This summer, Royal Caribbean Group will open Royal Beach Club Santorini, the company’s first beach club in Europe. The new location is in Vlychada, on the southern coast of Santorini, and will be integrated into the offering of Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises. The launch is part of a broader strategy in which cruise experiences are being expanded with exclusive land destinations, while also responding to increasing pressure on the island.
Visitor pressure as the starting point
Santorini is one of the most visited cruise destinations in Europe. In Oia and Fira in particular, visitor flows regularly become congested during peak days, with long cable car queues, heavy traffic, and extended waiting times for tenders. With the introduction of the Royal Beach Club, the aim is to better manage visitor flow and improve the cruise guest experience without increasing pressure on the island.
The beach club is deliberately designed on a smaller scale. In the initial phase, capacity is around 300 guests per day, with a potential expansion to approximately 900. This limitation is a conscious design and operational choice, intended to create a more controlled visitor flow within the wider Santorini network.
Ultimate Santorini Day as a distributed day concept
The beach club forms the central element of the Ultimate Santorini Day, an excursion combining three destinations: Oia, Fira, and the beach club itself. Guests are transferred via tenders to Athinios and then distributed by buses to different starting points. Depending on the selected time slot, the order may vary, with some visitors starting at the beach club and others in the villages.
The schedule is largely fixed, with an average of 3.5 hours at the beach club, 90 minutes in Oia, and 75 minutes in Fira. Alongside the standard route, variations include wine or olive oil tastings, or an option focused exclusively on the beach club.
Excursion prices range between €160 and €260 per person. For children, prices vary between €130 and €180.
A beach experience without a resort feel
The Royal Beach Club Santorini is designed as a simple beach experience without classic cruise branding or large-scale resort infrastructure. The focus is on the natural setting of a volcanic black sand beach, without pools or attractions.
The experience includes sunbeds, umbrellas, and towels, along with an all-inclusive offering featuring a hot and cold Greek buffet, snacks such as gyros, and a frozen yoghurt machine. Drinks such as draft beer, house wine, soft drinks, coffee, and water are included, as well as Wi-Fi, changing cabanas, and DJ music. The design is intentionally understated to visually blend with the landscape of Santorini.
Access is via tender transport to Athinios, followed by organized bus transfers to the various excursion starting points. The experience is fully integrated into the cruise program, with fixed time slots and variable routing depending on the ship.
Access for cruise guests and residents
The beach club is accessible to guests of Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises, as well as residents of Santorini. This creates a shared location for two distinct visitor groups, each operating under its own access system.
When no cruise ship is in port, the offering is adjusted: locals can visit the site at lower rates and under a simplified service model where drinks are offered à la carte and the full catering service is not active. During cruise calls, the full all-inclusive concept applies.
The Royal Beach Club Santorini is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For this summer, fixed pricing applies for local residents: €118 for adults, €62 for children up to 12 years old, and free entry for children under 3. Online bookings include an additional 8% platform fee.
Sustainability and local cooperation
The project is being developed on an existing site that is being fully renovated rather than newly built. Architecture and design are aligned with Santorini’s landscape, using sustainable materials and limiting visual impact.
Access to the beach and sea remains available for the local population, and surrounding infrastructure is being improved, including upgraded access roads.
Royal Caribbean Group links the development to broader environmental initiatives, including ocean conservation education programs on Santorini and Mykonos. Crew members also take part in beach cleanups on islands such as Rhodes. The environmental impact is continuously monitored.
The Royal Beach Club Santorini is part of an international rollout of land destinations, with projects in Mexico and the Pacific. Santorini serves as a European test case where tourism pressure, natural beauty, and infrastructure come together in a model of distributed and controlled visitation.
Pictures Royal Caribbean Group.
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