Royal Caribbean Is Buying Half of Sandals

Royal Caribbean Group just agreed to pay about $3B for half of Sandals Resorts. Plus: Oktoberfest’s opening weekend, Albuquerque’s Balloon Fiesta, Iceland aurora season, a nor’easter that flipped a foliage cruise to the Bahamas, JetBlue’s storm waiver, UAE’s Iran airline ban, Thailand’s visa-free cut, and more. CHAPTERS 0:00 This week’s headlines 0:32 Destinations: Oktoberfest, Balloon Fiesta, Iceland 3:16 Cruises: Sandals deal, storm reroutes, ops hits 5:58 News: waivers, Iran flights, Thailand, pets, shutdown 8:09 Wrap + question for you Would you book a cruise and a resort stay as one trip, or keep them separate? Tell us in the comments. Weekly Travel Report — destinations, cruises, and the rules that change your trip. Sources (selected): • Royal Caribbean Group / Sandals partnership — company press release (Sep 2026) • Oktoberfest opening-weekend visitors — dpa / phone-data reporting • Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta — official Fiesta materials (Oct 3–11) • Iceland / northern lights — Condé Nast Traveller October picks; local aurora guidance • Nor’easter cruise itinerary changes — cruise trade reporting (Vision of the Seas and others) • JetBlue storm waiver — airline / travel trade reporting (as of Friday morning; other majors not matching at refresh) • UAE suspension of Iranian airlines — Reuters / regional reporting • Thailand visa-free 60→30 days — KPMG GMS / Thai tourism guidance (from Sep 15) • EU pet health certificate form change — European Commission / USDA APHIS (certs on/after Oct 1) • U.S. funding through Dec 11 — White House / congressional short-term funding Not financial or booking advice. Verify rules with airlines, cruise lines, and official government sources before you travel. #WeeklyTravelReport #CruiseNews #TravelNews #RoyalCaribbean #SandalsResorts #TravelTips #CruiseTips #FallTravel #Oktoberfest #BalloonFiesta #TravelUpdate #WeeklyTravelReport #CruiseNews #TravelNews #RoyalCaribbean #SandalsResorts #TravelTips