ALASKA GUIDE Norwegian Sky in Seattle


SEATTLE W


Sailing from


ith nearly 60 cruise ships steaming up and down the Inside


Passage between Alaska, Canada and the rest of the US each summer, clients heading to the 49th state are spoilt for choice. Big and small vessels, luxury craft and expedition ships are all in the mix and the variety of itineraries is huge. Many are one-week sailings


round-trip from Seattle in the US or Vancouver in Canada (Carnival Cruise Line and Princess Cruises also have sailings from San Francisco; additionally, Princess Cruises has two departures from Los Angeles). There are also one-way cruises


from Vancouver to Seward or Whittier in Alaska that clients can add to pre or post-cruise land tours. For those wanting to spend longer afloat, there are 10-night, fortnight


and even three-week voyages. All prices are per person. Seattle has a lot to thank


Norwegian Cruise Line for. It was the first company to homeport a ship there when it brought Norwegian Sky in 1998. Fast forward to 2025 and eight lines are homeporting here, with an expected 299 cruise ship calls and nearly two million passengers. Those numbers will rise in 2026 as


Virgin Voyages and MSC Cruises make their Alaska debuts with sailings on newest ship Brilliant Lady and MSC Poesia respectively. From May to September, the former will offer 17 Alaska sailings of seven to 12 nights that include the Tracy Arm Fjord, while the latter’s week-long cruises to Ketchikan, Juneau and Icy Strait Point start from £739 with tips. New this year, Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth is cruising from


Royal Caribbean International will have two ships in Alaska this year


Seattle for the first time. Seven to 11-night sailings between June and September call into Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, Sitka and Victoria in British Columbia, and include scenic glacier cruising. From £2,199 cruise-only for 11 nights in a Britannia Balcony cabin departing June 12. Also new, Royal Caribbean International’s Anthem of the Seas is making its Alaska debut, sailing alongside sister ship Quantum of the Seas. Seven- night itineraries call variously into Juneau, Skagway, Sitka and Victoria, with scenic cruising to Dawes Glacier. From £726. More than 25 years


Celebrity Edge


on from homeporting its first ship in Seattle, NCL remains a firm fan. In 2025 it has seven, nine and 10-day round-trip cruises on three ships – Norwegian Joy, Encore and Bliss – with Bliss arriving after a makeover that is adding three-bedroom suites in the exclusive Haven area and a new seafood restaurant, Palomar. NCL’s itineraries call into Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, Ward Cove (Ketchikan), Icy Strait Point and Victoria (in BC), as well as offering scenic cruising in Glacier Bay and to Dawes Glacier. From £857 for seven nights departing April 26, including drinks,


travelweekly.co.uk


selected speciality dining, shore excursion credit and Wi-Fi. Fresh from celebrating 55 years of cruising in Alaska in 2024, Princess Cruises has a one-off 17-day round- trip voyage departing May 6 that features three days of scenic glacier cruising, in between calls that include Seward (Anchorage), Haines and Vancouver. From £2,336 including drinks, Wi-Fi and tips. In all, Princess will have three ships in Seattle in 2025: Grand, Royal and Discovery Princess. They might even dock alongside their sister brands’ vessels: Holland America Line will have four ships – Nieuw Amsterdam,


Zaandam, Noordam and Koningsdam – offering full or


part seasons, while Carnival Cruise Line will have two, in Carnival Luminosa and Carnival Spirit. A 10-year deal between the


port and parent company Carnival Corporation, lasting until 2033, gives all three brands preferential berthing; between them they are expected to bring in $186 million and at least 550,000 passengers a year. Meanwhile, Celebrity Cruises’


Celebrity Edge returns to Seattle for a second Alaska season. Seven- night voyages call into Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Victoria and include scenic cruising to Dawes Glacier. From £987.


23 JANUARY 2025 49


PICTURES: Shutterstock/TODD17, Darryl Brooks


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