Corazul Cruceros recently confirmed it will launch operations in the Brazilian market during the 2026-27 winter season.

During an industry event in Santos, Vice President of Sales Àlex Busquets said that the company’s arrival in the country is expected to fill a gap left by the exit of other brands.

“There are markets that recently lost some products, resulting in groups of guests that simply stopped cruising,” he said, noting that a similar situation is taking place in Spain.

“That’s a scenario that we identified in Brazil, so we started studying the market. The numbers we found justified our view, so we started to plan an operation in the country,” he added during a panel at CLIA’s Cruise360 Brazil.

Corazul then signed a deal with R11 Travel, which will serve as its exclusive sales partner in Brazil for both local and international itineraries.

With a proven background in the cruise market, the Brazil-based tour operator was originally established in 2016 as Royal Caribbean’s representative in the country.

R11 is currently working with Corazul to put together additional details of the operations in Brazil, including final deployment plans and product adaptations.

Sales for the country’s market are expected to open within a two-week timeframe, Busquets explained.

He added that the company’s first ship, the Buenavista, will spend its inaugural winter season sailing in Brazil.

Despite previously announced plans for a short fall season in the Caribbean, the 1995-built vessel is now set to reposition to South America soon after debuting in the Mediterranean.

While the Brazilian itineraries are still being finalized, the ship is expected to offer a series of three- to seven-night cruises departing from Santos and Rio de Janeiro starting in November 2026.

Previously announced deployment plans called for visits to a range of destinations in the country, including Balneário Camboriú, Salvador, Recife and Búzios through March 2027.

Busquets said that the company will offer all-inclusive standard fares, which include beverage packages, as well as meals at most of Buenavista’s dining venues.

He said that the product is being designed to cater to Brazilian guests during the local season, with Portuguese serving as the main language onboard.

Food and beverage, entertainment and the ship’s programming will also be adjusted to the country’s market.

“Our Buenavista is a ship with many dining venues, but only one will not be included in the cruise ticket, which is a specialty restaurant,” Busquets explained.

“We’ll operate on an all-inclusive system and, in addition to three- and four-night cruises, we are also planning to offer some seven-night sailings during the holiday season here in Brazil,” he added.

Operating the former Oriana, Corazul Cruceros plans to launch service in the Mediterranean in June 2026.

In addition to Brazil, the company will focus on other Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking markets, including Spain, Portugal and more.