The Grandeur of the Seas and the Jewel of the Seas are switching their itineraries for the 2026-27 season, Royal Caribbean International said in a statement.
In the letter sent to booked guests, the company stated that the change is part of a redeployment initiative as the bigger Jewel will move to Florida and the smaller Grandeur will take her place.
“Our original plan for the Jewel of the Seas was to offer a summer 2026-27 season with sailings departing from Cartagena, Colombia, and Colón, Panama, beginning May 1, 2026, through April 18, 2027,” Royal Caribbean stated.
“Instead, the Jewel of the Seas will offer sailings from Tampa and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and the Grandeur of the Seas will offer the sailings from Colombia and Panama,” the company added.
While now being operated by different ships, itineraries and departures during the timeframe will remain the same, Royal Caribbean added.
“We know how much time and effort go into planning your vacation, and we’re terribly sorry for the inconvenience,” the statement continued.
“Your vacation is important to us, along with flexibility to make the best decision for you and those in your party.”
As a result, the company is offering guests three options, including an automatic move of the booking to the sailing onboard the new ship.
“We’ll move you to a like-for-like stateroom, and your original stateroom category price will be protected,” Royal Caribbean explained.
The company also stated that taxes, fees, gratuities and other non-cruise fare items are excluded from the offer.
“If your booking was already paid in full and your cruise fare rate decreases, we’ll provide you with a refund for the difference,” Royal Caribbean added.
Guests will also be able to move their bookings to other ships, picking any other sailing with the company.
In this case, Royal Caribbean will waive any non-refundable deposit change fees, but passengers will be responsible for any difference in pricing.
Impacted passengers will also be able to cancel their reservations for full refunds of any paid portion of the booking.
With the change, the Grandeur of the Seas is now set to offer cruises from Latin America between May 2026 and April 2027.
Sailing from Panama and Colombia, the 1,950-guest ship will operate a series of seven-night cruises to destinations in the Southern Caribbean that include Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao.
