Royal Caribbean International will sail the Serenade and Ovation of the Seas in Alaska this summer.

“Any traveler who visits Alaska immediately understands how special it is, given its natural beauty, the welcoming locals, and the culture carefully preserved over centuries,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “The past year has been a challenging time for us all, and the Alaskan communities heavily reliant on cruise tourism have felt it deeply. 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.”

The Serenade of the Seas will start cruising in July from Seattle with the Ovation set to follow in August.

The Serenade will begin cruising in July. The week-long itinerary features a lineup ports of call, including Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Icy Strait Point, Alaska, as well as the jaw-dropping Endicott Arm fjord and Dawes Glacier.

The Ovation follows suit in August cruising to Glacier National Park, the Inside Passage and calling in Juneau and Skagway. 

All crew members and guests 16 years of age or older will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and everyone 12 or older as of August 1. Those underage will receive a test prior to sailing.

The news follows sister brand Celebrity Cruises announcing a July restart in Alaska, plus three Carnival Corp. brands heading into Alaska, also in July.

The news comes as the U.S. House of Representatives has unanimously passed the Alaska Tourism Recovery Act that will allow cruise ships to bypass required stops in Canadian ports. The U.S. Senate passed the bill last week that was the work of Alaskan Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan. Now the bill moves to the White House and President Joe Biden for his signature.