Last month a mountain above Skagway's dock was at risk that could cause a catastrophic impact. Ships that do dock will need tenders to ferry passengers into town an approach that Carnival Cruise line is taking, a spokesperson confirmed to T+L. The captain just announced we will be tendering with 3 of our tenders and the Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam is lending 3 of theirs. The Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas, which can hold nearly 5,000 passengers, diverted from Skagway on Thursday morning. I'd have expected Celebrity to also react as they have always used the railroad dock whenever I was in Skagway with them (as recently as May this year). Amazing places deserve to be shared with others - why not Write a Review! We were at the Broadway dock and didn't need to tender. Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. Amazing, Funny & Totally Awesome Cruise Photos. Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Carnival Cruise Line all use the Railroad Dock and are likely to need changes either to where they dock in Skagway or to remove the port of call altogether, but such decisions will be up to the individual cruise lines. And we had no line to take the boat on the way back. Heres one for crown princess in July:https://www.princess.com/search-cruise/details/?voyageCode=3222N. 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. Skagway tenders with ships in the RRF location, Q&A: Cruise Insurance with Steve Dasseos of the TripInsuranceStore.com - Summer Session '23, ANNOUNCEMENT: Regent Seven Seas Cruises 2025-2026 Voyage Collection Debut. That pier is where most of the larger cruise Ships dock. Discover what is driving the surge in luxury travel demand, including a focus on wellness, sustainability, personalization and Join Travel Weekly and Las Vegas CVA, Fontainebleau Las Vegas, Pink Jeep Tours and Four Seasons Las Vegas as we journey to Las https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/cruise-pier-Skagway-closes-due-to-rockslide-risk. These itinerary adjustments have been improvised based on sailing date, port schedules, and other ports of call on each itinerary to give guests the best possible experience for their Last Frontier adventures. The buffet is standard buffet. Friday night means a fresh fish fry in this Barbados village, United Airlines again dogged by delays and cancellations, Mission Titanic, Part 1: Preparing to dive, Mission Titanic, part 3: Trouble ahead, trouble behind, Mission Titanic, Part 2: Delays and an unsettling statement from the OceanGate CEO, Black travelers want seamless, safe experiences. world_traveler_et, May 30 in Princess Cruises. My understanding is that the Sitka Sound Cruise terminal is primarily owned by the McCraw family of Sitka with the RCCL having a minority position. Princess excursion groups will also get priority. You will be given your excursion tickets in your stateroom 2 nights before and they will tell you where to meet. We were at Skagway two days ago and were docked at the pier which experienced the rockslide. I hope youll post updates if you hear more. It could have been so much worse. The Coral Princess cruise ship docked in Skagway on August 23, 2015. Grand class ships weigh from 107,000-113,000 gross tons, with passenger capacities from 2,600-3,080 at double occupancy. Travel + Leisure magazine may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. second berth was closed earlier last month, report by geotechnical and environmental consultants Shannon & Wilson, Discuss this topic at our Cruise Boards >, Free daily cruise updates to your inbox >, Subscribe for daily cruise news on YouTube >, It's time to check today's cruise deals right here >, Boston-Based Cruise Operator Files for Bankruptcy, Iconic Ocean Liner Delayed After Urgent Diversion, Costa Cruises Names New Southern Europe Vice President, Cruise Line Unveils Fare Discounts for Loyalty Members. When we were in the Concierge lounge I asked about this ahead to know what to expect. They would later be returned to the ship via tender. lizinindy, June 27, 2022 in Princess Cruises. Amazing places deserve to be shared with others - why not Write a Review! On 23JUL, Alaska's News Source reports, a small landslide from the steep, rocky cliffs at the dock forced the White Pass Rail Road to close the forward berth at the Railroad Dock. Earlier this month geotechnical engineering firm Shannon & Wilson prepared a report for the city of Skagway about the slope conditions of the cliff above the Railroad Dock. I'll go to Sitka if we have to. It's also the biggest 