Since the end of the pandemic, cruise lines have been repeatedly touting their record pricing and record onboard revenue spend. Up until six months ago, all of those things were true.
Now, as cruise lines announce record pricing levels for their 2027 and 2028 voyages, some lines are starting to see cracks develop as near-term sailings are sold at what could best be described as a “bargain”.
Royal Caribbean CEO Jason Liberty downplayed the threat of downward pricing pressure, particularly in the Caribbean. In April he said it was “much more of an outside-looking-in observation or concern than it actually has been for our company”.
But a multitude of factors are contributing to a near-term problem for pricing, particularly in the Caribbean, where capacity is already high among mainstream cruise operators. That, coupled with a two-million-visitor drop in US tourism and ongoing uncertainty over whether the US is heading into a recession, is starting to impact near-term pricing.
Searching major cruise websites for sailings departing in November 2026, CruiseTimes found major deals to be had for consumers – particularly those in drive-to ports within the US.
These included a sailing aboard Voyager of the Seas departing on 13 November selling for just US$249 per person, an 8 November departure aboard Serenade of the Seas for $290 per person, and a four-day voyage on Norwegian Getaway for just $219 per person – plus plenty of others.
Those are indeed record prices – just not the kind of record that cruise lines want to see long-term. They do, however, enable load factors to remain high, while lines remain hopeful that onboard spend will make up the difference.
