A reservation for a Royal Caribbean cruise comes in a variety of cruise fare choices, including a group rate that comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages.

So what is a group rate, and why might you want one?

Group rates are a type of cruise fare, where a travel agency reserves a bank of staterooms on a particular ship and sailing that locks in the price for a set period of time.

Traditionally, group rates are used to facilitate gatherings of guests sailing on the same same cruise ship in order to better organize their sailing, as well as provide additional benefits specifically for the group.

One key reason group rates are popular with travel agents are the fact the prices freeze, and even if the price for the same category room rises in the weeks and months after a group is made, the group rate remains frozen at the lower rate.

While group rates are most commonly associated with a gathering of people who are tied together somehow, there are no rules about who may or may not take advantage of a group rate.  This means, travel agents who are booking a new client that wants to sail on a cruise where there is an existing group set up, can book that client into the group and provide them additional savings.

In fact, many online websites that sell cruises tend to use groups as a tool for offering lower cruise fares. 

If you have ever shopped around for a cruise, and noticed a certain website offering a lower price than anywhere else, it is almost always the result of a group fare.

In most cases, being part of a group rate is something guests will never know about or need to be concerned with since it is has no impact on the onboard experience.

Differences between group rates and individual rates

There are a few differences between a group rate and an individual rate that occasionally pop up.

First, group rates require a full deposit when making the booking. This means if there is a discount on the cruise deposit offered by Royal Caribbean (i.e. NextCruise bookings), you must pay the difference in deposit amount in order to get into the group.

Likewise, some Royal Caribbean booking promotions may not be compatible with the group fares.  

Since there is a significant discount for being in a group, Royal Caribbean tends not to offer the same discounts as someone who is potentially paying more with an individual fare. While this sounds unfair, more often than not, the person in the group is still getting a lower price.

Different kinds of cruise fares: Here be dragons

If you are not confused yet, there is way more options available when it comes to cruise fares that can blur the line between individual rates and group rates.

Travel agents (and yes, third-party websites are a kind of travel agent) have a lot of leeway with how they book their customers. After all, nearly any client is interested in the best rate and the type of fare is almost always irrelevant.

You can be booked into a standard cruise rate and then be pulled into a group later. That means you have still a standard rate, but not a group rate.

Most good travel agents will tell you if you actually have a group rate versus a standard rate.

In addition, families of 3 or 4 do not get group rates.  Group rates tend to be for two people in a room, so someone booked with that many people in a room are just standard rates pulled into a “group space” or block.

Should I care if I have a group rate?

Most of the time, it does not matter at all what type of rate you get, as long as you are getting the lowest possible fare.

The two concerns are if you really value a lower deposit amount, or a specific promotion.

If you booked directly with Royal Caribbean, you can be assured you have a standard individual rate.

If you booked with a travel agent, you can ask what type of rate you currently have and if it is part of a group or not.

Royal Caribbean offers special rates for police, firefighter and military members on select sailings. 

These special rates are meant to recognize and reward those that serve their county and community.

Police and Firefighters

Special rates for fire and police require there must be at least one guest in the stateroom that is an active or retired, volunteer or employee of a local, state or federal law enforcement agency or fire department in the United States.

When boarding the ship on the first day of your cruise, you will be required to present valid proof of employment (badge or ID) plus a second form of identification when boarding the ship.

Spouses, parents, in-laws, children or other family members or friends are not eligible for the rate without the eligible person occupying the stateroom. 

Military Rates

To qualify for a Military rate, at least one guest in the stateroom must be classified as one of the following,

1. Active personnel currently serving in the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard, Reserves or Canadian National Defense.
2. Retired from any of the divisions listed directly above.
3. Veterans with an Honorable Discharge serving a minimum of 2 years, or 6-months in an active war zone, in any of the United States service divisions listed above.

At least one guest per stateroom must be eligible to be considered in compliance with these rates.

Spouses of actively deployed military personnel are eligible to book one stateroom as long as the eligible spouse is occupying the stateroom. This rate also applies to all other guests traveling in the same stateroom.

Spouses of deceased military personnel are also eligible for the military rate. As proof of eligibility, spouses must present the Pink or Tan Dependent Military ID upon check-in.

if you are unable to provide proof upon check-in at the pier, it will result in the reservation being re-priced to the lowest available fare for that particular day and the guest will be responsible to pay for any differences immediately or risking denial of boarding.

