Royal Caribbean suddenly cuts 20 cruises just days after Carnival canceled 11 sailings, report says

Source: The Independent

Saturday 21 March 2026 15:33 EDT


Royal Caribbean has canceled more than 20 scheduled sailings aboard its Freedom of the Seas ship for the summer 2027 season, just days after Carnival Cruise Line similarly canceled 11 future sailings.

The impacted Royal Caribbean departures were originally scheduled between May and September 2027 and included a range of itineraries from four‑night Bahamas trips to five-night trips in the Dominican Republic and nine‑night journeys calling in Aruba and Curaçao, according to the unofficial Royal Caribbean Blog and The Travel.

Royal Caribbean emailed passengers this week to announce that Freedom of the Seas will be redeployed to Southampton, England, for the 2027 season, canceling its previously scheduled home‑port sailings due to an “ongoing itinerary planning process,” according to the blogs.

“Deployment planning is dynamic and regularly reviewed based on demand, capacity requirements, and broader fleet considerations,” a Royal Caribbean spokesperson told The Independent in a statement. “As part of this process, we’ve made the decision to redeploy Freedom of the Seas to Southampton in 2027. Guests and travel partners are being contacted directly with details about their sailings and available options.”

Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/travel/royal-caribbean-carnival-cancel-cruises-b2943187.html