Key Aspects:
- Due to the findings of a recent inspection, Seward’s revitalized cruise terminal needs a little more time before opening.
- The opening date has been pushed back from May 14, 2026, to May 22, 2026.
- During the delay, cruise ships bound for Seward are being rerouted to the nearby Whittier, Alaska.
Seward’s revitalized cruise terminal is almost ready to start welcoming cruise ships for the 2026 Alaska season, but needs just a little bit more time.
Through a partnership with the Alaska Railroad Company, Royal Caribbean Group, and Turnagain Marine, the entire port has essentially been rebuilt to feature a state-of-the-art double-berth floating pier and a 41,500-square-foot cruise terminal.
The major investment, which was first announced as the “Port of Tomorrow” in 2022, cost an estimated $137 million.
While the new and improved facilities are still expected to be ready this spring, as was originally planned, the official opening date has been pushed back from May 14, 2026, until May 22, 2026.
“The Cruise Ship Terminal will delay opening and receiving passengers until May 22nd (rather than the originally scheduled date, May 14th),” the Seward Chamber of Commerce posted on social media.
“The delay is due to a recent inspection that revealed several large clusters of piles that need to be removed prior to receiving ships,” the post continued.
The clusters of piles, which are heavy vertical steel or concrete columns driven into the seabed to aid in docking that are also known as marine dolphins, need to be removed prior to receiving cruise ships.
After May 22, a temporary trestle and mooring dolphin will be used for the remainder of the season. These marine structures will be able to allow larger ships to dock safely, including Royal Caribbean’s Quantum-class ship, Ovation of the Seas.
Where Will Cruise Ships Go Instead?
During the delay, impacted vessels will dock in Whittier, Alaska, instead of Seward. Whittier is only about 88.5 miles away from Seward by land, which is a drive that takes around an hour and 45 minutes.
“The ships that were to dock in Seward prior to May 22nd will be rerouted to Whittier, AK,” the Seward Chamber of Commerce confirmed.
Cruise Hive also previously reported that this is exactly what Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas would be doing for its May 15 and May 22 itineraries.
Eventually, the 168,666-gross ton vessel will split homeporting operations between Vancouver, British Columbia, and Seward as it sails one-way, 7-night itineraries back and forth between the two destinations.
Assuming there are no further opening delays, the 4,180-guest ship should finally make it to Seward at the end of its May 29 sailing, which is scheduled to arrive in Seward for debarkation on June 5.
What Other Cruise Ships are Impacted?
Because of the unexpected delay, three other vessels were rerouted from Seward to Whittier.
These included Silversea Cruises’ Silver Moon, Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Summit, and Viking Cruises’ Viking Venus.
The 596-guest Silver Moon was supposed to visit Seward first on May 14 to begin a one-way, 7-night sailing from Seward to Vancouver. Celebrity Summit was up next on May 15, beginning its own one-way sailing to Vancouver.
Viking Venus’s cancelled visit date is still in the future. The 930-guest ship would have stopped in the port as part of a 35-night, one-way sailing from Hong Kong, China, to Vancouver, on May 20.
Cruise tracking data also shows that two ships from UnCruise Adventures, Wilderness Explorer and Safari Explorer, also stopped in Seward on May 15. At this time, it appears these vessels were the exception that were not rerouted.
Perhaps because these vessels are so small, with a capacity for less than 100 guests on each ship, they were easier to accommodate as planned.
Even with the delay, Seward is still expecting a busy Alaska season. Through its partnership with the port, Royal Caribbean alone guarantees 140,000 passengers per year.