How to get the special rate

To check for special rates, inform your travel agent or Royal Caribbean representative at the time of booking that you qualify for a veteran rate. 

These special rates will vary from sailing to sailing, and there are potentially more lucrative discounts available depending on the ship and sail date you choose.  

Check out our new RoyalCaribbeanBlog video that shares what you need to know about booking a refundable or non-refundable cruise fare.

Royal Caribbean offers two types of deposits when you book a cruise, and each has their benefits and drawbacks. In this video, Matt shares the pros and cons of each fare type and advice on which to choose.

And if you love this video, we have lots of other great cruise videos to watch on our Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel!

By the way, have you subscribed yet? Be sure to subscribe to our channel and never miss a single episode!

So check out the video and then let us know: Which fare deposit option do you prefer and why?

Royal Caribbean has added a new option for guests booking a cruise directly with the cruise line via its website, where they can finance the cruise fare cost.

An update to the Royal Caribbean website now offers a monthly payment plan option, along side the traditional booking option.

The montly payment option is financed through a third-party service known as UpLift, in which a first payment is due at booking and subsequent payments taken each month thereafter.  An annual percentage rate (APR) is also tacked onto the total cost for the financing service.

Upon checkout, the user is given the choice to use Pay Monthly for the cruise, at which point the site will check the person's credit rating to determine the exact annual percentage rate that will be used.

UpLift advertises itself as a provider of consumer financing exclusively for the purpose of travel. It works with over 200 travel providers, such as airlines, resorts, hotels and more.

Do you think you will take advantage of this service? Share your thoughts on this option in this blog post's comments section.

Royal Caribbean announced today a change to its non-refundable deposit program, where beginning November 1, 2018, guests that book non-refundable deposit fares will no longer receive onboard credit for staterooms booked. Instead, the cruise line promises lower pricing on the cruise fare.

The decision to remove the onboard credit for non-refundable bookings has to do with onboard credit not being a factor in the booking process for many guests, "Over the past year, we regularly monitored booking analytics and conducted research which identified that the onboard credit was not influencing the consumer's buying decision. Based on these findings, the decision was made to sunset the onboard credit and to ensure that the non-refundable deposit program continues to offer the lowest pricing. This change will take effect for all new bookings made on-or-after November 1st, 2018."

Unless a change occurs to an existing reservation that forces a reprice to the booking, no impact will be seen to existing reservations. The amendments that lead to a reprice include, but are not limited to, amending the ship, sailing, or category of an existing reservation, as well as converting to a different fare or promotional offer. Should a reprice occur on-or after November 1st, 2018, the onboard credit will no longer apply.

Non-Refundable Deposit reservations made prior to November 1st, 2018 qualify to earn an onboard credit of up to $100 per stateroom.  Those who book non-refundable deposit fares on-or-after November 1st, 2018 will no longer qualify to earn an onboard credit of up to $100 per stateroom.

Royal Caribbean announced a new cruise cancellation policy that will go into effect on all bookings made on or after April 8, 2018.

The policy change is aimed at encouraging guests to finalize their bookings earlier.  The cancellation policy adjustments announced, "were decided upon in an effort to better align with industry standards and to make the schedule simpler and more concise."

The change impacts both individual, NextCruise, and group reservations created on or after April 8, 2018.

Royal Caribbean last updated its cancellation policy in February 2016.

Royal Caribbean has released details on the launch of its non-refundable deposit program, where guests can opt to make a cruise reservation with a no-refund policy on the deposit.

Beginning June 13, guests can expect to see the non-refundable deposit option live on various products. Royal Caribbean will work with these test products leading up to the fleet wide launch on July 1, 2017.

Here are the sailings eligible for the non-refundable deposit program

Caribbean

• Freedom of the Seas departing San Juan
  • Sailing window: May 12, 2018 through August 25, 2018
• Rhapsody of the Seas departing Tampa, FL
  • Sailing window: January 7, 2018 through April 29, 2018
• Adventure of the Seas departing from Northeast
  • Sailing window: May 5, 2018 through October 8, 2018

Alaska

• Explorer of the Seas
  • Sailing window: May 18, 2018 through September 7, 2018
• Radiance of the Seas
  • Sailing window: May 18, 2018 through September 7, 2018

Europe

• Jewel of the Seas departing from Rome roundtrip
  • Sailing window June 17, 2018 through September 2, 2018

Non-refundable fares booked 6-months or more from sail date, recieve automatic Early Booking Incentive bonus. The early booking credit is combinable with promotional onboard credit offers, Crown & Anchor discounts, and NextCruise benefits.

