Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas Godmother Sweepstakes

Official Rules

 

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

 

1. Eligibility: Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas Godmother Sweepstakes (the “Sweepstakes”) is open only to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are at least 21 years old at the time of entry. Employees of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Merkle Inc., and their parent and affiliate companies as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings and children) and household members of each such employee are not eligible. The Sweepstakes is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations and is void where prohibited. Participation constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and Sponsor’s and Administrator’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Sweepstakes. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.

 

2. Sponsor: Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., d/b/a Royal Caribbean International, 1050 Caribbean Way, Miami, FL 33132. Administrator: Merkle Inc. (formerly HelloWorld, Inc.), 3000 Town Center, Suite 2100, Southfield, MI  48075.

 

3. Timing: The Sweepstakes begins on June 27, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time ("ET") and ends on July 10, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. ET (the "Promotion Period"). Instagram’s servers are the official time-keeping devices for the Sweepstakes.

 

4. How to Enter:

 

Participation Requirements: To participate, you will need to have a personal Instagram account. Creating an Instagram account is free but subject to its Terms of Use. If entering via a mobile device and using your wireless carrier’s network, standard data charges from your wireless carrier may apply. 

 

Entry Requirements: During the Promotion Period, locate Sponsor’s post advertising this Sweepstakes and take the following actions to receive an entry:

(a)   Follow @royalcaribbean on Instagram;

(b)   Comment on the post by “at mentioning” 1 person with whom you have a personal relationship;

(c)    Your Comment need not include any reference, positive or negative, to Sponsor’s products or services, and including such a reference will not improve your chance of winning.  However, your Comment must not violate any of the Content Restrictions listed below; and

(d)   You must not change your Instagram handle once you post to enter this Sweepstakes and until the prizes are awarded (as described in Section 6).

 

Content Restrictions for your Entry:

·       Your Comment must be your original work; 

·       Your Comment must not convey any claims of Sponsor’s products or services that would be deemed unsubstantiated or deceptive if made by Sponsor;

·       Your Comment must not disparage Sponsor or any other parties;

·       You must have permission to include the names or likenesses of other individuals and to grant the rights set forth in Section 5. You should only include minors in your Comment if they are your children/wards. If requested, entrant must be able to provide such permissions in a form acceptable to Sponsor; 

·       Your Comment must not contain material that violates or infringes another’s rights and therefore may not include logos, trademarks or any other intellectual property other than those of the Sponsor;

·       Your Comment must not make references to or include: alcohol, illegal drugs, marijuana, tobacco, or firearms/weapons, any activities that are or appear to be dangerous, or any political agenda;

·       Your Comment may not be indecent, obscene, sexually explicit, hateful, promote bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or promote discrimination based on race, gender, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age; and

·       Your Comment may not be tortious, defamatory, libelous or contain material that is unlawful in any way.

 

By posting a Comment that conforms to all of the above requirements, you will receive 1 Sweepstakes entry. Sponsor, in its sole discretion, may disqualify any post that it finds unlawful, or in violation of these Official Rules.

 

Entry Limit: You may enter 1 time during the Promotion Period. Multiple entrants are not permitted to share the same Instagram account. Any attempt by any entrant to obtain more than 1 entry by using multiple/different Instagram accounts, identities, registrations and logins, or any other methods, will void that entrant's entries and that entrant may be disqualified. Use of any automated system to participate is prohibited and will result in disqualification. In the event of a dispute as to the identity of an entrant, Sponsor and Administrator will rely on entrant’s Instagram handle and other information included in their Instagram account profile. If additional information provided by entrant to claim a prize is inconsistent with the Instagram account used to enter, Sponsor and/or Administrator may disqualify such entrant and such disqualification may result in the forfeiture of any prize won. Sponsor, in its discretion, may request additional documentation from entrant to confirm entrant’s identity.

