Royal Caribbean International has released its schedule for when the remaining ships will restart operations. 12 vessels are still to resume sailings, including out of the U.S., Australia, and Europe. So far, seven ships in the fleet have already resumed, including the new Odyssey of the Seas from Florida.
Royal Caribbean Releases Final Ship Restart Dates
The cruise line has released when each remaining ship will resume cruise operations. The entire fleet will be back in service by Spring 2022, including from the U.S., Australia, Europe, and Asia.
Oasis of the Seas will be the first ship to return in September with cruises out of Cape Liberty, New Jersey. The ship will also operate a test sailing from August 22 to get approval from the CDC to begin official sailings.
“We are excited and appreciative to be able to say with confidence when all of our ships will return, especially for travelers looking ahead to plan their getaways. More than 110,000 guests have cruised with us since December, and they’ve done so safely while enjoying the memorable vacations they trust we’ll bring to life,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “It’s been incredible to see families come together again on board our ships sailing in the U.S., the Caribbean, Europe and Asia. And to know we’ll soon welcome more in a safe manner when our entire fleet is back by spring 2022 is wonderful.”
The final vessel to make a return will be Rhapsody of the Seas when she begins sailings on May 23, 2022, out of Rome to the Greek Isles.
Other notable restarts will be Navigator of the Seas out of Los Angeles from November 19, 2021, Ovation of the Seas finally resume sailing out of Australia on December 13, 2021, and Grandeur of the Seas sailings out of Barbados starting on December 5, 2021. It’s also important to note that even though Serenade of the Seas is sailing now in Alaska, the ship will also restart out of Tampa, Florida, in October. Here is the complete list:
- Oasis of the Seas – 7-night Bahamas cruises from Cape Liberty, New Jersey, starting Sept. 5; and 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from Miami, beginning November
- Liberty of the Seas – 7-night Western Caribbean cruises from Galveston, Texas, starting Oct. 3
- Serenade of the Seas* – 4- and 5-night Western Caribbean cruises from Tampa, Florida, starting Oct. 16; and 7-night Caribbean itineraries, beginning December
- Explorer of the Seas* – 7-night Southern Caribbean sailings from San Juan, Puerto Rico, starting Nov. 7
- Navigator of the Seas – 3-, 4- and 5-night Catalina Island, California, and Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico cruises from Los Angeles, beginning Nov. 19
- Grandeur of the Seas – 7- and 14-night Southern Caribbean sailings from Bridgetown, Barbados, starting Dec. 5
- Ovation of the Seas – 2- to 10-night domestic itineraries in Australia from Sydney, beginning Dec. 13
- Brilliance of the Seas – 4- and 5-night Bahamas and Western Caribbean cruises from Tampa, starting Dec. 16
- Enchantment of the Seas – 8-night Bahamas sailings, and select 12-night cruises to the Southern Caribbean from Baltimore, starting Dec. 23
- Vision of the Seas – 10- and 11-night Southern Caribbean itineraries from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, beginning Jan. 24, 2022
- Voyager of the Seas – 7- and 9-night cruises in Northern Europe from Barcelona, Spain, starting April 15, 2022
- Radiance of the Seas – 7-night Alaska sailings from Vancouver, Canada, beginning April 29, 2022
- Rhapsody of the Seas – 7-night Mediterranean and Greek Isles itineraries, sailing from Rome starting May 23, 2022
So far, seven ships have already restarted, including Odyssey of the Seas on July 31 out of Port Canaveral, Serenade of the Seas out of Seattle on July 19, Anthem of the Seas out of Southampton, UK on July 7, Jewel of the Seas out of Cyprus on July 10, Freedom of the Seas out of Fort Lauderdale on June 20 and Adventure of the Seas which was the first in the flee to resume cruises when she departed out of Nassau, Bahamas on June 12, 2021.
Also Read: Which Royal Caribbean Cruise Ships Have Resumed Operations?
The cruise line has been working vaccinating the crew members, and by the time each ship restarts, every crew member on board will be fully vaccinated. All guests eligible for the vaccine are required to be fully vaccinated before taking a cruise. For cruises out of Florida, the requirement is just a strong recommendation due to the vaccine passport ban by the state.
With different ships departing from different regions and countries worldwide, there could be different protocols and requirements in place. Royal Caribbean continues to work with the relevant authorities to make sure guests and crew remain safe.
