Royal Caribbean to Base Three Ships in Australia for 2027-28

Updated September 17, 2026

Royal Caribbean will deploy Ovation of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas in Australia for the 2027-28 summer, placing two ships in Brisbane and returning Anthem to Sydney. The program will run from October 2027 through April 2028, alongside an extended Singapore season for Navigator of the Seas.

The revised deployment moves Ovation from a planned Los Angeles program and adds Asian sailings for Voyager in early 2028. Navigator, previously due to return to Southern California in May 2027, will now stay in Singapore through October of that year.

Brisbane gains a second Royal Caribbean ship

Ovation of the Seas will join Voyager of the Seas in Brisbane beginning in November 2027. The 168,666-gross-ton, 4,180-passenger ship will operate three- to eight-night cruises, including two four-night Whitsundays itineraries calling at Airlie Beach.

Ovation will reach Brisbane on a 16-night voyage from Honolulu through French Polynesia. The 2016-built ship is also getting a refurbishment that adds a redesigned pool deck, Splashaway Bay, Sound Cellar and new versions of Izumi Teppanyaki and Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen.

Voyager will open its Australian deployment with a 25-night Seattle-to-Brisbane voyage calling in Hawaii and French Polynesia. From October through December 2027, it will operate seven Brisbane departures of two to 11 nights, with destinations including Noumea, Lifou, Mystery Island, Port Vila and Luganville.

Voyager and Anthem sail from Sydney

The 137,276-gross-ton Voyager, which carries about 3,600 guests at double occupancy, will also sail from Sydney. Its Australian schedule includes a 10-night Christmas cruise to New Zealand, calling at Picton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin and cruising Milford Sound. A 15-night Sydney-to-Singapore repositioning voyage will follow, with calls at Airlie Beach, Darwin, Lombok and Celukan Bawang.

Anthem of the Seas will return to Sydney in October 2027 for cruises lasting three to 17 nights. Its program covers New Zealand and South Pacific destinations including Vanuatu and New Caledonia, with a nine-night Christmas cruise in the South Pacific and a New Year itinerary to New Zealand.

Anthem is the same size and class as Ovation. Its season also includes a 17-night Pacific repositioning itinerary involving Honolulu.

Voyager and Navigator expand Asian deployment

From January through April 2028, Voyager will sail from Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo. The schedule includes a five-night Singapore-to-Hong Kong itinerary and seven four- and five-night round trips from Hong Kong.

A Chinese New Year cruise will visit Ishigaki and Okinawa, while other Hong Kong departures will call at Taipei and Hue/Da Nang. Beginning in late February, Voyager will operate four cruises of 10 to 12 nights from Tokyo, with destinations including Osaka, Nagasaki, Kobe and Shimizu during Japan’s cherry blossom season.

Navigator of the Seas will remain at Singapore’s Marina Bay Cruise Centre for a full year, from October 2026 to October 2027. The 139,999-gross-ton ship, which accommodates approximately 3,386 passengers at double occupancy, will operate two- to five-night cruises to Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand. Navigator begins the deployment after a 12-night Tokyo-to-Singapore voyage calling in Japan, South Korea, China and Vietnam.

Redeployments affect existing bookings

The fleet changes have led Royal Caribbean to cancel previously scheduled sailings. Guests booked on Ovation’s four-night Los Angeles-to-Ensenada cruise departing Nov. 22, 2027, were offered an automatic transfer to a Nov. 29 Navigator sailing if they did not select another option by Aug. 28, 2026. The replacement cruise departs after the Thanksgiving holiday and calls at Catalina Island and Ensenada.

Passengers have reported other Ovation cancellations, including the ship’s Dec. 31, 2027, Los Angeles departure. Guests on that New Year’s Eve sailing were offered a Navigator cruise departing Dec. 17, two weeks before their original date.

For the Nov. 22 cancellation, Royal Caribbean waived nonrefundable deposit change fees but did not protect the original fare. Guests transferring to Navigator or another cruise must pay the prevailing rate. If the original cruise was paid in full and the replacement costs less, Royal Caribbean will refund the difference. Guests who do not rebook can receive a full refund, including nonrefundable deposits, with processing taking up to 14 business days.

Some affected passengers posting on Reddit criticized the lack of fare protection, future cruise credit and onboard credit, along with replacement dates that do not preserve their original holiday plans.

Navigator’s 18-night Tokyo-to-Los-Angeles cruise scheduled for May 12, 2027, has also been canceled. Affected passengers can move to a Voyager or Serenade of the Seas sailing at prevailing prices, with onboard credit ranging from $25 to $100. Royal Caribbean is also offering reimbursement of eligible transportation change costs, capped at $200 per person for domestic arrangements and $400 per person for international travel.

Navigator passengers could also select another Royal Caribbean cruise without onboard credit or request a full refund, including nonrefundable deposits. Bookings for guests who did not choose an option by Aug. 28, 2026, defaulted to cancellation and a full refund. Bookings for the additional Navigator and Ovation sailings opened Aug. 18, 2026, and Voyager’s additional itineraries went on sale Aug. 25.

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