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.

All the excitement of your cruise beginning means you'll want to get onboard as fast as possible, meaning you don't want paperwork to slow you down.

Royal Caribbean has digitized the embarkation process to a point that it's about as smooth as can be from getting curb to gangway, but I've found there's a better way to have your SetSail Pass handy.

The Royal Caribbean app is where you go to conduct online check-in, and it can display the SetSail Pass too, but it can be clunky to get to quickly and in many cases, the app fails to pull up the pass on embarkation day.

After I complained about being stuck in the terminal without my SetSail Pass because the app failed, a number of readers told me I should add it to my Apple Wallet (there's a Google Wallet for Android devices too), and it's been a game changer.

While the Royal Caribbean will probably work, there are several reasons why adding it to Apple or Google Wallet can be beneficial.

Convenience at your fingertips

Having your SetSail Pass available to show quickly speeds up the embarkation process significantly.

You'll have to show it at least four times throughout the check-in process:

• To enter the terminal
• To verify which check-in line you should enter
• To actually check-in
• To scan in and board the ship

Plus, until your cabins are ready and you can collect your SeaPass cards, you'll only have your SetSail Pass to use to purchase drinks onboard.

It's super simple to double tap your phone's side button and pull it up without having to even scan your face.

A backup in case the app fails

For some strange reason, the Royal Caribbean can occasionally fail on embarkation day.

It works just fine in the days and months leading up to your cruise, but I've experienced a number of times where it refuses to pull up the SetSail Pass on embarkation day because of a phantom error.

When this happens, you have to go to the check-in desk and have a physical SetSail Pass printed out instead.  It stops you in your tracks and delays embarkation.  While this only takes a few minutes, I'm too excited to wait around because I want to board.

Most recently this happened to my friend that was cruising with me on Enchantment of the Seas, and he had to go back to get one printed out.  Meanwhile, I had added my SetSail Pass to my Apple Wallet and had no issues.

Faster to pull up when you need to show it

Even if the Royal Caribbean app works flawlessly, it's clunky to access the pass when you don't have it stored in your wallet.

You have to unlock your phone, get to the Royal Caribbean app, and then go to the check-in section to access it.

Considering how many times you might have to show the pass, especially if you're going to be ordering a lot of drinks when you get onboard, it's so much easier and faster to have it in your wallet.

You might be able to see your GTY cabin

There's a little hack with the Apple Wallet that might help anyone that booked a guarantee cabin.

When you let Royal Caribbean pick your room, there's a delay until your room is assigned. It could take days, weeks, or even months for them to assign a cabin to you.

However, you might be able to figure out which room you're assigned earlier with a clever hack that leverages the Apple Wallet.

Cruisers call it "the bar code trick", and here's how it works:

Once you reach the point you can check-in for your cruise, if you have an Apple device, add your set sail pass to your Apple Wallet. 

Below the barcode on the SetSail Pass are a set of numbers. The numbers after the dash represent the cabin you have been assigned.

If you see "GTY" instead of numbers, you truly haven't been assigned yet.  Another sign you haven't had your room assigned yet is if you don't see a muster station on your SetSail Pass, then you almost certainly don't have an assignment yet.

How to add your SetSail Pass to your Apple Wallet

If you're convinced now to use the Apple Wallet, here's how to set it up.

After you complete check-in for your cruise, tap the Check-in button from the bottom row navigation.

Below your travel info, arrival time, and health status is the option to View SetSail Pass.

When you pull it up, click the Add to Apple Wallet button that should be below the barcode.

Tap Add in the top-right corner of the pass preview to add it to your Apple Wallet.

That's it! Now you can double-click the side or home button on your lock screen and you should see the Royal Caribbean pass there.

A cruise ship passenger has been reported overboard from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, reports online say.

A search is underway for a passenger who was reported having gone overboard while on a 1980s-themed Royal Caribbean cruise in the Bahamas.

Multiple reports on social media from passengers on Explorer of the Seas were posted online. The incident happened around 11 p.m. on the first day of the sailing.