'real' town with a non-tourist economy, unlike Skagway, so once you bus downtown there are interesting free things, like a seawalk to a totem pole park with bear sightings and a river that should be full of salmon now. The Discovery is scheduled to be at the forward dock which is the one that is out of commission at the moment. I believe our ship is due to arrive around 6AM. 8 Cruise Destinations That Dont Require a Passport, Norwegian Cruise Line to Cut Back on Turndown Service What to Know, Cruising Is Back in a Major Way and Travelers Are Booking Trips That 'Take the Stress Out of Vacations', Norwegian's Newest Cruise Ship Has a Go-kart Track, Infinity Pools, and an Open-air Food Hall, I Took My 2 Children on a 12-day Cruise Around Northern Europe and They Loved It, This Incredible 18-day Cruise Takes You to Antarctica in Total Luxury, The Ultimate Caribbean Cruise Packing List, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection's First Ship Just Set Sail and We Were the First on Board, 15 Trips You Need to Take as Soon as You Retire, Travelers Can Still Experience the Best of Alaska With Princess Cruises, Holland America Despite Cruise Cancellations, United Airlines Cancels More Flights This Fall Here Are the Cities That Are Affected, These Travel Companies Are Setting a New Standard in Responsible Tourism: Global Vision Awards 2022, Alaska Railroad Is Resuming Its Full Summer Schedule for the First Time in 2 Years. There's an app for that, Busy cruise pier in Skagway closes due to rockslide risk, Carnival Corp. CEO says Wave season rolled right into spring, MSC makes eco-conscious statement with Euribia, Bahamas government delays implementation of cruise tax hike, Carnival Venezia's Italian style is a cozy, elevated experience, Oceania Cruises introduces fine wine collection. Have not received any notification from Princess as of yet. Due to the continuing possibility of a major rockslide at the White Pass railway Pier. Yes. Required. Due to the closure of the forward berth of the White Pass Railroad Dock in Skagway, Princess Cruises has removed the port from 10 upcoming sailings. Skagway may have boasted the shortest route to the Klondike, but it wasn't the easiest. One has always been used for freight and a second ferries. popularity of Alaska cruises for family summer vacations, June 23, caused slight cosmetic damage to, close the dock completely for the remainder of the 2022 season, Discuss this topic at our Cruise Boards >, Free daily cruise updates to your inbox >, Subscribe for daily cruise news on YouTube >, It's time to check today's cruise deals right here >, Boston-Based Cruise Operator Files for Bankruptcy, Iconic Ocean Liner Delayed After Urgent Diversion, Costa Cruises Names New Southern Europe Vice President, Cruise Line Unveils Fare Discounts for Loyalty Members. The railroad runs vintage locomotives out of Skagway. ", Copyright 2023 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. Last month a mountain above Skagway's dock was at risk that could cause a "catastrophic" impact. Skagway, Alaska Skip to main content. We were on the June 17th and June 24th Solstice Alaska sailings. Area was cordoned off and ship containers were used for passenger transit/walking. But, I was looking forward to a new port and worked really hard to get an excursion in Skagway at the last minute, as in yesterday, a 9 year old would enjoy and wouldnt cause me bodily damage! Will do but I sure hope that Celebrity is going to inform ticketed passengers in advance. azbirdmom, June 23, 2022 in Princess Cruises. https://mustreadalaska.com/skagway-rockslide-takes-out-cruise-ship-dock/. Which ship/day? I wonder if smaller ships will continue to use the downtown docks? We look forward to seeing you next time.EMAIL: holyshipcruising@gmail.comFACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/HighseascruisingINSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/highseascruisingHigh Seas Cruising Merchandise: https://teespring.com/stores/highseascruisingAs an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases from Amazon.com. Even though my tour is scheduled to meet at 9:15AM for the tour and the ship arrives at 6AM many things can happen. Royal Princess will now visit Haines instead of Skagway for the August 16 and August 30 sailings. Other cruise lines have not yet published any changes to their itineraries. We saw the Majestic tender. DiscoveryWe were on the Discovery on June 23rd. (Anne Raup / ADN) A rockslide early Thursday closed the cruise ship dock in Skagway, prompting one vessel to skip that port . This includes Princess Cruises Grand Princess, Crown Princess, and Ruby Princess. It appears this most impacts Princess Cruises and they are shifting their itineraries. So unless the dock situation is resolved soon or if not, they aren't able to figure out an alternative for us, we may face cancellation of the Skagway port stop. We were on the Crown the week before and we were at the Broadway dock. Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. Amazing, Funny & Totally Awesome Cruise Photos. The forward berth on the Railroad Dock in Skagway, one of the busiest cruise ports in Alaska, has been closed because of a rockslide risk, forcing cruise lines that usually dock there to make other plans. We still had time to wander through the downtown area of Skagway after taking the ferry back. Whatever its called we didnt have to tender. Do we get tender tickets? FYI some folks in another thread reported that Skagway is now a tendering port and passengers are being dropped off near the city center. Hoping someone onboard can provide an update. I would call them. We used the ore terminal dock on our cruise. Princess Cruises is canceling one-third of its scheduled calls on Skagway due to dock closure, with 10 sailings impacted. I would think Sitka is the most likely option for Celebrity, since RCI helped fund a new dock there. June 26, 2022 , Accidents A rockslide early Thursday, June 23, closed the cruise ship dock in Skagway (Alaska), prompting one boat to skip the port altogether. 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. Im a cruise vacation planner for Princess!' Then last week, the rocks began tumbling again, followed by yet another "significant" slide on Friday, Cremata said, which lead him to issue a declaration of emergency. And if there are two large ships in port, it will be interesting to see if one will be allowed to anchor. The ship is okay, but it did affect the gangway. Add Cruise Critic's Community Forums to your iPhone's Home Screen! First Name Last Name. A particular rock formation on the north end of the White Pass Railroad Dock in Skagway, Alaska has cruise lines concerned about safety, and adjusting visit schedules to mitigate that risk. The Municipality of Skagway Borough does not own the dock and was not participating in the response to the slide as of Thursday, according to borough manager Brad Ryan. Can anyone confirm? Furthermore, depending on what other ships are scheduled to dock at other locations in Skagway on specific days, there may not be available space for safe tendering. By There may be lines at 8 or 9 though. We went to get tender tickets in the Photo Gallery area about 815am and we were on a tender by 830. I had a ship tour and We had to meet in the theater and our bus was parked next to the ship after walking through some containers. But there are a couple coming up. We were in an aft Sky Suite and could hear the rocks begin to slide from the top of the rock face. Copyright 2022 Travel + Leisure Co. All Rights Reserved. Would hate to see this happen again! The dock will remain closed to passenger and vehicle traffic Friday to allow further assessment by the railways geotechnical engineers, the company said in an update Thursday afternoon. But they will have to in June twice we were told. Rather than calling on Skagway, each cruise will instead substitute a different Alaskan port of call. https://www.ktoo.org/2023/04/11/large-rock-throws-wrench-into-skagways-cruise-ship-schedule/, https://alaskapublic.org/2022/10/11/skagway-assembly-adopts-engineers-short-term-fix-for-rockslides/, Thanks for everyone who has commented so far. The Royal. Icy Point Strait instead. The "harbor" within a mile is massive but then you lose one of the docking slots unless they can sort it with Alaska Ferries. Aug. 3, 2022. The hillside above the pier next to us had sent some huge boulders tumbling down. Free expert cruise tips and news from Cruise Hive! A variety of temporary measures are also recommended to help keep the dock open and safely operating while more permanent solutions are designed and constructed. Sounds like there was minor damage to the ship. This closure of the Railroad Docks forward berth impacts several Princess Cruises ships itineraries, as this dock is the only one capable of supporting larger ship visits. *Date of Birth. 