Cruises to Alaska: 2021
The past two weeks have seen a host of positive cruise news. Cruises departing from US ports are now set to sail as early as next month, but, nearly most excitingly there were a number of major cruise lines announcing cruising restart plans in Alaska. These announcements have come on the heels of the Alaskan Tourism Restoration Act being passed by Congress and has now been signed into law by the President. Here we’ve compiled the complete list of cruises to Alaska 2021 – which all happen to be Alaska cruises from Seattle including cruises from Carnival, Holland America Line, Princess, Norwegian, Celebrity, and Royal Caribbean.
All of the voyages thus far announced will utilize Seattle as a homeport and will call along the southeast corridor of Alaska. While the itineraries offered by the various cruise lines have some differences they seem to all be calling at 3-4 ports as well as a day of scenic cruising at one of the nearby glaciers.
Cruises to Alaska had been put on hold for larger cruise ships and all foreign flagged cruise ships, in part because of the pandemic and CDC regulations relating to the pandemic, but largely due to restrictions set forth by the Canadian government that they would not allow foreign flagged vessels to call in Canadian ports until 2022. This didn’t just affect cruises out of Vancouver, but also Alaska cruises from Seattle because of the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) (often referred to as the Jones Act which is similar but not quite the same). The Act that was passed, the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act, for the purposes of cruising, takes away the requirements of the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) that requires non-US flagged vessels to call in a foreign port before returning to the US.
These announcements by cruise lines also come after the start of a massive vaccination effort by cruise lines to get their crew vaccinated. Vaccination efforts are underway for crew on ships having been anchored near US waters, with crews getting vaccinated in Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and Galveston.
The CDC has also issued updated restrictions – and in a surprising turn, a relaxation of restrictions – for cruisers. This includes loosened mask rules, and much more leniency for vaccinated passengers and crew.
What Cruises Are Restarting in Alaska this Summer?
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Holland America Line:
Holland America Line was among the first out of the gate with their announcement that it will be offering week long cruises onboard Signature Class ship, Nieuw Amsterdam, starting on July 24th through the end of September.
Based on the company’s announcement it is expected that the cruise line will follow CDC guidance allowing for cruises to begin without first having test cruises by way of vaccination. This guidance requires 98% of crew and 95% of passengers to be fully vaccinated prior to sailing.
According to the company announcement passengers will be required to have been fully vaccinated – meaning they received their final dose of their vaccine two weeks prior to departure. As of now the company website shows guests being required to be on shore excursions to go ashore. However, this may end up being a decision based on the local government guidelines – in some ports guests may have to be on company shore excursions while in other ports they may be free to explore on their own. Further guidance on this is expected in the next few months.
The cruise will sail an “Alaskan Explorer” itinerary will be sailing roundtrip out of Seattle and calling at such popular Alaskan ports as Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Ketchikan, and Sitka. There will also be a call into beautiful Glacier Bay National Park for scenic glacier cruising. Taking out the port of call in Victoria (that would usually be associated with this kind of itinerary) should allow for slightly longer days in some of these ports of call.
The company has selected their vessel the Nieuw Amsterdam to run these itineraries. Debuting in 2009 as the first in the Signature Class, and holds 2,106 guests.
Ship: Nieuw Amsterdam
Departure Port: Seattle, WA
Itinerary: One week, Saturday Departures
Ports: Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Ketchikan, Sitka, Glacier Bay National Park
Pricing: On sale now, starting at $799 pp/double occupancy.
Vaccination Required: Yes
Shore Excursion Required to Go Ashore?: No, based on their referenced “Travel Well” guidelines.
Princess Cruises:
Sister line to Holland America Line, Princess announced their return to Alaska the same day. Also sailing from Seattle roundtrip, Princess will offer week long cruises on their Royal Class ship, Majestic Princess. These cruises will call in ports Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, as well as a day of glacier gazing at Glacier Bay National Park from July 25th through September 26th, 2021.
The Majestic Princess originally debuted in 2017, and holds 3,560 guests. The Princess Cruises fleet is all Medallion Class enabled, and the Majestic Princess holds true to this. Princess has been ahead of the pack with it’s use of technology onboard with wearable medallions used for everything from opening your stateroom to on-demand food, beverage, and retail items delivered anywhere on the ship.
Protocols announced by the company are consistent with others in the region and will follow the CDC’s guidance and protocols of vaccinated passengers and crew.
Ship: Majestic Princess
Departure Port: Seattle, WA
Itinerary: One week, Sunday Departures
Beginning: July 25th, 2021
Ports: Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan
Scenic Cruising: Glacier Bay National Park
Vaccination Required: Yes
Shore Excursions Required to Go Ashore: Guests are not required to be on a shore excursion when going ashore, as per their FAQ section of their website. However, there are all sorts of caveats reserving the right to deny re-boarding if you aren’t complying with local and/or ship regulations. If you do want to go on a shore excursion, there are a lot of shore excursions available.