"Day 1 of the 80s cruise, all going well, then we hear “Oscar Oscar Oscar” overhead. And sure enough, the ship is turning around to search. Officer just came over the PA to announce the details," said Reddit user SkySeaSnow.

The code "oscar, oscar, oscar" is how crew members quickly identify there's a man overboard situation.

This particular sailing happened to be a full ship charter to offer a 1980s themed music and culture sailing, where the entire ship and sailing was based on the decade.

The ship departed Miami on March 2 for a 7-night sailing, with scheduled stops in Nassau, Bahamas; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

Cruise ship tracking data showed Explorer stopping and reversing course to conduct a search for the person.

In fact, other cruise ships that were in the area joined in the search. Mapping data shows Norwegian Pearl and Carnival Sunrise may have assisted in the search.

"We are on Norwegian Pearl. We passed by and had our search lights on," wrote Jarega.

There's been no official word from Royal Caribbean on the incident.

What happened

Reports of what exactly happened are always tricky as there's usually a lot of hearsay, but a few people said it was from a woman on deck 8.

Reddit user Sweet_Independent_50 posted, "Yes, it was a woman that jumped from deck 8. I met her husband screaming help help. My my wife just jumped off the boat. He said it to me."

The search took some time but there's been no reports of her being found.  Statistically, it's unlikely to be rescued once overboard, but it's not impossible.

Explorer of the Seas arrived in Nassau, Bahamas earlier this morning, as scheduled.

Onboard safety precautions

The chances of falling overboard on a cruise ship are extremely low.

Deck railings on Royal Caribbean cruise ships are at least 42-inches high, which comply Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act (CVSSA) of 2010.

In addition, there are thick metal or Plexiglas panels or metal bars are positioned under the railings to prevent people from slipping through. 

When a man overboard situation occurs, the media usually reports on it and it leads some to wonder how it could happen in the first place.

An article from The Points Guy points out cruise ships have railings that are around chest height to ensure passenger safety and to prevent someone from slipping and falling overboard.

"The only way you risk a fall is if you're standing on furniture to peer over the side or climbing somewhere you're not supposed to. It's not possible for you to trip over a door frame or slip on a wet deck and fall off of a vessel."

Passengers going overboard are rare

The chances of a cruise ship passenger going overboard are quite low, but it does occasionally happen.

In a report from Cruise Line International Association (CLIA), there were 212 identified overboard incidents from cruise ships for either crew members or passengers between 2009 to 2019. 

Of these overboard incidents, only 48 (or 28.2%) individuals were successfully rescued. Around 71.8% of people who go overboard from cruise ships are sadly never recovered or located. 

The CLIA report also shows an overall decline in overboard incidents throughout the 10-year period. The overboard incident rate decreased 64% from 2009 to 2019, with an incidence rate of 0.00004 overboard reports per active lower berth in 2019.

The report states, “When compared with the growth in capacity in the industry over the study years, man overboard incidents continue on a downward trend.” 

If you haven't been on one of Royal Caribbean's newer cruise ships, you haven't seen yet the next-gen take on specialty restaurants known as "eatertainment".

Extra cost restaurants on cruise ships aren't new at all, and they've been a fad in and of themselves for many years.  Every cruise line saw the demand for other types of cuisines and cooking styles, and it's made them a lot of money too.

With the top cuisines covered, Royal Caribbean wanted to delve into something greater than just a new restaurant based on a region or country. Plus, Royal Caribbean sees themselves competing against major tourist destinations on land, such as Las Vegas or New York.  

That sort of thinking lead them to explore a new approach to specialty dining that has arguably gotten better with each iteration.  In fact, I love combining food, entertainment, and even destinations and coming up with something totally new.

With more new ships on the horizon, you should expect more restaurants delving into this hot trend of going beyond a restaurant by offering experiential dining.

Mason Jar

Royal Caribbean calls this new trend "eatertainment", and its first foray was with the Mason Jar on Wonder of the Seas.

