Royal Caribbean Summer 2028 Caribbean Cruises: Every Ship and Homeport Confirmed
Hero of the Seas takes Miami, Legend of the Seas stays in Fort Lauderdale, and Icon of the Seas heads to Texas, with 11 ships in total now on sale.
Royal Caribbean has put its summer 2028 Caribbean and Mexico season on sale, and it's a big one. Eleven ships will sail between April and October 2028, including all four Icon Class ships, from Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico and the Northeast. If you're thinking about a summer 2028 Caribbean cruise, this tells you which ship you can sail, from which port and for how long.
Key facts
What: Royal Caribbean's summer 2028 Caribbean and Mexico programme
When announced: 5 November 2026
Sailing dates: April to October 2028
Ships: 11, including Hero, Icon, Star and Legend of the Seas
Homeports: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Port Canaveral, Tampa, Galveston, San Juan, Baltimore and Cape Liberty
Booking: open now on Royal Caribbean's website (Crown & Anchor members got access first)
What Royal Caribbean announced
Royal Caribbean announced the season in a press release on 5 November 2026. Crown & Anchor Society members got first access that morning, and bookings opened to everyone later the same day.
So here's the full line-up, ship by ship.
From Florida
Hero of the Seas, Miami. 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean sailings from April 2028, all calling at Perfect Day CocoCay. Other ports include Philipsburg in St Maarten, Charlotte Amalie in St Thomas, and Cozumel.
Symphony of the Seas, Miami. 6 and 8-night Caribbean sailings, with stops including Willemstad in Curaçao and Falmouth in Jamaica.
Legend of the Seas, Fort Lauderdale. 6 and 8-night sailings from April 2028, visiting CocoCay, Cabo Rojo in the Dominican Republic and Oranjestad in Aruba.
Star of the Seas, Port Canaveral. 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean sailings to CocoCay, Samaná, San Juan, St Thomas and Cozumel.
Harmony of the Seas, Port Canaveral. 7-night sailings including CocoCay and Nassau.
Brilliance of the Seas, Tampa. 6 and 7-night Western Caribbean sailings from April 2028, with ports such as Belize City and Grand Cayman.
From Texas
Icon of the Seas, Galveston. 6 and 8-night Western Caribbean sailings to ports including Cozumel and Roatán in Honduras.
From Puerto Rico
Enchantment of the Seas, San Juan. 7-night Southern Caribbean sailings to Tortola, Antigua, St Kitts, St Lucia, Dominica and Barbados.
From the Northeast
Vision of the Seas, Baltimore. 5 to 9-night sailings to Bermuda and the Southern Caribbean, including Martinique and Antigua.
Independence of the Seas, Cape Liberty. 4 to 9-night sailings from spring 2028 to Canada and New England, Bermuda and the Eastern Caribbean.
Oasis of the Seas, Cape Liberty. 7-night Caribbean sailings, including CocoCay and Nassau.
Across the season, Royal Caribbean also lists calls at Grand Turk, St Croix in the US Virgin Islands and Samaná.
The headline moves: Hero, Icon and Legend
Hero of the Seas is the big one. She's the fourth Icon Class ship and arrives in Miami in August 2027, so summer 2028 is her first full summer of Caribbean sailing. Royal Caribbean says she'll have nine pools, which it calls the most on any ship, including a new Coconut Cove pool and a swim-up bar at The Hideaway. She'll also have more than 40 places to eat and drink, and a three-storey Ultimate Family Treehouse suite.
Icon of the Seas going to Galveston isn't new. I covered that move earlier this week, when Royal Caribbean confirmed she'd leave Miami for Texas in August 2027. This release is the first time we've seen her 2028 itineraries, though, and they're a mix of 6 and 8-night Western Caribbean trips.
Then there's Legend of the Seas. She makes her US debut from Fort Lauderdale this month, and the 2028 programme keeps her there. Royal Caribbean Blog has picked up on this too, reporting that Legend is staying in the US. So if you've been following her since her Mediterranean season, she isn't heading back to Europe for summer 2028, at least on this announcement. She keeps the things she's known for, including the Royal Railway, Legend Station dining experience and the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory show. I've written up what she's like onboard in my Legend of the Seas ship guide.
