Royal Caribbean opens year-round Europe sailings for 2028-29
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Royal Caribbean opened a 2028-29 Europe season on 14 Oct 2026, and one of the seven ships stays for the winter.
The PR Newswire release, Miami, 14 Oct 2026 at 10:00 ET, is the announcement. The press-center page carries the same headline. On 15 Oct its article text did not render, so the ship list below follows the release. Cruise Industry News and Seatrade Cruise News, Anne Kalosh, both 14 Oct, track that release.
This is the Europe drop dated for the week of 12 Oct in the 19 Sep post on release weeks. That post said Part 1 is a portion of Europe. Royal Caribbean Blog, Elizabeth Wright, updated 14 Oct, calls this release Europe Part 1.
Who sails, and from where?
The release prints no fare. Match the ship to the months. Year-round, in this announcement, means Rhapsody.
| Ship | Home ports in the release | Window | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhapsody of the Seas | Athens (Piraeus), Barcelona, Lisbon | May to October 2028, then from November 2028 | 7 to 12 nights, then 9 to 12 |
| Explorer of the Seas | Ravenna (Venice) | May to October 2028 | 7 nights |
| Freedom of the Seas | Southampton | May to October 2028 | 3 to 9 nights |
| Jewel of the Seas | Copenhagen and Stockholm | May to August 2028 | 7 to 11 nights |
| Liberty of the Seas | Barcelona, Athens (Piraeus), Rome (Civitavecchia) | May to October 2028 | 7 and 8 nights |
| Mariner of the Seas | Barcelona, Lisbon, Athens (Piraeus), Ravenna (Venice) | No month range in the release | 7 nights |
| Odyssey of the Seas | Rome (Civitavecchia) | April to October 2028 | 7 nights |
What is the year-round part?
Rhapsody is the ship the release keeps in Europe past the summer. From May to October 2028 it sails 7-night Turkey and Egypt cruises with overnights in Alexandria and Istanbul, and Greek Isles cruises. From November 2028 it sails 9- to 12-night cruises to the Canary Islands, Portugal, Morocco, Cyprus, Malta, and Greece. The release names Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Casablanca, Tangier, and more overnights in Alexandria.
The release says this season marks a return to Heraklion, on Crete, and to Cagliari, in Sardinia, for the first time in more than a decade. That sentence sits in the Rhapsody section. Liberty’s itineraries also list Cagliari. If Heraklion is the port you want, open a Rhapsody sailing and read the port list. The release does not print a Heraklion date.
Those windows end by October. Jewel stops in August. Odyssey starts in April, earlier than the May ships. Explorer, Freedom, and Liberty run May to October. Mariner’s paragraph names four homeports and three ports of call, Palma de Mallorca, Porto (Leixoes), and Dubrovnik, and it does not print months. Cruise Industry News does not add months. If you want Mariner, read the dates on the sailing you open.
Freedom’s Southampton cruises include 3-night trips. The release names the Norwegian fjords, Copenhagen, Bruges (Zeebrugge), Bilbao, Paris (Le Havre), and Lisbon across the 3- to 9-night range. One sailing is not all of those ports.
Explorer calls Santorini later on every cruise, and Kotor on some of them. Liberty also has later evenings in Santorini, plus Marseille, Palermo, and Cagliari. Odyssey names Ephesus and Mykonos, with longer evenings in Santorini. Seatrade calls the Ephesus port Kusadasi. The release says Ephesus. Search both names, then use the port on your confirmation.
Several of the Greek itineraries offer an Ultimate Santorini Day. The release describes it as a full-day excursion to Oia and Fira with time at Royal Beach Club Santorini. Seatrade says you can book it. The release does not say the beach club is included in the fare. Book it only after you see the price on that sailing.
What is not in this first release?
Royal Caribbean Blog says this Europe Part 1 list does not include an Oasis Class ship or Legend of the Seas. The blog notes that Oasis Class ships have sailed from Europe for more than a decade, that Legend sailed Europe in 2026, and that Legend is already on the books for Europe in 2027. It says a later Remaining Deployment could add ships for 2028 and 2029.
The press release does not say those ships are out. It names the seven in the table. Cruise Industry News and Seatrade do not add an Oasis Class ship or Legend to this announcement. Treat the absence as the blog’s reading of Part 1. The September post on this site already said Part 1 is not the whole year.
The same blog says Liberty and Freedom are the first time two Freedom Class ships are in Europe together. That line is not in the release. This post does not use it as a booking fact.
What this means for you
Crown & Anchor members could book when the 14 Oct release went out. Everyone else uses Thursday 15 Oct, the public opening in that release. Open the specific ship. A winter Canary Islands cruise in this drop is Rhapsody, from November 2028. A Baltic week is Jewel, and that window ends in August. If you are waiting on Legend or an Oasis Class ship, this release does not have one. Wait for the next deployment drop, and do not hold a 2028 Europe cabin on a ship the line has not named. Facts above follow the 14 Oct Royal Caribbean release, Seatrade and Cruise Industry News the same day, and Royal Caribbean Blog’s 14 Oct read of what this first list leaves out.
