credit, and our original resolution stands.
Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We have thoroughly reviewed this complaint and consider it resolved.
Sincerely,
Guest Experience ManagementCustomer Answer
Date: 08/17/2022
Complaint: 17588806
I am rejecting this response because the onboard credit offered to me by Royal Caribbean is stipulated on the attached cruise vacation receipt which I provided a copy since day one. This receipt is an official document sent to me from Royal Caribbean stating that I will be receiving ****** dollars for modifying my original reservation. Take a look at the breakdown of charges found in the Cruise Vacation Receipt under Cruise Fare: Total Charge ******** dollars. Amount Paid ******** dollars. Subtract total charge from amount paid and I should get a credit of 324 dollars. So, I dont know why you still looking for a note when the facts are in front of you. I dont think that this is a good business practice. Thanks.Sincerely,
***********************Initial Complaint
Date:07/19/2022
Type:Service or Repair IssuesStatus:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I called the company to change a current reservation. The agent that I spoke with (******) was rude and not helpful and provided me with incorrect information. I asked to speak with a manager/supervisor, and he ignored my request, although I asked repeatedly. He then acted as if he could not hear me and hung up on me. When I called back to file my complaint, another person I spoke with refused to give me a manager until I became irate. The third person that I spoke with said that she was going to help me to transfer the booking AND provide my complaint to ********* supervisor. Needless to say that halfway through the process, she just disappeared. The customer service today has been awful!! I am a travel agent, a diamond C&A member, and a consumer. This has been an awful experience, and it needs to be rectified IMMEDIATELY. It's appalling the way I have been treated.Business Response
Date: 07/29/2022
Subject: ******
Case:17588896
Thank you for forwarding a copy of the complaint filed with your agency. We appreciate this opportunity to respond.
The employees of Royal Caribbean International work very hard to develop a reputation of excellence, and any display of unprofessional, uncooperative, or apathetic behavior such as this party have described by any of our staff is not the image we want to portray, or how we want to be remembered. We appreciate ****************** candid feedback regarding the interactions she had with our agents and her remarks have been brought to our operational teams for review. While the findings of this review will be kept internal, it will help guide us with the improvements that are constantly being strived for with our customer service.
Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We have thoroughly reviewed this complaint and consider it resolved.
Sincerely,
Guest Experience ManagementCustomer Answer
Date: 08/01/2022
Complaint: 17588896
I am rejecting this response because: THE COMPLAINT IS NOT RESOLVED. Royal Caribbean has not contacted me. The issue that led to my complaint to the BBB has not been resolved. I contacted RC to transfer a booking and instead I received rude appalling treatment and nothing was done for my booking. This just shows the disrespect and dismissive practices of Royal Caribbean to try to close the complaint without any assistance to me, communication, apology etc. it's appalling organizational behavior and it is obvious the culture. No this complaint is no resolved.
Sincerely,
***************************Business Response
Date: 08/08/2022
Subject: ******
Case:17588896
Thank you for forwarding a copy of the complaint filed with your agency. We appreciate this opportunity to respond.
When an individual chooses the Better Business Bureau portal to address their concerns,all communication regarding the concerns are processed through the BBB platform unless it is outside the parameters of what can be addressed such as issues that require specialized consideration or verification. We understand that **************** was upset with their previous interactions and her concerns regarding the experience have been addressed by a member of our leadership team through this portal.
If by transfer a booking this party is referring to moving a reservation to an alternate ship or sail date, we encourage them to contact our *************************** at ************** as there are verification steps that need to be completed in order to do so. As this party has indicated they are a travel agent, if they are wanting to transfer a reservation from another agency to the agency she works with this can be submitted by contacting *********************** If they are instead trying to transfer there reservation to be under the management of a travel agency, they can request this by filling our the form found on our website here:
https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/direct-booking-transfer
Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We have thoroughly reviewed this complaint and consider it resolved.
Sincerely,
Guest Experience ManagementCustomer Answer
Date: 08/09/2022
Complaint: 17588896
I am rejecting this response because: MY CONCERNS HAVE NOT BEEN ADDRESSED! ACCORDING TO ROYAL CARIBBEAN " her concerns regarding the experience have been addressed by a member of our leadership team through this portal" However; MY CONCERNS HAVE NOT BEEN ADDRESSED AND I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY COMMUNICATION FROM THEM. IF THEY DO NOT CONTACT ME PERSONALLY I WILL BE FORCED TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE AS THEY ARE NOT PROVIDING CUSTOMER SERVICE. THEY ARE HIDING BEHIND UNPROFESSIONAL RHETORIC. MY CONCERNS HAVE NOT BEEN ADDRESSED AND I AM NOT SATISFIED AND DO NOT ACCEPT THEIR RESPONSE.
