Royal Caribbean schedules three ships for Australia in 2027/28
The deployment coincides with the planned 2027 opening of the cruise line’s Lelepa beach club.
Royal Caribbean plans to operate Anthem of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas in Australia during the 2027/28 season as it opens its Lelepa beach club in 2027. The company’s published schedules list 32 ship calls at Lelepa in the club’s first season.
Anthem is scheduled to sail from Sydney between October and April, focusing mainly on South Pacific itineraries that visit Lelepa. Its program also includes four New Zealand cruises and a series of three- and four-day getaways.
Ovation is due to operate from Brisbane from December through April, primarily sailing South Pacific itineraries featuring Lelepa. Three Queensland itineraries and short cruises to nowhere are also listed. The Australian deployment follows the cancellation of several Ovation cruises from the U.S. West Coast after the ship had initially been scheduled to remain in Los Angeles until April 2028.
Voyager will have a shorter 10-sailing Australian season, including five visits to Lelepa, cruises to nowhere, a Queensland itinerary and a New Zealand voyage. The ship will divide its time between Australia and Asia, while Navigator of the Seas is set to operate in Asia year-round.
An analysis of the schedules estimates Lelepa could record 130,000 to 135,000 passenger visits from October 2027 through March 2028, based on an assumption that about 95% of passengers use the fare-inclusive beach club.