 

5. Sponsor’s Use of Social Post Content: Posting a Comment constitutes entrant’s consent to give Sponsor a royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, modify, publish, create derivative works from, and display such Comments in whole or in part, on a worldwide basis, and to incorporate it into other works, in any form, media or technology now known or later developed, including for promotional or marketing purposes. If requested, entrant will sign any documentation that may be required for Sponsor or its designees to make use of the non-exclusive rights entrant is granting to use the Comment. 

   

6. Grand Prize Drawings: Administrator is an independent organization whose decisions as to the administration and operation of the Sweepstakes and the selection of the potential winners are final and binding in all matters related to the Sweepstakes. Administrator will randomly select the potential Sweepstakes winners from all eligible entries received during the Promotion Period on or around July 14, 2025. Each potential winner will be notified by @royalcaribbean by direct message on Instagram and will be directed to a secure online claim form and asked to provide their name, email address, mailing address and date of birth to confirm eligibility and for prize fulfillment purposes within 3 days of the date notice or attempted notice is sent into order to claim the prize. Each potential winner will then be required to sign and return a Declaration of Compliance, Liability Waiver and, where not prohibited, a Publicity Release ("Declaration") and IRS Form W-9 which must be received by Administrator within 3 days of the date notice or attempted notice is sent, in order to claim the prize. If a potential winner of any prize cannot be contacted, fails to sign and return the Declaration or provide any other requested information within the required time period, or the prize is returned as undeliverable, the potential winner forfeits the prize. Receiving a prize is contingent upon compliance with these Official Rules. In the event that a potential winner forfeits the prize or is disqualified for any reason, Sponsor will award the applicable prize to an alternate winner by random drawing from among all remaining eligible entries. Only 3 alternate drawings will be held, time permitting after which the prize will remain un-awarded.

 

7. Prizes:

 

10 Grand Prizes: Each Grand Prize Winner will be awarded a 3-night Royal Caribbean cruise on Star of the Seas for winner and up to 3 eligible guests, sailing on August 20-23, 2025 out of Port Canaveral, Florida. Cruise includes an ocean view balcony stateroom, standard meal package and entertainment. Winners and guests will also be invited to attend cruise ship naming ceremony. Sponsor may, in its discretion, film and/or photograph winners and guests during the naming ceremony (“Prize Footage”). All Prize Footage will be owned by Sponsor as set forth in the Publicity section below. Sponsor has no obligation to film Prize Footage or to use any Prize Footage that is filmed. Prize is cruise only; winner is solely responsible for roundtrip travel and any accommodations required to get to/from the departure port. Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”): $1,662.40.

 

Winners and guests are responsible for complying with any requirements set forth by Sponsor at the time of the prize redemption and are solely responsible for providing all necessary travel documents they will need in order to sail, including identification documents. See Required Travel Documents for details. Failure to provide such documents may result in trip cancellation upon cruise check-in. Note: Should winner or any of winner’s guests over the age of 18 choose to use air transportation to reach Port Canaveral for the sailing (at their own expense), U.S. airports now require a REAL ID compliant driver’s license/ state ID or U.S. passport for domestic air travel. Winner and guests are solely responsible for obtaining a REAL ID.

 

All expenses and travel costs not expressly stated in the package description above, including but not limited to, flights, accommodations near the port, ground transportation, specialty dining meals, incidentals, gratuities, passenger tariffs or duties, airline fees, surcharges, airport fees, service charges or facility charges, personal charges at lodging, security fees, taxes or other expenses are the responsibility solely of winner. Winner must have a valid credit card or set up a cash account to cover incidental expenditures. Unless child of winner, or child of another guest, all guests must be 21 years of age or older as of the date of departure and must travel on same itinerary and at the same time as the winner. Guests must execute liability/publicity releases prior to issuance of travel documents. Sponsor will not replace any lost, mutilated, or stolen tickets, travel vouchers or certificates. Sponsor is not responsible if winner and/or guest misses sailing for any reason, in which event of prize is forfeited in its entirety and no substitution will be provided except as in Sponsor’s sole discretion.