Launched in 2022, the Mason Jar was a traditional specialty restaurant with a twist. There was a typical sit down specialty restaurant with a cover charge, but they included a bar area with a band performing.

The idea was to combine a meal with musical entertainment so that guests could enjoy country music with their southern American foods.  By adding live music, Royal Caribbean wanted to make the vibe reminiscent of a meal in the south.

Instead of dinner theater, Royal Caribbean wanted to give its guests a meal they could enjoy with something more.  That something more would be more apt to create memories and be an experience, rather than just something you ate. The goal is to makes passengers talk, and have them longing to enjoy it all over again.

"I don't want you to get bored when you're having dinner," is what Royal Caribbean Vice President, Food & Beverage, Linken D'Souza said when coming up with an idea like the Mason Jar.

"We’ve been leaning into this notion of eatertainment where we’re really trying to blend entertainment and great dining together."

The success of the Mason Jar lead Mr. D'Souza and his team to think even bolder with its next idea.

Empire Supper Club

Icon of the Seas has revolutionized the cruise industry in many ways, including its approach to dining.

If the Mason Jar was version 1.0 of eatertainment, the Empire Supper Club was going to be version 2.0.

The idea was to create Royal Caribbean's most elegant restaurant to date, with fine dining, musical entertainment, and impeccable service.

Unlike the Mason Jar where the music was on the periphery of the dining experience, Empire Supper Club would put diners and entertainers in front of each other.

Royal Caribbean Chief Innovation Officer Jay Schneider described it once as, "a blend of best of entertainment and best of culinary."

A live three-piece jazz band performing music that connects with the meal you're being served. The combination of premium food, paired cocktails, and live music, put Empire Supper Club in a different category of dining.

Mr. D'Souza called it a "full immersive dining experience" that goes well beyond a typical specialty restaurant.

"Empire Supper Club is what I would say is the most elevated dining experience we've created at Royal Caribbean."

"It really is an elevated food experience that's tied together with a really elevated beverage experience."

While pricey at $200 per person, the experience stands out something unconventional that does exactly what eatertainment is all about: makes memories.

"It was hands down one of the best meals of my life and can't recommend it enough," wrote TheMaxRebo on our message boards.

"The creativity with the dishes and the cocktails, the amount you got, made the food alone worthwhile but the music just made the event."

If it feels like specialty restaurants tend to feel repetitive and uninspired, the Empire Supper Club stepped away from that trope.

Royal Railway

Once again, Royal Caribbean sought out to come up with something radically different for itself on Utopia of the Seas that would be as compellingly different as Empire Supper Club, but go even further.

Building on eatertainment was a trend Royal Caribbean first noticed on land. Mixed reality immersive dining experiences were popping up in various cities, and it caught the cruise line's attention.

An early such concept was "Sublimotion" in Ibiza, Spain.  It was a new high-end Mediterranean dining concept with virtual reality and immersive film projections.

Since no one had really done thematic immersion on a cruise ship, it seemed like a good opportunity with the launch of Utopia of the Seas to give it a go.

The concept Royal Caribbean came up with was Royal Railway, which offers a meal inside a classic train car that looks, feels, and sounds like a real train.

This immersive train dining experience was going to be more than just one restaurant. It could transport you to different areas of the world, with different menus.

"What if we put a train on a cruise ship that could take you to more destinations?" posed. Mr. Schneider near the launch of the new ship.

The area has a classic train station platform, with separately numbered dining cars, and real train steam. Guests would dine in the train and blend entertaining performances with amazing culinary dishes.

The result has been one of the hottest tickets right now on any Royal Caribbean ship.  Reservations regularly sell out almost as soon as they become available because of how many passengers want to try it.

Traditional restaurants aren't going away

This new trend is exciting, but it won't replace regular restaurants. Rather, it's there to augment them and offer something different.

Mr. Schneider explained recently the company's guiding credo is "tradition, evolution, and revolution," which means they want to always offer familiar, evolved, and different on all of its ships.

"There's no reason that you wouldn't expect to find a Chops on every ship that we build in the future...And then there needs to be experimentation."

