Spotlight on Royal Caribbean Cruises

Royal Caribbean does not sail direct from Southampton to the Caribbean, not as a year-round thing anyway. If you fancy this line for your Caribbean holiday, you’re either joining one of the seasonal transatlantic crossings or flying out to meet a ship already parked in Florida. Both get you there, and whichever one you pick, the same reputation follows you onto the ship, big entertainment, plenty of families, and reviews that swing from delighted to furious depending who you ask.

Is a Royal Caribbean cruise good, and is a Caribbean cruise worth it?

Royal Caribbean International is the biggest cruise line in the world by revenue, and its parent company, Royal Caribbean Group, has quietly grown its slice of the global cruise market from 23.2% to 31.0% over the past decade, according to Hope Research Group. That kind of scale buys enormous ships, more onboard activities than you could realistically get through in a week, and a fleet that’s picked up Best Cruise Line Overall at the Travel Weekly Readers’ Choice Awards for 23 years running.

Look past the awards, though, and the reviews get properly mixed. Cruise Critic hosts opinions from over 7,000 cruisers, and on Yelp the line sits at 2.9 out of 5 from more than 1,400 reviews, which tells you there’s a fair few unhappy customers alongside the loyal ones. One Cruise Critic member called their Allure of the Seas trip a fantastic family holiday, while another described a week on Independence of the Seas as easily the worst holiday they had ever taken.

The pattern holds up once you read enough of them. Passengers who want rock climbing walls, surf simulators, ice rinks and zip lines rate the line highly. Passengers who dislike queues, packed pools and scrapping over deck chairs mark it down hard. If big ships and non-stop activity sound like your idea of a holiday, you might consider sailing with Royal Caribbean, and a Caribbean cruise with this line is worth it for exactly that sort of passenger.

How long does a cruise from Southampton to the Caribbean actually take?

There’s no single answer here, because there’s no direct year-round sailing to give one. Fly out to join a ship already sitting in Florida or the Caribbean, a fly-cruise in the trade, and your travel time is just the flight plus however many nights you’ve booked. Join a transatlantic repositioning cruise instead, when Royal Caribbean moves a ship from the UK to warmer waters for winter, and the crossing itself is mostly sea days, with few or no port stops until you reach the Caribbean or Florida side.

A repositioning cruise suits you if you like time at sea and don’t mind a slow build to the sunshine. A fly-cruise gets you into Caribbean heat faster but bolts a long-haul flight onto both ends of the trip, so something to make that flight bearable, such as a memory foam neck pillow, earns its space in your case.

Caribbean cruises from Southampton, mapped out

Southampton is a Northern Europe hub for Royal Caribbean, not a Caribbean gateway. Get that straight early and the rest of this makes more sense. Sailings from the port generally run April to October, since outside that window the ships reposition overseas anyway. Here’s how the current Southampton programme breaks down.

Most of these itineraries run 7 to 14 nights, and none of them go anywhere near the Caribbean directly, which is the detail that catches out a lot of people looking for a Caribbean cruise from Southampton. The Caribbean sailings you do reach, via fly-cruise, often call at Perfect Day at CocoCay, the line’s private island in the Bahamas, which pulled in an estimated $250 million in on-island revenue in a recent year, according to Hope Research Group. Our guide to Royal Caribbean’s CocoCay private island covers what to expect there, and reef friendly sun cream, such as this reef friendly formula, is worth packing before the beach day begins.

Booking a cruise from Southampton to the Caribbean, step by step

• Decide whether you want a fly-cruise, flying out to meet the ship, or a repositioning crossing sailing all the way from the UK.
• Check the season. Repositioning cruises only run when Royal Caribbean moves ships out of Southampton for winter, so availability is limited to a narrow window each year.
• Book flights and cruise together where possible if you choose a fly-cruise, so any delay is covered by the same booking.
• Confirm which airport the fly-cruise departs from, since Royal Caribbean’s Caribbean sailings typically leave from Florida ports rather than Southampton.
• Pack for two climates if you are on a repositioning crossing, since you leave the UK in cooler weather and arrive somewhere considerably warmer.

First-time cruisers weighing up a fly-cruise against a UK departure might find our Caribbean cruise guide for first timers useful before they book.

The ships that make Royal Caribbean’s reputation

Royal Caribbean International started life in Norway and has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group since the late 1990s, with Michael Bayley running the cruise line as President and CEO and Jason Liberty as Chairman and CEO of the wider group. The group is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and owns Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises outright, plus a 50% stake in each of TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.

The line built its name on the biggest ships afloat. The Oasis class, including Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas, is still the most popular class in the fleet. Utopia of the Seas is the largest Oasis class ship and the third largest in the fleet overall, and newer ships including Utopia of the Seas come with big water slides like on some of the other Royal Caribbean ships.

