The world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas, arrived in Seattle this morning ahead of the start of Alaska’s 2014-2015 cruise season. The ship will be the first of the season for Alaska’s Oceania line, which will launch an itinerary in June that includes 28 sailings in the summer and fall.
After a four-month layoff, the first of Royal Caribbean’s three new cruise ships set sail from Seattle last week, with a stop in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico before heading to Alaska for another stint of cruising. The Norwegian Jade, the largest of the company’s newest ships, sailed slowly down the west coast on Sunday, June 28th, to arrive in the Port of Seattle at 6:30 p.m. The company says the ship will not resume service, however, until July 4th, which will put it a few days ahead of schedule.
Norwegian Breakaway is a cruise ship that was built in 2008 and is managed by Norwegian Cruise Line. Norwegian is known for being a small ship with a finite number of cabins. The ship’s hull and superstructure are made of composite materials, which reduces its emissions despite having a large passenger capacity. This comes at the cost of increased fuel consumption but also a smaller crew size.. Read more about norwegian cruise line and let us know what you think.
The first cruise ships are arriving in Seattle ahead of the Alaska season, with Norwegian Encore being the first to dock today. If all goes according to plan, Norwegian Cruise Line will begin operations with its biggest ship on August 7.
The road to the Norwegian Cruise Line’s relaunch has been rocky. Despite the cruise company’s attempts to launch cruises in the Caribbean and the United States, Encore will be the first vessel to sail for the Miami-based cruise line in the one location few expected to be highlighted this year: the Mediterranean.
NCL’s First Cruises From the U.S.
While the competition is already sailing from Texas and Florida, Norwegian Cruise Line has chosen to depart from Seattle, Washington for its first post-pandemic cruise. Not unexpected, considering that the cruise company has been insistent about requiring vaccines from all passengers aboard, as well as all staff members on board the ships.
Onboard the ships, Norwegian Cruise Line has established a comprehensive health program. The vaccine requirement, on the other hand, allows the cruise line to operate on a fairly normal basis on board. Onboard, all cruises will be mask-free, there will be no capacity limits, and all venues will be accessible to the public.
Also see: Activities on a Norwegian Encore Cruise
All social distancing techniques, such as locked seats or areas, have been eliminated, according to the cruise company. Aside from that, Norwegian Cruise Line runs the restaurants, including the buffets, much as they did before the epidemic.
Norwegian Cruise Line provided this image.
The Norwegian Encore’s maiden voyage will leave Seattle on August 7 and visit Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Icy Strait Point. Guests will be free to visit the ports of call on their own or as part of a tour; there will be no limitations.
The Breakaway-plus ship will be in Alaska until the end of October, when she will relocate to Miami and begin operations in the Caribbean.
IDEAL Things to Do in Ketchikan, Alaska (Worth Reading)
The Return of the Norwegians Has Not Been Easy
The Norwegian Cruise Line’s return to sailing has not been easy. When the cruise ban was removed in favor of the Conditional Sail Order in December of last year, the cruise company began crewing its ships. When the CSO proved to be more difficult to sail under than anticipated, the cruise company was forced to return the majority of the crew home.
When the cruise company expected to resume sailing from the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, Alaska opened up only weeks before those voyages were scheduled to begin, and the cruise line had to transfer crew members from the Caribbean to Alaska. The cruise company had planned to begin cruising in the United States on July 4 with fully vaccinated passengers from Miami, but the cruise line’s vaccination requirement made that impossible.
Overall, Norwegian Cruise Line will be pleased to see Norwegian Encore arrive in Seattle today, as will the city’s port authorities, who have been hard preparing for this moment for months.
Major Health Updates at Seattle Terminal
The seven main cruise lines that call Seattle home will restart service with eight ships and more than 80 trips. Thousands of passengers are expected to travel through Seattle’s cruise port in the coming weeks.
NCL provided the image.
Associated: The Best Hotels Near the Seattle Cruise Port
It’s no surprise that the Seattle Port Authority has been concentrating on upgrading terminal facilities with health and safety measures to keep those passengers safe.
Executive Director of the Port of Seattle, Steve Metrick:
“Since the outbreak, the safety of our communities, passengers, and staff has been our first concern. We’ve been working with health authorities at all levels, as well as cruise stakeholders and employees, since last year to guarantee that our facilities are safe for public use.”
Several updates are included in the measures:
- Where necessary, ventilation systems were upgraded to hospital-grade MERV 13 or higher filtration.
- Touchless fixtures in bathrooms and water-bottle filling stations have been installed.
- In many instances, barriers have been put in place to minimize face-to-face interaction, and technology has been deployed to enable touchless check-in and passenger processing.
- Signage to prevent overcrowding and make contact
We’re on the verge of taking another step toward a more normal scenario. Cruises to Alaska are about to restart, and it will be wonderful to see Norwegian Cruise Line’s ships sailing with people again following the start of Carnival and Royal Caribbean in recent weeks.
Norway’s Princess Cruises will resume sailing from Seattle next month, the first time the ship has been in the city since an oil spill in April. The vessel resumed sailing from Seward, Alaska, on May 24 after several weeks of repairs. The ship is expected to arrive in Seattle around June 6 and resume cruises out of Seattle.. Read more about us cruises and let us know what you think.
Yes, Norwegian Cruise Line has cancelled their 2024 cruises."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Will there be a Norwegian cruise to Alaska in 2024?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"
Unfortunately, there is no Norwegian cruise to Alaska in 2024."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Will cruises to Alaska resume in 2024?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"
The answer is no."}}]}
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Norwegian Cancelled cruises for 2024?
Yes, Norwegian Cruise Line has cancelled their 2024 cruises.
Will there be a Norwegian cruise to Alaska in 2024?
Unfortunately, there is no Norwegian cruise to Alaska in 2024.
Will cruises to Alaska resume in 2024?
The answer is no.
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