Royal Caribbean is ready to resume opening up new cruises to book in 2026-2027 in just a few days.
Cruisers can book new California sailings earlier thanks to Royal Caribbean's latest deployment schedule change.
Royal Caribbean's deployment schedule refers to when the cruise line will open new sailings for booking. Each release is tied to a specific region, such as Short Caribbean, Europe, and California.
California cruises from April 2026 to April 2027 will be announced during the week of February 10. However, the launch of new European cruises has been delayed to sometime during the week of February 17.
Last week, Royal Caribbean offered a preview of what's to come, including Serenade of the Seas departing from San Diego. Based on these test load sailings, here's what we can likely expect. Keep in mind the exact line-up might differ, but this is our best guess.
The test load itinerary departs from San Diego on March 28, 2027, and stops in La Paz, Cabo San Lucas, and Ensenada, Mexico.
Other sailings expected to debut include Voyager of the Seas, which will replace Navigator of the Seas. The Ports America Los Angeles website schedule shows Voyager arriving in California on October 5, 2026, with Navigator disappearing from the schedule in November.
A test load itinerary revealed that Voyager of the Seas will offer an 8-night cruise from Los Angeles on November 5, 2026, with an overnight stay in Cabo.
The California deployment will also unveil Royal Caribbean's plans for Quantum and Ovation of the Seas, both of which will debut in California in 2025.
The Quantum Class ships are larger than Navigator and Voyager of the Seas. Plus, they offer more modern amenities, including the North Star observation capsule, a skydiving simulator, and an enclosed SeaPlex, which features activities like bumper cars and roller skating.
Like with Voyager, the Ports America Los Angeles schedule shows Oviation on the manifest through December 2026.
However, effective October 2026, it's hinted that Royal Caribbean will relocate Quantum of the Seas, leaving Ovation as the sole Quantum Class ship offering cruises from California.
Royal Caribbean returned to Los Angeles after a decade-long break
The company's re-entry into the California market was successful. Executives confirmed that Navigator of the Seas' cruises have performed "exceptionally well."
As such, Royal Caribbean is strengthening its presence on the West Coast by adding another departure port in California and introducing new ships sailing from Los Angeles.
The latest deployment changes
Royal Caribbean revised its deployment schedule at the end of January, placing new Australia cruises on hold. They eventually updated the schedule to give Australia cruises a new date. Now, they'll be released during the week of June 2.
Another change affected the Seasonal Caribbean cruises, which were delayed from the week of February 24 to March 3. They were initially slated to launch around Feb. 17.
The newest update swapped Europe 2.0 and California cruises.
What about Icon 3?
There hasn't been any published news about the third Icon Class ship, which is set to debut in 2026.
However, Royal Caribbean typically doesn't include new ships as part of its regular deployment schedule. Instead, they usually have their own release.
So, don't bank on the unnamed ship's release being part of the Europe 2.0, Short Caribbean, or Seasonal Caribbean launches.
Royal Caribbean will likely release the ship's name and homeport, along with a special date exclusive to the new ship's bookings, separately.
