Why Are Cruise Refunds Taking So Long?

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As many of you know, my family is a big fan of cruise vacations. Last November, I sailed on my 10th cruise. My kids love the freedom of activity choices on board, and I love that everyone is happy and relaxed.

Then along came coronavirus. I’m not saying I won’t cruise again, but I’m waiting to see some changes from the cruise industry.

My Cruise Refund Issue

I have 3 future cruises in the works: a Spring Break 2021 cruise on Royal Caribbean for next March, a Fall 2021 Disney Cruise with my daughter (not booked yet) and an early 2022 Royal Caribbean cruise out of Galveston.

Because my family’s income is reduced this year during the pandemic, I decided to cancel the 2022 cruise to recoup some money. I booked the cruise because for the first time, Royal Caribbean was going to send one of its bigger ships with all the bells and whistles (Allure of the Seas) to Galveston at a new, larger dock. I was excited that we only had to drive 6 hours to port. However, recently Royal Caribbean canceled the amplification of Allure of the Seas and the construction of the Galveston dock due to coronavirus money problems. So, that particular cruise was not going to happen anyway.

I had only put a refundable deposit of $1250 down for this cruise. When I canceled, my travel agent said I should get the money back in 5-7 days. It’s been over a month, and still no refund from Royal Caribbean.

I’m Not Alone with Cruise Refund Issues….

On Cruise Critic message boards and on the Disboards, I see that I’m not the only one having a hard time getting a cruise refund. Many people have opted for a refund when their cruise was canceled due to the coronavirus. Since those cruises were paid in full, people are waiting for thousands of dollars in refunds. This is a big deal and a lot of money for people who have just lost their jobs.

I’m seeing refund frustrations across multiple cruise lines on the message boards. Now, several cruise lines are saying it could take up to 90 days for a refund. Three months!?!? That’s crazy. I canceled our flights on Spirit Airlines and received our refund in two days.

Some folks are now disputing charges with their credit card companies to get a refund if they’ve been waiting over a month. One poster said he called Bank of America to start the dispute process on his credit card, and the phone agent said he had been receiving quite a few calls from cruisers requesting the same.

Why Are Cruise Lines Taking So Long?

I surmise that cruise line refunds are taking so long because of one or more of these reasons:

• Cruise Lines are inundated with cancelations, and there is a backlog of manual cancelations to be processed
• Cruise Lines have crappy IT systems, and their systems can’t handle the sheer number of refunds
• Cruise Lines are short on cash, and they are trying to hold onto money for as long as possible

In my case, my cancelation was well within the rules of a normal cancelation and not a “special” cancelation due to the coronavirus shutdown. I feel that my refund should have been processed automatically through the system without requiring a manual process. So then why is it still taking so long?

My experience, along with reading about other people’s frustrations with the refund timeline, is souring me toward the cruise industry right now. If the airlines can give timely refunds right now, why can’t the cruise lines?

Are you waiting for a refund from a cruise line? How long have you been waiting?

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Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.