Royal Caribbean is once again asking guests booked aboard Voyager of the Seas if they're willing to give up their cruise. And this time, it's for an Alaska sailing scheduled to depart Seattle on September 4, 2026.
What's particularly interesting about this latest offer isn't just the incentives Royal Caribbean is putting on the table. It's the fact that this is another similar offer involving Voyager of the Seas in just a few months. In fact, we know firsthand what it's like to receive one of these offers.
We were booked aboard Voyager of the Seas for its July 17, 2026 Alaska sailing, and Royal Caribbean made a very similar offer to guests booked on our cruise. Now it's happening again.
Guests booked on the September 4 sailing have received an email from Royal Caribbean asking whether their travel plans are flexible. The cruise line makes it clear that accepting the offer is completely voluntary. The email essentially tells guests that if their plans are set in stone, they don't need to do anything. They can simply remain booked and get ready for their Alaska adventure.
But for those who are willing to change their plans, Royal Caribbean is offering some significant incentives and they're certainly enough to make some cruisers stop and think.
Guests who are selected and agree to change their plans can transfer to one of three seven-night Voyager of the Seas Alaska cruises in 2027.
The options include:
August 27, 2027 — Seattle round trip, visiting Juneau, Skagway, Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier, and Victoria.
September 3, 2027 — Seattle round trip with the same destinations, including Juneau, Skagway, Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier, and Victoria.
September 10, 2027 — Seattle round trip visiting Juneau, Skagway, Sitka and Victoria.
And Royal Caribbean isn't simply moving the reservation.
Guests who accept the offer would receive a 100% refund of the cruise fare they paid, excluding taxes and amenities.
They would also receive:
$200 in non-refundable onboard credit per stateroom
Reimbursement for eligible non-refundable, prepaid travel expenses, including hotels and flights
In other words, a guest who accepts the transfer would essentially receive a replacement cruise without paying the cruise fare again.
The catch?
They would have to wait almost an entire year to take it.
Guests can also choose to cancel their September 4 cruise completely.
Under this option, Royal Caribbean says guests would receive:
A 100% refund of their cruise booking
Reimbursement for eligible non-refundable, prepaid travel expenses
A Future Cruise Credit worth 150% of the cruise fare paid
That future cruise credit can be used toward a Royal Caribbean sailing departing by September 4, 2027.
For some cruisers, that could actually provide more flexibility than simply moving to one of the three Voyager of the Seas sailings in 2027.
Someone could potentially use the credit toward a different Royal Caribbean cruise rather than taking one of the replacement Alaska sailings.
Of course, there are conditions, and the offer isn't guaranteed to everyone who wants to participate.
Guests interested in either offer have until September 1 to apply. Royal Caribbean says it will contact guests who are selected by phone or email.
If you haven't heard from Royal Caribbean by September 2, you're staying on your original cruise in your existing stateroom.
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This is where this story gets particularly interesting for us. We were passengers aboard Voyager of the Seas on the July 17, 2026 Alaska sailing, and Royal Caribbean made a very similar request to guests booked on our cruise.
That wasn't our first experience with the situation. Royal Caribbean had also contacted guests booked on a June 19 sailing aboard the same ship with incentives to change or cancel their cruise. Then came the July 17 sailing. Now, we're seeing another offer for September 4. That's three reported instances involving Voyager of the Seas during the Alaska season.
And that naturally raises a question:
Why does Royal Caribbean keep asking Voyager of the Seas passengers to give up their cruises? Is Voyager of the Seas Being Oversold? Royal Caribbean has not confirmed that the September 4 sailing is oversold. The cruise line has also not publicly stated the specific reason for making this particular offer.
Overselling, however, isn't unusual in the travel industry. Airlines and other travel companies routinely accept more bookings than their expected capacity because they anticipate that some passengers will cancel before departure.
When more passengers actually show up than expected, companies can find themselves needing volunteers to change their plans. That's where these kinds of offers can come in.
But with Voyager of the Seas, the repeated requests naturally make people wonder whether something more specific is going on with the ship's Alaska sailings. At this point, though, that's a question, not a confirmed explanation.
What stands out to us isn't simply that Royal Caribbean is asking people to move their cruise. It's how much the cruise line is willing to offer to make it happen. Giving someone their entire cruise fare back, reimbursing eligible prepaid travel expenses and adding $200 in onboard credit is a substantial incentive. The cancellation option is even more interesting with its 150% future cruise credit.
For someone who is flexible, that could potentially turn an unwanted cancellation into an opportunity to take another Royal Caribbean cruise. But that's also why cruisers need to look carefully at the details. A cruise isn't just the cruise fare. People have flights, hotels, excursions, time off work and other plans built around their vacation. Moving a cruise nearly a year into the future may be easy for one person and completely impossible for another.
If you don't want to change your vacation, you don't have to. The offer is voluntary. You remain booked on the September 4 sailing in your existing stateroom and honestly, that's exactly what we did with our July 17 cruise. We weren't interested in giving up our Alaska vacation, especially since it was our 30th anniversary, so we stayed with our original plans.
And we're glad we did.
Have You Received One of These Offers? If you're booked on the September 4 Voyager of the Seas sailing and received this email, we'd love to hear from you. Did you consider taking the offer? Would you give up your cruise for a 100% refund and a future cruise credit worth 150% of your fare? Or would you rather keep your original Alaska vacation?
We are Tim & Lori and are known as "The Cruising Together Couple"
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