Royal Caribbean opens 2028 Alaska on four ships. Public sale is 1 Oct.
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Royal Caribbean opened its 2028 Alaska season on 30 Sep 2026. The PR Newswire release, timestamped 11:09 ET, says Crown & Anchor Society members can book on the website now. The official public opening is Thursday 1 Oct. Cruise Industry News, Royal Caribbean Blog, and Cruise Hive, all dated 30 Sep 2026, report that split. The ships are Anthem, Ovation, Serenade, and Voyager of the Seas. Homeports in the release are Seattle, Seward, and Vancouver.
You can hold a cabin if you are in Crown & Anchor. If you are not, Thursday is the date in the release. A booking week for 2028 Alaska was already on this site from 19 Sep. This post is the ship list.
Who sails where
The press release is the line’s highlight list. Cruise Industry News repeats it. Use that list first.
Anthem of the Seas sails from Seward and Vancouver, May through September. The release pairs 7-night cruises with 2- to 6-night Cruisetours, including Denali National Park. The Anthem section names Hubbard Glacier and Ketchikan. Royal Caribbean Blog says Anthem is the only ship with one-way cruises between Vancouver and Seward. Cruise Hive says the same about southbound trips from Seward.
Ovation of the Seas sails 7-night cruises from Seattle, May through September. The release names Sitka, Skagway, Juneau, and scenic cruising at Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier. The line calls the ship newly amplified. Onboard names in the release include Sound Cellar, the Pesky Parrot, Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen, Chops Grille, and Izumi Teppanyaki.
Serenade of the Seas sails 7-night cruises from Vancouver, May through September. The release names Icy Strait Point, Prince Rupert, and Juneau.
Voyager of the Seas sails 7-night cruises from Seattle, April through September. The release names Sitka, Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria.
Dates Cruise Hive adds
Cruise Hive prints first and last departures the press release does not.
From Seattle, Cruise Hive puts Ovation on Mondays and Voyager on Fridays. Ovation’s first 2028 Alaska sailing in that article is 8 May. The last 7-night departure is 11 Sep. On 18 Sep, Ovation has a one-way 10-night from Seattle to Vancouver. Voyager’s first departure is 28 Apr. The last Alaska departure is 22 Sep.
From Vancouver, Serenade’s Sunday departures in that article run from 14 May through a final sailing on 17 Sep. Anthem’s first sailing is a 4-night roundtrip on 7 May that calls Ketchikan. A 9-night roundtrip leaves 15 Sep. Northbound 7-night sailings run from 26 May through 1 Sep and end in Seward. An 8-night northbound on 11 May also includes Juneau. Southbound sailings from Seward run from 19 May through 8 Sep.
Cruise Hive’s guest counts are 4,180 for Anthem, 4,234 for Ovation, 3,602 for Voyager, and 2,143 for Serenade at double occupancy. Those counts are not in the press release.
Where the port lists disagree
Open the date you want. Do not merge the lists.
Cruise Hive says both Seattle ships visit Sitka, Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria, with Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier on select departures. The press release puts Victoria on Voyager and puts Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier on Ovation. Royal Caribbean Blog also puts select Endicott cruising on Voyager. Victoria on Ovation is Cruise Hive’s line. It is not in the release.
Cruise Hive’s Serenade ports include Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan, plus Endicott Arm, Dawes Glacier, and the Inside Passage. The press release names Icy Strait Point, Prince Rupert, and Juneau for Serenade. Prince Rupert is in the release. It is absent from Cruise Hive’s Serenade paragraph. Sitka and Ketchikan on Serenade are in Cruise Hive. They are absent from the Serenade paragraph in the release.
2027, and what Ovation changes
Royal Caribbean Blog calls Ovation’s return the main change and says Ovation replaces Quantum of the Seas from the 2027 lineup. The blog lists amplification items that include an expanded casino, Sound Cellar, Starbucks, the Pesky Parrot, Izumi, Giovanni’s, new staterooms, and the Ultimate Family Suite. Cruise Hive dates that amplification work to April 2026 and says the Pesky Parrot replaced the Bionic Bar.
The 2027 ship list is not settled between outlets. Cruise Industry News says 2027 Alaska is Anthem, Quantum, Voyager, and Serenade. Royal Caribbean Blog says Radiance of the Seas is in Alaska in 2027 and that Serenade returns in 2028. Book the 2028 page in front of you. Do not rebuild 2027 from these two sentences.
