{"id":1195,"date":"2026-05-20T16:36:38","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T16:36:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1195"},"modified":"2026-05-20T16:36:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T16:36:38","slug":"mexican-authorities-block-royal-caribbeans-new-perfect-day-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1195","title":{"rendered":"Mexican authorities block Royal Caribbean\u2019s new \u2018Perfect Day\u2019 project"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Royal Caribbean\u2019s hopes of opening a Perfect Day destination in Mexico were dashed this week after Mexican authorities responded to growing concerns about the environmental impacts of the plan.<\/p>\n

Read more Score Samsung\u2019s luxury smart appliances for as much as $1,700 off this Memorial Day<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cRoyal Caribbean\u2019s \u2018Perfect Day\u2019 project will not be approved,\u201d said Alicia B\u00e1rcena, Mexico\u2019s secretary of environment and natural resources (SEMARNAT), during a news conference Tuesday.<\/p>\n

The remarks follow comments from Mexico\u2019s President Claudia Sheinbaum, who earlier this week asked B\u00e1rcena and her agency to review the project carefully.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere have been many protests, and many people are against it,\u201d she said during a news conference Monday. \u201cSEMARNAT is conducting a very detailed analysis, but I can tell you in advance that we are not going to do anything that puts the ecological balance of that area at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

In July 2025, Royal Caribbean spent $292 million to purchase the Port of Costa Maya and its surrounding properties, then planned to spend an additional $529 million for construction, according to Cruise Hive.<\/p>\n

The more than 200-acre Perfect Day Mexico was planned to be twice as large as Royal Caribbean\u2019s \u201cPerfect Day\u201d island in the Bahamas. The destination, which was slated to open in late 2027, boasted 30 waterslides, the world\u2019s largest sombrero and the world\u2019s longest lazy river.<\/p>\n

A Change.org petition that recently neared 4.8 million signatures urged the Mexican government to reconsider the project, which would bring 21,000 people per day to Mahahual in the state of Quintana Roo, which is home to the port of Costa Maya. A village of roughly 3,000 people on Mexico\u2019s southern Caribbean coast, Mahahual has sensitive mangroves and the world\u2019s second-largest barrier reef.<\/p>\n

A statement from Royal Caribbean said the company continues to \u201cbelieve in Mexico\u201d and is \u201coptimistic in the potential to advance our investment responsibly.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe are disappointed by SEMARNAT\u2019s decision and respect the role of Mexico\u2019s environmental authorities. Mahahual is a special place that deserves care and protection,\u201d the statement reads. \u201cOver the coming weeks, we will re-engage stakeholders to move forward in a way that delivers shared prosperity through the development of essential environmental infrastructure, the creation of thousands of local jobs, and community programs that support the people of Mexico.\u201d<\/p>\n

The website for Perfect Day Mexico was taken down as of Wednesday morning, instead redirecting to the Royal Caribbean homepage. The company\u2019s stock hit a 52-week low, sliding to $232.10 per share in early trading Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Greenpeace Mexico hailed the decision to halt the project as a \u201cvictory for citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe victory also belongs to the territory of Mahahual, its mangroves, its reef system, the life that inhabits them, its local community, and the independent and autonomous work of the organizations articulated in its defense,\u201d reads a statement from the environmental organization. \u201cThe Mexican government has the historic mission of comprehensively protecting the Peninsula and thereby guaranteeing its existence for future generations within the framework of the fight against the climate crisis. Greenpeace Mexico will remain vigilant regarding the announced possibility of relocating the project.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The Royal Beach Club Cozumel is still expected to open in early 2028, later than the late 2026 opening that was originally targeted. Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean continues to expand its massive Icon class with four more ships under construction through 2030.<\/p>\n

Find me\u00a0@PConnPie on Instagram\u00a0or send me an email:\u00a0pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com. Stay up to date with our latest travel, arts and events coverage by subscribing to our newsletters at\u00a0orlandosentinel.com\/newsletters.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Editorial: Folks complained about Spirit \u2014 until it was gone<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Facing environmental concerns from activists, the Mexican government decided to deny Royal Caribbean’s project to build Perfect Day Mexico.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1194,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-things-to-do","category-travel"],"yoast_head":"\nMexican authorities block Royal Caribbean\u2019s new \u2018Perfect Day\u2019 project - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1195\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mexican authorities block Royal Caribbean\u2019s new \u2018Perfect Day\u2019 project - 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