Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, and Carnival Cruise Line are planning to operate one ship per line for a short season in Alaska that will begin the third week of July.
The cruises will be available for those guests with a final dose of an approved Covid-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior to the sailing. Crews will be vaccinated, and the goal is to have a 95 percent vaccination rate onboard.
From July 25 through Sept. 26, Princess Cruises will operate the Majestic Princess on seven-day itineraries visiting signature ports, glaciers and attractions including Glacier By National Park, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan.
Holland America Line will have seven-day sailings onboard Nieuw Amsterdam – with port calls in Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Sitkam and Ketchikan, with Glacier Bay included. The first departure is scheduled for July 24, and the ship will have 10 departures from Seattle through Oct. 2.
Carnival Cruise Line will have departures from Seattle starting July 27, through Sept. 14. The Carnival Miracle 7-day cruises will stop in Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan, and include Tracy Arm.
Norwegian Cruise Lines is selling four Seattle-based sailings on the Norwegian Blisss, starting Saturday, Aug. 7 and with the final sailing on Sept. 4.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a statement following the announcements.
“This is great news for anyone hoping to experience the rugged beauty of the Last Frontier. I thank our partners in the cruise ship industry for their commitment to Alaska and our local economies. This announcement signals a hopeful new chapter for the dozens of communities and tens of thousands of Alaskans who rely on cruise industry partners to help them share Alaska with the world,” he said.
The cruise industry has a combined direct and indirect impact of $3 billion to the state’s gross product. In 2019, a record 1.36 million passengers came to Alaska via cruise ship.
Dunleavy has launched a major national campaign to lure people to Alaska this year.
