Cruise travelers sailing with Royal Caribbean will now be able to enjoy one of the most beautiful beaches on Santorini at the company’s first exclusive beach club in Europe.
The Royal Beach Club Santorini officially opened this week on Vlychada Beach, welcoming guests through paid, full-day shore excursions offered across the company’s Mediterranean itineraries. Access is exclusive to passengers sailing with Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises.
Several cruise ships are scheduled to call on Santorini in the coming months, including Legend of the Seas, Rhapsody of the Seas, and Brilliance of the Seas.
Set along Santorini’s southern coast, the beach club sits on an impressive stretch of volcanic shoreline known for its wind-carved cliffs and distinctive gray-black sand.
The company said the new beach club will not only showcase Santorini’s famous beach culture but also serve as an innovative approach to managing visitor flows on the island.
The project is also designed with destination management in mind. By offering excursions that begin from three different points on the island, Royal Caribbean aims to ease congestion in high-traffic areas while giving visitors more time to explore Santorini’s villages, beaches, and landmarks.
The signature “Ultimate Santorini Day” experience combines guided visits to Oia and Fira with leisure time at the beach club, all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink options, complimentary welcome drinks, and live DJ sets all day long.
“Santorini is an incredible destination that our guests love to explore,” Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International said last year when the plan as first announced. “With this new beach club, we’re bringing together the best of the island with the signature service Royal Caribbean is known for.”
The Santorini opening is part of Royal Caribbean Group’s broader expansion of its beach club portfolio, with additional locations planned in the Bahamas and Mexico.
Santorini was one of the leading 25 islands to discover by cruise in 2025. In 2023, cruise tourism in Greece contributed 2 billion euros to the domestic economy and 1 billion euros to GDP while supporting 22,600 jobs.
