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Royal Caribbean Group has unveiled exciting plans for Royal Beach Club Santorini, its first shoreside destination in Europe. Set to open in summer 2026, the club will welcome guests sailing on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises voyages.
The beach club experience will be combined with sightseeing options to the Greek island’s landmarks and cultural sites, creating the “Ultimate Santorini Day,” a nod to Royal Caribbean’s extremely popular Perfect Day at CocoCay experience that debuted in 2019 in the Bahamas.
Santorini is the latest in Royal Caribbean’s series of planned land-based destinations meant to enhance the cruise experience. Several Royal Beach Clubs are already in the works, with the first, Royal Beach Club Paradise Island in The Bahamas, slated to open in December 2025.
In addition to Santorini, the company in 2026 will open the Southernmost Hotel on Earth — The Cormorant at 55 South in Chile, and Royal Beach Club Cozumel in Mexico. Perfect Day Mexico, in Costa Maya, will open in 2027 followed by Royal Beach Club Lelepa (Vanuatu), in 2028.
Royal Caribbean also operates a private destination in Labadee, Haiti, although it remains closed due to civil unrest on the island.
“Expanding our Royal Beach Club Collection to include Santorini – one of the world’s most popular and beautiful locations – is a bold step forward in growing our vacation portfolio from two to eight by 2028, giving guests more ways to have unforgettable experiences with us,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group.
“We’re thrilled to connect guests with Santorini’s gems – from its iconic villages to the Aegean Sea’s famous beach club culture – creating a balanced, authentic island experience,” Liberty added.
Royal Caribbean’s announcement does not indicate what the cost will be to visit Royal Beach Club Santorini, if any, or to book the Ultimate Day Santorini island sightseeing tour.
It does state, however, that the Ultimate Day Santorini experience will have three starting points on the island, which the company believes will ease tourist congestion in the destination as guests will fan out from various locations.
Santorini has become overrun by cruise passengers in the post-pandemic years, with as many as 17,000 arriving in a single day.
Roughly 1.3 million cruise guests typically arrive each year on upward of 800 cruise ships that call at the island, which is famed for its turquoise waters, white-washed buildings, and iconic cultural sites.
In fact, Santorini and nearby Mykonos in 2025 began charging cruise guests an arrivals fee to help manage the flow of tourists and address infrastructure and environmental impacts that high numbers of visitors cause.
In high season, the cost is €20 (approximately $22), with lower fees charged in the shoulder and low seasons.
Multiple Ships Will Call at Santorini As Beach Club Opens
While Royal Caribbean Group has not yet disclosed the specific location or an opening date for Royal Beach Club Santorini, those details are expected soon, and guests can choose from a variety of sailings that will call at the destination.
Several Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises’ ships will visit Santorini in summer 2026, including Explorer of the Seas, sailing roundtrip from Ravenna on multiple dates, and Odyssey of the Seas, which will be based in Rome and offering Eastern Mediterranean voyages.
A 7-night “Greece & Adriatic Cruise” departing on August 22, 2026 aboard Explorer of the Seas calls at Athens, Santorini, and Split, Croatia, for instance.
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With Celebrity Cruises, guests can book a “Greece, Malta & Turkey Cruise” aboard its newest ship, Celebrity Xcel, on dates in July and August 2026. The voyages, from Barcelona to Athens, call at Valletta, Malta, Santorini, and Kusadasi, Turkey.
Celebrity Ascent will also be based in the Mediterranean, sailing cruises round-trip from Rome that feature calls to Santorini.
