Deployment 2025-26 booking season begins

[twangster]

15 minutes ago, pyrateslife4me84 said:

Absolutely. And we can presume they will continue to replace new ships with newer ships out of PC and Miami. And they’ll do the bread-and-butter 3, 4, and 7-night itineraries. Mass-market ships on mass-market itineraries. These are the locations they know can fill 7000-passenger ships all year. 

 

That's proven to be a winning strategy so far.  

 

Yet they also bring the old and tired ships here too, and they fill them too.  

 

Their cup runneth over (in Florida at least).  

 

Seriously - they are putting Jewel into Florida doing 3 & 4 which means they must be able to make more money in Florida with this asset than they can in Europe doing cruises that cruisers like me want. 

 

It's not about appeasing frequent cruisers.  They are a business making business decisions to maximize profit.

 

Edited February 28 by twangster

[pyrateslife4me84]

15 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

That's proven to be a winning strategy so far.  

 

Yet they also bring the old and tired ships here too, and they fill them too.  

 

Their cup runneth over (in Florida at least).  

 

Seriously - they are putting Jewel into Florida doing 3 & 4 which means they must be able to make more money in Florida with this asset than they can in Europe doing cruises that cruisers like me want. 

 

It's not about appeasing frequent cruisers.  They are a business making business decisions to maximize profit.

 

I see so many comments online from people wanting to do Royal “on the cheap.” I’m sure that’s why Royal provides an old ship, hoping that you will then book the more expensive new ships for your second cruise.

[Itried4498]

33 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

Looking at CAS numbers on a typical cruise the number of frequent repeat cruisers is relatively small, even in Florida.  

 

B2B guest counts are typically in the double digits.  Sometimes an Oasis class consecutive cruiser count will break into trip digits but for smaller ships it's often low double digits.

 

You can't sustain a ship in any home port with a relatively small percentage of the total guest count cruising consecutively. 

 

The bread and butter is new to cruise, or new to Royal, which often accounts for >50% of guest count.  This is followed by Gold CAS with a solid #2 of guest counts. 

 

That is who they need booking a ship, anywhere.  In Florida there is an abundance of new to Royal guests booking ships and that is where they make bank.  The consecutive cruiser isn't where the high margin profit comes from.

The dynamics are definitely different on the West Coast.  Most of the people on the 3/4 day cruises are locals, and most all the rest live regionally.  There’s a large faction of regular cruisers.  7 days cruises draw nationally but are still dominated by locals.  10+ day cruises tend to draw nationally more than locally.  I’m sure there’s similar trends anywhere outside of Florida.

 

First time cruisers have surged in the post-pandemic era, largely because cruising was a good value compared to land vacations.  But that’s often no longer true, especially in peak periods.  Gotta wonder how long it’ll last.

[Itried4498]

2 minutes ago, pyrateslife4me84 said:

I see so many comments online from people wanting to do Royal “on the cheap.” I’m sure that’s why Royal provides an old ship, hoping that you will then book the more expensive new ships for your second cruise.

In an alternate universe where every Royal ship was a Quantum or Oasis Class, prices would be lower.  The reason they’re so high is because demand exceeds supply. 
 

ironically, those “old ships” help Royal maximize its profits. 

[twangster]

2 minutes ago, Itried4498 said:

The dynamics are definitely different on the West Coast.  Most of the people on the 3/4 day cruises are locals, and most all the rest live regionally.  There’s a large faction of regular cruisers.  7 days cruises draw nationally but are still dominated by locals.  10+ day cruises tend to draw nationally more than locally.  I’m sure there’s similar trends anywhere outside of Florida.

 

First time cruisers have surged in the post-pandemic era, largely because cruising was a good value compared to land vacations.  But that’s often no longer true, especially in peak periods.  Gotta wonder how long it’ll last.

 

How many consecutive cruisers in LA are typical?

 

[Blue Eyed Belfast Belle]

For those of you that can see the Australian port bookings is Voyager still showing there in Dec 2025? I am on the current last sailing on Voyager from Ravenna Oct 2025 and if she has to go around Africa she will not make it on time

 

I have a feeling they are going to replace her with either Radiance or Sereande

[Hoopster95]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

Yep.  That's California cruising for you.  

It's hard to make anything out of LA exciting.  

 

Zihuantanejo? Huatulco? Acapulco? La Paz? Loreto? Topolobampo?

RC can do better... but they definitely will not.

 

4 hours ago, kruzerci said:

The LA sailing schedule is abysmal... And then they’ll say demand is soft in California 🤦🏻. 

 

This^

I would book Q in a heartbeat if she sailed around the gulf to Loreto and/or down to Zihuat (like Vision & Radiance used to do 15 years ago) for example on a longer 8-9-10 day sailing.

