This week is off to an early start with Royal Caribbean updates and developments that you should know about.
We spotted a few changes that you should know about, plus the cruise line did something no one else has ever done in one particular port.
It's easy to overlook some of these changes, so we've packaged up everything into this quick hit post.
Here is a rundown of some news that you should be aware of!
New beach club in Bahamas is making lots of progress
We reported last week that Royal Caribbean moved up the opening of the Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, and I think it's clear why.
One of our readers, Mike Pastore, shared photos of the progress in his Facebook group all about the new beach club.
While sailing on Utopia of the Seas, he took photos of the nearby area to see what's changed.
In just a few weeks, there's been so many more buildings are visible. When I visited the construction site last month, I was told there are over 500 people working every day working.
The official opening date for the beach club is December 21, which is exactly two months from today. However, there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony on December 13, followed by a series of "soft openings".
These soft openings will invite select cruisers to experience the club so the line can test and adjust their operations as needed before welcoming in bigger crowds.
Admission to the new beach club costs extra, which means you have to buy a pass. This is unlike Perfect Day at CocoCay, where everyone on the ship can go ashore and enjoy a variety of included options. Only Royal Caribbean passengers can buy a pass.
New Alaska cruises coming this week
Royal Caribbean will release its new Alaska cruises this week, but it's not out quite yet.
According to the deployment schedule for 2027-2028 cruises, Alaska will be released first. It can be confusing when they say sailings will be available "The week of October 20", as some people infer that to mean actually on October 20.
In reality, it can be at any point during the week, but it's almost always later in the week. Typically, on Wednesdays or Thursdays.
Based on early test loads, it appears four ships will be based in Alaska in 2027:
- Voyager of the Seas
- Quantum of the Seas
- Anthem of the Seas
- Serenade of the Seas
Once the deployment is open, we'll share the full details.
Royal Caribbean achieved a first at its Galveston terminal
Royal Caribbean's cruise terminal in Galveston, Texas opened in 2022 and just did something no other cruise terminal can tout.
The building is the the first cruise facility to formally achieve both Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Net-Zero Energy and LEED Net-Zero Carbon certifications for its ongoing operations.
This is in addition to the existing LEED Gold certification for the design and construction of GCT.
What this means is the terminal's operations balance out their energy use and carbon emissions over the course of a full year. When you combine that with the building's certification for design and construction, this gives the Galveston facility three separate sustainability achievements in under three years. That's something few large buildings, let alone cruise terminals, have managed to pull off.
So why does this matter? It's an incredible achievement because the Galveston cruise terminal is running efficiently enough using clean or renewable energy sources that the total energy it uses is offset by the energy it produces or saves.
Plus, the carbon footprint from how it's run on a daily basis has been reduced or balanced through measurable, verifiable methods.
New ship arrives in Singapore
The cruise season has restarted in Singapore, with Ovation of the Seas sailing there.
From now through March 2026, Ovation will primarily sail 3- to 5-night cruises, along with some longer 8-night cruises. The ship will visit places such as Penang, Malaysia; Phuket, Thailand, and Bali, Indonesia.
The short 3- or 4-night cruises go to Penang or Phuket. The 5-night sailing combines both, along with an overnight experience.
Those sailing on the 8-night cruise will spend two full days in Celukan Bawang and Benoa in Bali. Plus, there's a visit to Lombok, Indonesia.
Reservations are open now to book these sailings.
