DEPOSITS AND FINAL PAYMENTS
FOR DOUBLE OCCUPANCY STATEROOMS
With respect to groups, the double occupancy staterooms initially requested will, if approved by Cruise Line, be held for thirty (30) days from the date of creation of the group or thirty (30) days from the date the additional group stateroom was added to the group booking.
INITIAL DEPOSITS FOR DOUBLE OCCUPANCY STATEROOMS
Groups that exceed sixteen (16) staterooms require an initial deposit of $50 per stateroom to be paid within thirty (30) days of the group’s creation to avoid cancellation.
Groups of sixteen (16) staterooms or less do not require initial deposits. These are referred to herein as “No Deposit” groups, although full deposits are required for groups of this size as well as for groups over this size.
FULL DEPOSITS FOR DOUBLE OCCUPANCY STATEROOMS
On or before the “Final Option Date” (as defined below), all required Full Deposits must be paid in full and received by Cruise Line and the full legal names for each berth in the group must be provided to and received by Cruise Line.
Full Deposit Amount: For all groups, regardless of size, full deposit amounts are due as shown below are per stateroom for all bookings, regardless of whether the group is over or under sixteen (16) staterooms in size:
The required full deposit amounts shown below are in addition to the initial deposits that must be paid for groups that exceed sixteen
(16) staterooms.
Added Staterooms — Full deposits for standard double-occupancy staterooms are due as full legal names are added, or on or before the final option date, whichever is earlier.
Legal Name Requirements for Double Occupancy Berths — Guests’ full legal names and exact dates of birth are required no later than when deposits are made, or the applicable final option date, whichever comes first.
- FULL DEPOSIT & LEGAL NAME REQUIREMENTS FOR OTHER STATEROOMS
- ◊ Full Deposit Requirements: Full deposits for all triples, quads, ultraspacious/higher occupancy staterooms, suites, and certain other deluxe accommodations are due within thirty (30) days
of booking, or on or before the final option date, whichever is earlier. Certain types of suites require full deposits and full legal names at the time of request to be allocated withingroup inventory.
- ◊ Legal Name Requirements: All triples and quads require a minimum of three (3) legal names and the associated dates
of birth for each of those persons to secure the stateroom. All ultraspacious/higher occupancy staterooms require a minimum of five (5) legal names and associated dates of birth to secure. - ◊ Certain types of suites require five (5) legal names and associated dates of birth at the time of request to be allocated within group inventory.
FINAL PAYMENT
For all berths held in a group, Final Payment is due on or before:
Ninety (90) DTS for sailings of five (5) nights or more; and
Seventy-five (75) DTS for sailings of four (4) nights or less.
Final payment not received by the due date may result in cancellation of all or part of the group.
Any staterooms newly allocated or added to a group after the final payment due date must be paid for in full when added to the group.
Credit Cards — As guests’ full legal names are added, each guest’s credit card information must be provided and cross-referenced to the guest’s booking.
Travel agency corporate cards may only be used for the initial deposit on Deposit Groups ($50.00 USD per stateroom).
CANCELLATION CHARGES
To avoid charges, cancellation requests must be received and processed prior to the date noted in the Schedule of Cancellation Charges.
Applicable to bookings made on-or-after April 8, 2018
CRUISE LENGTH | DAYS TO DEPARTURE | CHARGES (PER PERSON) |
1-4 NIGHTS (including Holiday Sailings) | 75+ | No Charges |
74-61 | 50% | |
60-31 | 75% | |
30 or Less | 100% | |
5 NIGHTS OR LONGER (including Holiday Sailings & Cruisetours) | 90+ | No Charges |
89-75 | 25% | |
74-61 | 50% | |
60-31 | 75% | |
30 or less | 100% |
ITINERARY LENGTH | CHARGES |
1 to 5 nights | $200.00USD (per stateroom) |
6 to 9 nights | $500.00USD (per stateroom) |
10 nights or longer | $900.00USD (per stateroom) |
Guests of Royal Caribbean are strongly recommended to purchase Royal Caribbean Travel Protection. For further information, please contact your Group Representative.
INVENTORY MANAGEMENT
Notwithstanding anything to the contract contained in these Group Policies, the following provisions shall apply to each group.
AUTOMATIC REVIEW AT 180/120 DTS
Review for Non-Contracted Group Space: All non-contracted groups will be automatically reviewed by Cruise Line at one hundred and eighty (180) days to sailing (“DTS”) for sailings of five (5) nights or longer and at one hundred and twenty (120) DTS for sailings of 1-4 nights (“180/120 DTS Review”). Any group that, at the time of the 180/120 DTS Review, does not have at least one stateroom with all required deposit(s) paid in full and full legal name(s) added, will be cancelled without notice.
At any time before or after the scheduled 180/120 DTS Review, Royal Caribbean reserves the right to contact you to review group inventory. During this review, Cruise Line may recall any unsold inventory (inventory without full legal names and all required deposits paid in full) in whole or in part and cancel the corresponding bookings.
