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Announcing a new ship, new cruise terminal—and plenty of new adventures.
Royal Caribbean recently announced its cruise deployment for the 2018-2019 season, promising exceptional experiences for veteran cruisers and newly minted ones alike. There’s plenty of news to take in: the debut of their largest ship, a crowning cruise terminal for PortMiami, exciting European odysseys and more. Here’s the lowdown for their upcoming travels:
Get Ready For Symphony—And Our New Terminal
Their biggest news is their biggest ship, Symphony of the Seas, which will make her maiden voyage in April 2018. Symphony is the 25th ship to enter Royal Caribbean’s fleet and will spend the summer sailing the scenic Mediterranean with stops in Barcelona, Spain; Provence, France; Rome, Naples and Pisa, Italy, before docking stateside in Miami in November of next year.
Miami will be ready to receive Symphony, as well as her sister-ship Allure of the Seas, in style with the opening of a new state-of-the-art terminal at PortMiami. Christened the “Crown of Miami,” this 170,000-square-foot Royal Caribbean terminal will be LEED certified and showcase the innovation and elegance travelers expect from our ships, with a striking “crown” design and facade lighting to illuminate the city’s night skyline.
More Reasons To Sail To Cuba
Last year, Empress of the Seas launched Royal Caribbean’s first cruises to Havana, Cuba, from Miami and Tampa, with great success, so they’ll be extending these trips for their first full year in 2018. Of the 58 four-and five-night Cuban cruises taking place between 2018 and 2019, more than half will offer overnight stays in the culturally vibrant heart of Havana.
Gulf Coast – A Hot New Hub
Next year also marks Royal Caribbean’s first return to The Big Easy since 2014, with Vision of the Seas offering weeklong trips from New Orleans to the best of the Caribbean, stopping in Nassau, Bahamas; Cozumel, Mexico; and Roatan, Honduras starting in December.
Their Gulf Coast cruising options go further, with Vision departing from Galveston, Texas, for four-, five- and six-night Caribbean sailings at the beginning and end of 2018, and one incredible 16-night journey to Barcelona in mid-April. Galveston also hosts Enchantment of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas in 2018, where they’ll extend Caribbean itineraries with four-to seven-night escapes.
Going Global
Asia Pacific cruises kick into high gear next year, with your Quantum-class ships Quantum of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas sailing from Shanghai and Tianjin, China, respectively, to Japanese ports such as Tokyo and Nagasaki. With a combined 77 sailings from Singapore, Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China, Voyager of the Seas can take you across the region’s cultural hotspots, including Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.
A new year means new ports and new tours. Next year, Mariner of the Seas will depart for Miami on a “Global Odyssey,” sailing from Singapore to Dubai, then on to Barcelona before arriving to her new home port in Miami.
Starting summer 2018, Royal Caribbean will make stops in Holyhead on the Welsh island of Anglesey, where guests can take in the ancient stone buildings, rocky peaks and waterfalls. You can get there on Brilliance of the Seas, which adds new 12-night itineraries departing Amsterdam for the Baltics and Norwegian Fjords before reaching the British Isles.
Whichever new experiences strike your fancy, you can search for your next cruise here.