Not every passenger on a ship wants the same thing, but expanding the variety allows Royal Caribbean to stand out from other vacation choices.

"New cuisine also then takes you to new experiences," Schneider said. 

Part of the rationale for developing new concepts is food is a major reason why people go on a cruise. On a high level, Mr. Schneider says the two predominant reasons people book a cruise are for destinations and food.

"You want that kind of diversity, given again, people want destinations and food is their two drivers to go on a cruise."

Welcome to March! We hope you are having a great weekend and are ready to sit back, relax and catch up with all the latest Royal Caribbean news!

Royal Caribbean is doubling down with short cruises on big ships.

The cruise line released its short Caribbean itineraries for 2026-2027 and two more Oasis Class ships will be sailing cruises less than a week.

The move is aimed at attracting new cruisers to try an impressive ship, while giving way to the Icon Class ships to take over weeklong voyages.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean diverts more cruise ships from Puerto Rico
• Royal Caribbean rolls the dice on a new casino to address a problem cruise passengers hated for years
• Royal Caribbean revamped its offerings to make a stress-free option
• Royal Caribbean's CEO gives three predictions for the cruise biz in 2025
• I tried Celebrity's All Included package for the first time
• National Park Service layoffs have left just one person to work at Alaska's most popular glacier destination this summer
• Does Royal Caribbean offer senior discounts?
• I tried Royal Caribbean's free room Service breakfast most cruisers don't know about
• The cruise ship private island with the actual best mozzarella sticks in the biz

New RCB Video: Best & Worst Royal Caribbean Cabins Ranked

Have you subscribed to the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel? We share some great videos there regularly, all about taking a Royal Caribbean cruise! This week, we are sharing our latest video — Best & Worst Royal Caribbean Cabins Ranked — and don’t forget to subscribe to our channel.

What does Royal Caribbean do with all its uneaten food?

Cruise ships are known for having so many places to eat and great food to try, but what happens when it goes uneaten?

Food waste is a problem around the world, but Royal Caribbean is employing sophisticated strategies to significantly cut down on the waste.

From leveraging AI to focusing on freshly prepared options, there's less food ending up in the incinerator than ever before on cruise ships.

Captain Kate leaving Celebrity Cruises

Captain Kate McCue announced her decision to leave Celebrity Cruises on social media.

Her legacy as the first American female cruise ship Captain and social media star made her easily recognizable and a favorite among cruisers.

"Today, I say farewell to Celebrity. I've spent 22 years on 11 ships in the Royal Caribbean Group, from 2nd Officer to Captain," McCue wrote.

Royal Caribbean’s short cruise plan for mega ships sparks backlash

More Oasis Class ships sailing short cruises in winter 2026 is not sitting well with a lot of loyal cruisers.

"Royal Caribbean is ruining most of the Oasis class ships!" is what one person wrote, and it exemplified a lot of the frustration with this week's new deployment that will have four of the mega ships sailing on cruises less than a week.

Some cruisers feel the push towards attracting new cruisers is coming at the expense of the onboard ship experience.

Things I wish I knew before my first Alaska cruise

After taking a few cruises to Alaska, Jenna learned some lessons that would have made it easier on her had she known them at the start.

An Alaska cruise is unlike a Caribbean sailing in so many ways, and there are important things to do that can make a major difference in the maximizing the experience.

While she thought she researched it well, the reality was she felt she still made some avoidable mistakes.

Most common mistakes passengers make on newest cruise ship

After sailing on Utopia of the Seas recently, Matt saw a number of cruisers making rookie mistakes.

While everyone has their own cruising style, there are definitely things that occur that lead to frustration, anger, or wasted time and money.

Because Utopia is so appealing to first-time cruisers, it's clear these folks ran into situations that could have been avoided with some research.

As older adults are on fixed budgets but still wanting to travel, that leaves many wondering whether Royal Caribbean has discounts in place that specifically cater to senior citizens.

As cruising becomes even more popular than ever, older adults remain one of the core demographics embracing this type of vacation.

Retirees and seniors have traditionally been a major customer base for Royal Caribbean, and all nearly all cruise lines.

The short answer is Royal Caribbean does offer a discount for seniors, but it's a bit more complicated than a yes or no question.

There are cruise fare discounts for senior citizens sometimes offered

There are series of questions you'll be asked when booking any Royal Caribbean cruise to see if you potentially qualify for additional discounts.

Royal Caribbean says it offers "reduced senior prices only on selected sailings" to passengers who are 55 years of age and older.

As you go through the booking process on Royal Caribbean's website, you can see if your chosen trip qualifies for a senior discount.

When you get to the step that asks for the number of guests, click “Apply a promo code and exclusive rates.” A pop-up will open that lets you select the kind of discount you want. Select “Seniors (Age 55+)” and click “Apply discounts.” 

Your travel agent can check for the same discount.

Jenn Greene is a travel agent with MEI Travel and said finding a special rate for seniors is hit or miss, "Senior Discounts with Royal Caribbean can be a bit of a guessing game. A Senior is 55+ but that does not guarantee a discount. It is ship/sailing specific. 

"I never have any luck with them on newer ships, but do find them for Freedom class and older, they also pop up for Alaska. If a client is already booked I do check to see if there has been a senior discount released each week, it’s usually a 50/50 shot at finding it."

Royal Caribbean message board user FionaMG shared they are occasionally able to save some money with the senior rates.

"We have had some success with getting them and sometimes the savings have been substantial."

"On Odyssey in May last year we got $402 in senior savings, $538 on Anthem in September last year and again on Anthem but in April this year, $137 on one cabin (booked just for me) and $182 on our other cabin."

There's no harm in at least trying to see if special rates may apply.

Before you get your credit card out to take advantage of this offer, there's a catch.

In reality, the senior discount rarely applies because it's not usually combinable with other, more lucrative discounts. While some offers can be stacked, the senior discount isn't usually one of them.

Ditto for the military veteran discount or special rates for police and firefighters.

To be fair, Royal Caribbean will offer the lowest price it can, regardless of your age.

Seniors can still save money at Royal Caribbean — here's how

While you may not be able to get ta discount on your cruise fare, those 55+ can still find ways to save even more money by cruising with Royal Caribbean.

Cruisers have spotted pre-cruise discounts exclusively for seniors in the Royal Caribbean app.

These Cruise Planner sales offers additional money off for seniors on purchases like a drink package, the spa, or high speed internet.

Royal Caribbean likes to experiment with offers targeting seniors, top tier Crown and Anchor members, and more. If you book a cruise far enough in advance, there's a good chance you'll be able to qualify for one of these offers.

Another source of discounts could be through an AARP membership.

AARP sells gift cards to Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. In fact, they sometimes have a 10% discount on Royal Caribbean gift cards purchased through them.

Be sure to read the redemption rules for a gift card bought through AARP, as there are specific redemption rules you have to follow. As long as you follow the instructions AARP/Royal Caribbean provides you, there should not be any issues using them.

Even if you can't get a special rate for your age, there's a good strategy to take advantage of that will probably net you a better price.

Since retirees don't have to worry about a school calendar or getting days off from work, you can take advantage of lower pricing during shoulder seasons.

Going on a cruise at the beginning or end of a cruise season when demand is lower is one of the best ways to save money and enjoy less crowds in port while on a cruise.

As an example, an Alaska cruise in May or September will be cheaper. Ditto for September or October in the Caribbean.

Take advantage of senior discounts on your travel before or after the cruise

You'll need to get to the embarkation port, and that may involve flights, hotels, or rental cars. These are all services that also offer senior discounts.

Hotels, rental cars, and even airlines are known for offering special rates for those 55 or 65 and older.

I always recommend going at least a day or two early to the city your ship leaves from to avoid a travel delay impacting your ability to get on your cruise. When planning a trip, there are additional ways to save money on your total vacation when you factor in flights, hotels, and other travel logistics.

Buy a travel insurance plan to avoid costly medical bills

A cruise is a wonderful way to travel for older adults, but it's even more important to protect yourself because many health insurance plans offer limited or no coverage when outside the United States. 

Retirees who are on Medicare need to check whether their coverage extends to international travel, because standard Medicare plans typically do not.

If you would ever need medical care on your ship or in a foreign country, you'll have to pay cash for all services and then get reimbursement later. A travel insurance policy can save you thousands of dollars in these costs, should you encounter such a situation.

It's a really good idea to buy a travel insurance plan with a pre-existing condition exclusion waiver.

I think travel insurance is a good buy for almost anyone, but it's even more important for a Baby Boomer or Senior Citizen given the risk factors.

Speaking of medical costs, be sure to bring extra prescription medicine with you rather than buying them overseas.

Not only is it easier to buy it at home with you existing prescription, but I'd hate to waste time on my vacation going to a pharmacy to find the right medicine.

Royal Caribbean Group's CEO recently offered three predictions for trends that he's seeing for cruising this year.

During his company's fourth quarter earnings call a few weeks ago, Mr. Liberty pointed to a few trends he expects Royal Caribbean to encounter, and each one is likely to help its bottom line.

Consumers should pay attention to these trends as an indicator of what we can expect from a pricing standpoint.  Key indicators such as demand, demographics, and booking volume all contribute to the prices we pay later.

As the cruise industry moves into 2025, there's a lot of momentum from last year, and with record demand, Royal Caribbean appears well-positioned to lead the market. 

With the cruise industry experiencing some of the highest demand ever, the price and destinations your next cruise take could be determined by these market shifts.

Travelers want to make memories through experiences

Right at the onset of the call with Wall Street analysts, Mr. Liberty talked about the importance consumers are placing on travel experiences over material goods.

Liberty noted that American households are wealthier than ever, with continued wage growth and low unemployment driving strong consumer spending. This economic strength is leading to a shift in how people allocate their discretionary income.

That wealth growth is fueling this desire among consumers to spend more on a vacation that will deliver wow moments and make memories they can look back on fondly.

He believes a cruise vacation is particularly well-positioned to benefit from this trend, as it offers a blend of adventure, luxury, and relaxation in one package.

Liberty emphasized that consumers are planning to take more trips and increase their vacation budgets, "Consumers plan to spend more on vacations and take more trips in the coming year and our guests over index in their intent to spend more on leisure travel."

"We continue to see very positive sentiment from our customers bolstered by strong labor markets, high wages, surplus savings, and elevated wealth levels, at the same time; they continue to prioritize travel experiences."

He believes the combination of cruise ship diversity and private destinations positions the company well to meet this demand.

Millennials and younger travelers are more interested in a cruise than ever before

A big trend that you may have already noticed is that cruises are no longer for the "newly wed and nearly dead".

Mr. Liberty sees growing interest in cruising among young people, particularly Millennials and Gen Z travelers.

Earlier in 2024, he talked about how impactful younger people have been on a shifting demographic, "Millennials and younger generations have gained 11 percentage points share compared to 2019." 

"And today, almost 1 in 2 guests are millennials or younger...it's a very powerful statement."

This shift is driven by several factors, including the affordability of cruises compared to traditional land vacations and the increasing desire for unique, shareable experiences.

Plus, Royal Caribbean has invested a lot of money in tailoring its experiences to younger passengers through technology, onboard activities, and entertainment.

They're using more AI in their business to make it easier to book restaurants, excursions and more, "We launched over 300 new digital capabilities across channels in 2024, improving the overall experience and reducing friction points while increasing spend."

Piggybacking on the first trend, younger travelers see a cruise ship as an easy way to explore different places in one trip, "Consumers place significant value on visiting multiple destinations and this is even more important to Millennial and Gen Z consumers; something that cruising is uniquely positioned to deliver on."

Strong demand is not slowing down

If 2024 was a record year in terms of demand for a cruise, the future looks bright heading into 2025.

