Royal Caribbean International returns to South Africa to avoid Red Sea crisis

Royal Caribbean International is re-entering the South African cruise market with Voyager of the Seas sailing a Cape Town itinerary in late 2025.

The new itineraries were announced after the cruise line cancelled two repositioning cruises via the Red Sea and the Middle East earlier this month due to the ongoing security crisis in the key waterway connecting the Indian Ocean and Suez Canal.

This marks the second time Royal Caribbean has cruised from South Africa after its 2024 World Cruise was re-routed via Cape Town.

Voyager of the Seas will sail from Spain to South Africa, departing Barcelona on October 27th, 2025 and arriving in Cape Town in mid-November. 

The 14-night cruise features port calls in Morocco, the Canary Islands, Senegal and Namibia, with an overnight stop in Walvis Bay being a key highlight, as well as visits to Dakar and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Voyager of the Seas will then sail a cruise from Cape Town for the first time. The 17-night cruise to Singapore departs November 14th, 2025 visiting Reunion and Mauritius, as well as Port Elizabeth in South Africa.

After arriving in Singapore, Voyager of the Seas picks up its original schedule, sailing to Brisbane for a winter cruise season in Australia.

Between mid-December 2025 and early April 2026, the 1999-built ship is scheduled to offer a series of 3- to 9-night cruises to Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific islands.

Sailing from the Mediterranean to Singapore via the Suez Canal, the Voyager’s original repositioning cruises were cancelled in early October.

In a statement sent to booked guests, the company said that the ship was being redeployed to avoid unrest in the Red Sea area.

The 3,430-guest vessel was set to offer a 14-night cruise from Civitavecchia to Dubai, followed by a 14-night voyage from Dubai to Singapore.

In addition to transiting the Suez Canal, the itineraries featured visits to destinations in Italy, Greece, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, India, Thailand and Malaysia.

It’s unclear whether Royal Caribbean will route Voyager of the Seas via South Africa again during her repositioning back to Europe and North America, but is likely waiting to see how the situation in the Red Sea develops over the coming months before making a decision.