FINAL OPTION DATES
Subject to Cruise Line’s rights as specified in the preceding paragraph, groups that meet the criteria described above at the time of the 180/120 DTS Review will usually be permitted to hold inventory until the following final option dates:
◊ Itineraries of five (5) nights or more:
final option date = one hundred and twenty (120) DTS◊ Itineraries of four (4) nights or less:
final option date = seventy-five (75) DTSAt the final option date, all unsold inventory will be recalled by Cruise Line and the corresponding bookings will be cancelled.
Inventory added to a group after the final option date will carry the prevailing option period for individual reservations.
Additions to Group — Inventory may be added to a group at any point during the life of the group, based on current availability of group inventory and pricing. However, no inventory can be added or transferred into a group if Cruise Line has identified the sailing as Code Red.
TRANSFERS OF FIT BOOKINGS INTO GROUP
Impact on Size Limits — Transfers from an individual (FIT) into an existing group must not cause the group to exceed the one hundred ninety-nine (199) stateroom maximum.
Minimum Requirements for Transfer — When an FIT booking is transferred into a group, the booking will require full legal names and full deposits (as specified above), and an equivalent amount of unsold group inventory must be released from the group. The deposit, final payment and cancellation policies applicable to a Transferred FIT Booking shall be the same as the group into which it is transferred.
Pricing for Transferred FIT Booking — The transferred FIT booking(s) will not receive group rates but will remain at the FIT rate that prevailed when the booking was created; however, the transferred booking might receive GAP (group amenities plus) program benefits applied to the group as a whole.
Bookings transferred in from individual reservations will not count toward any group retention calculations, but are allowed even when the group size is below the minimum of eight (8) staterooms.
Next Cruise Bookings are eligible to be moved into the group environment with full deposits but group rates will not apply.
NAME CHANGES
Name “changes” (the substitution of one guest’s name for another) are allowed on a non-contracted group booking prior to the final option date. A double name change made at any time will be treated as a cancellation and result in the loss of promotional rates. When a guest’s name is removed from a booking as a result of a name change, payments will be refunded to the original form of payment, and a new form of payment will be required for the newly added guest.
Name changes may be made after the final option date provided at least one name listed on a stateroom’s booking does not change. No changes to guest names may be made under any circumstances after the sailing has closed.N
TOUR CONDUCTOR CREDITS
A credit in an amount equal to the cruise-only fare (less the NCCF) for one (1) berth will be earned for every sixteen (16) paid guests who sailed with the group in staterooms at full-fare* double occupancy rates. The value of any Taxes/Fees, NCCF, fuel supplement charges and gratuities are not included in the calculation of that tour conduct credit value.
*“Full fare” means any rate other than travel agency rates, resident specials or other restricted rates, or any berth to which tour conductor credits are applied.
Effective for groups sailing on or after January 1, 2018, the value of the tour conductor credit will be based on the average cruise fare (less the NCCF) of the total of all staterooms booked at full fare who sailed with the group, regardless of stateroom category.
For all groups on sailings that commence prior to January 1
2018, the tour conductor credit value will be determined by the stateroom category in which the group has sold the most space. If there is a tie between two or more categories, the value will be based on the lowest of those categories. If multiple price points exist for the stateroom category upon which the tour conductor credit value is determined, the lowest cruise fare will be used.
Third and fourth passengers do not count for purposes of calculating the tour conductor credit. Singles paying 200% of the full fare count as two (2) guests for tour conductor purposes.
Tour conductor credits are non-commissionable.
CRUISE DOCUMENTS
E-docs (electronic documents) will be issued free of charge approximately twenty-eight (28) days to sailing.
AIR2SEA BY ROYAL
Enjoy complete flexibility with flights on preferred airlines. Just pick the one that works for your guest and let us take care of the rest. We’ll even filter out the flights that won’t work for the cruise.
Lowest Airfare Guarantee: Whichever city. Whichever port. Whatever carrier. Guests get the lowest priced fare on their choice of airlines, or we’ll credit back 110% of the difference to spend onboard. Program Terms & Conditions apply.
Assured Arrival: When vacation comes around, guests don’t want to miss the ship because of flight delays or cancellations. Book airfare through us and we guarantee our travel experts will get them to their cruise.
Easy to Reserve: Vacations should be all about enjoying time away. Air2Sea by Royal is simple and easy to use. Reserving the perfect flight is a breeze.
Choice of Airlines: Guests enjoy complete flexibility with their choice on preferred airlines. Pick the one that works and let us take care of the rest. We’ll even filter out the flights that won’t work with your cruise.
24/7 Support: Air specialists are available 24/7, so you and your guests can leave all worries behind. Air2Sea by Royal is here to ensure their air travel is as smooth as their vacation.
Guests can book a maximum of eight traveling companions from up to four different cruise bookings in the same Air2Sea itinerary.
Air2Sea by Royal is available to residents in the U.S. and Canada at a service charge of only $15 per person for domestic and $25 per person for international airline tickets.