Royal Caribbean:
Royal Caribbean has also joined the growing list of cruise lines announcing restarts in Alaska this summer. They will be offering two ships in Alaska, with their Radiance Class ship, Serenade of the Seas, as well as what will be the largest ship in the region for the summer, the Quantum-Class ship, Ovation of the Seas.
Each ship will be offering week long itineraries out of Seattle. Itineraries on Serenade of the Seas for some itineraries will include Sitka, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Ketchikan, and scenic cruising at Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier. Other itineraries omit Icy Strait Point.
Ovation of the Seas itineraries will include port calls in Juneau, Sitka, and Skagway with scenic cruising at Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier. Notably the itineraries for Ovation of the Seas also mention scenic cruising the Inside Passage whereas the other itineraries do not.
Serenade of the Seas is a much smaller and more intimate vessel than her counterpart, carrying 2,490 passengers. She is part of the Radiance-class of ships, debuting in 2003.
The Ovation of the Seas debuted as part of Royal Caribbean’s Quantum-class of ships in 2016 and holds 4,180-4905 guests. This makes her the largest ship sailing in the region for the summer.
Ship: Serenade of the Seas
Departure Port: Seattle, WA
Itinerary: One week, Monday Departures, starting July 19, 2021
Ports: Sitka, *Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Ketchikan, Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier
Pricing: Starting at $582/person, double occupancy (this is for an end of season sailing).
Vaccination Required: Yes, for guests over 16. After August 1st, 2021 all US guests 12 and older will need to be vaccinated.
*not on all itineraries
Ship: Ovation of the Seas
Departure Port: Seattle, WA
Itinerary: One week, Friday Departures, starting August 13, 2021
Ports: Juneau, Sitka, Skagway, & Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier
Pricing: On sale now, starting at $749/person, double occupancy (September sailing)
Vaccination Required: Yes, for guests over 12.
Celebrity:
Celebrity Cruises has also announced a ship to be sailing in the region over the summer. Sailing onboard the Millennium Class ship, Celebrity Millennium (previously scheduled on Celebrity Summit), these itineraries will all be offered roundtrip out of Seattle and will call in Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway.
The Celebrity Millennium was built as a Panamax style ship and as such is long and lean. She holds 2,158 passengers at double occupancy, was built in 2001, and underwent extensive refurbishment in 2019.
Ship: Celebrity Millennium
Departure Port: Seattle, WA
Itinerary: One week, Friday Departures
Beginning: July 23rd, 2021
Ports: Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway
Pricing: $899/person, double occupancy.
Vaccination Required: Yes, for guests over 16. After August 1st, 2021 all US guests 12 and older will need to be vaccinated.
Shore Excursions Required To Go Ashore?: This is written out on their website as being port dependent and based on local guidelines. So, in some ports it might be required while other ports will allow guests to explore on their own, provided they wear a mask while indoors.
Carnival Cruise Line:
Not to be left out, Carnival cruise line has joined the Alaska party with it’s Spirit-class ship, the Carnival Miracle. Also a Panamax ship, she is long and lean with a high percentage of staterooms offering private verandahs and accommodating 2,124 guests. Originally built in 2003 she was most recently extensively refurbished in 2015.
Carnival is also notably going to be restarting cruises out of Texas and Florida beginning on July 3rd and July 4th with additional ships joining on as we continue into fall.
Ship: Carnival Miracle
Departure Port: Seattle, WA
Itinerary: One week, Tuesday Departures
Beginning: July 27th, 2021
Ports: Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan
Scenic Cruising: Tracy Arm Fjord
Pricing: From $929/person, double occupancy.
Vaccination Required: Yes.
Shore Excursions Required to Go Ashore?: Quite possibly. The website is a bit ambiguous on this. The section about going ashore says that you do, but in the portion specific to Alaska it sites that it will follow all local guidelines. Seems like over the next 2 months prior to sailing those requirements might be more straightforward.
Norwegian Cruise Line:
Norwegian Cruise Line has also announced cruises to start in Alaska. They will be utilizing their ship the Norwegian Encore (previously scheduled for Norwegian Bliss). The Encore initially entered service in 2018 and holds a whopping 3,998 passengers. This makes her the second largest ship sailing in the region this summer, trailing behind Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas for the title. She is a Breakaway-Plus class of ships.
Ship: Norwegian Encore
Departure Port: Seattle, WA
Itinerary: One week, Saturday Departures
Beginning: August 7, 2021
Ports: Ketchikan, Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Skagway
Scenic Cruising: Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier
Pricing: Starting at $804 double occupancy (if you wait until September price drops as low as $604!)
Vaccination Required: Yes.