Mr. Liberty mentioned at the beginning of the earnings call that Royal Caribbean experienced its best five booking weeks in company history at the start of the year, with bookings outpacing previous years across all key products.

This surge in demand is fueled by a combination of factors, including high guest satisfaction rates, the appeal of Royal Caribbean’s exclusive private destinations, and the growing appeal of short getaways. 

This strong demand is helping the company keep their ships sailing completely full and at higher prices.

Royal Caribbean's move to deploy more of its ships to sail shorter 3- and 4-night itineraries has sparked heated debate among its loyal cruisers. 

Royal Caribbean released new short Caribbean cruises this week, but some cruise fans don't love a notable shift in the cruise line's strategy.

Utopia of the Seas and Wonder of the Seas will have already made this switch in 2025, but Oasis and Harmony of the Seas will join the trend when they start sailing short cruises in the fall of 2026.

"It's so sad that Royal Caribbean is ruining most of the Oasis class ships with the short cruises," said Søren Hemmingsen on Facebook, and it echoes what hundreds of other die hard Royal Caribbean fans expressed about the new releases.

The big change is in winter 2026-2027, Royal Caribbean will have all but one of its Oasis Class ships sailing short cruises in the Caribbean and they're all less than 7 nights.

The reason so many cruisers are upset is the lack of itinerary variety and high cost for a short trip.

Some long-time cruisers feel a week is necessary to be able to fully enjoy these mega ship’s amenities, entertainment, and dining experiences. With more ships being allocated to short sailings, seasoned cruisers are feeling left out. 

"I can’t seem to find it worth my time to drive 8+ hours or cost beneficial to fly for a 3 or 4 night cruise. This hurts those of us who are just far enough away that have to come in the day before," said Barry Akins.

The only Oasis Class ship that will remain offering week long cruises is Symphony of the Seas out of Galveston, Texas. It's not clear what Allure of the Seas will be doing yet.

A shift toward attracting new cruisers

Why is Royal Caribbean moving more of its ships to sail short cruises? The answer is at the heart of its business.

"Short cruises is really the onramp for new to cruise," Vicki Freed, Senior Vice President of Sales, Trade Support and Service for Royal Caribbean, explained to travel agents during a webinar yesterday.

"It's kind of the test drive, people don't have to invest a lot of time, they don't have to invest a lot of money... to see if cruising is the right experience for them."

Traditionally, older cruise ships sailed these short cruises but Royal Caribbean wanted to flip the script and attract new cruisers with the best possible ships.

The idea is offer the very best new cruise ship in the short cruise market to give new cruisers an obvious choice of which ship is best for them to try. Shorter cruises allow passengers to get a taste of the best that Royal Caribbean has to offer without committing to a weeklong cruise. 

From a business standpoint, Royal Caribbean is doubling down on what works.

The cruise line is targeting a younger demographic and those who want a quick escape without taking a full week off work. Shorter cruises often sell out faster and at higher per-night rates, making them a profitable option.

One comment on the new deployment recognized the business reality, "A very short lesson in Cruising 101—Short cruises you can turn that ship twice and flip it and make more money—that only makes sense for the cruise lines! Fresh passengers buying more drinks and gambling more. This is nothing new."

Frustration over lack of variety

The shift away from longer cruises on Oasis Class ships means there aren't many options for a traditional 7-night Caribbean cruise on an Oasis Class ship.   There are sailings on Icon Class vessels, but right now Icon Class ships command the highest average cruise fares in the fleet.

One workaround is to book a back to back sailing, where you sail the same ship twice in a row to get a week on the ship.  However, there isn't a lot difference in where your ship visits.

"I hate this!," wrote Susan Cliatt. "We have to fly and it is not worth the 3,4 or 5 days!

Royal Caribbean executives have repeatedly said the top two reasons people book a cruise ship vacation are for the destinations and the food.  

Short cruises, especially 3-night sailings, usually only go to The Bahamas.

Cruise fans complained, "This caters to those that live close to the ports."

"They are only worth it if you live near the port."