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Tier 1 = the cruise line’s own published material · Tier 2 = an established cruise-news outlet- TIER 1Royal Caribbean release on PR Newswire, Miami, 14 Oct 2026, 10:00 ET: the 2028-29 Europe lineup adds a year-round season across seven ships, covering the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, and the Canary Islands. For the first time, the line says, you can explore Europe any time of year on Rhapsody of the Seas, from summer cruises with overnight stays in Egypt to winter cruises to the Canary Islands. The season also includes a return to Copenhagen and Stockholm, on 7- to 12-night cruises. Bookings are open for Crown & Anchor Society members ahead of the official opening on Thursday 15 Oct. Rhapsody sails 7- to 12-night cruises from Athens (Piraeus), Barcelona, and Lisbon. From May to October 2028 those include 7-night Turkey and Egypt cruises with overnights in Alexandria and Istanbul, and Greek Isles cruises with an Ultimate Santorini Day excursion that combines Oia, Fira, and Royal Beach Club Santorini. From November 2028, Rhapsody sails 9- to 12-night cruises to the Canary Islands, Portugal, Morocco, Cyprus, Malta, and Greece, naming Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Casablanca, Tangier, and overnights in Alexandria. The release says the season marks a return to Heraklion, Greece, and Cagliari, Sardinia, for the first time in more than a decade. Explorer of the Seas sails 7-night Greek Isles and Croatia cruises from Ravenna (Venice) from May to October 2028, with a later stay in Santorini on every cruise and Kotor on select cruises. Freedom of the Seas sails 3- to 9-night Northern and Southern Europe cruises from Southampton from May to October 2028, naming the Norwegian fjords, Copenhagen, Bruges (Zeebrugge), Bilbao, Paris (Le Havre), and Lisbon. Jewel of the Seas sails 7- to 11-night Baltic cruises from Copenhagen and Stockholm from May to August 2028, naming Helsinki, Visby, Gdansk (Gdynia), and Klaipeda. Liberty of the Seas sails 7- and 8-night Greek Isles and Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona, Athens (Piraeus), and Rome (Civitavecchia) from May to October 2028, naming Provence (Marseille), Sicily (Palermo), and Cagliari, with later evenings in Santorini and the option of Royal Beach Club Santorini. Mariner of the Seas sails 7-night Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona, Lisbon, Athens (Piraeus), and Ravenna (Venice), naming Palma de Mallorca, Porto (Leixoes), and Dubrovnik. The Mariner paragraph does not print a month range. Odyssey of the Seas sails 7-night Greek Isles cruises from Rome (Civitavecchia) from April to October 2028, naming Ephesus and Mykonos, with extended evenings in Santorini and the Ultimate Santorini Day option. The release prints no fare. It does not name an Oasis Class ship or Legend of the Seas, and it does not say those ships are excluded.
Royal Caribbean, checked 14 Oct 2026 · Load-bearing source. Read 15 Oct 2026. The press-center URL below is the same announcement. Its page shell did not render the article text on that check. The hero is the press-center share image, the same Royal Caribbean file used as the first photo on this release, placed with the Rhapsody section. It is a file photo from the line's media library. - TIER 1Royal Caribbean Press Center lists the same 14 Oct 2026 announcement, Royal Caribbean Unveils More Ways to Explore Europe in 2028-29 With New Year-Round Season. The share image is the Royal Caribbean media file used here as the hero.
Royal Caribbean, checked 14 Oct 2026 · Same release as PR Newswire. On 15 Oct 2026 the press-center page returned the headline and the share image, and the article body did not render in the fetch. Ship facts follow the PR Newswire text. - TIER 2Seatrade Cruise News, Anne Kalosh, 14 Oct 2026: for the first time, Royal Caribbean will offer year-round cruises in Europe, starting with 2028-29. Rhapsody sails 7- to 12-night holidays from Piraeus, Barcelona, and Lisbon, with May to October 2028 Turkey and Egypt cruises and overnights in Alexandria and Istanbul, an Ultimate Santorini Day guests can book, and from November 2028 9- to 12-night cruises to the Canary Islands, Portugal, Morocco, Cyprus, Malta, and Greece. The article says the season marks a return to Heraklion and Cagliari for the first time in more than a decade. It restates Explorer from Ravenna from May to October 2028, Freedom from Southampton from May to October 2028, Jewel from Copenhagen and Stockholm from May to August 2028, Liberty from Barcelona, Piraeus, and Civitavecchia from May to October 2028, and Odyssey from Civitavecchia from April to October 2028. For Ephesus it names Kusadasi. The Mariner section names Palma, Leixoes, and Dubrovnik and does not print months or the four homeports in the body. The article does not mention Oasis Class or Legend of the Seas.
Seatrade Cruise News, checked 14 Oct 2026 · Agrees with the release on the seven-ship shape and the dates. Kusadasi is Seatrade's port name for the Ephesus call. The release says Ephesus. - TIER 2Cruise Industry News, 14 Oct 2026: restates the press release, including seven ships, Rhapsody's year-round season, the November 2028 Canary Islands cruises, the Heraklion and Cagliari return, the other ships' homeports and date windows, Crown & Anchor booking now, and the public opening on Thursday 15 Oct. The Mariner item lists Barcelona, Lisbon, Athens (Piraeus), and Ravenna (Venice) and does not add a month range. The article does not mention Oasis Class or Legend of the Seas.
Cruise Industry News, checked 14 Oct 2026 · Tracks the release. No fare. - TIER 2Royal Caribbean Blog, Elizabeth Wright, updated 14 Oct 2026: seven ships will sail Europe in 2028 and 2029, and the line is offering year-round cruises in the region for the first time. The article's What's missing section says this Europe Part 1 deployment does not include an Oasis Class ship or Legend of the Seas. It says Oasis Class ships have sailed from Europe for more than a decade, that Legend debuted in Europe in 2026 and is already booked to return in 2027, and that a later Remaining Deployment announcement may add ships and itineraries for 2028 and 2029. The article also says Liberty and Freedom are two Freedom Class ships in Europe at the same time, and it calls that a first.
Royal Caribbean Blog, checked 14 Oct 2026 · The absence of Oasis Class and Legend is this article's reading of the first release. The press release does not say those ships are ruled out. The two-Freedom-Class line is only in this article.
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