Why the 6 and 8-night pattern matters
Look at the itinerary lengths and you'll notice something. Symphony, Legend, Icon and Brilliance all sail a mix of 6 and 8 nights, and only Hero, Star, Harmony, Oasis and Enchantment stick to classic 7-night weeks.
Royal Caribbean hasn't said why. But in practice, an alternating 6 and 8-night pattern gives you a different set of ports on each sailing. That suits people who want the longer trip, and it means a back-to-back on the same ship doesn't repeat itself.
For UK cruisers it's worth checking the day of the week, too. Flights from the UK to Florida don't run every day from every airport, and a 6-night sailing can start or finish on a day that suits your flight better (or worse) than a standard Sunday-to-Sunday week.
Symphony gets "amplified", but we don't know how yet
Symphony of the Seas is getting what Royal Caribbean calls an amplification in 2028, which is its name for a major refit with new features. Harmony has already had hers. The release says Symphony's new features will be revealed later, so for now nobody outside Royal Caribbean knows what's changing.
That's a slightly awkward position if you're booking her for summer 2028. You'd be paying for a refit you can't see yet. Past amplifications have usually brought new bars, venues and thrills, but there's no detail for Symphony yet, so treat anything you read about her new features as a guess until the line confirms it.
What this means if you're booking
So what should you actually do with this?
If you want the newest ship: Hero of the Seas from Miami is the one. Expect her fares to be high, because a brand-new Icon Class ship in the school summer holidays is about as in-demand as Royal Caribbean gets.
If you're flying from the UK: Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Port Canaveral are the easiest homeports to pair with a Florida holiday. Port Canaveral is about an hour from Orlando, which is why Star and Harmony from there make sense if you want to add a few days at the parks. My Port Canaveral cruise port guide and Miami cruise port guide cover getting to the terminals.
If you want Icon specifically: you'll be flying into Houston for Galveston from summer 2028, not Miami. That's a longer journey from the UK, and fewer direct flight options.
If you want the Southern Caribbean: Enchantment from San Juan gets you six islands on a 7-night trip, which is about as port-heavy as Caribbean cruising gets.
If you're not in a rush: this release covers the longer sailings. Royal Caribbean Blog notes that more Caribbean cruises, including shorter seasonal ones, are expected to be released early next year. Some ships you might expect to see, like Utopia of the Seas and Wonder of the Seas, aren't in this release, so don't assume they've gone anywhere. They just aren't part of this announcement.
FAQ
Which Royal Caribbean ships are sailing the Caribbean in summer 2028?
Eleven ships are confirmed so far: Hero, Icon, Star, Legend, Symphony, Harmony, Oasis, Brilliance, Enchantment, Vision and Independence of the Seas. They sail between April and October 2028 from homeports in Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico and the Northeast.
Where will Hero of the Seas sail from in 2028?
Hero of the Seas will sail from Miami on 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises from April 2028. Every sailing visits Perfect Day CocoCay. She arrives in Miami in August 2027.
Is Legend of the Seas staying in Fort Lauderdale?
Yes, for summer 2028 at least. Legend of the Seas will sail 6 and 8-night Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale from April 2028, with ports including CocoCay, Cabo Rojo and Aruba. She makes her US debut from Fort Lauderdale in November 2026.
Where does Icon of the Seas sail from in 2028?
Icon of the Seas will sail from Galveston, Texas, on 6 and 8-night Western Caribbean cruises, visiting ports such as Cozumel and Roatán. She moves from Miami to Galveston in August 2027.
Can I book Royal Caribbean's summer 2028 Caribbean cruises now?
Yes. Bookings opened on 5 November 2026 on Royal Caribbean's website, with Crown & Anchor Society members getting early access that morning. Shorter seasonal Caribbean sailings are expected to follow early next year.
Final thoughts
This is a strong line-up, and there's a clear pecking order in it. Hero gets Miami, Icon goes to Texas, and Legend settles into Fort Lauderdale, while older ships like Brilliance, Enchantment and Vision cover the more port-heavy routes. If you're a UK cruiser planning a summer 2028 family trip, Florida is still the easiest option, and Port Canaveral with a few days in Orlando is hard to beat.
Are you tempted by Hero, or would you rather wait to see what Symphony's refit brings? Tell me in the comments. And if you want to see what Legend of the Seas is like before you book her, my full ship tour and review are on The Walking Cruiser YouTube channel, so subscribe for more.