Shore Excursions: Currently not many listed for the August cruises, but quite a few listed for the September voyages. Most likely they are working on finalizing availability for these excursions.
Silversea:
Silversea is popping into the Alaska mix for a luxury option. Luxury cruises are a totally different type of cruise and are absolutely spectacular to enjoy. Sailings will be offered on their ship, the Silver Muse. Silversea, like most luxury cruise lines, operate smaller vessels than their mainstream contemporary counterparts. The Silver Muse only holds 596 passengers.
These sailings will be roundtrip out of Seattle, but will be longer than one week voyages.
Ship: Silver Muse
Departure Port: Seattle, WA
Itinerary: Alternating 10 and 11 day itineraries
Beginning: July 29, 2021
Ports: Wrangell, Sitka, Juneau, Skagway
Scenic Cruising: Tracy Arm
Pricing: $7,800 per person, but it includes roundtrip airfare.
Vaccination Required: Yes.
Shore Excursions: Plenty listed on their website and fully vaccinated guests (meaning everyone on board) can go ashore independently.
Wondering about cruising to Alaska? Check out this post on How to Pick Your Alaskan Cruise. While not all of this post will correspond to these newly announced cruises it will give you an idea of what to expect from a southeast Alaskan cruise.
Other Considerations of Cruising to Alaska Restarts
In years past Alaskan cruises have also called out of US ports such as San Francisco. There had been a provision in the CDC’s Framework for Conditional Sale Order limiting cruise voyages to one week in length – this makes it impractical to sail from San Francisco to Alaska with the additional sea days involved. However, that was also recently changed and with that change it’s possible that we will see a few voyages popping up out of San Francisco. At this late in the game it is maybe not that likely, but it is possible.
Vaccine Availability Will Play a Roll in How Many Ships Restart
The majority of the cruise lines sailing will be requiring guests to be fully vaccinated – meaning two weeks after their final shot of an approved COVID vaccine. There is also a requirement under this pathway to restart that requires nearly all crew members to be vaccinated, too. For anyone receiving a vaccine requiring two shots this likely means 5-6 weeks to be considered fully vaccinated.
So, if the entire complement of the crew was currently onboard a ship and they all received the first shot today that already takes the “fully vaccinated” date through to July 5th. As the ships aren’t fully crewed right now – and honestly, with the protocols in place and the quarantine requirements for newly embarked, non-vaccinated crew, it’s impractical for a ship to bring back and entire ships complement at the same time. This means that the cruise lines will be aggressively working to get their onboard crews vaccinated as well as either ensuring the crew joining the ship are already vaccinated or will be within that window.
The percentage of vaccinated crew set by the CDC for this pathway is 98%. This will allow, going forward, that if there is a new crew member joining the ship that isn’t vaccinated, they could possibly quarantine for the required days (typically 14), and then get vaccinated over the course of their contract. However, to put it in perspective, if there are 1000 crew members onboard, that means that 980 of them need to be fully vaccinated for the ship to operate. That’s a big undertaking! So, cruise lines can’t restart everything all at once for likely a few operational reasons, but among these is definitely the availability of fully vaccinated crew. Sad but real bonus – this is actually a pathway for crew members from certain countries where vaccination efforts are slower to get a vaccine sooner. So, win-win?
Will These Alaskan Cruises Actually Sail in 2021?
So many people have gotten their hopes up about various cruises only to have those dreams shattered by cancellation after cancellation. These voyages, like other voyages announced in the UK and parts of Europe, are a bit different than that because they were designed specifically with COVID regulations in mind. Other voyages that have been cancelled tended to be ones that existed on various schedules before the pandemic hit and shut downs and cancellations became part of our everyday lives. They were cruises that called in a variety of countries and well, at this point hindsight would show that they were completely dreaming.
There will still be more cruises that are currently scheduled cancelled – cruises to countries that haven’t yet opened their borders or countries that aren’t quite sure what their vaccination protocols will be for cruisers. However, those cruises that were specifically designed, scheduled, and created with COVID protocols and requirements in mind are very likely to go ahead. Is it 100%? No, but then again during normal times technically a cruise isn’t 100% guaranteed to happen, so, make sure you get some good travel insurance and go from there.
Are Cruises to Alaska in 2021 a Good Thing?
Absolutely! This Alaskan Cruise Restart is fantastic news all around. For the cruise industry, for all of the passengers that are watching the UK cruises going and wanting a chance to go themselves, for crew that have been waiting to get called back to work for months (and some much needed change of scenery for those that have been onboard sitting at anchor for months at a time), and not least of which for the people and businesses of southeast Alaska. It’s a bit hard to fathom how much the cruise industry contributes to these towns if you haven’t been, but it is absolutely massive.
Are you thinking of cruising to Alaska this summer? Check out available cruises on www.cruisedirect.com (affiliate)
