JT1962

MSC has updated their testing requirements similar to the Carnival and Royal Caribbean updates. https://cruisefever.net/cruise-line-says-goal-is-to-open-cruises-to-everyone/

I agree this would be a better option, if no other ship is scheduled for Haines. They can still do excursions to Skagway as well using the fast ferry, if the port times are long enough.

Another article regarding the issues at the Railroad Dock: https://www.travelawaits.com/2786577/rockslide-risk-closes-alaskan-cruise-port-in-skagway/

I could not find any details other than they had been negotiating for several years trying to extend the contract, but could not come to an agreement. It seems the railroad is backing the city into a corner so they have to extend their contract for the Broadway & Ore docks. The railroad has a lot to lose as well, as resolving the slide issue will be very expensive, take a lot of time and involves both railroad and city land. With half of the dock closed, the railroad is losing money on berthing fees and fares missed for the railroad for passengers on ships that are unable to port.

That’s not fake news, as I said likely will change, not definitely. What you posted said they did actually close the forward berth and you will be porting at the rear berth. That is possible for some itineraries if no other ship is scheduled to dock at the rear berth that day. Passengers now will need to take a tender to / from shore and most in a wheelchair may not be able to go ashore. Glad you are getting to go to Skagway, it’s a great port. If you haven’t booked an excursion, definitely do either the White Pass railway or a tour into the Yukon with Chilkoot Charters. Both are excellent.

Here is a link to an update from a local radio station. It says the Forward Berth at the Railroad Dock (RRF) will be closed the remainder of 2022. That likely means the itinerary changes will continue for most ships scheduled to use the RRF berth the rest of 2022. There also could be issues into 2023 / 2024 with the Broadway / Ore Docks with the White Pass Railroad contract for those docks ending soon. It sounds like it is becoming a political issue. Hopefully they can get the issues resolved. https://khns.org/wpyr-closes-half-of-skagways-busiest-cruise-dock-plans-to-disable-other-docks-before-next-spring

Here is an article with good information on Hubbard vs Glacier Bay and the other glacier options in Alaska: https://thepointsguy.com/guide/hubbard-glacier-vs-glacier-bay/

If you are asking about an excursion on your specific ship, it may be best to post the question under the cruise line forum (you did not list a ship / cruise line). I have used Glacier Winds and Hoonah Travel Adventures and would gladly use either again. You should be able to choose a specific time with them, based on what options they have.

Looks like the front berth on the Railroad Dock will be closed at least through the rest of the 2022 cruise season. It is likely most of the ships affected recently will have itinerary changes the rest of 2022. Also, apparently the White Pass Railroad contract for operating the other 2 docks - Broadway & Ore - is ending this year. The Railroad is planning on removing equipment they own from the docks that would prevent ships from docking until it is replaced. This would prevent those docks from operating in 2023 and possibly 2024, per the Skagway Mayor, due to the time needed to get the proper permits and install the equipment. This sounds like a tactic by the Railroad to force the city to extend the contract to operate the Broadway & Ore docks, since they are losing revenue on the closed berth on the Railroad dock. That closure may extend into next year due to the complicated process of resolving the issues with the mountainside, including who will pay for it. Hopefully they can come to an agreement, otherwise there could potentially be only one berth available for cruise ships next year. https://khns.org/wpyr-closes-half-of-skagways-busiest-cruise-dock-plans-to-disable-other-docks-before-next-spring

Now I understand why the politicians all use Twitter.

I would much prefer that they post they are eliminating Covid testing then posting crap trying to be funny.

I agree and this is what I do. It just appears by posting about saving the lounge chairs on the Carnival Twitter feed that they are encouraging it or at the very least making fun of the fact that they don’t enforce their own rules.

I saw this post from Carnival on Twitter. Does this mean they are now allowing saving deck chairs, or at least acknowledging they don’t enforce the policy against saving deck chairs anymore? I know they rarely enforced this, but this seems to be encouraging it.

