Royal Caribbean Revives Perks, Carnival Tightens the Gangway, Explora Reroutes Around a War Zone

Royal Caribbean has reinstated the non-alcoholic beverage package exemption that lets one adult in a stateroom take the non-alcoholic package while a companion books the Deluxe Beverage Package — pulled from sale about a year ago. It returns with a formal approval process, and the line is signaling stricter enforcement and possible penalties for bookings that try to route around the rule instead of going through it. Separately, Royal Caribbean's Double Points promotion, doubling Crown & Anchor Society points earned on new bookings, is back as well, but under revised terms from its earlier run. Advisors selling status-chasing repeat cruisers should confirm which sailings and booking windows actually qualify before pitching either offer to clients, since both come with tighter guardrails than the versions agents may remember from last year.

Royal Caribbean is cancelling Port Day Casita bookings made at incorrect, deeply discounted prices across all three Icon-class ships — Icon, Star, and Legend of the Seas. Affected guests are receiving refund notices instead of the private cabana experience they booked, with the corrected, higher price now standing in its place. It's the latest instance of the line voiding underpriced reservations rather than honoring pricing-glitch rates, following the same pattern it has used with cabin bookings. Advisors with clients holding a casita reservation on any of these three ships should proactively check confirmation pricing now rather than wait for the cancellation email to land. Expect frustration and inbound calls; having the corrected rebooking price ready before clients see the notice will make the conversation shorter and less contentious.

Carnival Miracle's September 17 farewell Alaska sailing from Seattle shares Pier 91 with another line's ship and a same-day Coast Guard inspection; guests are told not to arrive before their assigned terminal appointment or they'll be turned away rather than allowed to wait. Separately, Carnival Magic's September 13 Miami departure and Carnival Paradise's September 14 Tampa departure are reverting to full, all-at-once, in-person muster drills instead of the now-standard self-check-in e-muster, adding time to boarding on those two sailings. Advisors with clients on any of these departures should set expectations now: confirm the arrival-appointment window for Miracle's final Seattle call, and warn Magic and Paradise guests sailing this week to budget extra time for a traditional drill rather than assume the abbreviated e-muster process applies.

Explora Journeys is pulling EXPLORA I and EXPLORA V out of a planned Middle East and Red Sea season, citing the ongoing regional conflict, and redeploying both ships to new South America and Mediterranean itineraries for 2027-28. Guests already booked on the cancelled Middle East and Red Sea sailings will need rebooking onto the substitute itineraries or alternative dates, and advisors should reach out to affected clients rather than wait for line-initiated notice. The move adds Explora to a growing list of premium and luxury lines redrawing 2027-28 deployment maps around the conflict, so agents should treat pending Middle East bookings on other lines as similarly exposed and flag the region to clients shopping that far out. One upside: Mediterranean capacity for Explora effectively grows as a result, which may ease availability for 2027-28 Mediterranean requests.