| Royal Caribbean returns to Alaska

ROYAL Caribbean International will return to Alaska during the northern summer, with Serenade of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas (pictured) to begin sailing from Seattle in Jul and Aug.

The seven-night cruises, roundtrip from Washington, will begin 19 Jul and 17 Aug aboard Serenade and Ovation respectively, with cruises available to book now.

Serenade will sail roundtrip from Seattle, as opposed to its previously scheduled homeport in Vancouver, to a lineup of popular ports of call, including Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Icy Strait Point, as well as Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier.

Ovation will offer a different perspective, taking in the sights of Glacier National Park, the Inside Passage, Juneau and Skagway.

All crew members and vacationers 16 years of age or older will be fully vaccinated against coronavirus, with everyone 12 or older required to be jabbed beginning Aug.

Those under the vaccination age will receive a test prior to sailing.

“The past year has been a challenging time for us all, and the Alaskan communities heavily reliant on cruise tourism have felt it deeply,” said President & Chief Executive Officer Michael Bayley.

“To see the communities, industry and government successfully pass a solution that will help bring these communities back to life shows the great progress and clear paths we can make together.

“We are confident this is just the first part of our return to cruising from the U.S.”