[kruzerci]

Just now, Hoopster95 said:

 

Zihuantanejo? Huatulco? Acapulco? La Paz? Loreto? Topolobampo?

RC can do better... but they definitely will not.

 

 

This^

I would book Q in a heartbeat if she sailed around the gulf to Loreto and/or down to Zihuat (like Vision & Radiance used to do 15 years ago) for example on a longer 8-9-10 day sailing.

Or even a 7 day sailing. Literally nobody wants to do a 3 day cruise through the middle of a workweek or split weeks to do a less than 7 day cruise. So bizarre. 

[Hoopster95]

2 minutes ago, kruzerci said:

So bizarre. 

 

I hear you, however I don't believe this is bizarre at all.

RC's target market has become almost strictly for families & tourists... not travellers.

Tourists want the "ship experience", lounge, dining, shows... like an all inclusive resort where you sit at the resort for 7 days and never move... not to see the world and go to different places.

 

If you're a traveller and want to use cruising to see the world, RC unfortunately is, and has been for several years, moving farther away from that.

[kruzerci]

1 minute ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

I hear you, however I don't believe this is bizarre at all.

RC's target market has become almost strictly for families & tourists... not travellers.

Tourists want the "ship experience", lounge, dining, shows... like an all inclusive resort where you sit at the resort for 7 days and never move... not to see the world and go to different places.

 

If you're a traveller and want to use cruising to see the world, RC unfortunately is, and has been for several years, moving farther away from that.

I don’t think that aspect is bizarre, the timing of the sailings is. Young people, particularly those with families, generally want to maximize PTO days, not blow 4 on a short mid week cruise. 
 

Even the one-off mid week short cruises sail substantially cheaper (usually about 50%) than the Thurs-Monday or Friday-Monday sailings. It’s just not desirable because of the PTO commitment- bc you might as well take a longer sailing. 

[woodscruise]

44 minutes ago, Blue Eyed Belfast Belle said:

For those of you that can see the Australian port bookings is Voyager still showing there in Dec 2025? I am on the current last sailing on Voyager from Ravenna Oct 2025 and if she has to go around Africa she will not make it on time

 

I have a feeling they are going to replace her with either Radiance or Sereande

Yes Brisbane Ports is still showing Voyager arriving 13December 2025

 

[springaussie]

If Anthem didn’t go to Asia in November would Anthem working Jewel’s cruise out of Galveston be an option? 
Then leave Brilliance or Radiance in the Pacific Asia region after Alaska.

[LooneyCruzer]

2 hours ago, twangster said:

 

What transatlantics?

 

There is one August 2024 when she comes to the US from Europe.  The transatlantic ends in Boston.

 

She stays in Boston until October 2024.

 

Then she moves to Galveston, Texas through April 2025.

 

Then she moves to Fort Lauderdale though November 2025.

 

Then she moves to San Juan, Puerto Rico through April 2026.

 

No other transatlantics are planned for Jewel right now.  She doesn't go back to Europe in the future that is known through 2026.

 

 

Ok thanks. I was hoping for this again in 2026.

 

Jewel of the Seas

ONEWAY FROM:  Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Southampton, England

• VISITING: Fort Lauderdale, FloridaPerfect Day at CocoCay, BahamasTenerife, Canary IslandsSeville (Cadiz), SpainLisbon, PortugalVigo, SpainSouthampton, England

[Oceansaway17]

30 minutes ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

I hear you, however I don't believe this is bizarre at all.

RC's target market has become almost strictly for families & tourists... not travellers.

Tourists want the "ship experience", lounge, dining, shows... like an all inclusive resort where you sit at the resort for 7 days and never move... not to see the world and go to different places.

 

If you're a traveller and want to use cruising to see the world, RC unfortunately is, and has been for several years, moving farther away from that.

And that is why I am finding better prices for Europe for next year on  NCL and Princess.

they have lower deposits and are refundable. Princess doing nice cruises out of Southampton

and NCL Viva has nicer itinerary out of Athens to Greece next year than say Odyssey

[FionaMG]

3 minutes ago, LooneyCruzer said:

Ok thanks. I was hoping for this again in 2026.

 

Jewel of the Seas

ONEWAY FROM:  Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Southampton, England

• VISITING: Fort Lauderdale, FloridaPerfect Day at CocoCay, BahamasTenerife, Canary IslandsSeville (Cadiz), SpainLisbon, PortugalVigo, SpainSouthampton, England

 

The eastbound transatlantics in spring 2026 haven't been released yet (except for Harmony from Galveston). They usually show up when the corresponding European itineraries are released which, historically, tends to be in November-ish.

