RCI-Royal Caribbean will maintain a ship in Europe throughout the winter for the first time, with Rhapsody of the Seas leading a year-round programme for the 2028–2029 season. The deployment will form part of a 7-ship European schedule covering the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and the Canary Islands. General bookings opened on October 15th, 2026, following an advance booking period for Crown & Anchor Society members.
From May through October 2028, Rhapsody of the Seas will operate 7-night itineraries departing from Athens (Piraeus), Barcelona and Lisbon. The summer programme will include Greek Isles cruises, as well as itineraries featuring overnight calls in Alexandria, Egypt, and Istanbul. From November 2028, the ship will transition to 9- to 12-night winter voyages visiting the Canary Islands, Portugal, Morocco, Cyprus, Malta and Greece. Destinations will include Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Casablanca and Tangier, with overnight stays in Alexandria. The programme will also mark Royal Caribbean’s return to Heraklion, Crete, and Cagliari, Sardinia, after more than a decade.
Northern Europe will feature the return of Jewel of the Seas to Copenhagen and Stockholm between May and August 2028. The ship will operate 7- to 11-night itineraries calling at Helsinki, Visby, Gdansk (Gdynia) and Klaipeda.
The Greek Isles programme will place particular emphasis on Santorini, with several ships offering extended evening calls. Explorer of the Seas will operate 7-night Greek Isles and Croatia itineraries from Ravenna, near Venice, with late-evening calls in Santorini on every departure and selected visits to Kotor, Montenegro.
Liberty of the Seas will sail from Barcelona, Athens and Rome (Civitavecchia), while Odyssey of the Seas will operate from Rome. Both ships will feature extended evening stays in Santorini. Passengers across the fleet will also be able to book the Ultimate Santorini Day excursion, combining visits to Oia and Fira with access to Royal Beach Club Santorini.
The beach club will feature an open-air market with rotating local suppliers, including Nomikos Estate for produce, Canava Lyngos for spirits and Santo Wines for wine. In addition, Liberty of the Seas will offer new excursions to the archaeological site of Akrotiri and Perivolos black-sand beach.
The programme will also include Freedom of the Seas, which will operate 3- to 9-night voyages from Southampton between May and October 2028. Destinations will include the Norwegian fjords, Copenhagen, Bruges via Zeebrugge, Bilbao, Paris via Le Havre and Lisbon.
Meanwhile, Mariner of the Seas will return to the Mediterranean with 7-night itineraries departing from Barcelona, Lisbon, Athens and Ravenna. Ports of call will include Palma de Mallorca, Porto via Leixões and Dubrovnik, among other destinations.