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ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING TRAVELS

Dear Guest,

We’ve been carefully monitoring four storms with our Chief Meteorologist, James Van Fleet, that have impacted the current Explorer of the Seas sailing, which in turn impacts our route while crossing the Transatlantic. These storms are large, growing, and moving quickly, at different times. Unfortunately, when one passes, the other makes its way into our path. So, to avoid rough seas and a bumpy journey, we were forced to change our current itinerary, causing the ship to arrive in Southampton on November 8^th, instead of November 5^th. As a result, we’ll set sail on November 8^th and we’ll visit Philipsburg, St. Maarten as we make our way to Miami, Florida.

We are terribly sorry for this last-minute change, but know we made this decision to maintain a safe and comfortable journey. As always, your safety is our top priority and fortunately, being onboard a ship is one of the safest places to be during a storm, as we can sail out to sea and navigate around inclement weather. Plus, our ships have the latest technology, satellites, communication equipment, along with a team of experts who closely monitor the weather. Below, please find our new itinerary.

Weather Disclaimer: Please know that while this is our current plan to maintain a safe journey, the weather patterns can change. Should we need to make additional changes, we will let you know immediately. Your safety is our top priority!

If you’re interested in booking new shore excursions for Philipsburg, please visit our Shore Excursions Desk once you’re onboard. We have a plethora of tours for you to explore!

If you choose to sail…

To help make up for the unexpected shortened cruise, we’re providing you with the following:

• A refund for the cruise days missed, plus a Future Cruise Credit so that you can come back and sail with us.
  • Both amounts will be in the value of the 3 days your cruise was shortened by, and based on the cruise fare paid, per person, non-inclusive of taxes and fees.
• A refund in the form of an onboard credit for any remaining taxes and fees, after the itinerary change.
• In addition, if you purchased an internet or beverage package, unlimited dining package, or pre-paid your gratuities, you’ll receive a prorated refund for the shortened 3 days.
• Any pre-purchased Royal Caribbean International shore excursions for the missed ports will also be refunded as an onboard credit.
• Also, we know we have many Crown & Anchor members on this sailing, and we know how important it is to get you to that next tier …so, we will honor the days missed as loyalty point nights – even though the sailing is shortened.
• Transport rearrangement fees only, meaning you needed to get to the ship regardless of this change – but if you pre-booked it and there is an issue changing, we will review this expense.

All refunds will be applied to your Onboard Account as a refundable credit can be used anywhere onboard. Any unused credits will be refunded back to your credit card on file about 3 - 5 business days after the sailing ends.

If you purchased your air with us directly, we will contact you to assist with changing your flights. If you purchased your air independently, we are currently working with some of our airline partners, as some have agreed to waive change fees for our guests due to this special circumstance.

• If your airline does not waive the change fees, we will cover your non-refundable air change fees: up to $200 USD/£155 per person for domestic flights and $400 USD / £310 per person for international flights. 
• If you are not a local guest, and are unable to change your flights, and incur a cost due to a hotel stay, we’ll provide you with a refund of up to $200 USD/£155 per stateroom.
• Please send your receipts to RoyalGuestRelations@rccl.com for reimbursement review.

If you choose to not sail…

While we hope that you do, if you decide not to, we’ll provide you with:

• A 100% Future Cruise Credit of your cruise fare paid to rebook at a later time.
• A refund for all pre-purchased packages like, internet or beverage, unlimited dining package, or pre-paid your gratuities. And, you’ll receive a refund for your pre-purchased shore excursions.
• You can expect to receive your Future Cruise Credit via email by November 12^th, 2019. 

If you prefer to rebook another cruise now…

• If you’d like to re-schedule your cruise sooner, you may move your funds over to a new reservation with no penalty.
• Pricing will be at prevailing rates and you will not receive a Future Cruise Credit. If you’d like to re-book, please do so before November 5^th.

Again, we are truly sorry for this last-minute change, but appreciate your patience, understanding, and cooperation during this very fluid and unexpected circumstance. We are confident, you’ll have a wonderful holiday!

Sincerely,

Royal Caribbean International

Below are some additional answers to some questions you may have.

How is my Onboard Credit calculated?

The OBC compensation amount is based on the Total Cruise Fare paid and are exclusive of taxes and fees. We take the cruise fare you paid (less any certificates & promotions) and divide it by the number of cruise nights for a prorated daily value. That percentage or daily value is then multiplied by the number of days your cruise was shortened.

• For example, a 7-night cruise that was $1,000.00 USD per person, with $300 in promotions, would be $1,000 - $300 = $700 Cruise Fare Paid per person divided by 7-nights for a daily value of $100 per day. If your cruise was shorted by 3 days that would be $100 daily value x 3 = $300 Future Cruise Certificate.
• Cruise fare refunds as Onboard Credits: Works just like the above, except it’s added as a refundable onboard credit to your onboard account.  If you don’t use it all, the rest is put back onto your form of payment onboard.
• Pre-cruise Packages Onboard Credits: For shortened sailings, we applied the same basic principle. We took the total you paid for a package and divided it by your total amount of cruise nights for a daily value. So, a $500 per person Beverage Package on a 7-night cruise, would be $71.43 per day. Then, we multiply that per day value by the amount of days (3 days) your cruise was shortened. In this example, 3 days X $71.43= $214.29 per person, which would be added as a refundable onboard credit to onboard account.

How is my Future Cruise Credit calculated?

It’s calculated the same as the Onboard Credit described above.

Why will it take until November 12^th to get my FCC?

We need this time to understand who chose to not sail and who opted to move their funds to a new ship and sail date – we have taken a snapshot of the sailing as it is today, right before our announcement.

Why is my credit different from others in my stateroom?

The credit is calculated per person and after any promotions. For example, if you booked a BOGO (Buy One, Get One) 50% promotion, the first guest on a booking will have more credit than the second, because the first sailed at a full rate while the second sailed at a discount of 50%.

What happens if I don't spend the full amount of my onboard credit?

If you spend less than the full value of your credit onboard, any leftover $$$ will be refunded to your card on file.

My reservation was paid in a different currency, why is my credit in USD?

All transactions onboard are done in USD, so your credit will be in USD. We lock in the exchange rate the day before your sailing to be fair to all guests.