Royal Caribbean just canceled more than 20 scheduled sailings aboard its Freedom of the Seas ship for its summer 2027 season due to ongoing planning to the line’s itineraries. The cancellation impacts thousands of passengers. Royal Caribbean made the decision to redeploy its vessel to Southampton in 2027 instead of different destinations in the Caribbean.

Originally, Royal Caribbean planned for its Mariner of the Seas to be the first ship to sail from Southampton for the 2027 European Deployment, but the vessel is now scheduled to be Royal Caribbean’s first Voyager-class ship to offer sailings to Northern and Western Europe, reflecting a shift in response to market demand.

The cancellation affects voyages scheduled between May and September 2027. Freedom of the Seas, according to the Royal Caribbean website, is still scheduled to return to Miami for bookings in October 2027, but this is subject to change.

An official letter was sent to all affected passengers, including five-night cruises to the Dominican Republic and Perfect Day at CocoCay, four-night Bahamian getaways, and nine-night voyages with stops in Curaçao and Aruba. This will also affect businesses in the Caribbean heavily relying on tourism. A loss in this surge of visitors proves how quickly cruise lines can alter sailings.

That said, Royal Caribbean provides options for affected passengers. Passengers who prefer a comparable sailing can move or adjust the same itinerary to a later date. Royal Caribbean is also providing complete reimbursement if passengers prefer to leave the itinerary or switch to another one.

Freedom of the Seas accommodates more than 3,600 passengers across 15 passenger decks. The ship features three swimming areas, an ice-skating rink, casino, miniature golf course, surf simulator, multiple food and beverage outlets, and more.

The news follows Carnival Cruise Line’s canceling of 11 sailings aboard Carnival Firenze between Oct. 12 and Nov. 16. The sailings were set to depart from Long Beach, California, as part of the ship’s Baja Mexico cruise schedule. Like Royal Caribbean, Carnival announced these cancellations were due to changes in its travel itinerary.

Carnival Firenze is one of Carnival’s larger ships with a capacity for more than 4,000 passengers.

Were you planning a summer 2027 cruise with Royal Caribbean or late fall 2026 sailing with Carnival? What are your thoughts on these mass cruise cancellations? Email us at letters@globaltravelerusa.com. Please include your full name and location.