Top 5 destinations to explore on a Royal Caribbean cruise

Is a Royal Caribbean cruise on your travel wishlist? You’ll have plenty of choices when it comes time to select an itinerary.

As the largest cruise line in the world by passenger capacity, Royal Caribbean offers voyages to nearly every corner of the globe, from its North American base to the distant shores of Australia and New Zealand.

Royal Caribbean boasts more cruise ships than any other major line — a total of 28. This extensive fleet enables the line to cover all the popular cruise routes in regions like the Caribbean, Europe, and Alaska while still having ships available for more unique destinations.

That said, Royal Caribbean primarily focuses on the Caribbean and Europe, the top choices for its loyal clientele. During a typical summer, the line usually deploys around half of its ships to the Caribbean, Bahamas, and Bermuda, while sending another seven or eight to Europe. Additionally, four ships typically sail to Alaska each summer.

In the winter months, the cruise line will relocate an even greater number of its ships to the Caribbean, with a few also heading to Asia and Australia.

Overall, Royal Caribbean's fleet visits over 300 ports globally. Here are five of the premier destinations accessible via a Royal Caribbean cruise.

The Caribbean and the Bahamas

There's a reason "Caribbean" is part of Royal Caribbean's name. The company began its journey in 1968 by offering cruises to the Caribbean, a region that continues to be a major focus of its operations.

In reality, the cruise line often assigns more than half of its fleet to the Caribbean and the Bahamas for part of the year. Throughout the winter season, the majority of its ships will be based in this region. For the upcoming winter of 2024-2025, for example, 23 out of 28 vessels will be operating in the Caribbean and Bahamas, featuring all of the line's largest ships. This includes the highly anticipated new ship Icon of the Seas — the largest cruise ship in existence — along with the recently launched Utopia of the Seas.

Utopia of the Seas has notably started service on short itineraries to the Bahamas — a unique choice for a brand-new vessel.

Royal Caribbean provides a wide array of Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries from more than seven home ports. If you're after a brief getaway, the line offers numerous quick, three- and four-night cruises from Florida ports to the Bahamas (including the Utopia of the Seas sailings). Additionally, there are plenty of seven-night voyages to various Caribbean and Bahamas destinations, along with a select number of longer journeys that range from nine to 14 nights.

Central to the line's Caribbean and Bahamas offerings are its seven-night cruises, which can be categorized into three main types:

• Eastern Caribbean voyages
• Western Caribbean voyages
• Southern Caribbean voyages

A standard seven-night Royal Caribbean cruise in the Eastern Caribbean typically features stops at St. Martin, St. Thomas, and Perfect Day at CocoCay, the line's exclusive island in the Bahamas. However, the itinerary can occasionally include other destinations like Puerto Rico or St. Kitts. Generally, there are three to four port calls during an Eastern Caribbean cruise.

On Royal Caribbean's seven-night Western Caribbean itineraries, you can expect three or four stops at a variety of popular destinations, which may include Mexico (Cozumel or Costa Maya), Honduras, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Belize. Some voyages may also visit Perfect Day at CocoCay and Labadee, the cruise line's private beach in Haiti.

The line's seven-night Southern Caribbean routes are more focused on exploration, often featuring five or six port stops. While they may include a couple of northern islands like St. Thomas and St. Martin, the itineraries primarily highlight southern destinations such as Tobago, Trinidad, Grenada, St. Vincent, Dominica, St. Lucia, Bonaire, Aruba, and Curacao.

For Caribbean sailings, Royal Caribbean ships typically depart from PortMiami, Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades, and Tampa in Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico; New Orleans; Galveston, Texas; Bayonne, New Jersey (serving New York City); and Baltimore.

The cruise line recently introduced its first-ever Caribbean sailings from Barbados, although there are currently no additional voyages scheduled from this island.

Australia and New Zealand

For many years, Royal Caribbean has been dispatching at least one ship — and often more — to Australia each winter. It provides a diverse array of itineraries from Sydney and Brisbane, with stops not only around Australia but also in New Zealand.

The itineraries available in this region vary in duration — from as short as two nights to as long as 15 nights — with the shorter trips mainly targeting local Australians seeking a quick escape. Among North American travelers, the longer journeys tend to be the most sought after, frequently emphasizing destinations in New Zealand.

Among the various New Zealand itineraries are 12-night cruises departing from Sydney that include an all-New Zealand lineup of ports: Bay of Islands, Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch, and Picton.

A 15-night New Zealand cruise from Sydney offers scenic navigation through the famous Milford Sound, as well as Doubtful Sound and Dusky Sound. The ship also makes stops in Dunedin, Wellington, Christchurch, Tauranga, Auckland, and the Bay of Islands.

Alaska

While Royal Caribbean isn't the largest player in Alaska cruises, with Princess Cruises and Holland America dominating the market as sister lines, it still maintains a notable presence in Alaska. Its large, activity-filled ships are especially popular among families eager to explore the region.