[Chiliburn]

1 hour ago, Blue Eyed Belfast Belle said:

For those of you that can see the Australian port bookings is Voyager still showing there in Dec 2025? I am on the current last sailing on Voyager from Ravenna Oct 2025 and if she has to go around Africa she will not make it on time

 

I have a feeling they are going to replace her with either Radiance or Sereande

It’s looking like it leaves Rome on the 3rd of November and arrives in Brisbane on 13th December .

Thats a 6 week gap from what I can see. It was  just under 4 weeks before coming through the Suez.

[ONECRUISER]

1 hour ago, kruzerci said:

Or even a 7 day sailing. Literally nobody wants to do a 3 day cruise through the middle of a workweek or split weeks to do a less than 7 day cruise. So bizarre. 

You'd be Surprised. Different now then 5+ years ago, Millions work from home/computer, Millions more Kids are now Home schooled. Includes my Son, Daughter, Brother and Sister In law. See Families traveling all yr round not just Holidays and School Breaks. I've never seen so many Royal Cruise Ships Sold out. That said I also want longer 10 Cruises, except for last yr hadn't done any under 10+ nite Cruise in 23yrs

Edited February 28 by ONECRUISER

[Itried4498]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

 

How many consecutive cruisers in LA are typical?

 

I’ve done two B2B on the Navigator.   Both times there was about a dozen people, so maybe 6 staterooms.  Three people (solo travelers) were on ship for over 30 days. One woman was spending 6 months.

[FionaMG]

56 minutes ago, ONECRUISER said:

You'd be Surprised. Different now then 5+ years ago, Millions work from home/computer, Millions more Kids are now Home schooled. Includes my Son, Daughter, Brother and Sister In law. See Families traveling all yr round not just Holidays and School Breaks. I've never seen so many Royal Cruise Ships Sold out. That said I also want longer 10 Cruises, except for last yr hadn't done any under 10+ nite Cruise in 23yrs

 

You must be disappointed at the lack of longer itineraries over autumn/winter 2025/26. I'm only looking for one but I know you usually string together a series of b2b's. 😕

[ShazM]

3 hours ago, Blue Eyed Belfast Belle said:

For those of you that can see the Australian port bookings is Voyager still showing there in Dec 2025? I am on the current last sailing on Voyager from Ravenna Oct 2025 and if she has to go around Africa she will not make it on time

 

I have a feeling they are going to replace her with either Radiance or Sereande

Yes, 13 December, 2025 and the 2nd cruise is on 16 December.

[Needz2Cruise]

10 hours ago, SparklyPinkCruiser said:

I was really hoping to see a Panama Canal out of LAX in fall 2025. When do those usually come out?

Yeah, I've been hoping for that as well. Had some indication they might have released that the week of Feb. 12 and then last week when LAX cruises were released, but nothing yet. Keeping fingers crossed...

[ONECRUISER]

3 hours ago, FionaMG said:

 

You must be disappointed at the lack of longer itineraries over autumn/winter 2025/26. I'm only looking for one but I know you usually string together a series of b2b's. 😕

I really am, even more so with the new up Charge on my usual Aft "Sunset" Balcony's and lack of any long Repo's

[ONECRUISER]

1 hour ago, Needz2Cruise said:

Yeah, I've been hoping for that as well. Had some indication they might have released that the week of Feb. 12 and then last week when LAX cruises were released, but nothing yet. Keeping fingers crossed...

In the past few years seen at least 2 PC Sailings just popup on an off Week with no release announcement. 

[huntnewt]

I am slightly intrigued on the Mariner dates released. I see that the last departure date from Galveston is January 29, 2026. I know in these cycles, the dates released are usually May-April. It would be about time for Mariner to go into dry dock considering the last dry dock was in April 2023. Does anyone have any indication as to what will happen to the Galveston 4/5 runs after that date, when we will hear, what ship, etc.?

 

Also, is there any indication that Galveston will get a Long Caribbean ship in 2025-2026, like Jewel is doing in 2024-2025?

[kruzerci]

8 minutes ago, huntnewt said:

I am slightly intrigued on the Mariner dates released. I see that the last departure date from Galveston is January 29, 2026. I know in these cycles, the dates released are usually May-April. It would be about time for Mariner to go into dry dock considering the last dry dock was in April 2023. Does anyone have any indication as to what will happen to the Galveston 4/5 runs after that date, when we will hear, what ship, etc.?

 

Also, is there any indication that Galveston will get a Long Caribbean ship in 2025-2026, like Jewel is doing in 2024-2025?

Likeely won’t see a replacement to Mariner after she drops in January until fall of 2026, which will be released this time next year. 
 

No indication of anything replacing Jewel. Was likely a trial to feel demand and capacity.