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Holland America, Princess and Carnival resume Alaska cruises

Three more major cruise lines operating in the US have resumed cruises to Alaska from Seattle, with the voyages marking the first return to service out of the US for Holland America Line and Princess Cruises.

Carnival resumed cruises from the US earlier in July, while for Princess Cruises and Holland America Line these are the first voyages they’ve sailed from a US port since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged last year.

Nieuw Amsterdam has resumed Alaskan cruises from Seattle

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Holland America Line is sailing its Alaskan cruise season out of Seattle aboard Nieuw Amsterdam. She departed Saturday, after celebrating the return to service with Princess Cruises’ ship Majestic Princess, which is also sailing Alaska out of Seattle.

Majestic Princess set sail on Sunday, a day after Nieuw Amsterdam. On Friday, the two ships took part in a ribbon cutting ceremong in the cruise terminal at an event attended by Gus Antorcha, President of Holland America Line, Jan Swart, President & CEO of Princess, and Carnival Corporation President Arnold Donald.

The departure of Nieuw Amsterdam marked the first time Holland America has carried passengers in 16 months, while Majestic Princess’ departure a day later was the first time Princess has carried passengers in more than 500 days.

Nieuw Amsterdam one-week cruise itineraries will feature calls in Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Sitka, and Ketchikan. There will also be scenic views of Glacier Bay and Stephens Passage. The ship will sail these itineraries until October 2, 2021.

Nieuw Amsterdam and Majestic Princess are the third and fourth ships to resume cruises to Alaska. Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas kicked off the season on July 19th, followed a few days later by Celebrity Millennium on Friday last week.

Majestic Princess’ itineraries will feature calls in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, along with views of Glacier Bay. She will sail these itineraries from the Port of Seattle through September, 2021.

Carnival has added Alaska to its expanding destinations as it resumed cruises from the US

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Carnival Miracle became the fifth cruise ship to restart Alaskan cruises on Tuesday when she set sail, also from the Port of Seattle. Her weeklong cruises feature stops in Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway, as well as a full day cruising Tracy Arm Fjord.

“We are delighted to resume our Alaska sailings and offer guests an opportunity to experience all the beauty of the Alaskan coast while providing a much-needed boost to the local economy,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

She added a personal thanks to the various senators and lawmakers involved in making Alaskan cruises from the US possible.

“The restart of cruising in Alaska has such a dramatic, wide-reaching impact on the state and on behalf of Carnival I would like to personally thank our partners at the Port of Seattle, and Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senator Dan Sullivan and Representative Don Young for their tremendous efforts in making our resumption of service a reality,” she said.

Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senator Dan Sullivan and Representative Don Young spearheaded the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act, allowing cruise ships to temporarily avoid the need to sail to Canada under the Passenger Vessel Services Act. It was signed into law by US President Joe Biden in May.

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