Royal Caribbean International has canceled more than 20 sailings on its Freedom of the Seas ship scheduled for summer 2027.
According to IBT, the cruise line in notifications to affected guests this week confirmed cancelation of the cruises due to redeployment for operational and scheduling needs, follows closely on Carnival Cruise Line's cancellation of 11 fall 2026 voyages aboard Carnival Firenze.
Passengers booked on four-, five- and nine-night Bahamas and Caribbean departures from Miami between May and September 2027 received emails detailing the changes.
The email read, "As part of our ongoing itinerary planning process — which sometimes requires flexibility due to scheduling, port agreements, or operational needs — Freedom of the Seas will be redeployed for our Summer 2027 season.”
The affected itineraries include popular short getaways to ports like Nassau, Perfect Day at CocoCay and Cozumel.
Royal Caribbean offered rebooking options on alternative sailings, full refunds or future cruise credits, with deadlines for responses.
Guests who do not select an option by April 1, 2026, will automatically be reassigned to the earliest comparable voyage, typically a four-night sailing.
The cancellations impact thousands of travelers who had planned vacations well in advance, many during peak summer periods.
Royal Caribbean emphasized that the redeployment aligns with broader fleet optimization, though specifics on the ship's new assignments were not immediately detailed.
The Freedom of the Seas, a Freedom-class vessel launched in 2006 and refurbished in recent years, has long served as a workhorse for short Caribbean routes from South Florida.
