Royal Caribbean in Talks for Half of Sandals in $3B Deal
Royal Caribbean Group is reportedly negotiating to acquire a 50% stake in Sandals Resorts International for roughly $3 billion, a transaction that would value the all-inclusive giant at close to $6 billion and end its status as a privately held, family-run operator. Sandals and sister brand Beaches have long been a backbone of the Caribbean destination-wedding trade — Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Antigua, the Bahamas, Grenada, Barbados, Curaçao — built on advisor-friendly economics: strong commissions, generous group-booking concessions, and a wedding program advisors know cold. A cruise line taking a co-ownership position introduces real unknowns for the segment: whether Crown & Anchor loyalty gets cross-pollinated into Sandals stays, whether capital flows into new resort development or renovation, and whether existing advisor commission and FAM structures survive a governance change at the top. Nothing is finalized. Advisors with active Sandals weddings on the books have no reason to change plans today, but this is the kind of ownership shift worth tracking closely as terms firm up over the coming weeks.