Major Cruise Line Cancels All Stops at Port Popular with Gulf Coast Cruisers

(KMDL-FM) We have more updated Cruise News for Texas and Louisiana travelers today. Royal Caribbean, one of the major cruise lines that offers sailings from the Port of Galveston in Texas and the Port of New Orleans in Louisiana, has announced it is pulling a major port destination off its schedule until at least Spring of 2026.

Among the Royal Caribbean vessels that have sailed from Galveston are the Allure of the Seas, the Symphony of the Seas, and the Harmony of the Seas. I have also noted that the Mariner of the Seas is on the port schedule for Galveston this fall as well.

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In the Port of New Orleans, Royal Caribbean's presence has been diminished for the remainder of the 2025/2026 cruise season. But the Mariner of the Seas, currently operating out of Galveston, is expected to begin sailings from the Big Easy later in 2026 and into 2027. The Brilliance of the Seas had previously been the Royal Caribbean representative sailing from the Port of New Orleans.

Which Port of Call Has Been Cancelled By Royal Caribbean?

As many of you who have sailed out of Galveston and New Orleans are aware, most of the itineraries include stops in Mexico and the islands of the Caribbean. Many cruise lines have private resort islands that they offer to guests as a port of call.

One such private stop is Labadee, Haiti, it's the private island stop for Royal Caribbean cruises, or we should say it was. The political climate in Haiti has given Royal Caribbean cause to pull Labadee from its itineraries, at least through the spring of 2026.

According to an announcement made by Royal Caribbean, the moratorium on stopping in Labadee or any port in Haiti will be enforced until at least May of next year. In the meantime, guests who have cruises booked with planned stops at Labadee, Haiti, will now visit one of these destinations.

What Alternative Ports of Call Does Royal Caribbean Offer Instead of Labadee, Haiti?

Royal Caribbean says it will now offer stops at Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos, Nassau, Bahamas, Falmouth, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, Mexico. Other cruise lines that use Labadee as a port of call will also offer alternate destinations or just add another "day at sea" to the cruise schedule.

We should note that Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the island of Hispaniola. Cruise stops and vacation plans for the Dominican Republic are not affected by this action. The only stops and destinations that are affected are in Haiti.