Above the Oasis class sits the newer Icon series, made up of Icon of the Seas, Star of the Seas and Legend of the Seas, the last of which is still to enter service. At the other end of the fleet, Grandeur of the Seas, launched in the 1990s, holds the title of oldest Royal Caribbean ship still sailing. Third-party trackers can’t even agree on the current total ship count, with some putting the wider Royal Caribbean Group at around 65 ships and others counting 31 under the Royal Caribbean International brand specifically, so check the current sailing list directly before you book rather than trust a single number.

Royal Caribbean cruises from Southampton, ship by ship

Independence of the Seas is the ship currently based in Southampton, and cruise agents describe her as a fantastic choice for families and all ages, according to Cruise118. She covers short breaks, week long Norwegian Fjords sailings and Canary Islands itineraries.

Next year brings a change, with Liberty of the Seas taking over for her debut Ex-UK season, and the year after that Freedom of the Seas is scheduled to run a spring and summer season from the same port. Both cover similar ground, Norwegian Fjords, the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands and wider Europe, rather than the Caribbean.

One quirk to bear in mind before you book, Southampton sailings pause outside April to October, so any Caribbean plans built around a UK departure only work in that narrow winter repositioning window. Cabins on those crossings sell out early too, since there are far fewer of them than a standard Caribbean season offers. The simple workaround is a fly-cruise instead, which runs year-round and doesn’t depend on a ship happening to be repositioning at the right moment.

Cruise updates UK, what’s changing for Royal Caribbean

• Liberty of the Seas is set to homeport in Southampton for her first Ex-UK season, the next scheduled change to the Southampton line-up.
• Freedom of the Seas follows with a spring and summer UK season the year after that.
• Utopia of the Seas has already joined the fleet as the largest Oasis class ship, having sailed her maiden voyage from Port Canaveral.
• Star of the Seas is billed as the crowning jewel of the fleet, the largest yet, introducing a 360 degree panoramic sky atrium and an AquaSphere water park.
• Legend of the Seas is the newest confirmed addition to the Icon series, still to enter service.

None of it adds a direct Caribbean route from Southampton. What you get instead is more capacity and more choice within the existing Northern Europe and Mediterranean programme.

What about an Alaska cruise from Southampton?

Some people land on this page hunting for an Alaska cruise from Southampton, and no such direct sailing exists. Alaska cruises depart from ports such as Vancouver, Seattle and occasionally San Francisco, so a fly-cruise, flying out and joining the ship, is the standard route for UK passengers.

A small number of longer voyages do sail from the UK and eventually reach Alaska, which suits travellers who enjoy extended time at sea, but most people book flights to Vancouver, Seattle or Anchorage and join a standard Alaska itinerary from there. Our guide to Alaska cruise departure ports covers the practicalities in more detail.

Why Trust About2Cruise

This page draws on publicly available fleet data, company information and passenger review aggregates rather than a single source, and where the record is unclear, the exact current ship count for instance, or the finer detail of Southampton to Caribbean routing, we say so rather than guess. About2Cruise hasn’t sailed with Royal Caribbean or tested any of the ships named here. You can read more about how we research and fact-check on our about us page.

Common Questions

Does Royal Caribbean sail direct from Southampton to the Caribbean?

No. There’s no year-round direct Caribbean sailing from Southampton. UK passengers reach the Caribbean via a seasonal transatlantic repositioning cruise or by flying out to join a ship in Florida.

Which ship is currently based in Southampton?

Independence of the Seas, running short breaks, Norwegian Fjords cruises and Canary Islands itineraries between April and October.

Is Royal Caribbean good for families?

Cruise agents including Cruise118 describe Independence of the Seas as a strong choice for families and all ages, and the rock climbing walls, ice rinks and water slides back that up.

What is the biggest downside of sailing with Royal Caribbean?

The huge passenger numbers that pay for all the activities also mean more competition getting on and off the ship, and for deck chairs and pool space when things get busy.

Can I get to the Caribbean from the UK without flying?

Only during the winter repositioning window, when Royal Caribbean moves a ship from the UK toward warmer waters. Cabins on these crossings are limited and sell out early.

Does Royal Caribbean sail to Alaska from the UK?

No direct sailings exist. Alaska cruises depart from ports such as Vancouver and Seattle, so a fly-cruise is the standard route for UK passengers.

Who owns Royal Caribbean International?

Royal Caribbean Group, which also owns Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises outright, plus 50% stakes in TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.

How many ships does Royal Caribbean have?

Sources don’t agree. Some count around 65 ships across the wider Royal Caribbean Group, others put Royal Caribbean International specifically at 31, so check the current sailing list before booking.

What is the newest Royal Caribbean ship?

Legend of the Seas is the newest confirmed addition to the Icon series, joining Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas as the fleet’s largest ships.