Guests can either purchase Air2Sea by Royal through their travel agent or through the Air2Sea website: royalcaribbean.com/Air2Sea.
Travel agents also can purchase Air2Sea by Royal at CruisingPower.com/Air2Sea.
DINING
Dining requests will be accepted starting at the time of the initial booking. Royal Caribbean International will attempt to honor the request. Dining assignments will be made based on availability at the time of group finalization.
Flexible (My Time Dining) options are available for groups and are the best fit for those guests who do not require seat together dining.
VALUE ADD
Subject to the terms of this Section, a Value Add (or a combination of Value Adds) with an aggregate value of $100.00 USD per guest may be provided by the Travel Partner. Value Add funds must be cross referenced to the guest level.
Prior to providing any Value Add to guests booked into a group, the Travel Partner must submit to Cruise Line for its approval a completed Value Add Request Form for each sailing.
Value Add Request Forms are available on www.cruisingpower.com Value Add must be requested and approved prior to final option date.
Refunds for cancellation involving Value Add must be refunded to the guest, not the agency.
Student Groups — Royal Caribbean International does not accept student groups. A student group is defined as a group in which fifty percent (50%) or more of the guests are under the age of twenty-one (21).
Please contact your Shoreside Group Representative for further details and requirements.
PROMOTIONS
All marketing materials used to promote your group must be pre-approved by your Royal Caribbean International Sales Representative. All materials must contain a statement identifying the ship’s registry. Restrictions on the advertising or promotion of group fares apply.
The new Royal Caribbean International Group Sales Kit will be available on line at www.cruisingpower.com
FARES
Fares are quoted per guest, based on double occupancy. All fares quoted to guests must include Non-Commissionable Cruise Fares (NCCF).
All fares, government fees, schedules, port calls, hours of arrival and departure and special programs are subject to changes without notice. Royal Caribbean International reserves the right to assess fares and charges in effect at the time of booking and amend or add to the content of this brochure at any time.
GROUP AMENITIES PLUS (GAP)
Royal Caribbean International has established the Groups Amenities Plus program to allow you to customize your group. Selections for the use of GAP points may only be requested for groups above the minimum group size of eight (8) staterooms and must be made before final payment is due.
GAP for purchase of $14 per stateroom will also be available for groups above the minimum group size. Purchase must be prior to final payment and applied towards guest facing amenities.
GROUP FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What happens if my group falls below minimum?
Any group that fall below the minimum size (of eight (8) staterooms and sixteen (16) guests at double occupancy) will no longer be assigned to a Shoreside Group Representative.
Only those GAP amenities selected for use by guests onboard will be protected. Guest amenities include, but are not limited to, stateroom deliveries.
Groups that have fallen below the group minimum are not supported by the Onboard Group Coordinators.
Servicing for a Below Minimum group is available by calling the Groups Department. Any Group Agent can assist.
ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISETOURS
In some cases, the unique nature of Cruisetour groups requires the application of guidelines different from those that apply to cruise only groups. The following paragraphs describe those different guidelines. Except for the differences described below, the above referenced Group Guidelines apply to Cruisetour groups as well.
Individual Group Size — A Cruisetour group has the same minimum size requirements as cruise only groups (eight (8) staterooms and sixteen (16) guests at double occupancy). However, the maximum number of guests that can be booked for a Cruisetour group is sixteen (16) staterooms and thirty-two (32) guests. For any Cruisetour group in excess of that size, a written contract will be required.
Per Sailing Limit — If every member of a group is purchasing the same Cruisetour package, a single Cruisetour group booking will be created and the Travel Partner may hold only the one Cruisetour group (and not a separate cruise only group) on the same sailing.
However, if some members of a group are purchasing a Cruisetour package and others are not, two separate group bookings will be created: (a) one for the cruise only members; and (b) one for the Cruisetour group. Under these circumstances, a Travel Partner may hold one (1) cruise only group and one (1) Cruisetour group on the same sailing.
Total Outstanding Cruisetour Groups Limit — At any given point in time, the total number of non-contracted Cruisetour groups that may be held by a Travel Partner cannot exceed the greater of:
• Four (4) Cruisetour groups; or
• Twice the number of Cruisetour groups that sailed in the immediately preceding four (4) calendar quarters in non- contracted Cruisetour groups booked by that Travel Partner.
Final Option Date — The Final Option Date for a Cruisetour group is 180 DTS, regardless of the length of the associated cruise’s itinerary.
CANCELLATION CHARGES
The departure date for a Cruisetour is the embarkation date for the associated cruise, or the first day of the tour portion of the Cruisetour, whichever is earlier. Cruisetours that are converted to a cruise only reservation within forty-two (42) days of the start date of the tour segment of the Cruisetour will be subject to a cancellation charge. The amount of that charge varies depending on the location of the Cruisetour and/or its length. The specific charges can be found at www.royalcaribbean.com/ cruisetourcancellationpenalties