Royal Caribbean will replace Oasis of the Seas in Cape Liberty with the newer and slightly larger Symphony of the Seas.
The cruise line released on Thursday its Year-round and Summer Caribbean sailings for the 2024-2025 cruise season.
A very noticeable change for summer 2024 is Symphony of the Seas deployment to Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey. Many cruise fans were curious which ship would replace Oasis of the Seas since it was previously announced Oasis of the Seas was headed to Europe in 2024.
The new itineraries are loaded into Royal Caribbean's website and available for immediate booking.
Read more: How to choose the right Caribbean cruise sailing
Here's a look at the new itineraries and what you can expect if you'd like to book a cruise now.
Adventure of the Seas will sail from Port Canaveral, Florida and offer 6- and 8-night cruises that visit the Eastern and Southern Caribbean.
Enchantment of the Seas will sail from Tampa in the summer and offer primarily 7-night cruises to the Bahamas and Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Freedom of the Seas will sail from Miami between May and July 2024 offering short 3- and 4-night cruises.
Then in late July, she will move to Port Everglades, Florida and move away from short cruises to offer 6- and 7-night cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean.
Harmony of the Seas will remain in Galveston to offer 6-, 7-, and 8-night Western Caribbean cruises. Notably, the 8-night cruises will visit Perfect Day at CocoCay, which has not traditionally been offered from Galveston.
Icon of the Seas will sail from Miami. Her deployment was already announced when her sailings went on sale earlier this year.
Liberty of the Seas will offer longer cruises from Cape Liberty, with Bermuda and Eastern Caribbean cruises.
Liberty will also offer cruises to Bermuda and Canada/New England.
Vision of the Seas will continue to sail out of Baltimore, Maryland and offer 8-night Southeast Coast cruises along with 12-night cruises to the Southern Caribbean.
There are also cruises to the Bahamas and Bermuda, along with Canada sailings.
Wonder of the Seas will continue sailing year-round out of Port Canaveral with alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises.
View all the new 2024-2025 year-long and summer Caribbean itineraries:
- Adventure of the Seas
- Enchantment of the Seas
- Freedom of the Seas (Long)
- Freedom of the Seas (short)
- Harmony of the Seas
- Liberty of the Seas
- Symphony of the Seas
- Vision of the Seas
- Wonder of the Seas
When will the other 2024 itineraries be released?
Royal Caribbean has not announced when the rest of the 2024-2025 cruises will be released.
Historically, Royal Caribbean typically releases its new itineraries in two batches: first around November/December, and then again in the spring around March/April.
Suffice to say, it is not likely to get anymore deployments before the end of the year. When Royal Caribbean does release a new deployment schedule, we will share that here on this site.
Why booking a 2024 cruise now is so important
Booking a cruise more than two years in advance might seem crazy, but the reality is it's one of the best times to book a cruise.
There are two compelling reasons to book a cruise super early, especially when new itineraries are released.
First, certain stateroom categories that usually in high-demand will be readily available when new cruises are released. Suites are especially limited, and typically are the kind of cabin that get booked up quickly.
Second, some of the best rates can be found when booking well in advance.
Since cruise fares are based on supply and demand, prices tend to be lowest when new itineraries are released because inventory is at its greatest.
Combine the lower prices with bargain hunters looking for suites, and you'll find a lot of veteran cruise fans booking up highly sought after cabins on popular sailings, such as holidays.
Planning on booking a 2024 cruise? These stories will help:
