When will Summer 2026 cruises start being released?

[talkorpi]

Anyone know when lines will start opening up sailings past April 2026? Trying to plan a special occasion cruise for late May / early June and wondering when I’ll be able to start browsing. Not sure what month lines typically release their summer schedules for two years out. 
 

Thanks!

[BklynBoy8]

Our Line Cunard did release their 2026 we can see on their website.

 

You should look at the Lines you are interested websites for future sailing on the year you interested in.

 

We have received mailings from lines sailing in later 2025 and early 26.

[CruiserBruce]

Variable by cruise line. If you have a couple favorites,  ask on the board for that cruise line. Few release much over 2 years before the start of a "season". Some release under 18 months.

[CDNPolar]

We have already booked beyond summer 2026 on Viking... I have not looked at all the schedules, but there certainly are cruises open for booking through 2026.

[talkorpi]

Okay, thanks y’all. We usually sail Princess but wanted to try Bermuda on NCL. I’ll ask over there. 

[leaveitallbehind]

2 hours ago, talkorpi said:

Okay, thanks y’all. We usually sail Princess but wanted to try Bermuda on NCL. I’ll ask over there. 

Good suggestion but to answer your question, new schedules typically are released seasonally approximately 18 - 24 months prior to sailing season.  So 2026 summer sailings should be out by this summer.

Edited March 13 by leaveitallbehind

[Hlitner]

Once upon a time, DW and I would book some cruises (primarily with exotic itineraries) several years in advance.  One could reasonably expect that a booked cruise would actually happen and the original itinerary (at booking) would be pretty accurate.  Now, it has become rare for us to book a cruise more then a few months in advance, and actually get the itinerary we booked.  Ports change, port times change, and we can even think of one cruise line that changed the ship!  

 

Why is this happening?  There are some good reasons such as wars and the need to drastically re-route ships (such as going around Africa rather than sailing through the Red Sea and Suez Canal.  But we have recently run into other issues that are somewhat sad.  For example, a Seabourn cruise (over 40 days) in Europe during the spring of 2025 was all booked until Seabourn decided (after having darn near sold out the various voyages) to charter their ship for a segment in the middle of our voyage.  This meant cancelling the entire voyage!  Why?  Because the cruise line could likely make a few extra dollars by chartering.  They could care less that they screwed several hundred of their best paying customers.  Other cruise lines do similar things.  An upcoming Oceania cruise was revamped to eliminate some ports and reduce the time in other ports.  Another Seabourn cruise (for this coming summer) that was supposed to go between Istanbul and Dubrovnik was suddenly (and without any explanation) changed to a round trip from Dubrovnik.  All the Turkey ports were replaced with Greek ports.  Why?  No explanation from the line (who does have other cruises still going to Turkey).  Another luxury line, Explora Journeys, published an entire season of Alaskan cruises (and they accepted bookings) until they decided (without any explanation) to repostion that ship to Europe and cancel the entire Alaskan season.

 

We could fill pages with cruise line itinerary changes.  Having been an avid cruiser for 50 years, we seldom to never saw this kind of thing until the past few years.  Cruise lines now seem to have an attitude that their published itineraries are simply "advisory" and may well change for any reason, at any time, without any explanation.  

 

Hank