Cruisetours and the Seward terminal
The press release offers 2- to 6-night Cruisetours on select trips, including Denali, and points Seward guests to a new Alaska Railroad terminal next to the station. It does not print a price.
Royal Caribbean Blog prices 9- to 13-night Anthem cruise-and-land vacations from $2,330 per person to over $5,700 per person. The blog’s land stops run two to five places among Anchorage, Denali, Talkeetna, Fairbanks, Alyeska in Girdwood, and Seward. That range is the blog’s check on 30 Sep 2026. It is not a fare in the press release. A 9- to 13-night vacation is the cruise plus the land stay. The release’s 2- to 6-night figure is the land piece alone.
Cruise Hive names the terminal the Dale R. and Carol Ann Lindsey Alaska Railroad Terminal, says it opened in June 2026, and calls it the largest cruise terminal in Alaska. The press release does not use that name.
What you should do
If you are in Crown & Anchor, try the site today. If a cabin will not book, the release still sets the public opening at Thursday 1 Oct. Royal Caribbean Blog says the sailings were on the website late Tuesday afternoon. The release, issued Wednesday morning, still marks Thursday as the official opening. Use Thursday if you are not in the loyalty program.
Match the day list to the ship. Anthem is the one-way Vancouver and Seward ship in the blog and in Cruise Hive. Ovation is the amplified Seattle ship. Serenade is the smaller Vancouver ship, and you should check whether your date shows Prince Rupert or the Cruise Hive ports. Voyager is the other Seattle ship, with an April start in both the release and Cruise Hive.
The next batches are already on the calendar from the 19 Sep post. Royal Caribbean Blog repeats them: Europe Part 1 the week of 12 Oct 2026, and 7-night summer Caribbean the week of 2 Nov 2026. Facts above follow the Royal Caribbean release at 11:09 ET on 30 Sep 2026, Cruise Industry News and Cruise Hive the same day, and Royal Caribbean Blog as updated 30 Sep 2026.
Cruise news for September 30, 2026
Sources
Tier 1 = the cruise line’s own published material · Tier 2 = an established cruise-news outlet- TIER 1Royal Caribbean PR Newswire release, Miami, 30 Sep 2026, 11:09 ET: the line unveiled its 2028 Alaska lineup on Anthem, the newly amplified Ovation, Serenade, and Voyager of the Seas beginning in April 2028; 7-night vacations depart Seattle, Seward, and Vancouver, with multi-night Cruisetour land extensions on select journeys; Crown & Anchor Society members can book on Royal Caribbean's website now, ahead of the official opening on Thursday 1 Oct; Anthem, from Seward and Vancouver, May to September, combines 7-night vacations with 2- to 6-night Cruisetours before or after the cruise, including Denali National Park, and the Anthem section names Hubbard Glacier and Ketchikan; Ovation, from Seattle, May to September, 7-night, names Sitka, Skagway, Juneau, and Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier, and calls the ship newly amplified, with Sound Cellar, Pesky Parrot, Giovanni's Italian Kitchen, Chops Grille, and Izumi Teppanyaki among the onboard names; Serenade, from Vancouver, May to September, 7-night, names Icy Strait Point, Prince Rupert, and Juneau; Voyager, from Seattle, April to September, 7-night, names Sitka, Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria, British Columbia; guests sailing from Seward can use Royal Caribbean Group and the Alaska Railroad's new terminal, with mountain views and access to the neighboring Alaska Railroad station; the release does not print first-sailing calendar dates, a 4-night or 9-night Anthem cruise, a fare, or a 2027 ship list
PR Newswire / Royal Caribbean, checked 30 Sep 2026 · Tier 1 release. Use it for the four ships, the homeports, the highlight ports, the Cruisetour length of 2 to 6 nights, and the Crown & Anchor versus Thursday 1 Oct booking split. - TIER 2Cruise Industry News, 30 Sep 2026: restates the press release, including four ships from April 2028, Crown & Anchor booking ahead of the 1 Oct public opening, Anthem from Seward and Vancouver with Denali Cruisetours and Hubbard Glacier and Ketchikan, Ovation from Seattle with Sitka, Skagway, Juneau, Endicott Arm, and Dawes Glacier, Serenade from Vancouver with Icy Strait Point, Prince Rupert, and Juneau, and Voyager from Seattle with Sitka, Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria; adds that the 2027 Alaska season is Anthem, Quantum, Voyager, and Serenade of the Seas; does not print Cruise Hive's first and last departure dates
