One of the more interesting nuggets from Royal Caribbean’s Q2 2026 earnings report this morning was the update on who is actually sailing with them these days.
According to CEO Jason Liberty, millennials and younger guests now account for about half of Royal Caribbean’s passengers. That flies in the face of the traditional thought that “cruising is just for old people”.
And besides showing a desire to book shorter cruises, this group of younger travelers are also helping the cruise line see a record number of passengers using their app.
Just last week I wrote about a recent survey that showed 59% of cruisers wanted 8-night or longer cruise durations. But it seems that group of travelers might be an older demographic as Royal Caribbean reveals the growing popularity of 3- and 4-night sailings.
Strong Financial Results
Royal Caribbean Group (RCL), which makes up Celebrity Cruises, Silversea, and Royal Caribbean, delivered a strong earnings beat for Q2.
The company reporting adjusted earnings per share of $4.21. That beat Wall Street expectations of $3.93 to $3.98 per share. The cruise company also brought in $4.8 billion in quarterly revenue as they welcomed 2.4 million passengers on board ships across the fleet.
On top of the beat, management raised its full-year guidance for adjusted earnings per share to a range of $17.73 to $17.87.
Why Younger Cruisers Are Coming to Royal Caribbean
During the call, Liberty explained why younger travelers are choosing cruises and how their spending habits compare to traditional cruisers:
“Half of our guests are millennials or younger now. Their profile for a vacation today as their kids start to get older, et cetera, or they start going in and getting married and moving towards that direction. In their current state, they like to take shorter vacations. They like to do them more frequently. They tend to spend the same amount of money that they would spend on a short vacation as they would on a long vacation.”
So, you can see why these shorter sailings are so attractive to the cruise line. If you can generate the same revenue from a spending side as a longer 7-day+ sailing… well, it’s no wonder Royal has started using newer ships like Wonder of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas for 3- and 4-day cruises.
This lines up with what we’ve been seeing in recent years. Royal Caribbean has been deliberately going after younger travelers with high-energy ships like the Icon Class, private destinations such as Perfect Day at CocoCay, and the new Royal Beach Clubs.
These new destinations seem to really resonate with families and couples in their 20s, 30s, and early 40s. And in this age range, it’s a lot easier to find time off work for a few days than spending 2 weeks at sea.
The trend with these younger travelers is shorter cruises, and cruising more often, rather than one long cruise every once in a while.
Expect 3- and 4-Day Sailings to Be a Major Theme
Royal Caribbean is looking to lean even more into 3- and 4-night sailings. Liberty stated how these shorter itineraries feed into long-term brand loyalty:
“We have developed and curated a series of products, especially in the short Caribbean space, that’s a little bit shorter than the normal seven-night. That’s generating very high demand. Not only are we delivering a product that they’re looking for, but it’s also from the onboard side, it’s a product that, they’re great weekend getaways or just general getaways that we’re getting…We’re putting better assets there, and that’s all reeling in higher frequency, and new to cruise, which is feeding the future.”
Don’t Forget the Classic Week-Long Vacation
While short cruises are bringing in younger guests and first-time cruisers, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley reminded everyone that week-long cruises are still a core part of the business:
“On our short product, which we’ve been growing year-over-year and which is proving to be very successful to all of the points that Jason raised, we’ve never walked away from the classic seven-night itinerary, which is unbelievably popular… I think we’ve seen great success with short product, we also continue to see great success with the new ships coming online and going straight into the classic seven-night Caribbean.”
App Usage is Now 90%
According to Liberty, more than 90% of guests now use the Royal Caribbean app, with monthly active users up 5x since 2019.
Over half of onboard revenue is now being booked before passengers even step foot on the ship. That level of digital engagement fits perfectly with a younger audience that expects things to be easy and personalized and phone-based.
And in a world where some cruisers still ask if they can take a cruise without using the ship’s app, cruise lines are relying on app usage more and more.
Credit Card Usage Up Too
The recently launched Royal ONE co-branded credit card is already a hit for the cruise company.
Cardholders are spending more and are twice as likely to sail multiple times compared to non-cardholders. Add in tools like Points Choice and Status Match, which brought in over half a million new loyalty members, and it’s clear Royal Caribbean is building a system designed for repeat business.
A Few Other Notes from the Call
Even with some geopolitical noise affecting Europe sailings this summer, the overall booking trends for Royal Caribbean remain solid at record pricing levels for 2026 and encouraging early signs for 2027.
Liberty also mentioned ongoing communications with Mahahual authorities as the company has not given up on Perfect Day Mexico quite yet. Environmental concerns sidelined the project back in May, but the CEO said the following on the call:
“Our commitment to Mexico and the destinations we visit is stronger than ever. This includes the great community of Mahahual, where we continue to maintain a constructive dialogue with community leaders and public officials as we work to develop a tourism destination that will create long-term opportunities for the region, for Mexico, and for our guests.”
The cruise destination is an important part of Royal Caribbean’s commitment to Galveston’s cruise port, and Liberty stated that the company is seeing strong demand for Western Caribbean sailings.
While Royal Caribbean is still seeing strong demand across the board, a younger audience is discovering cruising, and it seems they just can’t get enough.
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