Norwegian Cruise Line Prepares For Alaska Return
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) says it expects to resume its cruise operations from the U.S. beginning Aug. 7, 2021 with week-long voyages from Seattle to Alaska.
NCL’s announcement comes following the temporary waiver of the Passenger Vessel Services Act, which allows cruising to Alaska to resume upon obtaining the pending Conditional Sailing Certificate from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”).
Harry Sommer, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line, said: “Seattle has always been our second home, and we are beyond excited to return to this incredible homeport and to once again bring our guests to Alaska.”
Sommer continued: “Twenty-one years ago, we were the first to offer itineraries to Alaska from Seattle, and we continue to celebrate a strong relationship with our partners in this spectacular destination. We have been waiting for a very long time to announce a resumption of cruising from the U.S. We are so proud to be sailing for the first time in over a year from our special homeport of Seattle to the breathtaking state of Alaska.”
The cruise company will operate week-long voyages aboard Norwegian Bliss which will sail revised itineraries from Aug. 7, 2021 through Oct. 16, 2021, offering seven to 13 hours of port time in Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan and Icy Strait Point, Alaska.
On select sailings, passengers will also have the chance to take in the views of Glacier Bay National Park or the Holkham Bay Glacier Fjord.
Guests will also benefit from the opening of the second cruise pier in Icy Strait Point, which NCL’s parent company, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., developed in partnership with Alaska Native-owned Huna Totem Corporation.
Initially scheduled to open during the 2020 summer cruise season, the recently expanded Wilderness Landing on Icy Strait Point caters to visitors in search of individualized experiences with the land, wildlife and native peoples of Alaska.
The enhancements include upgraded retail and restaurants, as well as shore excursion offerings, including the ZipRider zip line, whale watching, fishing adventures and walking trails as well as Alaska’s first gondola connecting the new Wilderness Landing development to the Adventure Landing and Historic Hoonah Packing Company Cannery.
In 2022, the guest experience will continue to evolve with the opening of the Mountain Top gondola that will provide easy, vehicle-free access through the treetops, unlocking additional areas of exploration and spectacular views of icefields, the Fairweather Range and Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, the ancestral homeland of the Huna Tlingit people.
Sail on over to www.ncl.com for more.
