Will My 2021 Cruise To Alaska From Seattle Sail?

*UPDATE* President Biden signed the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act into law on May 24th and the first ship will be sailing from Seattle to Alaska on July 19th 2021. Hooray!

If you’d asked me that question yesterday, I’d have said “no” as I ugly cried and grabbed your shoulders, demanding you tell me “my reason for living if I can’t cruise!” Okay, that’s a little dramatic, but it’s true that yesterday morning I was feeling less optimistic about walking to the cruise pier from my apartment (which is why I moved to downtown Seattle in the first place) this summer to board a ship, ANY ship to sail to one of my favorite cruise destinations: Alaska!

But today, after having four booked cruises to Alaska cancelled since the beginning of the pandemic, I’m hopeful! Why, you ask?

Maybe There’s One Thing We Can All Agree On: Cruising!

Just when we all thought bipartisanship was dead, it seems one thing can bring us all together: cruising! Yesterday the U.S. Senate passed the Alaska Tourism Recovery Act, co-sponsored by Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska).

Before we can dust off our lanyards and rebrand our pandemic stretchy pants as cruise buffet pants, the bill still needs to be approved by the House and signed by the President. But I’m hopeful!

The Alaska Tourism Recovery Act

So how could the Alaska Tourism Recovery Act lead to a return to Alaska cruising from Seattle (and other U.S. ports too, for that matter) in 2021? As cruise lines are working with the CDC to restart cruising from U.S. ports, there are two additional obstacles that remain for cruises to Alaska: Canada and The Passenger Vessel Services Act. Why Canada? Because Canada has banned large cruise ships from docking there until February 2022.

So you might be asking yourself, “can’t we just skip docking in Canada then?” No. Because of the The Passenger Vessel Services Act. Passed in 1886, the Passenger Vessel Services Act prohibits cruise ships that are foreign-flagged (for which nearly all of them are) from departing from and returning to the same U.S. port without first visiting a foreign port. This means, by law, all cruises to Alaska must stop in a foreign port, with Canada being the only feasible option.

The Alaska Tourism Recovery Act has addressed this by exempting large Alaska-bound cruise ships from the Passenger Vessel Services Act until February 2022.

Get ready for cruising with a cool cruise shirt! Order here*.

Should I Book A Cruise To Alaska For 2021?

There are still significant challenges that exist for the 2021 cruise season and those are particularly challenging for the Alaska cruise season. Cruise lines will need to scramble to reposition ships, hire, train, and vaccinate crew, firm up safety protocols, and book passengers (I’m ready!). So, should you feel confident in booking a cruise to Alaska for 2021? I wish I could give you a definitive answer. I feel optimistic for later in the season, but no one knows for sure. It may also be very difficult to find a cruise with availability at this point if you’re not already booked. Because of occupancy limits and because so many cruises were cancelled and had to be re-booked for a later date, nearly all cruises to Alaska from Seattle are sold out. Keep checking (I know I will) as availability may change as we have a better idea of what cruising in general will look like and how lines will manage the Alaska season.

One thing I know for sure, I miss my cruise friends and hope to see you onboard as soon as possible! And with that…

Class Dismissed.

Homework (10 points): Check out all my Alaska content here.

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