Two of Carnival’s cruise brands are ready to resume operations out of the U.S. for the first time. Princess Cruises and Holland America Line will both restart out of Seattle, Washington over the next two days as cruises to Alaska are making a comeback.
A Big Day for Princess Cruises and Holland America Line
The cruise lines celebrated at the Port of Seattle just before both cruise lines restart operations for the first time from the U.S. The event was attended by Carnival Corporation President Arnold Donald, President of Princess Cruises, Jan Swartz, and President of Holland America Line, Gus Antorcha.
It’s been a long wait with both cruise lines remaining on hold since March 2020, and Princess Cruises took the full force of the pandemic when Diamond Princess received international attention in Japan. But now, the lines can move forward and start to bring back the stunning views of Alaska with departures out of Seattle.
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Holland America will be the first out of the two to kick start sailings out Seattle on July 24. Nieuw Amsterdam will offer ten week-long cruises departing every Saturday through October 2, 2021. Cruises include calls at Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Sitka, Ketchikan, and amazing views at Glacier Bay and Stephens Passage.
Princess Cruises will begin out of Seattle on July 25 with the Majestic Princess. The vessel will continue sailing from the port to Alaska through September 26, 2021. The ship will offer seven-day voyages, including calls at Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, along with the views of Glacier Bay.
Both Carnival-owned cruise lines have been based in the Port of Seattle for more than 20 years and lead cruise operators in the region. The resumptions of cruising to Alaska from Seattle is thanks to the hard work from Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, Congressman Don Young, and Governor Mike Dunleavy on pushing for the cruise industry to reopen and introducing the Alaksa Tourism Restoration Act, which allows cruise ships to bypass the Passenger Vessel Services Act temporarily.
Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas became the first cruise ship to restart operations to Alaska on July 19. The vessel is now sailing seven-night voyages with calls popular ports in Alaska, including Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, and Icy Strait Point.
