Cruise Bookings Accelerate Across Royal Caribbean Brands
Key Aspects
Last-minute bookings played a key role in the sharp rise in revenue.
The company’s multiple brands welcomed 2.3 million guests in the second quarter.
New-builds Star of the Seas and Celebrity Xcel are in high demand.
Royal Caribbean Group, the parent company of five global cruise brands, welcomed 2.3 million passengers across its fleets in the second quarter of 2025, a healthy 10% spike compared to the year-ago quarter.
The company owns Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises, and has a 50% stake in Mein Schiff and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, operating a total company-wide fleet of 68 ships.
It revealed its latest financial results on July 29, 2025, saying bookings have accelerated since first-quarter numbers were announced in late April 2025.
Last-minute, or close-in, bookings were particularly responsible for the robust numbers, and strong demand continues for all three Royal Caribbean Group (RCG) brands and in all markets. Guest capacity in the second quarter rose by 5.8% versus the same timeframe in 2024.
The brands’ digital booking channels provided exceptional results, the company said, not only for reservations but for pre-cruise purchases of value-added packages, shore excursions, and other amenities.
In particular, advance bookings for the new-builds Star of the Seas, Royal Caribbean’s second Icon-class ship, and Celebrity Xcel, Celebrity Cruises’ fifth Edge-class vessel, are doing extremely well.
“The strong demand we are seeing across our new ships and land-based destinations reinforces that our strategy is working and resonating with today’s traveler,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group.
“As consumer preferences continue to evolve – toward more frequent vacations, closer-in vacation planning, and a greater focus on meaningful, experience-driven travel – our experiences are designed to meet these evolving expectations,” Liberty added.
Star of the Seas has the potential to add significantly to guest load factors, given its capacity to accommodate 5,600 guests in double occupancy and 7,600 with all berths occupied — the same as sister ship Icon of the Seas. The two share the title of the biggest cruise ship in the world.
Star of the Seas is fresh out of the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland and is on her way to her first homeport, Port Canaveral. The new-build will bring the Royal Caribbean fleet to 29.
Icon of the Seas sails from PortMiami, giving Royal Caribbean significant capacity from the world’s two busiest cruise ports, Miami and Port Canaveral, respectively.
Star of the Seas will host four preview cruises starting on August 16, 2025, followed by her official inaugural voyage, a 7-night cruise departing on August 31, 2025.
Celebrity Xcel, with a capacity for 3,260 guests, will join the brand’s 16-ship fleet in November, sailing from Fort Lauderdale. The vessel is under construction at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France.
Early Bookings for Royal Beach Club Are Robust
Royal Caribbean Group reported its total revenues in the second quarter reached $4.5 billion, up from $4 billion reported for the first quarter of the year.
Read Also: What Are the Different Royal Caribbean Ship Classes?
For stockholders, the second-quarter results translate to $4.41 earnings per share, which is higher than the company’s earlier guidance had indicated.
The second-quarter financial announcement also cited robust advance sales for Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, which is due to open in December 2025. Guests sailing itineraries that call at Nassau, Bahamas, can buy day passes to the land-side resort.
The cost of day passes will vary based on ship and itinerary, but Royal Caribbean has indicated that passes will start at $129.99 for guests aged 13 and older, and $109.99 for young cruisers aged 4 to 12. Children 3 and younger are admitted free.
An inclusive pass for adults aged 21 and older, including unlimited open bar and dining, will cost $169.99 per person.