Will Australia get a new Royal Caribbean ship?

There has been growing speculation on Royal Caribbean Facebook pages that Ovation of the Seas will not be returning to Australia.

Cruisers believe that either Spectrum of the Seas or Anthem of the Seas will replace Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas. The ship has been sailing in Australia since 2016.

Royal Caribbean announced last week several adjustments to their itineraries for April 2025.

The line cancelled three sailings on Ovation of the Seas which were set to depart on April 3, April 12 and April 19, 2025.

“Due to an adjustment in our itinerary planning, our upcoming Ovation of the Seas has been cancelled. We know how much time and effort go into planning your cruise. And we’re terribly sorry for the inconvenience,” said Aurora Year-Rodriguez, AVP of Guest Experience in an email to passengers and agents.

The replacement itineraries

Royal Caribbean is offering alternative cruises on Quantum of the Seas which is based out of Brisbane.

Once she has finished a 7-night South Pacific cruise, Quantum of the Seas will set sail on two replacement cruises. These have been designed to accommodate cancelled passengers from the Ovation of the Seas sailings.

Passengers on the April 12 sailing have been offered a 21-night Transpacific Cruise departing on April 8, 2025.

The sailing will depart from Sydney with calls to Picton, Wellington and Auckland in New Zealand. She will also visit Moorea and Papeete in Tahiti and Raiatea in French Polynesia before sailing to Honolulu.

Passengers booked on the April 3 to April 29 cruise will be rebooked onto an 8-night Hawaiian cruise departing from Honolulu on April 28, 2025.

There is an ‘unnamed ship’ from Royal Caribbean due to homeport in Sydney from October 31, 2025.

What is Royal Caribbean offering?

Affected passengers have said that Royal Caribbean is offering refunds of deposits and fares, even non-refundable payments.

Cruisers are automatically rebooked onto the new sailings on Quantum of the Seas. And they are being assured they will maintain their original stateroom category and fare rates.

If the new sailing is cheaper for passengers from any cancellation, they will be refunded the difference.

Passengers are also being given the option to rebook on any other Royal Caribbean sailing. But if the fare is more expensive, cruisers will have to pay the difference.