BALTIMORE — Royal Caribbean is moving its cruise operations out of the Port of Baltimore starting late next year.
The company tells WMAR-2 News their Vision of the Seas ship will begin sailing out of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in late 2026 through at least April 2027.
Until then Royal Caribbean is continuing to offer cruises from Baltimore to vacation destinations like Bermuda, the Bahamas, Canada and New England. Several cruises are already scheduled throughout the rest of the year.
The cruise giant would not rule out a future return to Charm City.
"We cannot comment on future deployment, but we look forward to reviewing opportunities to sail from Baltimore in the future," a spokesperson told us.
Richard Scher, Director of Communications for the Maryland Port Administration, said such moves are common in the cruising industry.
"Royal Caribbean has been an outstanding cruise partner for many years at the Port of Baltimore. We are continuing to hold discussions and work with them on long term deployment options," said Scher. "Cruise lines make decisions on where to place a ship on an annual basis."
The Port of Baltimore is still recovering from last year's Key Bridge collapse.
Carnival Cruise Lines returned to the Port of Baltimore in May after being forced to close in the aftermath.
In November Carnival agreed to afive-year contract extension to keep sailing out of Baltimore.
Prior to the bridge collapse in 2023, Scher said the Port handled more than 444,000 passengers, the third-highest total ever recorded.
Scher also revealed the Port of Baltimore is expected to welcome Aida and Crystal cruise lines next year.
"The Baltimore-Washington, DC-Northern Virginia region is a very successful, highly populated, and lucrative cruise market. Additionally, our cruise terminal’s unique location immediately off Interstate 95 is a main reason why people in neighboring states choose to cruise from the Port of Baltimore," said Scher.
Clickhere for the 2025 cruise schedule out of Baltimore.
