Royal Caribbean International will reposition the 2,476-passenger Serenade of the Seas to Latin America for the 2025-2026 season, starting from October 2025.

The 90,090-gross-ton ship will embark on seven-night southern Caribbean itineraries from Cartagena, Colombia, and Colón, Panama. Ports of call will include the ABC Islands.

“We are happy to return to the region with Serenade of the Seas and fulfill our ongoing commitment to contribute to the market in Latin America,” said Alberto Muñoz, associate vice president for Latin America and the Caribbean at Royal Caribbean International.

He highlighted the cruise line’s dedication to creating tailored experiences that resonate with the cultural vibrancy of Latin America, emphasizing local flavors, music, and activities.

Roundtrip voyages from Colón launch October 11, 2025, calling on Cartagena; Willemstad, Curacao; and Oranjestad, Aruba; and Kralendijk, Bonaire, and extend through April 26, 2026.

During the day and into the night, guests can enjoy a wide array of bars and dining options, such as the Schooner Bar, known for its live piano music; the Solarium Bar, where tropical drinks are served poolside; and the R Bar, featuring classic cocktails with a throwback vibe.

Read Also: Royal Caribbean Ships By Age – Newest to Oldest

Culinary experiences are equally diverse, ranging from Chops Grille, specializing in premium cut of meat, to Izumi, offering a taste of Asia with sushi and sashimi. Italian cuisine can be savored at Giovanni’s Table, while the Chef’s Table provides an intimate dining experience with a five-course meal paired with wines.

In addition to dining, the ship features activities that include a rock-climbing wall, a mini-golf course, and movie screenings on the outdoor deck, while guests can unwind in several swimming pools or visit the Vitality Spa & Fitness Center.

A Presence in Latin America

Serenade of the Seas, which first launched in 2003 and completed its most recent renovation in 2022, is following in the wake of Rhapsody of the Seas, which spent its 2023-2024 winter season in Latin America sailing from Colón and Panama City/Fuerte Amador in Panama and Cartagena.

This will be the first time Serenade of the Seas will homeport in the vibrant Caribbean cities, although it is spending its 2024 winter sailing in different Latin American destinations. Sailing from Tampa, Florida, the 2024 itineraries will include Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico; Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; and Colón.

While full details of the 2025-2026 itineraries and offerings will be revealed at a later date, Serenade of the Seas continues on the last two months of an extensive 274-day Ultimate World Cruise to 60 countries that completes in Miami on September 10, 2024.

The cruise visited Latin America early in its journey, calling in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Mexico.

The 9-month cruise that launched on December 10, 2023, from PortMiami has gone viral on TikTok with thousands of viewers watching as passengers document their travel, including ship tours, holiday parties, and flooding when the ship encountered rough seas and weather at the start of its voyage.

Others turned the voyage into a modern-day soap opera, highlighting fights, arrests, romances, divorces, and even deaths.

A Quantum-class cruise ship will soon be making an appearance in sunny Southern California. 

Royal Caribbean is shaking things up and sending Ovation Of The Seas to homeport in Los Angeles, California, in the summer of 2025, from where she will offer 3 to 6-night cruises throughout Mexico.  

The 4,905-guest ship will join a fellow Royal Caribbean vessel – Navigator Of The Seas – which has homeported in the port since 2022. 

The Voyager-class ship is currently operating 3 to 4 night cruises to Ensenada, Mexico, and Catalina Island, California, out of Ovation Of The Seas’ future homeport. 

The duo will operate simultaneously out of the Port of Los Angeles, which is located in the San Pedro Bay about 25 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, for the duration of the summer 2025 cruise season.  

“The biggest, boldest Baja getaway begins June 2025, when Ovation of the Seas®joins Navigator of the Seas® as the region’s newest star. This Quantum Class headliner is the first of its kind to sail from Los Angeles — with record-breaking memory-making and revolutionary thrills,” said Royal Caribbean. 

“You’ve never done Mexico like this before,” concluded the statement. 

Indeed, Royal Caribbean’s Quantum-class ships – which include Ovation Of The Seas, Anthem Of The Seas, Spectrum Of The Seas, Odyssey Of The Seas, and Quantum Of The Seas – do offer some unique, innovative amenities. 

For example, the 168,666-gross ton vessel and her sisters are home to the North Star, the tallest viewing decks at sea that offer 360-degree views, indoor skydiving experiences, bumper cars at sea, and cocktails crafted by robots. 

New California Itineraries For Quantum-Class Ship

Throughout the summer of 2025, Ovation of the Seas will be alternating between three different itineraries that each offer a unique experience in Mexico.

