High winds in the region have made it too challenging for cruise ships to dock in two top Alaskan ports of call over the next two days as the 2024 Alaska sailing season winds down.
The loss of the last few ship visits will be a blow to the small but popular tourist communities of Sitka and Skagway, but safety is always the first consideration for cruise lines. At times, poor weather does necessitate port cancellations.
The update was shared by Visit Sitka as the cancellations were confirmed. Three cruise lines are impacted by this poor weather: Royal Caribbean, Holland America Line, and the luxury line Silversea.
“Due to expected adverse weather conditions, the Silver Wind will be cancelling their port call tomorrow, September 30th, and the Noordam and Ovation of the Seas will be cancelling their port calls on Tuesday, October 1st,” the notification read. “This means there will be no ships porting tomorrow, September 30th, or Tuesday, October 1st.”
Sitka is located on the west coast of Baranof Island in southeast Alaska. On Monday morning, wind speeds in the region were recorded at 10-13 knots (12-15 miles per hour), though gusts up to 50 knots (57 mph) and higher were expected into the afternoon.
This would certainly make it dangerous for any ships to visit Sitka, as high winds could push vessels off course as they make delicate navigational adjustments while docking.
Furthermore, with winds so high, gangways would be moving dangerously and splashing water could make dock surfaces too slippery to be safe for guests going to and from any cruise ship.
Similar high wind conditions have also impacted Skagway, 170 miles north of Sitka. While Skagway is in a more protected location along inlets, this also makes ship navigation more challenging when winds are from the wrong direction.
Near Skagway, winds on Monday morning were recorded at 10-15 knots (12-17 mph), with gusts up to 25 knots (29 mph) expected later in the day.
Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas cancelled her Monday, September 30 call to Skagway, while Holland America Line’s Koningsdam cancelled her Tuesday, October 1 visit to the popular port.
To help make up for the lost port time, Koningsdam has been able to extend her visit to Juneau instead, which is 90 miles south of Skagway. The ship was already scheduled for Juneau from 1:30-10:30 p.m. on Monday, September 30, but will instead be arriving at 9:30 a.m. and will remain overnight until 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 1.
Holland America Line’s Eurodam is also extending her visit to Juneau, which was initially scheduled for 12:30-10 p.m. on Monday, September 30. Now, the ship will remain docked in Alaska’s capital city overnight until 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 1, minimizing her time in the windiest regions.
This flood of port cancellations due to wind follows similar cancellations just a week ago when three ships were unable to visit Skagway for similar high winds. At that time, Koningsdam, Noordam, and Princess Cruises’ Discovery Princess were all forced to cancel their port visits.
Read Also: Your Guide to the Best Alaska Cruise Ports
Cruise Ships Docked in Sitka, Alaska (Photo Credit: Jim Lambert)
The loss of so many ship visits to these small port communities will have a significant local economic impact just when the sailing season is ending.
Only a few more Norwegian cruise ship visits are scheduled for Skagway in October, and similarly, just a few visits are also left for Sitka. Whether or not those visits can move forward will be a last-minute decision based on weather patterns on the day of those itinerary schedules.
Cruise lines always keep safety as the first priority, and while it can be a surprise for many passengers that wind can be such a strong factor for Alaskan port visits, it is always better to be sure the ships, guests, crew members, and port communities are safe.
The 2025 Alaska season will open in April, and hopefully, travelers who are missing these final autumn port visits will have the opportunity to return again to enjoy all the Last Frontier has to offer.
Appeared first on: Cruisehive.com
