Global Deployment Pattern Set to Continue

Posted on 26 June, 2026 by Spacejunkie2

The cruise industry’s 2026 global deployment pattern is forecast to continue based on port infrastructure and destination attractions.

For 2026, the Caribbean attracted nearly 41 percent of the global cruise passenger capacity, up from 39 percent in 2019, according to the 2026 Cruise Industry News Annual Report.

This year, the Caribbean will see an estimated total of about 17 million passengers, compared to 11 million in 2019.

The Caribbean capacity has been on a linear expansion curve over the past several decades.

The Mediterranean is the second largest sailing region with 15 percent of the industry capacity in 2026 and 6 million passengers up from 4 million passengers and the same market share in 2019.

The third largest deployment is found in the Asia-Pacific region with more than 4.4 million passengers sailing there for a market share just north of 11.4 percent, compared to 3.4 million passengers and a 12 percent market share in 2019.

Only the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Asia-Pacific command double digit market shares.

Next is Northern Europe with 9 percent, the West Coast (of the United States) 5 percent, Alaska 4.7 percent, Australia 2.6 percent, the Canary Islands 2 percent, down to world cruises at 0.1 percent.

The deployment pattern is driven by demand combined with infrastructure development.

The total estimated passenger number for 2026 is 40 million.

Royal Caribbean’s Legend to Drydock in Spain Ahead of Maiden Voyage

Posted on 22 June, 2026 by Spacejunkie2

Royal Caribbean’s Legend to Drydock in Spain Ahead of Maiden Voyage

Royal Caribbean’s new Legend of the Seas is scheduled to drydock in Cadiz ahead of its maiden voyage, according to reports by Spanish media.

Recently delivered by the Meyer Turku shipyard, the LNG-powered vessel is scheduled to welcome its first guests at the Italian port of Civitavecchia on July 4, 2026.

According to a report by Diario de Cadiz, the Legend is scheduled to arrive at the Navantia shipyard on June 22, 2026.

The 250,800-ton vessel will reportedly enter the facility’s Dique 4 to undergo final adjustments over the course of five days.

The local news source said that Navantia workers will prepare the gardens and green areas of Legend’s Central Park.

In late 2023, the Spanish shipyard installed over 10,000 natural plants aboard the Icon of the Seas.

The drydock will also include other technical work, Diario de Cadiz said, as well as be the location for various inspections and provisioning.

As part of its inaugural season, the Legend of the Seas is scheduled to offer a series of seven-night cruises to the Western Mediterranean.

The itineraries feature visits to destinations in Spain, France and Italy, including Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Marseille and La Spezia.

Following a repositioning voyage to Florida, the Icon-class ship will kick off a series of cruises from Port Everglades.

As part of its 2027-28 winter season, the Legend will operate six- to eight-night itineraries to the Caribbean and the Bahamas.

After the delivery of the 5,610-passenger ship, Royal Caribbean’s orderbook now has seven vessels, including the Hero of the Seas.

Set to enter service in 2027, the fourth Icon-class ship will offer seven-night cruises to the Caribbean sailing from PortMiami.

According to data from Cruise Industry News’ global cruise ship orderbook, six other vessels are scheduled to enter service through 2031.

Petition Against Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day Mexico Hits 5 Million Signatures

Posted on 16 June, 2026 by Spacejunkie2

Petition Against Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day Mexico Hits 5 Million Signatures

A petition asking the Mexican government to bar Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day Mexico project recently hit five million signatures.

Published on the Change.org platform, the petition was created in late May and asks Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo to stop the development.

First announced in late 2024, the project aimed to build a new private destination at the Costa Maya Cruise Port in Mahahual.

In addition to enhancing the existing structure at the facility, the development included the construction of a large water park, an extensive retail area and various beach clubs.

Despite Royal Caribbean’s plans Perfect Day Mexico in late 2027, the project was recently stopped by the Mexican government.

As reported by Cruise Industry News, the country’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources stopped the project in May.

The authority cited environmental concerns about damage to the Mesoamerican Reef and coastal ecosystems as the main reason for the decision.

Calling Perfect Day Mexico a “destructive project,” the petition claims that Mahahual is a fishing town inhabited by local communities and “not an amusement park.”

The document adds that the region is “one of the last places where the jungle meets the sea, where coral reefs still pulse with life, and where sea turtles return each year to nest,” noting that nearby Tulum and Playa del Carmen have “already succumbed to the logic of profit.”

The petition also compared the project with Royal Caribbean’s private island of CocoCay, saying that the development in the Bahamas caused the “exclusion of local populations, massive destruction of biodiversity and near-exclusive enrichment of a multinational corporation.”

The petition adds that the project “threatens the very existence of Mahahual,” bringing risks to the region’s protected mangroves and coral reefs.

“Royal Caribbean plans to receive up to 20,000 tourists per day, bringing with them tons of chemical sunscreen, plastic waste, mega-cruise ships polluting the water, and absurd levels of freshwater consumption in a region already suffering from water scarcity,” the petition said.

With a size comparable to Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Perfect Day Mexico was expected to welcome more guests than Perfect Day at CocoCay.

The company’s private island destination in the Bahamas hosted approximately 3.5 million passengers in 2025.

Royal Caribbean and the Mexican government are now in discussions to move the development to a new location in the country.

The Perfect Day Mexico project included the construction of a water park with over 30 waterslides and what was said to be the world’s longest lazy river.

Plans also called for large retail and dining areas, with nearly 40 bars and regionally inspired dining options.