Cruise Industry News, checked 30 Sep 2026 · Agrees with the press release on the 2028 highlights. The 2027 ship list is only in this article among the cruise-news reports used here, and it disagrees with Royal Caribbean Blog on Radiance versus Serenade. - TIER 2Royal Caribbean Blog, Matt Hochberg, updated 30 Sep 2026: the line released the new sailings on its website late Tuesday afternoon; four ships sail Alaska in 2028, Anthem, Ovation, Voyager, and Serenade; the main change is Ovation's return, replacing Quantum of the Seas from the 2027 lineup; Anthem is the only ship with one-way cruises between Vancouver and Seward, and 2027 already uses Anthem on that pattern with ports such as Skagway, Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point, and Hubbard Glacier; Ovation's 2026 amplification, as listed by the blog, includes an expanded casino, Sound Cellar, Starbucks, Pesky Parrot, Izumi Hibachi, Giovanni's Italian Kitchen, new staterooms, and the Ultimate Family Suite; Voyager sails 7-night roundtrips from Seattle visiting ports such as Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, and Victoria, with select itineraries that include scenic cruising near Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier; the blog says Radiance of the Seas is in Alaska in 2027 and Serenade returns in 2028 on 7-night Vancouver roundtrips; 2028 Cruisetours on Anthem are 9- to 13-night vacations priced from $2,330 per person to over $5,700 per person, with land portions of two to five destinations among Anchorage, Denali, Talkeetna, Fairbanks, Alyeska (Girdwood), and Seward; the blog says this Alaska drop is the first batch, Europe Part 1 follows the week of 12 Oct 2026, and 7-night summer Caribbean follows the week of 2 Nov 2026
Royal Caribbean Blog, checked 30 Sep 2026 · Source for the late-Tuesday site release, the Ovation-for-Quantum line, the Radiance 2027 line, the Cruisetour price range, and select Endicott calls on Voyager. The price range is the blog's, not a figure in the press release. The 2027 Radiance line disagrees with Cruise Industry News. - TIER 2Cruise Hive, Melissa Mayntz, 30 Sep 2026: four ships, bookings open to Crown & Anchor, public opening Thursday 1 Oct 2026; Seattle ships are Ovation on Mondays and Voyager on Fridays; Ovation's first 2028 Alaska sailing is 8 May and the final 7-night departure is 11 Sep, plus a one-way 10-night from Seattle to Vancouver on 18 Sep; Voyager's first departure is 28 Apr and the final Alaska departure is 22 Sep; Cruise Hive says both Seattle ships visit Sitka, Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria, with Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier on select departures when weather permits; guest figures in this article are 4,234 for Ovation and 3,602 for Voyager; Serenade roundtrips from Vancouver on Sundays from 14 May through a final departure on 17 Sep, with ports including Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan, plus Endicott Arm, Dawes Glacier, and the Inside Passage, and 2,143 guests at double occupancy; Anthem offers roundtrips and one-ways from Vancouver, including a 4-night Alaska Experience to Ketchikan on 7 May 2028 as the first sailing of the season, a 9-night roundtrip on 15 Sep calling Icy Strait Point, Sitka, Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan plus Hubbard Glacier, northbound 7-night sailings from 26 May through 1 Sep calling Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point, Sitka, and Skagway plus Hubbard Glacier and ending in Seward, an 8-night northbound on 11 May that also includes Juneau, and southbound Seward-to-Vancouver sailings from 19 May through 8 Sep; Anthem is listed at 4,180 guests; the article names the Dale R. and Carol Ann Lindsey Alaska Railroad Terminal, opened June 2026, and calls it the largest cruise terminal in Alaska; Ovation's Royal Amplification is dated April 2026 in this article, with Sound Cellar and Pesky Parrot replacing the Bionic Bar
Cruise Hive, checked 30 Sep 2026 · Source for the calendar dates, weekday pattern, guest counts, the 4-night and 9-night and 10-night products, and the Lindsey terminal name. Serenade's port list here includes Sitka and Ketchikan and does not name Prince Rupert, which the press release does name.
Prices and policies move. This page was last checked on Sep 30, 2026, 7:05 PM ET.