Royal Caribbean Simplifies Cancellation Penalty Tiers Starting October 11
If you're booked on a 10-14 night Royal Caribbean sailing, note that you'll move into the highest cancellation penalty tier once the new structure applies. The 25% penalty window disappears entirely as of October 11, 2026. If you're eyeing new Alaska, Hawaii, Pacific Coastal or transpacific 2028 bookings opening September 29, 2026, you're subject to the new rules immediately — check third- and fourth-guest cancellation terms too, since waivers are ending.
Royal Caribbean is calling this a simplification, but the practical effect is that 10-14 night cruisers get bumped into the toughest penalty tier while the softer 25% window vanishes for everyone — that's a tightening dressed up as tidying. My read: guests booking longer sailings lose the cheapest early-cancellation off-ramp, and the line hasn't said whether fee percentages themselves are rising, which leaves room for further changes later. The fact that new 2028 Alaska, Hawaii, Pacific Coastal and transpacific bookings opening September 29 get hit immediately tells me Royal Caribbean wants this baked into next season's fare structure before the October 11 rollout even lands broadly. I'd also watch the third- and fourth-guest penalty enforcement — no longer waived individually, which sounds like fewer favors from customer service reps. If I had a 10-14 night cruise in the works, I'd lock in my cancellation terms before October 11.