One Royal Caribbean cruiser shared her cautionary tale about nearly losing hundreds of dollars to a phone scammer when attempting to book a drink package.
Unfortunately, scammers seem to be everywhere these days. From spam phone calls to unwanted emails, it’s hard to know when you might fall victim to the latest scam. As such, remaining diligent about potential scams when providing personal information or payment details surrounding your vacation is extremely important.
In fact, vacation scams are sadly on the rise, mainly driven by the rise of artificial intelligence. For instance, Booking.com reported earlier this year that travel scams have increased “anywhere from 500 to 900% in the last 18 months”.
When planning for your cruise vacation, it’s important to have the correct contact information and booking details. If you’re not careful, you can easily be scammed by many sophisticated criminals looking to steal your money. Here’s what happened to one cruiser and how you can protect yourself from falling victim to the same scam or similar tactics.
Royal Caribbean Phone Number Scam
One cruiser in the Royal Caribbean Information page on Facebook recently shared their near-miss experience with a scammer pretending to be the cruise line on the phone. In the post, the cruiser details the experience and warns others to be careful when calling the cruise line and providing payment information.
In the post, she shared, “I was almost scammed by a number I thought was Royal Caribbean customer service. I was trying to buy beverage package.”
Because she was attempting to purchase the deluxe drink package for one guest and the refreshment package for the second, she was required to call the cruise line. This specific drink package arrangement cannot be made online. The number she called was found on Google.
Continuing, the Royal Caribbean cruiser explained how the person on the phone quickly became agitated when she started to ask about the high price. This was a red flag - and she began to question if she was being scammed.
“The thing that triggered it first was the price, as I was trying to buy one deluxe and one refreshment package. For a 3-day cruise, the price was $681! So I questioned the price and the person got irritated with me,” she wrote.
The cruiser explained further, “I had my doubts because I did the math in my head and it was not [adding up]. So I hung up. Then searched the number again and it was a totally different number and different experience. Be careful!”
Similar Stories and Other Victims
Many fellow cruisers commented on the post, including some who unfortunately had fallen for the same scam. “Same exact thing happened to me, but unfortunately I bought the scam,” replied one woman. Another commenter agreed, stating he also fell victim to the same phone scam when attempting to call Royal Caribbean.
Another person who nearly fell victim to the same scam detailed a similar experience. “This happened to us! We wanted to cancel [and] rebook an excursion for a cheaper price. We Googled Royal Caribbean [and] called the number we found.”
However, this woman explained one scammer attempted to threaten “cancelling” her cruise because a “final payment” was due on her reservation; however, she knew the payment was not due yet. When questioning the final payment date of her cruise, the scammer became irritated and “nasty” with the woman. Even after stating she had the cruise documents in front of her, the scammer insisted the payment was due or the cruise would be cancelled.
She warned, “I knew I was being scammed and started screaming at him, ‘You are trying to scam me’ [and] I hung up. I called the correct Royal Caribbean [telephone number] and they said it was not them, no payment was due. Be very careful what [telephone number] you call!”
In addition, another commenter shared a similar scam regarding their cruise reservation. “They tried to tell us that we had not paid "dock" fees. I am telling everyone I know, that's about all we can do - they asked us for a little over $400,” replied one cruiser.
Sadly, one first-time cruiser responded that she fell for this scam because she had never cruised before. “Same with me and I [fell] for it not knowing any better since it’s my first cruise,” she commented in response.
Lessons Learned
Although some of these cruisers identified the red flags before providing payment, others are unfortunately victims to scamming. With this in mind, it’s crucial to be diligent when making payments or providing personal information either online or over the phone.
First, always call the phone number provided on Royal Caribbean’s official website. Scammers pay big bucks to have their fake phone number appear on Google searches. You can also find the official phone number in your booking documents.
Typically, if you call one of these fake numbers, the “agent” will ask for some sort of payment before they can help you. This could be an embarkation fee, docking fee, or final payment. When you provide payment information, they will then appear to “help” you with whatever request you had. But, in the end, you’ll lose your money and end up with nothing booked.
Second, consider working with a travel agent who can handle your questions, concerns and requests. Travel agents will ensure you aren’t scammed and can handle all of your cruise requests. If something feels off, always double-check with the cruise line’s official channels before proceeding with payments.
Finally, look out for red flags and trust your gut. If you receive a call from "Royal Caribbean” requesting money, it’s probably a scam - especially if the person becomes agitated or angry. You should call the official phone number from the cruise line’s website to confirm any payments that need to be made.