The first voyage, which embarks from San Pedro on June 3, 2025, is a 3-night getaway cruise that calls on Ensenada, Mexico, before returning to port. 

The next itinerary is a 5-night cruise that includes an overnight stay in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, which gives cruisers more time to enjoy the popular port. 

The final itinerary takes this a step further. The 6-night sailing includes the overnight call on Cabo San Lucas, as well as a standard, single-day visit to Ensenada, Mexico.

Each itinerary is offered eight times between June and September of 2025, giving Californians plenty of opportunities to check out the innovative mega-ship while she’s in town. And of course, all sailings are round-trip out of the San Pedro-based port. 

Read Also: Los Angeles Cruise Port: Terminals, Getting Around, What’s Nearby

The 1,300-crew vessel will officially conclude her season in Los Angeles on September 23, 2024. She will then take a break from operating revenue sailings until she arrives in Asia in early October. 

Indeed, the Royal Caribbean ship is set to homeport in Singapore from October 2025 through March of 2026, from where she will mostly operate shorter 3 to 4-night sailings to destinations throughout Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Hong Kong, China. 

Prior to arriving in Los Angeles next year, the 8-year-old vessel will make her way around the world. 

She’s currently operating 7-night Alaska cruises out of Seattle, Washington, but will make her way through Hawaii and French Polynesia, Australia, New Zealand, China, and South Korea before visiting SoCal. 

Notably, the large cruise ship has a nearly one-month break between her final China-based sailing, which disembarks on May 6, 2025 in Tianjin, and her arrival in Los Angeles. 

This provides enough time to sail to her new homeport, but also may be an opportunity for the ship to pay a visit to dry dock for routine maintenance and inspections. 

Cruise ships must have their bottom inspected once per year, and two of these inspections must be done in dry dock within a five-year period.

Royal Caribbean International has announced a reduction in the single supplement rate for solo cruisers beginning August 1, 2024, but only for a very select group of travelers and only on some voyages.

While this will be welcome news for those few who may qualify for the savings, it is important to note the conditions so other solo travelers are not hit with unexpected fees.

The new reduced single supplement is a benefit for the cruise line’s loyalty club, the Crown and Anchor Society, and is only available for members at the highest tiers. You can check all the reduced rates right here.

“Starting August 1, Pinnacle Club and Diamond Plus members with more than 340 points will enjoy a reduced single supplement cruise fare of 125% on all Transatlantic, Transpacific, and Panama Canal sailings,” the announcement read.

The current single supplement rate is 200% for all cruise guests, meaning that anyone booking a solo trip is expected to pay twice what the published fare is listed as.

This is standard practice for many cruise lines, as published prices are based on double occupancy with the expectation that there will be two travelers (or more) in each stateroom.

Previously, guests who have achieved 340+ cruise points already received the benefit of a reduced solo rate to 150%. Now, the further 25% reduction on the highly-coveted transatlantic, transpacific, and Panama Canal sailings is an additional discount. For all other voyages, the discount remains at the 150% rate.

To be clear, while the announcement notes that the new discount is available to Pinnacle Club and Diamond Plus members, it is the overall loyalty points earned that determines who is eligible.

To reach Diamond Plus, for example, travelers only need 175 points – but they will not receive the select 125% fare until they have accrued 340 or more points.

Read Also: What Is a Transpacific Cruise?

It should also be noted that Royal Caribbean can modify the loyalty program and benefits available at any time, without notice. Travelers interested in taking advantage of this new discount benefit should first confirm that it will apply to their preferred sailing.

Nevertheless, this new discount will be welcome by frequent travelers who may prefer to sail on their own or who may no longer have a partner to share their travels with.

The impacted sailings are infrequent offerings based on ship operational calendars and fleet movements, and often command higher prices due to their popularity and exclusivity.

Other Loyalty Discounts Available

Royal Caribbean’s Crown and Anchor Society member benefits do include a wide range of other discounts, from reduced beverage costs to discounted internet costs to savings on photos, Royal Caribbean logo products, and spa services.

Many discounts are also available to travelers who have achieved lower levels of loyalty status, though the more points a traveler earns and the higher they advance in the program, the bigger the discounts and the more options that may be available.

With the recent announcement that all three of Royal Caribbean Group’s cruise lines – Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises – will now share a loyalty status match program, this new discount may further entice travelers to move between the lines to try different types of cruise travel.

The solo discount, however, only applies to voyages through Royal Caribbean International, and is not transferrable to either Celebrity Cruises or Silversea Cruises. Those programs have their own benefits, and while travelers will have a status match, the perks available on each cruise line remain distinct.