CruisesOnlyAvis 

We were forced to cancel a cruise for my son and his girlfriend and immediately contacted Cruises Only for guidance on how to proceed. We were specifically advised to keep both rooms booked, as my son and I were assigned to one cabin and my wife and his girlfriend to the other, which would supposedly preserve our onboard amenities, excursions, and rewards. We were further told that the charges tied to the two passengers would simply “fall off” once they were marked as “no shows.”

Unfortunately, that advice proved to be completely inaccurate and financially damaging. When we later visited the Next Cruise desk onboard to discuss a future sailing, we were informed that we should have canceled the room entirely. Because we followed the instructions given to us, the cruise line now reflects both cabins as occupied, eliminating any possibility of reimbursement, future cruise credit, or discounted accommodation toward another cruise.

To make matters worse, we had also purchased travel insurance believing it would provide protection in situations exactly like this. After waiting on hold for nearly an hour with the Aon travel insurance representative, we were informed that our policy did not cover cancellations of any kind. It is difficult to understand why such a policy would even be sold as “travel insurance” when it fails to provide one of the most basic protections consumers reasonably expect.

According to the representative at Cruises Only, the original guidance had also come directly from a Royal Caribbean International representative. Regardless of where the misinformation originated, the outcome remains the same: we are now out approximately $2,000 due to poor guidance, misleading information, and a complete lack of accountability. The most frustrating part of this entire experience is that neither company appears willing to take responsibility or show any genuine concern for the financial loss their advice created.

I had an issue with their rewards program taking my $50 towards a shore excursion when they did not offer any shore excursions on my booking. After many calls to cruises only because you can’t talk to a person at cruisesonlyrewards and being told they will not put my $50 back on my account their solution was a voucher for my next cruise. I have used them many times before but I guess their service has gone down hill. I would not recommend them now

My experience with cruises only is the fact that they said if you book with them they would give you bonus on board credit but after I book the cruise with them nothing was mentioned and you never get the promotion price that’s was advertised the whole bate and switch I have no choice but to take the cruise but this will be my first and last, buyer be were stay away from this company

I spent 128 consultant (4477) minutes on the phone with a Cruises Only specialist attempting to book a 4-day Royal Caribbean cruise advertised at $1,631, which included a $25 upfront promotional deposit and 30 days to pay the remaining balance.
Despite multiple attempts on my end to complete payment online during the call, the consultant failed to lock in the advertised rate. During the same call:
The price jumped from $1,631 to $2,690 once promotions were “no longer available.”
After further searching, the consultant stated he had reduced the price to $1,809, only to later say that the room was no longer available.
After another 30 minutes, I was told the next room would “definitely be locked.”
Moments later, I was again informed that someone else took the room, and the only remaining option was nearly $500 higher, with no promotions, and urgency to proceed immediately.
The repeated assurances that the rate would be locked—followed by failure to do so—combined with escalating prices during a single call is deeply concerning.
At best, this reflects poor execution and lack of process control.
At worst, it resembles bait-and-switch pricing or false advertising, where a customer is drawn in by a promotional offer that is not honored and pressured into a significantly higher-priced alternative.
Being told repeatedly that my frustration was “understood” while the situation continued to deteriorate did not resolve the issue—and certainly did not reflect the level of service my family has come to expect from Cruises Only.
I hope this experience is reviewed internally, as it does not align with professional booking standards or customer trust. As I write this post, I am still on hold after 2 hours of debate and now waiting in a black hole for customer service.
I would like a response and explanation prior to reaching out to other platforms for assistance.
12m
Reply
The Remix: Life, Style & the Open Road
Requested Resolution
I respectfully request the following:
Rebooking at the originally advertised rate of $1,631, inclusive of the promotional $25 upfront payment and 30-day balance window, or
A refund or equivalent goodwill credit should rebooking at the advertised rate no longer be possible, and
A follow-up from a supervisor or corporate representative to review this experience and confirm corrective actions to prevent similar occurrences for future customers.
My goal is resolution not escalation but I believe this matter warrants internal review and response.
Please confirm receipt of this email and advise on next steps. I am happy to provide call timestamps, agent details, or any additional information required.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. I look forward to your response.