• Sailings 1-5 nights
  • Interior/Oceanview: $25 OBC
  • Balcony/Suite: $50 OBC
• Sailings 6+ nights
  • Interior/Oceanview: $50 OBC
  • Balcony/Suite: $100 OBC

A non-refundable deposit will become the only option for those guests interested in reserving an upper Suite. This also holds true for guarantee categories, including W/WS, X/XB, XN, Y/YO, and Z/ZI.

As of July 1st, 2017, the fleet-wide launch of nonrefundable deposit fares will debut across all ships.

A change fee of $100 per guest will be imposed to all reservations booked under a nonrefundable deposit fare that opts to change either the ship and/or sail date originally selected. Multiple adjustments to the ship and/or sail date of a booking will result in the assessment of a $100 per guest change fee for each qualifying change made to the reservation. There is no limit on the number of change fees that can be incurred.

Outside of final payment, when a nonrefundable deposit cancellation occurs, guests will receive a Future Cruise Certificate in the amount of their designated cruise deposit, less the $100 per guest change fee.

Royal Caribbean announced today a new non-refundable deposit program, which is an addition to the traditional refundable deposit model.  

When making a cruise reservation at least 6-months prior to sailing, guests who opt to take advantage of nonrefundable deposit fares will automatically qualify to earn up to $100 per stateroom to spend at sea. Early booking credit is combinable with the existing promotional offer available at time of booking,

As of July 1, 2017, the fleet-wide launch of nonrefundable deposit fares will debut across all ships. A soft launch will occur via promotion on May 26th 2017 on select ships/sail dates.

Royal Caribbean also announced a a non-refundable deposit will become the only option for those guests interested in reserving an upper Suite (specifically Grand Suite or higher). This also holds true for guarantee categories, including W/WS, X/XB, XN, Y/YO, and Z/Z.

In an effort to deter continual or late ship/sail date adjustments, a change fee of $100 per guest will be imposed to all reservations booked under a nonrefundable deposit fare that opts to change either the ship and/or sail date originally selected. Such fees will be incurred, without exception, at time of change, thus, emphasizing the importance of ensuring that your clients are aware of the detailed terms of this program at time of booking. Multiple adjustments to the ship and/or sail date of a booking will result in the assessment of a $100 per guest change fee for each qualifying change made to the reservation. There is no limit on the number of change fees that can be incurred.

Change fees are only incurred should an adjustment to the ship and/or sail date occur; therefore, no change fee will be assessed upon swapping between category types on the same ship and sail date.

If guests opt to cancel a cruise reserved under the nonrefundable deposit fare, that is outside of final payment, guests will receive a Future Cruise Certificate in the amount of their designated cruise deposit, less the $100 per guest change fee. Such Future Cruise Certificates can be applied towards a future Royal Caribbean cruise vacation when reserved within 1 year of the issue date. Thereafter, the Future Cruise Certificate will expire and becomes invalid.

Nonrefundable deposit fares are combinable with promotional onboard credit offers, Crown & Anchor discounts, and NextCruise benefits.

What do you think of this new non-refundable deposit program? Will you take advantage of it? Let us know in the comments!

Royal Caribbean is updating and simplifying its cancellation policy, in an effort to make the entire policy simpler to understand.

In a nutshell, the penalty schedule has been reduced from four unique schedules to now two penalty periods. In addition, for sailings 5-nights or longer, the cancellation period has been moved up from 75 days prior-to-sailing to 90 days prior-to-sailing.

The new cancellation guidelines will take effect beginning March 7, 2016. Individual and group reservations created after March 7th, 2016 will be impacted by this change.

Royal Caribbean decided to adjust its cancellation policy, "in an effort to better align with industry standards and to make the schedule simpler and more concise." The timing of this announcement was selected to coincide with the 2017/2018 deployment opening schedule.