Mexico Blocks Royal Caribbean's Second Private Destination Project
If you were watching for Royal Caribbean's planned second private destination, set to open fall 2027, that project is now blocked and won't be moving forward as proposed. There's nothing to book or change for existing itineraries based on this news. Keep an eye on Royal Caribbean's other private destination expansion plans, which the company has said aim to grow its portfolio from three to eight destinations by the end of 2028.
This one's a rare loss for Royal Caribbean, which has leaned hard on private destinations as a profit engine — the company told investors it plans to grow that portfolio from three to eight by 2028. A Change.org petition topping 4 million signatures, plus Greenpeace's opposition and President Sheinbaum's own comments about protecting reef ecology, made this a tough one to push through, and Environment Minister Barcena's flat "it is not going to be approved" settles it. Royal's statement that it "regrets but respects" the decision, while floating future talks on jobs and environmental infrastructure, reads like a company trying to keep a door open rather than burn a bridge. My read: watch whether this slows Royal's broader private-island buildout, especially with West Coast Mexico itineraries already softening last quarter. In the reader's shoes, I'd temper expectations for new Mexico-based private destinations near-term.