Royal Caribbean posted its last batch of North American sailings in winter 2026-2027 and there are notably no ships sailing from Baltimore.
The cruise line has slowly announced new sailings through early 2027 in a variety of regions since November 2024, and this week's release includes the "Seasonal Caribbean" voyages its customers can now book.
With just Asian and Australian deployments left on the schedule to be released, and all the Vision and Radiance Class deployed elsewhere on the schedule, it appears there won't be any ships sailing from Baltimore for the first time in a while.
Vision of the Seas had been based in Baltimore for the last few years, but in October 2026, Vision will move to Fort Lauderdale.
Royal Caribbean cannot send any bigger ships to Baltimore because of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge that is too low for taller ships to access the port.
That bridge (and the recently destroyed Francis Scott Key Bridge) have prevented cruise lines from bringing newer and bigger ships to Baltimore because they physically cannot fit there.
Discussions of raising the bridges to new heights to accommodate bigger ships haven't gotten very far, and now it appears there will be a pause in Royal Caribbean service from Baltimore.
There were rumors Grandeur of the Seas would replace Vision, but Royal Caribbean already confirmed Grandeur will be based in Tampa in 2026-2027.
Between October 2026 and April 2027, all the ships that could fit under the bridges into Baltimore are based somewhere else:
- Vision of the Seas: Fort Lauderdale
- Grandeur of the Seas: Tampa
- Rhapsody of the Seas: Tampa
- Enchantment of the Seas: Tampa
- Radiance of the Seas: San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Brilliance of the Seas: San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Jewel of the Seas: Cartagena, Colombia or Colon, Panama
- Serenade of the Seas: San Diego, California
The Baltimore cruises will be officially cut come October 2026
The last scheduled sailing from Baltimore for Vision will be October 17, 2026. It's a 5-Night Bermuda cruise.
Then on October 25, 2026, Vision re-appears in Royal Caribbean's schedule to begin primarily 3- and 4-night Bahamas cruises, along with a few longer sailings.
"I love sailing out of Baltimore. I sure hope they send a ship back my way," is what Royal Caribbean message board user Gilley wrote upon discovering the news.
Offering cruises from New Orleans
While Royal Caribbean is seemingly stepping away from Baltimore, it's moving right into New Orleans.
Mariner of the Seas will be based there in the winter, offering 7-Night western Caribbean cruises.
The Voyager Class ship will begin sailings from there in November 2026, and continue sailings through April 2027.
Ports of call from New Orleans include George Town, Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico; Costa Maya, Mexico and Falmouth, Jamaica.
New sailings on the amplified Allure of the Seas were also released, with Allure calling Miami home.
Beginning in October 2026, Allure will offer 7-Night eastern and western Caribbean cruises with visits to Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Then in January, she adds a mix of short cruises and long sailings.
Allure of the Seas is undergoing major upgrades currently in Spain, where the ship is getting new restaurants, water slides, and other significant upgrades.
Royal Caribbean is investing over $100 million in the ship to bring her up to par with newer Oasis Class ships.
Rounding out the new deployment is Independence of the Seas will call Miami home in winter 2026-2027.
Independence will sail alternating 7-night cruises to the eastern and western cruises, with many also visiting Royal Caribbean's private island.
Royal Caribbean could return to Baltimore in the future
The decision not to base a ship from Baltimore beginning in October 2026 may be bad news for residents of the midatlantic region that enjoyed that convenience, but it's not to say Royal Caribbean won't ever return.
Each year deployments are reviewed and ships shifted around where it makes the most financial sense for the company to meet the demand of its customers.
Historically, we've seen certain ports gain ships and lose ships. Los Angeles was without any ships for a decade, and now will have three vessels calling it home.
New Orleans has been a port that sometimes has a ship based there, but not year-round. Similarly there are no cruises from Boston some years.
Some cruise fans are pinning their hopes on a new smaller sized ship to finally be announced.
Known as the Discovery Class, Royal Caribbean has hinted and teased at a plan for a smaller ship design. However, there's no official word yet on how small or tall the ships will actually be, and if they'd fit in Baltimore.
What's left to be released
The rest of the new deployments for 2026 and early 2027 are for homeports in Asia or Australia.
China cruises will be posted during the week of March 10, 2025, followed by Singapore during the week of March 17, 2025.
The final deployment will be Australia during the week of June 2, 2025.
For cruises in summer 2027 and later, we'll have to wait until November 2025 for those to be posted.
