Royal Caribbean's First Beach Club: Delays and the Data Behind Them

Royal Caribbean's Paradise Island: A Week Delay or a Red Flag?

Royal Caribbean's highly anticipated Royal Beach Club Paradise Island is facing a minor hiccup. The cruise line has canceled a preview visit scheduled for December 15, 2025, due to ongoing construction, while reaffirming the official opening date for December 23, 2025 (moved up from December 27, originally). Impacted guests are getting some exclusive merchandise as a consolation prize. Now, most outlets would spin this as a minor setback. But let's dig into the numbers.

Construction Delays: A Deeper Dive

A week's delay could be nothing. Construction projects run into snags all the time. But the cruise industry operates on razor-thin margins and meticulously planned schedules. This begs the question: what's the real reason for the delay? Was it a permitting issue? A labor shortage? A last-minute design change? Details on why the preview was canceled remain scarce, but the ripple effects could be significant. We know that several other Royal Caribbean ships – Wonder of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, and Allure of the Seas – are scheduled to visit Nassau around the same time. Could their passengers be affected too?

The company line is "minor adjustment," but let's consider the optics. Royal Caribbean is selling an experience. That experience hinges on Paradise Island being, well, paradise. If the construction isn't complete, the reality won't match the marketing. That creates unhappy customers, negative reviews, and potential damage to the brand.

And then there's the financial angle. Day passes to Royal Beach Club Paradise Island will cost $109.99 for children and $129.99 for adults. Let’s say, conservatively, that each ship brings 2,000 potential customers. That's $260,000 in potential revenue per ship if half the passengers buy a day pass. A week's delay across multiple ships starts to add up. What's the financial impact of this delay? We can only speculate, but it's likely in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars.

The Bigger Picture: A Trend or an Outlier?

Royal Beach Club Paradise Island is Royal Caribbean's first foray into the beach club market. It's a 17-acre resort in Nassau, Bahamas. Photos from early November 2025 showed construction was still ongoing, but one pool was filled. (Though, let's be honest, a single pool doesn't a beach club make.) Ongoing Construction Delays First Royal Caribbean Beach Club - Cruise Hive

This delay raises a broader question: is this an isolated incident, or is it indicative of larger problems with the project? Are they cutting corners to meet the deadline? Are they over budget? These are questions investors should be asking. I’ve looked at hundreds of these filings, and the lack of transparency here is concerning.

It's worth remembering that Royal Caribbean isn't just selling a vacation; they're selling a promise. And right now, that promise is looking a little shaky. What happens if the December 23rd opening date gets pushed back too?

Paradise Delayed?

This isn't just about a canceled preview. It's about managing expectations, delivering on promises, and maintaining investor confidence. A week's delay might seem insignificant, but in the high-stakes world of the cruise industry, it could be a sign of deeper issues. Time will tell if Royal Caribbean can navigate these choppy waters. But for now, I'm watching this situation very closely.