If you're ready to book a summer 2027 cruise or a cruise into early 2028, we now know when you'll be able to do that.
Royal Caribbean has shared the dates it will put new sailings on sale that go beyond the current set of sailings.
Typically, Royal Caribbean puts out new sailings to book at two periods of the year, and it appears they'll stick to the same schedule.
The first batch of new sailings will open up in October, meaning we are just weeks away.
Week of October 20, 2025
- Region: Alaska
- Sailing Time Frame: May 2027 – September 2027
Week of October 27, 2025
- Region: Europe
- Sailing Time Frame: April 2027 – October 2027
Week of November 3, 2025
- Region: 7-Night & Short Caribbean Year-Round
- Sailing Time Frame: March 2027 – April 2028
Week of November 10, 2025
- Region: Northeast, California & Texas
- Sailing Time Frame: April 2027 – April 2028
Week of November 17, 2025
- Region: Seasonal Caribbean
- Sailing Time Frame: April 2027 – April 2028
TBD
- Region: Australia
- Sailing Time Frame: October 2027 – April 2028
TBD
- Region: China
- Sailing Time Frame: October 2027 – April 2028
TBD
- Region: Singapore
- Sailing Time Frame: October 2027 – April 2028
To better explain some of the terminology, here's what you need to know:
- 7-Night & Short Caribbean Year-Round: Cruise ships that are deployed all year to the Caribbean.
- Does not include ships that visit the Caribbean part of the year
- Seasonal Caribbean: Ships that split their time in the Caribbean. Usually they're in the Caribbean for winter, then Europe in summer.
- Northeast: Cruises that begin from New York, Baltimore, or Boston
It's also important to know Icon 4 will not be part of this deployment release. New cruise ships will open their sailings for booking on a different schedule.
What to know about the deployment schedule
Today's announcement is Royal Caribbean's best estimate when new sailings will be available to book.
It's important to note the new bookings are available to book at some point in that week, but not necessarily on that Monday.
Guests will commonly misconstrue the new cruises to come out on the exact day, rather than at some point during the week.
When the new sailings are available, it is common for the new itineraries to be entered into the booking system first, and the website second. This means in some cases cruises are bookable earlier if booked over the phone or with a travel agent, even if they do not appear on the website.
Recommendations for how to prepare for new deployments
The deployment schedule is a good warning to start thinking about new cruises you might be interested in booking.
One of the best ways to get the lowest price on a cruise is to book as soon as the new sailings first go on sale. So it's a good idea to have a plan of which itineraries you'd be interested in potentially booking.
Moreover, if you're interested in a stateroom category that usually sells out, booking early has another advantage.
Once you have an idea of which sailings you're interested in, I'd reach out to a travel agent to coordinate plans.
It's common for the new sailings to be loaded into Royal Caribbean's system slowly, and sometimes it may become available to book in the backend system before the public website. This is one of the many ways a good travel agent can make your life easier.
