Cruises in 2027 and 2028: new ships, early sales and new refund rules

Norwegian Cruise Line opened its Summer 2028 season for sale on August 11, 2026: over 450 voyages on 20 ships from 25 homeports. Norwegian Bella went on sale in October 2026, with seven-day round-trip Mediterranean sailings from Barcelona beginning in May 2028.

New ships sailing in 2027

Norwegian Aura's first guest sailing has moved up to May 2, 2027. NCL's October 9, 2026 release credits the ship's expected early delivery and adds two inaugural voyages: 10 days from Trieste to Athens (Piraeus) on May 2, and nine days back to Trieste on May 12. The seven-day sailing from Trieste to Barcelona (Tarragona) on May 21, with calls at Valletta, Salerno and Rome, comes next, then a 13-day crossing to Miami. From June through October 2027 the ship runs seven-day Eastern Caribbean itineraries from Miami, then Western Caribbean ones over the winter. NCL's January 15, 2026 sale release lists 3,879 guests at double occupancy.

Hero of the Seas sails from Miami from summer 2027, with seven-night trips to Perfect Day CocoCay and the Eastern and Western Caribbean, according to her page on Royal Caribbean's site.

Carnival's ships page lists two new ships with a year but no date for either: Carnival Festivale from Port Canaveral in 2027 and Carnival Tropicale from Galveston in 2028. For Festivale, the itinerary page shows a 15-day transatlantic sailing from Southampton, stopping at La Coruña, Vigo, Funchal, Tenerife and Grand Turk before it ends in Port Canaveral.

Crossings and world voyages

Aura's 13-day crossing and Festivale's 15-day one are repositioning cruises, which CruiseDirect describes as lines moving ships between continents. CruiseDirect's transatlantic page listed 205 cruises on November 7, 2026, and its line filter showed Costa with 29, Princess with 26, Cunard with 25 and Norwegian with 19. The page says spring crossings head to Europe and fall ones come back, all one-way, with April to May and September to November as the usual best windows. Cunard is one of the lines on CruiseDirect's cruise lines page, and its Queen Mary 2 appears on the transatlantic page on a seven-night Southampton to New York crossing.

A one-way sailing needs a separate flight at one end (our cheaper flights guide covers that), and Norwegian's terms say air bought through the cruise line must arrive at least a day before sailing. Royal Caribbean's passport guide says guests need a passport book on one-way and repositioning cruises.

CruiseDirect's world cruise page counted 68 cruises the same day, most of them longer than 15 days. Cunard had 21 of them, MSC 13, Holland America 11 and Princess 10, while Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean had none. A grand voyage can run 70 nights or more, the page says, and a boomerang cruise is a round trip sailed on a different ship each way.

Rules that changed for new bookings

Royal Caribbean's refund page carries two cancellation schedules. The new one applies to reservations created on or after October 11, 2026. It also applies from September 29, 2026 to reservations for Alaska, Hawaii, Transpacific, Panama Canal and Pacific Coastal sailings that depart on or after April 11, 2028. On a 1 to 4 night cruise the new schedule charges nothing at 75 days or more before sailing, 50% at 74 to 61 days, 75% at 60 to 31 days, and 100% at 30 days or less. On a 5 to 9 night cruise the free window runs to 90 days, 50% covers 89 to 61 days, and the 75% and 100% steps match the short cruises. For 10 nights or longer, the free window runs to 120 days and 50% covers 119 to 61.

The new table drops the 25% charge that the old one set at 89 to 75 days for 5 to 14 night cruises. The page also says taxes and fees are refunded, and that promotional fares can modify these terms. Our last-minute guide compares the final steps across four lines.

Princess changed too. Its cancellation page sets final payment at 120 days before departure for cruises up to 44 days booked on or after September 2, 2026. Before that date, 1 to 13 day cruises had final payment at 90 days. The new charges start at 25% between 119 and 113 days out and reach 100% at 60 days or less.

Before the first deposit

On Royal Caribbean's fares with a non-refundable deposit, the refund page says the line keeps the full deposit if you cancel outside final payment, and any change carries a fee. Carnival's Early Saver deposit is also non-refundable, though cancelling before final payment earns a credit of the deposit minus $50 per person, usable within 12 months. Princess says its protection plans can be bought at booking or until final payment, and our travel insurance guide explains what a plan pays. The ID rules and the check-in cutoffs on sailing day are in the first-time cruise guide.

When the seasons fall

NCL's Summer 2028 release names Alaska, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and the South Pacific among its regions, and CruiseDirect's destinations page groups its sailings by region too. Royal Caribbean's Alaska guide says May to September is best. The National Hurricane Center dates the Atlantic hurricane season from June 1 to November 30 and puts its peak at September 10. A December to May sailing to the Caribbean or the Bahamas falls outside it.

Royal Caribbean's wave season guide puts the peak booking period at January through March and says deals can start in November. Norwegian's 50% sale of November 5 to 11, 2026 is a worked case in our cruise deals guide.

Frequently asked questions

How far ahead can I book a cruise?

On Norwegian, close to two years. Its Summer 2028 season opened for sale on August 11, 2026, and Norwegian Bella's May 2028 sailings from Barcelona followed in October 2026. Carnival's ships page already lists Carnival Tropicale from Galveston in 2028, without a date.

Which Royal Caribbean cancellation schedule applies to my booking?

It depends on when you created the reservation. The new schedule covers reservations created on or after October 11, 2026 for most sailings, and those created from September 29, 2026 for Alaska, Hawaii, Transpacific, Panama Canal and Pacific Coastal sailings departing on or after April 11, 2028.

Are Princess's changes the same as Royal Caribbean's?

No. Princess moved final payment to 120 days before departure for cruises up to 44 days booked from September 2, 2026. Royal Caribbean's October 11, 2026 change rewrote its cancellation steps, and its final payment is set separately at 75 days for 1 to 4 night cruises and 90 days for 5 to 9 nights.

Can I change a cruise booking?

Royal Caribbean says change fees apply to fares with a non-refundable deposit. On Carnival's Early Saver fares, its cancellation page says cancelling before final payment earns a credit of the deposit minus $50 per person, to be used within 12 months.

Do I need a passport for a one-way crossing?

Royal Caribbean's passport guide says a passport book is required on one-way and repositioning cruises, on sailings with international flights, and on stops in Martinique, Panama or Colombia.

FinalAirfare may earn a commission if you book through the partner links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Ship dates, fares and cancellation terms here are as the lines and ports published them on November 7, 2026, and they change. We are not affiliated with any cruise line.