Carnival’s Princess Cruises, Holland America are set to restart U.S. cruises this summer
Cruises from Seattle to Alaska are set to return this summer after federal lawmakers cleared the way for sailings that have been on hold since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
Carnival Corporation on Thursday announced that three of its cruise lines — Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and Holland America Line — will begin seven-day excursions from Seattle, Washington, to Alaska in July.
Proof of vaccination will be required, the companies said Thursday. Decisions about masks, social distancing and precise quarantine procedures are still to come.
Cruise ships became early emblems of the pandemic when outbreaks aboard ships last year stranded crews and passengers on board for weeks. This spring, the CDC has been working on guidelines to allow cruise ships to resume operations.
For Seattle-Alaska sailings, the Port of Seattle will craft agreements with the cruise companies outlining safety protocols, including arrangements in the event of an outbreak on board “so it’s not a burden on the local government and community resources,” said Stephanie Jones Stebbins, the Port of Seattle’s maritime director.
The resumption of sailing is made possible by the recent passage of the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act, which will temporarily allow cruise lines to bypass Canada.
Many large cruise lines run ships that are registered outside the United States, and because of that are typically required to stop at a foreign port when traveling between two U.S. ports. (Cruise critics say the companies register outside the country to avoid taxes, labor laws and environmental regulations.)
With Canada closed to cruise ships, that rule stood in the way of Seattle-to-Alaska trips.After passage in the U.S. Senate last week, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the fix Thursday. The news set off a string of cruise lines announcing their plans to resume sailing to Alaska.
“We are excited to once again serve our guests from the U.S., and we express our deep gratitude to all national, state and local officials who have worked collaboratively with us, the CDC and our entire industry to make this possible,” said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation, in a statement.
Princess Cruises will resume operations in Alaska starting July 25 through September 26, with seven-day cruises onboard the Majestic Princess. Visits to Glacier Bay National Park, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan are scheduled.
Holland America Line will resume its cruise operations to Alaska with seven-day itineraries aboard Nieuw Amsterdam. The first cruise for the brand is scheduled to depart July 24, with 10 Saturday departures that are set through Oct. 2.
Carnival Cruise Line has already opened Alaska sailings departing from Seattle beginning July 27, with weekly departures through Sept. 14 aboard Carnival Miracle. There are seven 7-day cruises; an 8-day cruise begins Sept. 14.
Norwegian Cruise Line has also started selling tickets for August sailings from Seattle to Alaska, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean Group, which includes Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea, said the company would release more details soon, but “we couldn’t be more excited to sail in Alaska this summer.”
Carnival Cruise Line is also working to finalize its plans to operate Carnival Horizon from Miami, in addition to Carnival Vista and Carnival Breeze from Galveston in July, the company said.
This story was originally published May 20, 2021 at 8:38 PM.
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