07070 USA Telephone: (201) 902-2000, A Princess Cruises ship docked in Skagway, Alaska. The Skagway rock slide has been discussed in multiple threads on the Alaska forum. We were in Skagway yesterday on the Grand and saw the narrow landslide area. For those who read the CC Alaska forum regularly this is old news. We were Royal Princess on 5/23 at RRF--we had to boat tender because of the rockslide which was right near that area. We are going to icy point from 6 to 6 I believe. May 25th was Thursday. This is due to the closure of the forward berth of the White Pass Railroad Dock, the only viable docking position for the cruise lines Royal-class vessels, the largest ships in the Princess Cruises fleet. Manage Booking. Its been a long time since Ive been to Alaskais there room in the harbor for ships to anchor and tender? Aug 11, 2022 | With the forward end of the Railroad Dock in Skagway, Alaska, under threat of a rockslide from the cliff above, Princess Cruises will reroute 11 Alaska sailings this month. Follow her adventures on Instagram. ", Shannon & Wilson recommended a "controlled excavation to reshape the slope. Rockslide Risk Forces Princess Cruises' Alaska Itinerary Changes Four Princess Cruises ships must make changes due to a dock closure in Skagway, and more changes may be on the way for. Princess Cruises adjusts scheduled for 2022 Alaskan itineraries due to Skagway's berth closure. When the Solstice called on the June 24th sailing we docked at the rear position of the RR dock and the ship used tenders to move folks to the small boat harbor. We were originally booked on the Crown but changed to the Discovery because of skipped ports and time in other ports cut dramatically. There were 3 or 4 other ships in Port with us, including a Celebrity ship which was very large. Due to tide conditions at times the walkway from the small boat harbor to shore can be quite steep. SKAGWAY, Alaska One berth at the White Pass & Yukon Railway's cruise-ship dock in Skagway has been closed because of concerns over rockslide risk, forcing Princess Cruises to change plans for some scheduled visits by its ships. Cremata said one restaurant in town already had to lay off 16 people and is estimating a loss of about $75,000 each week. They installed a warning system on the fall area. The Discovery Princess, with a maximum capacity of about 4,600, repositioned and planned to transport passengers to the small-boat harbor by tender. You will be able to leave a comment after signing in. https://mustreadalaska.com/skagway-rockslide-takes-out-cruise-ship-dock/. Friends who are on the current Majestic voyage that left Whitter on Saturday for Vancouver let me know that they are now going to Haines instead of Skagway. Saw a news story from yesterday July 26 in Travel Weekly. Representatives for Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Royal Caribbean did not immediately respond to requests for comment from T+L. No one was injured and according to Jacqueline Taylor-Rose, marketing manager for White Pass & Yukon Route, the ship received "slight cosmetic damage." The slide happened south of the current mitigation area. It is recommended that these steps be taken as soon as possible, but no timeline has been decided and it is not known how long such measures may take to fully implement. As reported by CruiseRadio, Princess Cruises was the first line to announce itinerary changes this week. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the captain kept us informed every step of the way. When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted. This new report makes it sound like a major event is potentially imminent and that even the ships could be in danger. We docked on the other side of the harbor entrance. This would dramatically impact the efficiency of shore tours at the port, and could cause uncomfortable overcrowding in different locations as guests wait for tenders. Both caused damage to the dock used by a mountain railroad excursion. Powered by Invision Community. Both small slides caused minor damage to dock structures, but no injuries were reported and there was no damage to cruise ships. . Borough Manager Brad Ryan says the. Three more ships were expected to use other docks or a tender on Friday. @Fly and SailThanks so much for this post. We backed away from the dock. A rockslide damaged the White . Some Skagway residents are calling on the city and the private company that owns the dock to take action. But, thanks to the quick thinking of Captain John Smith, we were able to dock at the pier past the slide where an RCL ship was supposed to dock. Princess Cruises announced on Wednesday it is making a series of adjustments to itineraries for several of its ships making port calls to Skagway, AK given the decision by White Pass to close. We then tendered past the slide to the port with 3 Discovery tenders and 3 tenders borrowed from the Nieuw Amsterdam docked next to us. