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Royal Caribbean passengers angry over major change
The cruise line has leaned into something that many regular cruisers don't like.
When Utopia of the Seas began sailing out of Port Canaveral, it marked a first for Royal Caribbean. The ship became the first Oasis-class ship to move immediately into sailing short 3-4 day itineraries.
Previously, the cruise line had moved Allure of the Seas to Port Canaveral to gauge demand for Monday through Friday and Friday through Monday sailings. That proved very successful and it was a major draw for new cruisers.
Related: Popular US port to add new fee for cruise passengers
The thinking behind using top-tier equipment for shorter sailings is that it exposes people to the best the cruise line has to offer without a long commitment. That, in theory, gives them enough of a taste that they want to come back for more.
Using Utopia of the Seas for shorter sailings was an unprecedented move as new Oasis-class ships had always sailed weeklong itineraries. The move has clearly been successful.
Royal Caribbean Group CEO Michael Bayley talked about the success of Utopia of the Seas during the cruise line's third-quarter earnings call.
"This quarter, we launched Utopia of the Seas, a ship that has quickly become a game changer for a short Caribbean product, which serves as an important entry point for new to cruise and new to brand. It also skews toward millennials and younger guests. The demand for Utopia has been incredible and has well exceeded our expectations for both ticket prices and onboard revenue," he said.
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Royal Caribbean bets big on short cruises
Using Utopia of the Seas for 3-4 sailings has been successful enough that in 2025 Wonder of the Seas will sail those same itineraries out of Miami. This is part of a larger plan by the cruise line to offer more shorter sailings that stop at Royal Caribbean's private island Perfect Day at CocoCay, and in some cases, its upcoming new beach clubs in Nassau and Cozumel.
By the 2026-2027 winter cruising season, only Symphony of the Seas sailing out of Galveston and Allure of the Seas have not been committed for 3-4 day sailings. Symphony will sail 7-day itineraries from its Texas port while the cruise line has not shared where Allure of the Seas, which is currently receiving a massive overhaul while in dry dock, will be sailing out of or what itineraries it will sail.
Royal Caribbean will be using its newest class of large ships, Icon-class, to sail 7-day itineraries.
Icon of the Seas sails out of Miami while the upcoming Star of the Seas will sail 7-night itineraries from Miami. The third Icon-class ship, Legend of the Seas, will first sail in Europe before offering 7-night cruises out of Fort Lauderdale.
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Royal Caribbean passengers are not happy
Many regular cruisers are not happy to see five of the seven Oasis-class ships committed to sailing 3-4 night itineraries. They shared their comments on the company's Facebook page.
"Been on a cruise and 4 days is definitely not long enough. We went 7 days, and both agreed we should have gone the 10 days! Our thoughts today are, if it was possible, we could again it would be for two weeks," Sheila Powers wrote.
Debbie Havens had doubts as well.
"I LOVE the Oasis class ships especially Wonder. We live a distance away and usually do back-to-back weeks for 14 days. Smaller trips make it so much more expensive. They should leave some for the week vacations," she posted.
Many people suggested that short cruises only make sense if you live near the port.
"I will never do 3, it's too much hassle. I am doing a 4 and I have done a 5 but I live so close to a port that it's worth it. If I had to fly, I would never do less than 7," shared PilesofLaundry113 on Reddit.
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