Royal Caribbean to sail first Black Sea cruises

By Tom Stieghorst

Royal Caribbean International said it will transfer the Rhapsody of the Seas in the summer of 2015 from Alaska to Europe to offer its first Black Sea itineraries.

Rhapsody will offer three roundtrip sailings, 10 and 11 days in duration, from Istanbul. It will make maiden port calls at Burgas, Bulgaria; Odessa, Yalta and Sevastapol, Ukraine; and Sochi, Russia, with overnight stays in Odessa, Sochi and Istanbul.

From July to mid-November Rhapsody will sail seven- to 11-day Greece and Turkey itineraries from Rome.

Replacing Rhapsody in Alaska for the 2015 season will be the slightly larger Jewel of the Seas, which will join Radiance of the Seas in that market.

In total, eight Royal Caribbean ships will sail in Europe for the summer of 2015.