Key Aspects:
- Royal Caribbean has altered several Western Caribbean itineraries for Freedom of the Seas.
- Instead of calling to Cozumel, Mexico, impacted voyages will visit Nassau, Bahamas.
- The embarkations on February 2, 2026, February 16, 2026, and March 2, 2026, have been impacted thus far, but more changes could be coming.
Much to the chagrin of impacted passengers, Royal Caribbean has swapped out a key port for multiple itineraries that will be operated by Freedom of the Seas next year.
Instead of calling to Cozumel, Mexico, the impacted sailings will visit Nassau, Bahamas.
“As part of our ongoing itinerary planning process, we’ve modified our upcoming sailing. On Day 5, we’ll now visit Nassau, Bahamas, in the place of the previously scheduled stop on Day 4,” the letters from the cruise line read.
“We’re excited to bring you this refreshed experience and appreciate your understanding, as itinerary planning is an ongoing process that requires cruises to have a certain level of flexibility, modifications can occur at any time,” Royal Caribbean continued.
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The change has been met with a fair amount of frustration, with many feeling disappointed that they wouldn’t get to explore somewhere new and/or because Nassau doesn’t exactly have the best reputation as a safe and fun cruise port.
In fact, it is actually one of the more dangerous cruise ports and is under a “Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution” travel advisory by the US government.
No additional compensation has been provided to ease the blow, aside from automatic refunds for Cozumel shore excursions that were booked through the cruise line.
Which Itineraries are Impacted?
So far, Cruise Hive has obtained letters confirming that Freedom of the Seas’ embarkations on February 2, 2026, and March 2, 2026, have been impacted.
Guests booked on the February 16, 2026, sailing have also expressed outrage on social media over their cruise being altered in the same way.
“Feb 16 sailing was changed too. Absolute bs. Chose that one to avoid Nassau,” one future passenger posted.
“Our Feb 16 sailing also got changed from the same way. Very disappointed,” another confirmed.
All of these sailings are 5-night voyages to the Western Caribbean that are based in Miami, Florida.
In addition to the now replaced stop in Cozumel, Mexico, these itineraries also call for visits to Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas. This call remains unaffected.
Moving forward, it’s also possible that more changes are coming for additional voyages.
Just to name a few voyages that are setting sail in the near vicinity of the affected sailings, this same itinerary is also being offered by the Freedom-class flagship on January 19, 2026, March 16, 2026, and March 30, 2026.
However, this itinerary is offered well into the summer months and beyond.
Guests booked on Cozumel-bound sailings should keep an eye out for potential updates from Royal Caribbean.
The Reason Behind the Change
Royal Caribbean did not explicitly confirm why the itinerary swap needed to be made, but did vaguely touch on possible causes for changes.
“Sometimes, these changes are the result of a weather impact or issue avoidance, speed restrictions, berth or scheduling conflicts, and agreements we have with the ports we visit,” Royal Caribbean explained.
“While these itinerary changes are occasionally necessary, please know they’re made thoughtfully, with your experience and enjoyment in mind,” the cruise line continued.
Among the cruising community, some are theorizing that the brand is trying to direct more guests to the brand new Royal Beach Club Paradise Island that is opening in Nassau on December 23, 2025.
“I’m pissed. Seems like they just want to make sales to their new Royal beach club since there’s not much else to do in Nassau,” one impacted passenger reacted.
“The last place I want to go is Nassau, especially after two seas days. Oh and they recommend that we visit their new beach club that costs $170 to get into,” another guest complained.
It’s also possible that Royal Caribbean needed to steer guests away from Cozumel to aid in the construction process for Royal Beach Club Cozumel, which is expected to debut at the end of 2026.
But as frustrating as itinerary changes may be, cruisers can rest assured that Royal Caribbean wouldn’t rock the boat unless it was absolutely necessary to do so.
