Radiance of the Seas Begins Year-Round Cruises From Tampa
After early four- and five-night Cozumel and Costa Maya runs, Radiance shifts in November to seven-night voyages reaching Belize, Honduras and the Cayman Islands.
Royal Caribbean International’s Radiance of the Seas has begun a year-round deployment from Port Tampa Bay, moving from a Fort Lauderdale winter program of short Bahamas cruises to four- and five-night Western Caribbean sailings from Florida’s Gulf coast. The 2,142-passenger ship is scheduled to remain based in Tampa through at least late April 2028, with longer itineraries added from November.
The deployment puts Radiance alongside Enchantment of the Seas as Royal Caribbean’s year-round ships in Tampa. Port Tampa Bay handled a record 1.66 million cruise passengers and 368 ship calls in 2025 and is tracking toward 1.8 million passengers and 394 calls in 2026.
Short cruises lead into weeklong Western Caribbean sailings
Radiance is operating four- and five-night cruises through early November, pairing one or two days at sea with calls in Mexico, including Cozumel and Costa Maya. The schedule then shifts to seven-night Western Caribbean voyages reaching Mexico, the Cayman Islands, Belize and Honduras, with ports including George Town, Belize City, Cozumel and Roatan.
A seven-night Christmas sailing will combine Mexico and the Bahamas, including a call at Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island destination. In early 2027, the ship’s Tampa schedule adds a mix of six- to eight-night Western Caribbean itineraries before returning to four- and five-night Cozumel and Costa Maya cruises in May 2027.
Radiance enters Tampa service after drydock work
Radiance of the Seas entered service on April 7, 2001, as the first ship in Royal Caribbean’s Radiance class. Meyer Werft built the vessel in Papenburg, Germany. It is listed at 90,090 gross tons and 961 feet in length, with 1,061 cabins and a crew of 858.
The ship spent more than two weeks in drydock in Grand Bahama earlier this year for technical work and routine maintenance. Over its 25 years in service, Radiance has operated in deployment regions including Alaska, Hawaii, the Pacific Northwest, Europe, South America, Australia, the Caribbean and Central America.
Royal Caribbean’s Tampa lineup also includes Jewel of the Seas, which is scheduled to arrive for the 2026-27 winter season. The broader cruise roster at Port Tampa Bay includes Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line, Margaritaville at Sea and Celebrity Cruises, in addition to Royal Caribbean.
Port Tampa Bay faces heavier terminal use
The Radiance deployment comes during a busier period for Tampa’s cruise terminals. The port recorded 51 cruise ship visits in March 2026, its highest monthly total, and expects 53 “three-ship days” this year, when all three cruise terminals operate simultaneously, compared with roughly 20 in prior years.
Annual cruise activity generates more than $648 million in regional economic impact, and the port has already turned away requests for additional ships during peak seasons because of capacity limits. Port Tampa Bay plans to complete a new cruise terminal by October 2029, with projected capacity for more than 200 additional annual ship calls, $100 million in added economic impact and up to 1 million more passengers each year.
See current Radiance of the Seas fares and itineraries on Cruise Lookup.
