Why Royal Caribbean (RCL) Shares Are Trading Lower Today

What Happened?

Shares of cruise vacation company Royal Caribbean (NYSE:RCL) fell 1.8% in the afternoon session after reports of operational disruptions following dense winter fog in Florida delayed three of its cruise ships. 

The heavy fog enveloped Tampa Bay, which forced the closure of the port. This situation delayed the docking of three of the company's ships—Rhapsody of the Seas, Enchantment of the Seas, and Grandeur of the Seas—by at least eight hours. The disruption impacted both the sailings that were ending and the new voyages scheduled to begin. The stock's decline also happened as the broader cruise sector experienced a sell-off, with major cruise line stocks sliding significantly since late September.

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What Is The Market Telling Us

Royal Caribbean’s shares are quite volatile and have had 17 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.

The previous big move we wrote about was 17 days ago when the stock gained 5.1% on the news that comments from a key Federal Reserve official bolstered hopes for an interest rate cut. New York Federal Reserve President John Williams stated he sees “room for a further adjustment” in the near term, sparking a significant market rally. Following his remarks, the probability of the central bank cutting rates at its December meeting jumped from 39% to over 73%, according to the CME FedWatch tool. This positive sentiment provided relief to markets amid concerns over high valuations, particularly in AI-related stocks.

Royal Caribbean is up 10.3% since the beginning of the year, but at $252.58 per share, it is still trading 31% below its 52-week high of $365.84 from August 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Royal Caribbean’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $3,049.

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