Royal Caribbean Will Start Sailing Alaska in July

Royal Caribbean International will join its sister-brand Celebrity Cruises and a number of other cruise lines in returning to Alaska this July.

After news that the Senate had passed a measure that would allow U.S.-based cruise ships to sail to Alaska and bypass Transport Canada’s ban, Royal Caribbean on Friday announced that it would start sailing beginning on July 19 with Serenade of the Seas out of Seattle.

Serenade will sail a series of sailings with stops in Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point, Endicott Arm, and Dawes Glacier.

Serenade will then be joined by Ovation of the Seas starting on August 13, also from Seattle. That ship will sail an itinerary that includes stops at Glacier National park, Juneau, and Skagway.

Both ships are available for booking. All adults will need to be vaccinated for the July sailings and then, for the August sailings, all passengers above the age of 12 will need to be vaccinated.

“We are thrilled Alaskans will be able to welcome cruise visitors this year knowing how important the tourism industry is to the economy and the communities we visit. It’s been a tough year for everyone, but people clearly have pent-up demand to cruise again, and we can’t wait to get back to what we do best, delivering world-class vacations to our guests,” Royal Caribbean Group chairman and CEO Richard Fain said announcing the news.

“Our immense gratitude goes to Senators Murkowski and Sullivan and Congressman Young along with Governor Dunleavey, and the Alaska State Legislature for making this reality happen.”

All of the new sailings still depend on final approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), however, cruise line executives have said they are confident they would receive approval in time for the July restart dates.