Royal Caribbean had one of its best years ever in 2025 with the launch of a new ship, big announcements, and stellar financial performance.
It was also a busy year with lots happening. Sometimes the news was exciting and upbeat, and other times bad things temporarily overshadowed the fun. Nonetheless, there was a lot to love and reflect on from this year.
With the end of the year just a few days away, I wanted to share which news stories garnered the most attention and notoriety in the year.
Here's a look back at this year's big Royal Caribbean news.
Perfect Day Mexico and beach club reveal
Jaws dropped when Royal Caribbean unveiled plans for new beach clubs and a second Perfect Day location.
Held at a special event in New York, Royal Caribbean announced the opening of Perfect Day Mexico, two beach clubs, and a new beach destination.
Perfect Day Mexico is the crown jewel of the announcement. Located in what is today Costa Maya, this is Royal Caribbean's biggest land project ever.
Royal Caribbean cruisers will have the choice of miles of beaches, heated pools, a giant water park, and even the longest lazy river in the world.
Plus, the lazy river will have a few different "Tubes and Tequila Bar" locations you can stop at, where you latch your tube to a bar and take a break for a cocktail.
In addition, a new beach club is coming to Cozumel, Mexico.
Royal Beach Club Cozumel will open in December 2026 and offer a new beach getaway option that matches the cruise line's high standard.
The idea is to build the idyllic resort centered around the pool, beach, sun, food and culture.
There will be a pool with a swim-up bar, DJ, and plenty of Mexican food to enjoy too.
Finally, a new private destination will open in the South Pacific in early 2027.
Lelepa is located on the island of Vanuatu, and it's a different kind of product that doesn't fit into the other destinations mold.
A series of "villages" will be built to offer various beach options. There's no water park, DJ, or lazy river here. Instead, it's about relaxing and enjoying the natural beauty of the area.
Star of the Seas launch
A new Royal Caribbean joined the fleet this year.
Star of the Seas became the world's largest cruise ship and began sailing in August. The second in the Icon Class, Star measures 1,196 feet long and 219 feet wide.
Although Star of the Seas is more similar to Icon of the Seas than not, there are a few key differences that help give Star a defining personality of her own.
First, Royal Caribbean is raising the entertainment bar even higher with its new theater production, Back to the Future: The Musical, which will have the largest orchestra at sea. Not only that, but there are also new shows in the ice skating rink and AquaTheater.
The AquaDome Marketplace is getting a refresh, too. Instead of GNGR, Mac's, and Toast & Garden, guests will find Pig Out BBQ, Mai Thai, and La Cocinita.
Similarly, the Lincoln Park Supper Club is replacing the Empire Supper Club. The $200-per-person specialty restaurant will feature a Chicago-inspired theme with the cocktails, menu, and music reimagined to reflect the spirit of the Windy City.
Icon of the Seas confirmed for Galveston
People living in Texas and Oklahoma celebrated the announcement Icon of the Seas is coming to Texas.
Galveston will call Icon home beginning in August 2027.
This has been a long-rumored deployment, and it's confirmation means the Texas cruise market is getting one of the biggest and most impressive cruise ships in the world.
It opens up Icon to an entirely new cruise market in Texas, and the ship's arrival coincides with the opening of Perfect Day Mexico.
Labadee visits cancelled
Royal Caribbean ships were unable to visit Labadee through much of 2025, and that will continue into next year.
The cruise line halted visits to Labadee until at least May 2026.
The issue is the ongoing civil unrest and violence in the country, which forced Royal Caribbean's hand in making this decision.
"Out of an abundance of caution," the announcement read.
Nothing else has been announced since, but at least half of 2026 will begin without visits to one of Royal Caribbean's best known private beaches.
Loyalty points will be interchangeable
Perhaps the biggest loyalty program change ever announced by Royal Caribbean, we can expect a major shift next year.
The Points Choice program will be fully revealed in "early 2026", and will change how cruisers earn loyalty points when they cruise between lines.
The new program promises to allow cruisers to earn and apply loyalty points across the family of brands within Royal Caribbean Group.
It appears that means someone taking a Celebrity Cruise could earn Crown and Anchor Society points for that sailing. Or vice versa.
More details will be forthcoming in the early part of the year.
Drink package rule change
Royal Caribbean dropped its drink package exception rule in 2025, much to the dismay of many families.
There had been an unpublished option to allowed for someone who is unable or unwilling to drink alcohol to call in and get an exemption to the rule requiring all adults in the same stateroom to buy a drink package.
That workaround is now no longer available and it's because too many passengers were sharing drink package benefits.
"This change allows us to ensure guests are consuming their beverage package responsibly. Over time, requests for exceptions have increased, and sharing of packages has continued, which led us to implement this policy change," the company spokesperson said.
The original intent of the exception was to offer an alternative to guests who couldn't drink alcohol, such as expectant mothers, people in recovery, and other specific needs. However, too many people took advantage of it.
Broadway show was removed from two ships
A Broadway show performed on two different cruise ships was quietly removed with no replacement Broadway show.
Grease is no longer performed on Harmony or Independence of the Seas.
Instead, it appears cruise line created production shows have taken its place.
No reason was given why Grease was removed, but there's plenty of speculation related to costs.
New non-smoking casinos added
Non-smokers got some welcome news with new ways to gamble on ships.
Freedom of the Seas replaced Vintages wine bar with a non-smoking casino, while Wonder, Utopia, and Allure of the Seas had the Crown Lounge and even the Attic replaced with non-smoking casinos.
The idea is to offer more ways to enjoy the fun of the casino to those that do not care to be in a room sharing space with smokers.
The cruise line has not gone as far as banning smoking in the casino outright, providing a non-smoking alternative venue seems to be their new strategy.
Legend of the Seas details revealed
Legend of the Seas won't enter service until 2026, but 2025 was the year we got all the details about this new ship.
This is going to be one of the biggest cruise ships in the world, coming in at 250,800 gross tons, and be able to accommodate up to 7,600 passengers.
Legend of the Seas will welcome paying guests for the first time when she sails in Europe in summer 2026.
Legend remains in Europe through October, until the ship departs on a 13-night transatlantic sailing.
The new ship heads to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to sail in the winter.
Bookings are available now for all open sailings.
First Royal Beach Club opened
Sneaking in right before the end of the year, Royal Beach Club Paradise Island opened its beaches to cruisers in the final weeks of the year.
Located in Nassau, Bahamas, this is the cruise line's first beach club and it's designed to be the ultimate beach day option.
Think of it more like a "super shore excursion" than a private island beach day. There's an admission cost, but it has unlimited food, drink, and Wi-Fi. Plus, transportation is included.
The area is divided into three zones to provide a different vibe for everyone.
Plus, it's only open to Royal Caribbean cruise passengers in one of the busiest cruise ports in the world.
