Two Radiance-Class Ships to Sail Royal Caribbean's 2015 Alaska Season

Summer 2015 will mark Royal Caribbean International’s 26th year in taking vacationers to Alaska. Royal Caribbean will deploy two Radiance-class ships, Radiance of the Seas and Jewel of the Seas, to the Last Frontier and offer more oceanview and balcony staterooms for guests to take in the unfolding landscape on an Alaska vacation. Vacationers also can choose a Royal Caribbean Alaska Cruise Tour to explore inland, or visit the towns and cities of the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and the Okanagan Wine Valley. Radiance of the Seas and Jewel of the Seas’ 2015 Alaska seasons are now open for bookings. 

Additionally, Royal Caribbean announced that Rhapsody of the Seas and Splendour of the Seas will join Anthem of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Brilliance of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas and Vision of the Seas to total eight Royal Caribbean International ships to sail Europe in summer 2015. Rhapsody of the Seas and Splendour of the Seas will take guests on a range of Greece, Turkey and – for the first time for the cruise line – Black Sea itineraries that unveils the unique colors and cultures of the region. Rhapsody of the Seas and Splendour of the Seas’ summer 2015 Europe seasons also are now open for bookings. 

From May to early-September 2015, Radiance of the Seas will alternate northbound and southbound Alaska and Hubbard Glacier cruises, both seven-night itineraries from Vancouver, B.C. and Seward, Alaska, respectively. Guests will cruise the Inside Passage and by Hubbard Glacier, and call at Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point, Juneau and Skagway. On a Sept. 4, 2105, sailing, Radiance of the Seas will sail a seven-night round-trip itinerary from Vancouver; cruise Tracy Arm Fjord to Sawyer Glacier; and call at Icy Strait Point, Juneau, and Ketchikan. For its part, Jewel of the Seas will sail seven-night round-trip itineraries from Seattle, Wash., which cruise the Alaska Inside Passage and also Tracy Arm Fjord to Sawyer Glacier, and call at Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria, B.C. 

Additionally, vacationers can select among four Jewel of the Seas’ sailings that explores the California Coast, ranging from six to eight nights in duration, at the beginning and end of the ship’s Alaska season. Furthermore, a 14-night westbound Panama Canal sailing, departing May 2 from San Juan, Puerto Rico to San Diego, and a 15-night eastbound trans-Canal sailing, departing Oct. 10 from Los Angeles to San Juan, will bookend Jewel of the Seas’ 2015 Alaska and California season. 

Vacationers also can explore Alaska’s interior on a variety of Royal Caribbean Cruisetours, which combines a sailing aboard Radiance of the Seas with a three- to six-night land tour adventure. Royal Caribbean takes care of all the planning, transportation and lodging on fully escorted tours that spend at least one night in Denali National Park and one leg on the Wilderness Express, a plush, glass-domed train cars that offer panoramic views of the grand Alaskan frontier. Vacationers also can combine a Radiance of the Seas or Jewel of the Seas’ Alaska cruise with one of four pre- or post-cruise land tours throughout the Canadian Rockies and the Okanagan Wine Valley.

In June 2015, Rhapsody of the Seas will mark Royal Caribbean’s first time in the Black Sea, offering vacationers three round-trip sailings, 10- and 11-night in duration, from Istanbul, Turkey. Guests will join the ship in making maiden port calls at Burgas, Bulgaria; Odessa, Yalta and Sevastapol, Ukraine; and Sochi, Russia, with overnight stays in Odessa, Sochi and Istanbul. Rhapsody of the Seas’ arrival at Istanbul will be preceded by a series of sailings that will reposition the ship from Sydney, Australia, to the Black Sea on April 17, 2015. The ship will sail Australia’s north coast to Singapore; follow the Indian sub-continental coast to Dubai; and transit the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean to arrive for the summer season on June 1. 

From July to mid-November, Rhapsody of the Seas will homeport at Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy, and sail seven- to 11-night Greece and Turkey itineraries. The seven- and nine-night itineraries focus on smaller ports such as Katakolon, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, and Santorini in Greece; and Bodrum, Turkey.  Rhapsody of the Seas will then reposition to Sao Paolo, Brazil, for the winter season on a Royal Caribbean trans-Atlantic Ocean Voyage, departing from Barcelona, Spain, on Nov. 19. 

Rounding out Royal Caribbean’s summer 2015 Europe season, Splendour of the Seas will return to homeport at Venice, Italy, for the 10th consecutive summer season, and sail seven-night Adriatic and Greek Isles round-trip itineraries for an extended season through November. A 12-night itinerary from Barcelona to Venice will kick off the season and sail on May 4 to the French and Italian rivieras as well as Dubrovnik and Split, Croatia.

For more information, visit www.royalcaribbean.com.