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. A lady who says she is 'Im a cruise vacation planner for Princess!' We sail Royal July 9th. The last post I saw on Facebook indicated they were in the process of assessing the ship. I am on Discovery in July, and it looks like there are 3 other cruise ships scheduled to stop at skagway when Discovery is there. When we docked at RRA on May 9 we were bused. All three ships are Grand class, significantly smaller than the Royal class ships. #1 Posted May 30 This week seems to have the most ships in the port of Skagway at once with more in the RRF location and tendering. We are on Discovery Princess July 10th. The good news is the tender is short. I always love a day at sea and have never been to Icy Strait Point. I would be on the phone with them. https://skagwaynews.com/2022/06/23/rockslide-at-cruise-ship-dock/. There is some damage to the pier from a couple of the recent rockslides and Celebrity is avoiding the potential for any further problems on the old pier. . Some ships have diverted to Haines while others go to Sitka, and yet some others continue to visit Skagway. (Photo by Anne Raup/ADN) A rockslide early Thursday closed the. Agreed. Were on Millie right now and I was told today by the Retreat Concierge that wed use one of the other docks (tomorrow) rather than tendering like the larger X ships. They have many shipping containers lined up to protect from the hill side that you will walk through. Maybe it's when there are 2 megaships in Port? I've also never been there and I can't find a port guide for it. We are southbound to arrive Aug 15th on the Millennium at Railroad Dock Forward. Should be fine making the 9:15 depending upon when they start tendering. Just got off the Solstice on 8/12 and we were tendered into the small boat harbor. Modified Date: Aug 11, 2022 Photo Credit: Mark Mitford Due to the closure of the forward berth of the White Pass Railroad Dock in Skagway, Princess Cruises has removed the port from 10. I had expected tenders due to what I'd read. That little cordoned off area won't do much good if the mountain gets moving. Yes, I'm not sure how they are determining who tenders. A new report compiled by geotechnical engineers shows that Skagway's busiest cruise ship dock is at significant risk for rockslides impacting the dock, moored ships, cruise ship passengers. We were scheduled to be in Skagway on the Majestic Princess on August 9 but just checked our itinerary online and ISP has been substituted for Skagway. We docked there on our July 15 cruise. A potentially catastrophic rockslide is threatening the famous cruise dock in Skagway, Alaska and could impact entire itineraries of Alaska cruises effective immediately. Skagway is a stunning port filled with rich Alaskan heritage, and the closure of the Railroad Dock is sure to have an impact on the community, as there are still more than two months remaining in the popular Alaska cruise season. Posted June 23 I just saw a report of a rock slide that happened this morning at the Railway Dock in Skagway. Look for a link at the bottom of this page or in our privacy policy where you can withdraw consent. Depending on your sailing on whichever Princess ship, you may be going to Sitka instead of Skagway for at least next 2 weeks, maybe longer. I guess Ill go where the ship takes me. Since the start, it's been our aim to provide the latest cruise news covering all the major cruise lines. There was no ship in the forward berth. Legally you are free to decline to Open For Business offers a rating system of international destinations based on their inclusivity, diversity and other factors. The Coral Princess cruise ship was docked in Skagway on August 23, 2015. I wonder what determines tender vs bus. The cruise ship berth directly below the rockslide is empty for the rest of the 2022 season. Im on discovery right now. We were told to meet up in the theater at a set time and then were given priority to disembark. Bummer. While schedules are still being arranged, several current changes have already been confirmed. A berth in the city has closed due to rockslide risk, and Princess has rerouted several ships' itineraries as a result. Thank God the dock was empty at the time. Contact her at zhollander@adn.com. Potential Alaska Itinerary Changes As Skagway Dock Is Threatened By "Catastrophic Rockslide", Q&A: Cruise Insurance with Steve Dasseos of the TripInsuranceStore.com - Summer Session '23, ANNOUNCEMENT: Regent Seven Seas Cruises 2025-2026 Voyage Collection Debut.