Royal Caribbean Adds Bonus Port of Call to Upcoming Sailing
Most of the time when we see itinerary changes, the news is that a port has been removed or replaced. This time the opposite has happened.
Lucky cruisers embarking on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas on May 17, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, have been informed that their sailing will now include an extra port call on Cabo Rojo, Dominican Republic – which just opened to cruise ship visits for the first time in 2024.
The added stop will replace a sea day, so guests will get extra time ashore to explore a new destination.
“To maximize every moment of your journey with us, we’ll now visit Cabo Rojo, Dominican Republic, on Day 6, instead of our previously planned Sea Day,” Royal Caribbean wrote to booked guests.
“We’re so excited to explore this new port with you,” the letter continued.
The other port calls featured in the 8-night Southern Caribbean itinerary include Willemstad, Curacao; Oranjestad, Aruba; and Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private destination in the Bahamas.
The extra stop is being squeezed in on May 22, 2025, between the call on Oranjestad and the visit to CocoCay – with only minimal impact on the surrounding port calls.
“Because of this change, we’ve made some small adjustments to the times in which we’ll visit Oranjestad, Aruba, and Perfect Day at CocoCay. While we’ll lose a little time in both ports, you’ll still have time to enjoy everything these beautiful destinations have to offer,” Royal Caribbean explained.
The original visit to Oranjestad was scheduled for May 21, 2025, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time, but this has indeed been shortened to 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Next, the planned visit to CocoCay on May 24 has shifted from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. – which is only a two-hour difference in the morning.
Exploring a New Port
Cabo Rojo is still a brand new port that has only been welcoming cruisers for just over a year – with the destination first opening its doors to cruise ships in early 2024.
The port was developed through a $126 million project with cruise tourism in mind as part of the Dominican Republic’s bid to become the biggest cruise destination in the Caribbean.
Now complete, the brand new destination has room for up to four large cruise ships at once, plenty of entertainment, shopping, a spa, a beach area, and even a water park.
Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Pearl was actually the first to visit on January 4, 2024, but other brands, including Royal Caribbean, have quickly followed suit.
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This also isn’t the first time itineraries for Oasis of the Seas have been modified to include the new island paradise, which is located in Pedernales on the Dominican Republic’s southwestern coast.
In fact, several other itineraries have already been updated, including the 8-night Southern Caribbean sailing that is scheduled to set sail on December 13, 2025. This itinerary includes the same port calls as the just recently updated May 17 cruise.
Additionally, Adventure of the Seas has also had multiple sailings modified to include the Caribbean’s newest addition.
So far, the overarching sentiment toward visiting the bonus port has been joy and excitement among members of the cruise community.
“I’d be excited to try a fairly new port, I think you’re lucky,” one cruise fan shared.
“Excited! I’ll be on this very cruise departing FLL on May 17th with a group of awesome friends! Can’t wait,” a booked passenger chimed in.
But of course, if anyone feels differently they are welcomed to stay onboard and treat the port call like the sea day it once was.