Key Aspects:
- Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas notified guests that the itinerary of her November 16, 2025 departure has been modified.
- The ship will visit the Dominican Republic on Day 7 of the voyage, rather than St. Lucia on Day 6.
- The itinerary’s at-sea day was also shifted, from the final day of the cruise to Day 6.
Guests booked to sail aboard Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas on her November 16, 2025 departure are no doubt already dreaming about their Southern Caribbean vacation, but it turns out there is one scheduled port call they will not experience.
The cruise line has notified passengers that the ship’s itinerary has been altered, with one port, Castries, St. Lucia, being removed in favor of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
No reason was given for the change; it could be due to a number of issues, including port congestion, although just one other ship, Holland America Line’s Rotterdam, is slated to call at Castries on the same day — November 21, 2025.
Brilliance of the Seas’ 7-night Southern Caribbean voyage sails roundtrip from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
“As part of our ongoing itinerary planning process, we’ve modified our upcoming sailing. On Day 7 we’ll now visit Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, in place of the previously scheduled stop on Day 6,” states Royal Caribbean’s notice to booked guests.
“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,” the statement continues.
Guests who booked shore excursions on St. Lucia through the cruise line will be automatically refunded. Also refunded will be any port tax surplus that the revision creates, although the statement does not indicate what that might be.
Under Brilliance of the Seas’ original itinerary, the Radiance-class ship would call at St. Thomas, USVI on November 17, 2025, followed by Tortola, BVI on November 18, 2025, St. Kitts on November 19, 2025, Antigua on November 20, 2025 and St. Lucia on November 21, 2025. The final day of the cruise was to be an at-sea day.
The revised itinerary shows a call to the Dominican Republic on November 22, 2025 — the last full day of the cruise, with the at-sea day moved back to Day 6 of the trip.
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The cruise line’s notice to guests acknowledged that some passengers will not be happy about the itinerary change, and apologized for the inconvenience.
Plenty of Adventure Awaits Guests in Puerto Plata
Brilliance of the Seas’ call to Puerto Plata is slated from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. While the port visit is not a full day, there will still be time to enjoy an excursion.
Some of Royal Caribbean’s guided shore tours at Puerto Plata include visits to the famous Damajagua Waterfalls, featuring swimming in the pools created by the cascading waterfalls.
Also, tours of Ocean World Adventure Park offers guests the chance to swim with dolphins, snorkel, and attend educational exhibits focused on marine conservation.
Other excursions include zip lining adventures and explorations of the island’s Fortaleza San Felipe, a 16th-century fortress.
The Brilliance of the Seas is slated to visit St. Lucia several more times during winter 2025. The next scheduled call is on December 2, 2025.
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The 2,543-guest ship will remain homeported at San Juan through late April 2026, when she repositions to the Western Mediterranean for the spring and summer seasons.
The ship, which launched in 2001, will sail 7-night itineraries with multiple departure ports in Europe, including Rome and Ravenna, Italy, Barcelona, and Athens, and will also sail roundtrip voyages from Athens.
