Royal Caribbean Is Reshuffling Three Ships for 2027-2028 — and the New Routes Are Worth Watching
Royal Caribbean opened bookings for 2027-2028 Caribbean deployments spanning Jewel of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, and Vision of the Seas across Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, and San Juan with itineraries from three-night Bahamas getaways to nine-night Southern Caribbean voyages.
The 2027-2028 cruise season is still well over a year away, but Royal Caribbean is already making bold moves. On February 26, 2026, the cruise line officially announced a wave of new Caribbean deployments spanning three ships, three homeports, and itineraries ranging from quick three-night getaways to nine-night deep Caribbean adventures. If you’ve been waiting for the right Royal Caribbean sailing to finally commit to, this announcement just gave you a lot more options.
According to Royal Caribbean Blog, bookings are now open for most of the 2027-2028 Caribbean sailings — meaning early planners can lock in cabins right now.
Three Ships, Three Very Different Experiences
The announcement covers Jewel of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, and Vision of the Seas — three Radiance-class sisters that punch well above their weight despite not being the newest ships in the fleet. Each is getting a distinct assignment that targets a different kind of traveler.
Jewel of the Seas: Short Getaways from Fort Lauderdale
Starting in April 2027, Jewel of the Seas will shift to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, running three and four-night voyages into The Bahamas. These itineraries are built around easy access to Nassau, Perfect Day at CocoCay, Bimini, Grand Bahama Island, and Key West.
Short sailings like these have become increasingly popular, and for good reason: they’re an affordable entry point for first-time cruisers, a quick escape for families with limited vacation time, and a low-commitment way to try a ship or destination. Fort Lauderdale is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world, and positioning Jewel there for these bite-sized itineraries makes clear that Royal Caribbean sees strong demand for weekend-style Caribbean trips well into 2027 and beyond.
The inclusion of Perfect Day at CocoCay on most of these routes is deliberate. Royal Caribbean has invested enormously in its Bahamian private island, and it continues to be a headline attraction — the kind of stop that can actually sell a sailing on its own.
Serenade of the Seas: Tampa Gets More Caribbean Coverage
Serenade of the Seas will homeport in Tampa starting October 2027, picking up routes that span five to nine nights in both the Western and Eastern Caribbean. Six-night itineraries swing through Roatán, Cozumel, and Costa Maya, while the longer eight-night options add Belize City and George Town to the mix.
Tampa has been one of the Southeast’s fastest-growing cruise ports, and this deployment gives the region’s travelers a solid mid-range option with real variety. The shorter six-night sailings hit popular Western Caribbean classics, but the eight-night routes are where things get interesting — Belize City and George Town offer snorkeling, wildlife, and cultural excursions that tend to resonate deeply with repeat cruisers who’ve already checked off the standard ports.
Worth noting: Cozumel is also home to Royal Caribbean’s Royal Beach Club Cozumel and the upcoming Perfect Day Mexico at Costa Maya — two private destination investments that are central to the company’s long-term strategy of owning the guest experience from end to end, not just at sea.
Vision of the Seas: Southern Caribbean From San Juan
The most significant repositioning in this announcement may be Vision of the Seas moving from Baltimore to San Juan, Puerto Rico, in October 2027. From there, the ship will primarily offer seven-night Southern Caribbean sailings calling at Antigua, Dominica, Barbados, Grenada, and St. Thomas. Come early 2028, a six-night ABC Islands itinerary — covering Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao — rounds out the deployment.
This is a meaningful upgrade for travelers who want to reach deeper into the Caribbean without spending two or three days at sea getting there. Homeporting in San Juan eliminates that transit problem entirely, putting genuinely off-the-beaten-path ports like Dominica and Grenada within reach on a standard week-long sailing.
Southern Caribbean routes tend to attract experienced cruisers seeking something beyond the Bahamas and Cozumel circuit. Placing Vision of the Seas in San Juan for this purpose signals that Royal Caribbean believes there’s strong and growing demand for that richer, more diverse Caribbean itinerary — not just the quick-hit routes.
Why This Announcement Matters Right Now
A common mistake travelers make is waiting too long on cruise bookings, assuming that fares will drop closer to sail date. For popular ships and marquee itineraries, that logic increasingly doesn’t hold. Royal Caribbean has been consistent in rewarding early bookers, and these Caribbean routes — with their mix of private island stops and deeper ports — are likely to attract strong early demand.
The company’s strategy of anchoring sailings around its private destinations is also worth watching. Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, Royal Beach Club Cozumel, and Perfect Day Mexico are all woven into these new deployments. That’s not coincidental. These are high-margin venues where Royal Caribbean controls the guest experience and captures significantly more revenue per visitor than a typical port call. The more sailings that feature these stops, the more each investment pays off.
What to Do If Any of These Routes Catch Your Eye
Bookings are currently open for the Caribbean portions of these 2027-2028 deployments. Royal Caribbean indicated that deployment details for Australia, China, and Singapore will open during the week of March 2, 2026 — so if Asia-Pacific sailing is on your radar, that announcement is just days away.
For the Caribbean routes, the practical advice is simple: if a sailing looks right, book it early. Itineraries built around private destinations and Southern Caribbean ports tend to sell faster than generic Western Caribbean routes, and the Radiance-class ships — comfortable, well-proportioned, and genuinely great for ports-heavy sailings — have a loyal following that tends to book early.
This is the kind of deployment announcement that rewards the planners. The sailings are open, the ships are solid, and the ports are genuinely worth looking forward to.
Source: Royal Caribbean Blog