Royal Caribbean International & Celebrity Cruises Change Advertised Pricing Policy
by Dori Saltzman
Following in the footsteps of Carnival Corp. Royal Caribbean Group is changing its advertised pricing policy to comply with a new California law that bans drip pricing. Effective July 1, 2024, the company’s Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity brands will advertise with all taxes and fees included as part of the total advertised price. (Silversea is not impacted because it’s advertised pricing already showed full price.)
The new advertising policy does not change the total price of the cruise or impact the portion of the cruise fare that is commissionable to travel advisors.
“We are updating the way we display our pricing in the U.S. beginning July 1,” a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean Group told TMR. “Guests booking with Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises will now see pricing that is inclusive of their selected cruise fare and all required taxes and fees. We are also supporting our travel partners across the country ahead of this upcoming change.”
The change was announced in an email to travel agencies and advisors, and was first reported by RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com.
According to the email, Royal Caibbean Group is currently working to update its internal systems, including Espresso, the One Stop Pricing, and more. The company’s API feeds will be modified as well, so that whichever tool advisors use to price cruises for clients will show the all-inclusive pricing style as of July 1.
Like Carnival Corp., Royal Caribbean Group is making the change to its advertised pricing on a national basis, rather than just in California in order to reduce “confusion” and “unnecessary complexity.”
Unlike Carnival, however, Royal Caribbean Group is not changing the way in which cancellation fees are calculated.
“Cancellation fees will continue to be assessed on the fare price, excluding government taxes and fees,” the company wrote in a FAQ for travel advisors.