Another frustration is many travelers feel that large, feature-packed ships like those in the Oasis Class are wasted on short itineraries, where there simply isn’t enough time to experience everything onboard. 

Matt Anderson wrote, "Just don’t understand why all the Oasis Class ships are moving to short cruises. You have to take just as many days off work to go on the 4-day cruise since it’s Mon-Fri as a 7-day Sunday-Sunday cruise. Also, there is just way too much happening on these ships to only be on for 3 or 4 days."

Another person echoed this concern:

"Hmmmm can’t say I like this move. We don’t like Icon because it’s crawling with out-of-control kids and was perfectly happy going back to Oasis Class for our 7-night Eastern Caribbean."

You might have a few ideas for what makes the best beach day food, but it would change after you try Royal Caribbean's mozzarella sticks.

Specifically, the mozzarella sticks at Perfect Day at CocoCay stand out as being the perfect batch.  

It's strange to think that this particular snack could be so darn good, but they really are.  And it's even more surprising because the mozzarella sticks served on Royal Caribbean ships aren't nearly as good.

When Royal Caribbean first revamped its private island with new amenities, it totally re-thought the private island beach lunch. Traditionally it had just been burgers and hot dogs, but the new offering includes so much more.

One thing that quickly stood out were the outstanding food choices at the Snack Shack.  There are now four locations around the island:

• Breezy Bay
• Thrill Waterpark
• Hideaway Beach
• South Beach

In terms of cruise ship private island food, I think CocoCay's mozzarella sticks are a prime example of how good Royal Caribbean's island food game has become. Best of all, it's totally free and you can order as many as you want!

If you haven't tried them yet, they're a must-eat on the island.

What makes Royal Caribbean's mozzarella sticks the best?

At first I thought perhaps I alone preferred the mozzarella sticks from the Snack Shack, but it turns out a lot of other people really love them too.

Adriana Scates wrote on Facebook her idea of a great day on the island is to, "get drinks, lay in the sun on South Beach and eat your weight in mozzarella sticks."

The secret ingredient has to be the breading they use for them.

I'm not sure exactly what's so different about the breading for the mozzarella sticks at Snack Shack versus the ones used on the ship, but they've figured it out.

Served with marinara sauce to dip them in, it's the perfect quick snack.  It also helps when you order them they usually come out piping hot.

You could also use the mozzarella sticks as the building blocks to customizing an even better sandwich.

Not listed on the menu, but you can order the "secret sandwich" from the Snack Shack.

Crew members learned this dark art from the launch of the restaurant, and it combines the mozzarella sticks, marinara sauce, and the chicken sandwich to create my go-to meal any time I visit.

It's essentially a chicken parmigiana sandwich, but instead of the cheese being melted on the chicken, you get the crunch of the mozzarella sticks.

On a recent visit to the Coco Beach Club, which has its own excellent food options, I walked out of the club and over the Breezy Bay to get a few mozzarella sticks because they're that good.

The next time you're at Perfect Day at CocoCay, order them with your meal. Not only are they included with your cruise fare, but it's a fantastic comfort snack.

More CocoCay food you won't regret trying

While mozzarella sticks are wonderful, there's a lot of other food you ought to try while visiting.

At either Chill Grill or Skipper's Grill, I'm a sucker for the taco bar because you can customize it just the way you want.

I prefer to grab a plate and do my best attempt at creating a Chipotle-style bowl with the meat, toppings, and plenty of guacamole.

If you happen to buy admission into the adults-only area, the Island Guava Barbeque Chicken Pizza is a must-order every time. 

I think the combination of sweet BBQ sauce with the salty cheese really blends well.

My kids would tell you to try the soft serve ice cream just because who doesn't like ice cream on a hot day?

They now always opt to make an ice cream sandwich instead of getting it in a cone.

Perhaps the top food at CocoCay is the entire menu at the Coco Beach Club restaurant, which has filet mignon and lobster on the menu.

I really think the filet here is just as good, if not better, than the filet served onboard the ship.