--- company: royal-caribbean title: Royal Caribbean — how complaints actually go last_verified: 2026-10-13 --- ## In short For most money problems, call Royal Caribbean first, then put the request in writing through the Send Us a Message form on the contact page. If Royal Caribbean cancels your cruise or delays embarkation by 3 or more days, it gives a future cruise credit by default. Ask for a refund within 6 months if you want money back. The Ticket Contract sends all claims except injury claims to individual arbitration and gives one year to start it, so act early. Use only the phone numbers on royalcaribbean.com. ## How complaints actually go - Before sailing, the contact page lists Individual Reservations at 866-562-7625 (7am–2am ET daily). After sailing, it lists Post Cruise Assistance at 800-256-6649, with call hours and 24/7 text hours. The written channel is a Send Us a Message form on the same page, which asks for the sail date and reservation number. The page lists no chat and no U.S. mailing address for customer service. [Royal Caribbean: contact us](https://www.royalcaribbean.com/resources/contact-us) - If Royal Caribbean cancels a cruise, or delays embarkation by 3 or more days and you do not take the delayed or substitute sailing, it issues a future cruise credit automatically. You can ask for a refund instead within 6 months of the cancellation date or the scheduled embarkation date, whichever is earlier. [Royal Caribbean: cancellation and refund FAQ](https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/booking-cancellation-refund-policy) - Royal Caribbean says refunds usually post about 7 to 10 days after they are fully processed, and some take up to 30 days. Refunds go to the original card, or to the travel advisor if the advisor paid. [Royal Caribbean: refund timing FAQ](https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/how-long-do-refunds-take-to-process), [Royal Caribbean: cancellation and refund FAQ](https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/booking-cancellation-refund-policy) - For claims other than injury, illness or death, the Ticket Contract requires a signed Notice of Dispute, sent by U.S. mail or courier to the Legal Department in Miami. AAA arbitration can start only after a 60-day informal resolution period. [Royal Caribbean U.S. Ticket Contract](https://www.royalcaribbean.com/guest-terms/us/united-states-english/) - For a refund owed after a cancellation or long delay, federal rules require a written claim to the cruise line first. If the line has not resolved it within 180 days, or denies it, you can claim against the bond or other financial instrument the line keeps with the Federal Maritime Commission. [46 CFR 540.9](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/540.9), [FMC: refunds from a cruise line](https://www.fmc.gov/licensing-and-certification/passenger-vessel-operators/how-to-obtain-a-refund-from-a-cruise-line/) ## What tends to work - Decide quickly between the credit and a refund after a cancellation. The credit is issued unless you ask for a refund within the 6-month window. [Royal Caribbean: cancellation and refund FAQ](https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/booking-cancellation-refund-policy) - Keep the booking confirmation. Bookings made before October 11, 2026 follow the cancellation schedule in the confirmation, not the new table in the contract. [Royal Caribbean U.S. Ticket Contract](https://www.royalcaribbean.com/guest-terms/us/united-states-english/) - For small disputes, the arbitration clause says Royal Caribbean pays all AAA fees if the claims total US$750 or less and you met the notice and informal settlement requirements. [Royal Caribbean U.S. Ticket Contract](https://www.royalcaribbean.com/guest-terms/us/united-states-english/) - For accessibility needs, submit the Guest Special Needs Form at booking and no later than 30 days before sailing (60 days for sign language interpreting). If no confirmation arrives within 24 hours, email special_needs@rccl.com or call 866-592-7225. [Royal Caribbean: Guest Special Needs](https://www.royalcaribbean.com/resources/guest-special-needs) ## Traps and fine print - For bookings made on or after October 11, 2026, cancellation is free only 75 or more days before sailing (1 to 4 nights), 90 or more days (5 to 9 nights) or 120 or more days (10 or more nights). The charge is 100% at 30 days or less. Non-refundable deposits are kept even inside the free window. [Royal Caribbean U.S. Ticket Contract](https://www.royalcaribbean.com/guest-terms/us/united-states-english/) - Section 7.b lets Royal Caribbean skip or change ports and itineraries without compensation or refund, except for mechanical failures or where law requires otherwise. Section 7.e lets it substitute another ship. [Royal Caribbean U.S. Ticket Contract](https://www.royalcaribbean.com/guest-terms/us/united-states-english/) - Except for injury, illness or death, section 12.f limits Royal Caribbean's total liability to a future cruise credit no larger than the cruise fare paid. [Royal Caribbean U.S. Ticket Contract](https://www.royalcaribbean.com/guest-terms/us/united-states-english/) - Deadlines are short. For injury, illness or death, written notice is due within six months and suit within one year, in federal court in Miami (Southern District of Florida). All other claims must start in arbitration within one year, or they are barred. Class and representative proceedings are not allowed. [Royal Caribbean U.S. Ticket Contract](https://www.royalcaribbean.com/guest-terms/us/united-states-english/) - Liability for lost or damaged property is limited to $300.00 per guest unless you declare a higher value in writing and pay a 5% fee, with a $5,000 cap. [Royal Caribbean U.S. Ticket Contract](https://www.royalcaribbean.com/guest-terms/us/united-states-english/) - No refund is given for cancellation after the cruise begins, early disembarkation or a no-show. [Royal Caribbean U.S. Ticket Contract](https://www.royalcaribbean.com/guest-terms/us/united-states-english/) ## Scams that target customers - SmarterTravel (March 28, 2025) reported a Royal Caribbean guest who called a number in her booking paperwork. The person who answered said she had to pay her full balance before she could cancel. Royal Caribbean's real line, 800-256-6649, had no record of the call and said the deposit could be refunded minus the $100 penalty in her contract. [SmarterTravel](https://www.smartertravel.com/beware-of-this-cruise-cancellation-scam/) - Cruise Radio (December 6, 2024) reported two Florida women who paid more than $500 each through Cash App for a Royal Caribbean cruise offered on Facebook. They got fake reservation numbers, and Royal Caribbean had no bookings in their names. [Cruise Radio](https://cruiseradio.net/florida-women-warn-others-after-falling-for-fake-royal-caribbean-cruise-scam/) - The FTC warns of robocalls that promise free cruise tickets for taking a survey and then charge port taxes and fees ($59 per person in its January 2020 case). The alert does not name a cruise line. [FTC consumer alert](https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2020/01/free-cruise-try-illegal-robocall-upsell) - To check a number, compare it with the contact page on royalcaribbean.com. The U.S. accessibility and claims email addresses on Royal Caribbean's own pages end in @rccl.com. [Royal Caribbean: contact us](https://www.royalcaribbean.com/resources/contact-us), [Royal Caribbean: Guest Special Needs](https://www.royalcaribbean.com/resources/guest-special-needs)