 

Winners will not receive difference between actual and approximate retail value. Prize is non-transferable, and no substitution will be made except as provided herein at the Sponsor’s sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute the prize (or a component thereof) for one of equal or greater value if the designated prize should become unavailable for any reason. Winners are responsible for all taxes and fees associated with prize receipt and/or use. Limit: 1 prize per person. Cruise confirmation will be delivered to winners via email within 1-2 weeks of winner confirmation.  

 

Odds: Odds of winning a prize depend on the number of eligible entries received during the Promotion Period.

 

Total ARV: Total ARV of all prizes: $16,624.

 

8. Release: By entering this Sweepstakes, entrants agree to release and hold harmless Sponsor, Administrator, Instagram, Inc., Meta Platforms, Inc., and their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, suppliers, distributors, advertising/promotion agencies, and prize suppliers, and each of their respective parent companies and each such company’s officers, directors, employees and agents (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from and against any claim or cause of action, including, but not limited to, personal injury, death, or damage to or loss of property, or third party claims involving the right to privacy, right of publicity or intellectual property infringement, arising out of participation in the Sweepstakes or receipt or use or misuse of any prize, include any travel related thereto.

 

 

9. Publicity: Except where prohibited, participation in the Sweepstakes constitutes each winner’s consent to Sponsor’s and its agents’ use of winner’s name, prize information, likeness, Comment, photograph (including, without limitation, winner's Instagram profile photo), Prize Footage, voice, opinions and/or hometown and state for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, without further payment or consideration.

 

 

10. General Conditions: Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Sweepstakes if any fraud, technical failures, human error, or any other factor impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Sweepstakes, or any event or cause beyond Sponsor’s control (e.g. events such as natural calamities, national emergencies, wide spread illnesses, declarations of war, acts of God, acts of terrorism) interferes with any aspect of the Sweepstakes, including but not limited to fulfillment of the prize(s), as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. In such event, Sponsor, in its sole discretion, may elect to hold a random drawing from among all eligible entries received up to the date of discontinuance and may modify the prizes offered herein. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Sweepstakes or to be acting in violation of the Official Rules of this promotion or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Sweepstakes may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. In the event that production, technical, seeding, programming or any other reasons cause more than the stated number of prizes as set forth in these Official Rules to be available and/or claimed, Sponsor reserves the right to award only the stated number of prizes by a random drawing among all legitimate, un-awarded, eligible prize claims. In the event there is a discrepancy or inconsistency between disclosures or other statements contained in any Sweepstakes-related materials or notifications and these Official Rules, these Official Rules shall prevail, govern and control.

 

11. Limitations of Liability: The Released Parties are not responsible for: (a) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by entrants, printing errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Sweepstakes; (b) technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines, social media platforms, or network hardware or software; (c) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the Sweepstakes; (d) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the Sweepstakes or the processing of entries; (e) late, lost, undeliverable, damaged or stolen mail; (f) lost, late, unreceived, damaged, incomplete, invalid, un-intelligible, garbled, delayed or misdirected Comments or failure to receive Comments due to limitation of third-party social network platforms or (g) any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the Sweepstakes or receipt or use or misuse of any prize. If for any reason an entrant's entry is confirmed to have been erroneously deleted, lost, not received, or otherwise destroyed or corrupted, entrant’s sole remedy is another entry in the Sweepstakes if it is possible. No more than the stated number of prizes will be awarded. 

 

12. Disputes: Except where prohibited, entrant agrees that: (a) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Sweepstakes or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan or the appropriate Michigan State Court located in Oakland County, Michigan; (b) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this Sweepstakes, but in no event attorneys’ fees; and (c) under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, indirect, punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased.  All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of the entrant and Sponsor in connection with the Sweepstakes, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Michigan without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the State of Michigan or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Michigan.

 

 

13. Entrant's Personal Information: Information collected from entrants is subject Sponsor’s Privacy Policy.

 

14.  Winner List: For a list of winners, please see this winner list, which will be posted after winner confirmation is complete.

 

 

© 2025 Merkle Inc.  All rights reserved.

 

 

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram, Inc./Meta Platforms, Inc.