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Royal Caribbean Investing $3 Million In Sandals and Beaches Resort Partnership
Royal Caribbean Group is making a major move onto dry land, announcing a new partnership with Sandals Resorts that includes an approximately $3 billion investment in Sandals and Beaches Resorts.
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The two vacation giants announced the agreement on September 23, creating a joint venture that brings Sandals and Beaches’ all-inclusive Caribbean resorts together with Royal Caribbean Group’s growing vacation portfolio. That portfolio already includes Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea, along with private destinations and the company’s upcoming river cruise business.
Under the agreement, Royal Caribbean Group will acquire an equity interest in Sandals and Beaches Resorts for approximately $3 billion. Royal Caribbean has secured committed debt financing from Morgan Stanley to fund the investment, and the transaction is expected to close in early 2027, pending customary approvals and closing conditions.
For travelers who already have a Sandals or Beaches vacation booked, there is no immediate change to worry about. The companies say existing reservations, loyalty programs, resort operations and cruise operations will continue as usual. The joint venture will be overseen by a board under the shared leadership of Sandals Executive Chairman Adam Stewart and Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Jason Liberty, with Stewart continuing to guide the long-term growth of Sandals and Beaches Resorts.
The partnership is also designed to speed up the expansion of Sandals and Beaches Resorts throughout the Caribbean while giving Royal Caribbean Group a much larger presence in the all-inclusive resort market. The companies plan to explore ways to broaden distribution, connect with more guests and make vacation experiences across their combined portfolios easier to discover.
It is a particularly interesting pairing for Caribbean travelers. Royal Caribbean Group currently operates 71 ships visiting more than 1,000 destinations through its cruise brands and joint ventures, while Sandals operates adults-only all-inclusive resorts throughout the Caribbean. Beaches focuses on family all-inclusive vacations, with existing resorts in Jamaica and Turks and Caicos and additional properties planned for destinations including The Bahamas, Barbados and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
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For now, the ships keep sailing and the resorts keep welcoming guests just as before, but this $3 billion partnership could eventually create some interesting new ways to combine Caribbean vacations on land and sea.
Planning your own Caribbean escape? Our partners at Get Away Today can help you put together your next vacation, whether your idea of paradise involves a resort pool, a cruise ship or a little bit of both.