The Alaska cruise season is brief, typically running from May to September. This year, Royal Caribbean has deployed four ships in the region, all operating seven-night itineraries.

• Ovation of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas: These sister ships, each accommodating 4,180 passengers, are Royal Caribbean's newest and largest vessels visiting Alaska. They sail round-trip from Seattle, stopping at Alaskan ports like Sitka, Juneau, and Skagway, as well as Victoria, British Columbia. Many departures also include a visit to Endicott Arm for glacier viewing.
• Brilliance of the Seas: This 2,142-passenger ship departs from Vancouver for a round-trip to Alaska, featuring a visit to Tracy Arm Fjord and three or four stops at destinations such as Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Haines, Icy Strait Point, and Sitka.
• Radiance of the Seas: With a capacity of 2,143 passengers, Radiance of the Seas primarily offers one-way sailings between Vancouver and Seward, Alaska, making stops at Hubbard Glacier and four of the following destinations: Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Skagway, and Sitka.

For the 2025 season, Royal Caribbean plans to replace Ovation of the Seas with Anthem of the Seas (which are similar ships) and swap out Radiance of the Seas for Serenade of the Seas (also similar).

The allure of the one-way itineraries on Radiance of the Seas in 2024 and Serenade of the Seas in 2025 is that they can be paired with Royal Caribbean-organized land tours in Alaska. These land tours can extend from two to five days in addition to the seven nights aboard the ship, resulting in a comprehensive nine- to 12-night "cruise tour," as these combined trips are known in the cruise industry.

The land tour component of these trips includes visits to iconic interior Alaska sites such as Denali National Park and the town of Fairbanks.

Europe

Royal Caribbean has a strong presence in Europe, offering a diverse selection of itineraries throughout the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.

Some of the line's signature Mediterranean routes allow travelers to visit iconic destinations like Barcelona, Spain, along with the Italian cities of Florence, Rome, and Naples all within one cruise. Alternatively, you can choose a Mediterranean voyage focused specifically on the enchanting Greek Islands.

In Northern Europe, Royal Caribbean will take you to renowned Baltic cities such as Stockholm, Tallinn, Estonia, Helsinki, and St. Petersburg, Russia, all on a single journey (though currently, St. Petersburg has been excluded from Royal Caribbean's itineraries due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine). There are also itineraries that specifically explore the stunning Norwegian fjords.

Until recently, the cruise line deployed as many as 10 ships to the region each year on a seasonal basis, with operations running from spring through fall. However, due to the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, Royal Caribbean has reduced its European sailings and plans to send only six ships to Europe for the 2025 season.

Royal Caribbean's European voyages vary in duration, ranging from three to 16 nights.

One of the longest itineraries offered by Royal Caribbean in Europe is a 16-night cruise from Barcelona to Southampton, England, which includes stops in Valencia, Cartagena, and Malaga in Spain; Casablanca and Agadir in Morocco; Lisbon and Porto in Portugal; Cork in Ireland; and Cherbourg and Le Havre in France.

In Northern Europe, Royal Caribbean primarily departs from ports in Southampton, England; Amsterdam; and Copenhagen, Denmark.

In the Mediterranean, the line's main hubs are Piraeus, Greece (serving Athens); Istanbul, Turkey; Barcelona; and Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) and Ravenna in Italy, with Ravenna recently taking the place of Venice as a home port.

Asia

In recent years, Royal Caribbean has developed a significant business offering cruises from Chinese ports like Shanghai and Tianjin (the port for Beijing), specifically targeting the Chinese market. These cruises feature Chinese-language programming, as well as food and activities centered around Chinese culture. However, Royal Caribbean also promotes some Asian voyages to North American travelers.

Among the itineraries designed for a Western audience are nine-night cruises through Thailand and Vietnam, departing from Singapore and making stops at Bintan Island in Indonesia, Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, and Bangkok.

Additionally, there are 10-night Japan Explorer sailings that visit Aomori, Hakodate, Akita, Kanazawa, Sakaiminato, and Kagoshima in Japan, along with Busan in South Korea.

In 2025, Royal Caribbean will deploy three of its 28 ships to Asia for at least part of the year: Anthem of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, and Spectrum of the Seas.

The primary home ports in Asia for cruises targeting North American travelers are Singapore, Yokohama, Japan (serving Tokyo), and Hong Kong.

Bottom line

Royal Caribbean boasts one of the largest fleets of oceangoing cruise ships in the world, enabling it to offer a diverse array of itineraries. If you're considering a Royal Caribbean cruise, you'll have plenty of options to choose from. The line is particularly renowned for its Caribbean sailings — during certain seasons, nearly all of its ships are allocated to this region. You'll also discover fantastic Royal Caribbean itineraries spanning from Alaska and Australia to Europe and Asia.