Royal Caribbean Wants to Own Texas Market

Posted on 4 May, 2026 by Spacejunkie2

Royal Caribbean Wants to Own Texas Market

Royal Caribbean Group has set its sights on the Texas cruise market.

“We’re expecting to own the Texas market as it relates to cruising into the Caribbean,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, speaking on the company’s first quarter earnings call April 30.

A new terminal that opened in 2022 in Galveston will now be supported by Perfect Day Mexico, Royal Caribbean’s destination development in the Gulf, which is expected to soft-open in the fourth quarter of 2027 before fully ramping through 2028.

The project had encountered a temporary pause due to environmental permitting issues, but Bayley confirmed on the call that those issues have been resolved and construction has resumed.

“All of that is now behind us,” he said.

When complete, Perfect Day Mexico will anchor what Royal Caribbean sees as a transformational combination of assets serving the Gulf and Texas markets: Perfect Day Mexico paired with Royal Beach Club Cozumel, expected to open in early 2028.

“The combination of the hardware, the brand and the destination, we believe, is going to be a massive accelerator for overall financial performance for the business,” Bayley said.

“(Texas) is a market which is much larger than Florida and its penetration rate is much lower than Florida,” Bayley said.

CEO Jason Liberty elaborated on the geographic reach the Galveston hub has.

“It’s also going to unlock, more potential in the West, really kind of west of the Mississippi, as the cost to get to Houston and so forth is less than other parts of the country,” he said.

Royal Caribbean to bring another Freedom Class ship to UK instead of Mariner of the Seas next year

Posted on 24 March, 2026 by Spacejunkie2

Royal Caribbean to bring another Freedom Class ship to UK instead of Mariner of the Seas next year

The 3,926-passenger Freedom of the Seas ship will replace the line’s smaller Voyager Class vessel which has capacity for 3,114 passengers.

Royal said the change reflected “the continued strength of the UK and Ireland market”.

“The move represents an upsizing of capacity and brings a Freedom Class ship – long regarded as a favourite among British and Irish guests – back to the region,” the line added.

“Onboard vacationers of all ages can kick back and adventure at the resort-style Caribbean pool deck, enjoy The Perfect Storm duo of high-speed waterslides, a vibrant Caribbean poolscape, Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen, alongside reimagined spaces for kids and teens and more.”

This year, Liberty of the Seas – a sister ship to Freedom of the Seas – will be based out of Southampton. Another Freedom Class vessel, Independence of the Seas, operated ex-UK cruises from Southampton last summer.

So Freedom of the Seas will be the third Freedom Class ship to be based in the UK in three years when it arrives here in 2027.

Aaron Langford, Royal Caribbean senior sales director UK & Ireland, said: “The UK and Ireland is an incredibly important market for Royal Caribbean, and as a result, we’re excited to announce that we’ll be upsizing our Southampton deployment in 2027 with Freedom of the Seas following our long standing success here with this class of ship.

“Freedom Class has consistently resonated strongly with British and Irish guests, and following a recent amplification, Freedom of the Seas offers a fantastic mix of scale, innovation and guest-favourite features that deliver the ultimate family holiday.”

Ambassador’s Ambience Kicks Off 40-Day Cruise to the Caribbean

Posted on 9 February, 2026 by Spacejunkie2

Ambassador’s Ambience Kicks Off 40-Day Cruise to the Caribbean

Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambience recently kicked off one of the company’s longest cruises this year, a 40-day voyage to the Caribbean.

Sailing roundtrip from Tilbury, the “Jewels of the Caribbean Sea” itinerary is highlighted by visits to a wide range of destinations in the region.

As part of the voyage, the Ambience will become the only mainstream cruise ship to sail to Cuba in 2026, with a 13-hour visit to Havana scheduled for Feb. 16, 2026.

The cruise started with a visit to Ponta Delgada in the Azores after departing from the United Kingdom on Jan. 30, 2026.

The Ambience then crossed the Atlantic for destinations in Antigua and the British Virgin Islands, such as Antigua and Tortola.

Following its visit to Cuba, the ship is also scheduled to sail to George Town in the Cayman Islands, Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic and Fort-de-France in Martinique.

Other ports of call include Montego Bay and Ocho Rios in Jamaica, as well as Bridgetown in Barbados and Castries in St. Lucia.

Before arriving back in Tilbury in early March, the Ambience also sails to Basseterre in St. Kitts and St. Vincent.

Upon returning to the United Kingdom, the Ambience embarks on a series of spring cruises to Northern Europe, visiting Scandinavia, the Baltic, the British Isles and more.

For the summer, the 1,578-passenger ship adds visits to more destinations, including Portugal, Spain, Madeira, the Canaries and Iceland.

The vessel’s deployment is also highlighted by a 31-night cruise to the Mediterranean scheduled for early November, which sails roundtrip from Tilbury and features ports of call across North Africa, the Adriatic, Sicily and more.

The multi-million-dollar refurbishment included technical work, as well as improvements to public areas and staterooms.