Sincerely,
***************************Initial Complaint
Date:07/15/2022
Type:Product IssuesStatus:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Basically we were told we only needed a valid ** Driving license to take a 3 day ********************** to ***********. I brought my expired ** passport, voter's registration, and a copy of my birth certificate as well as my DMV license only to be turned away. We called the 800 number given to us by the folks from Royal Caribbean at the port. There we spoke with ************** (wouldn't disclose agent number or full last name) where she hinted about the mistake but wouldn't fully guarantee a full refund nor declined to re-book us at no cost on a future cruise. We simply want what's fair, either full refund of $1,136.54 or full credit of an equivalent value to what we purchased.Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas, conf ***** jul15-18thBusiness Response
Date: 07/29/2022
Subject: Serani
Case: 17574549
Thank you for forwarding a copy of the complaint filed with your agency. We appreciate this opportunity to respond.
It is the guests responsibility to identify and obtain proper travel documents for boarding. Our records show that the boarding was denied due to one guest from ***** was unable to provide ARC green card or Naturalization papers to prove that he had permission to enter /re-enter *****************. We show no evidence of misinformation provided.
As a good will gesture, we have granted the guests a one-time exception and have provided Future Cruise Certificates for their future use. This is outside of our normal handling of this type of situation. No further offers / refunds will be provided.
Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We have thoroughly reviewed this complaint and consider it resolved.
Sincerely,
Guest Experience ManagementInitial Complaint
Date:07/15/2022
Type:Product IssuesStatus:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Hello, I'm trying to get my refund for more than one MONTH, and every time I call, is more than 1 HOUR in the phone and the Royal Caribbean assistant turn off the phone!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is not how to treat a customer! I've screenshots and recordings, I'm waiting for a solution.This is my original message:Date: Mon, Jun 13, 2022 at 2:56 PM The guy from ************* told me that he removed all gratuities but will be oly update them in the app next morning. So when I left the ship, I thought that my credit card only will be charge for the amount of $42.72 ($19 North Star + $19 North Star + $4.72 Bionic Bar), but for my surprise, Royal caribbean never remove the gratuity as I asked in *************s. I'd like my refund, please.And If you want more information, please let me know.Below is my wife's experience from this cruise. "We had a couple bad experiences. Our luggage was "lost" and we only got it around 6pm, after going down to customer service, waiting in a long line and complaining multiple times.I am pregnant and had medication on that bag, so that was far from ideal.Also we were not able to book the ifly and north star complimentary experience, even on the first day of the cruise.I was also very upset after finding a human hair in my cream cheese spread during breakfast (once).Last but not least, even though it was secondary to safety concerns, not being able to see the glacier was a let down.On the last night my husband went to customer service to discuss our folio and the changes requested, even though approved at that time, were not changed/refunded."Regards,*********************** ************ Quantum of the Seas SAIL DATE 6/6/2022 STATEROOM **** Reservation ID/BOOKING # *******Business Response
Date: 07/29/2022
Subject: Calil
Case:17574533
Thank you for forwarding a copy of the complaint filed with your agency. We appreciate this opportunity to respond.
Our records show that ************** has been in contact with our office regarding this concern and a refund for the gratuity amount he was charged was disbursed on July 27,2022. We also appreciate this party providing us with their candid feedback regarding their experience and will consider it in our future endeavors.
Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We have thoroughly reviewed this complaint and consider it resolved.
Sincerely,
Guest Experience ManagementCustomer Answer
Date: 08/03/2022
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
***********************Initial Complaint
Date:07/15/2022
Type:Service or Repair IssuesStatus:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
My husband and I were scheduled to go on a cruise with our friends. I contracted COVID 21/2 weeks before the cruise. I called Royal Caribbean twice before leaving my home for the cruise to make sure I could get on the ship, ********** they stated yes as long as I had a letter from my doctor stating the beginning date I came down with COVID and that I successfully completed the treatment and isolated for 5 days. I had my letter, Royal Caribbean tested me again on the day of the cruise and I tested negative - they let me get on the ship and then pulled me off the ship because I tested positive the day before - which is not unusual if you have had COVID. I also had my letter from my doctor - they were not interested in any documentation. My husband and I planned this trip two years ago and we were scheduled to go on this cruise with two other couples. Have heard nothing from Royal Caribbean.Business Response
Date: 07/29/2022
Subject: Marino
Case:17574472
Thank you for forwarding a copy of the complaint filed with your agency. We appreciate this opportunity to respond.
We would be happy to investigate this complaint; however, the information provided is not enough to locate this partys reservation. If they can provide us with their reservation number, along with the ************* date of the cruise in question, we will be able to locate the details and research this matter.
Thank you for your assistance. We await further reply.
Sincerely,
Guest Experience ManagementCustomer Answer
Date: 08/09/2022
Reservation ID *******Sail date - July 10Ship - Serenade of the Seas
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