I took the excursion in May and thought it was worth the cost. It gets you much closer to the glaciers and you get a completely different perspective of the scenery, the glaciers and the wildlife from being near the water level rather than 10 stories up. There are several videos on YouTube that you can watch and make a determination as to whether you think it is worth it. That said, if it means giving up another excursion such as whale watching, the train in Skagway, or something else you really want to do, I probably would skip this one. While it is excellent, you can still see most of the scenery from the ship whereas the other excursions you may give up you would not be able to experience anything similar by just staying in port.

They were using tenders originally to take passengers from the Railroad Dock Aft Berth to a different dock, then opened a walkway to get past the original slide. It is likely they have closed the walkway now due to the new report and will be using tenders again.

Puerto Rico lifted all Covid restrictions a few months ago. Puerto Rico: open to vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers Updated May 16 All travelers: Proof of vaccination or negative test is not required for U.S. travelers. https://www.travelweekly.com/Caribbean-Travel/Caribbean-readies-for-a-wave-of-reopenings

Hopefully. That was the philosophy of a friend who worked for General Motors. In 2008 & 2009 he put all of his retirement investment in GM stock because it was a “bargain” and had always come back. He encouraged many friends and family members to buy all they could as well and said they would thank him in a few years. Sadly they lost it all when GM filed bankruptcy. Yes, GM survived as a smaller, leaner company, but the stockholders lost.

The best option at ISP is a whale watching tour. Glacier Wind and Hoonah Travel Adventures are both excellent.

Based on the geological report, this does not sound like a quick fix. It also involves public land above the dock and the private dock owned by the railroad, which will probably require some negotiations as to who pays for remediation of the problem. Hopefully some of the ships can dock at the Broadway or Ore Docks, but the size of the ships are limited at those docks, so newer / longer ships would not fit. The Rear Berth at the Railroad Pier remains open (for now), but is primarily used by Royal Caribbean ships. I don’t know what agreements they have as to who has first rights to dock, if part of the pier is closed. I would guess they are having to tender passengers to shore for ships that use the Rear Berth of the Railroad Dock, since it would not be safe to walk past the potential slide area above the Forward Berth. This also affects passengers who book the train excursion through the ship, since they will no longer be able to board the train right next to the ship.

Looks like they are closing the forward berth on the Railroad Dock and a few itineraries have been changed. https://cruisefever.net/princess-alters-a-few-itineraries-on-cruises-to-alaska/

Ketchikan - Bering Sea Crab Fisherman Tour; Kayaking; Pick up a free walking tour my up at the visitor center at the pier. https://alaskacrabtour.com/ https://kayakketchikan.com/ https://www.experienceketchikan.com/ketchikan-walking-tour.html Icy Strait Point - Whale Watching; Bear Excursion; Zip Line; Aerial Tram https://www.g-wind.com/ https://hoonahtraveladventures.com/ https://icystraitpoint.com/ Juneau - Whale Watching; Mendenhall Glacier; Mt. Roberts / Goldbelt Tram https://www.juneauwhalewatch.com/book-a-tour/details/32329/mendenhall-glacier-juneau-whale-watching-combo-tour/ https://goldbelttram.com/ Sitka. - Fortress of the Bear; Alaska Raptor Center; Walking Tour of Sitka http://www.fortressofthebear.org/ https://alaskaraptor.org/ https://visitsitka.org/visitor-info/maps-guides

At least one analyst thinks the stock will continue to drop and is saying to short CCL & NCLH stock. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/432075

Looks like there may be some major work needed in Skagway to prevent a much larger rock slide that could be tragic. https://thepointsguy.com/news/alaska-cruise-port-rockslide-threat/ https://alaskapublic.org/2022/07/25/skagways-busiest-cruise-ship-dock-at-risk-of-catastrophic-rockslide-study-says/

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1374/~/faster-to-the-fun-(fttf)

It will depend on how quickly the previous passengers get off the ship. I was in Group B1 on the Ecstasy in June, arrived at 10:00 for my 10:00-10:30 appointment, had to wait until about 10:40 to check in and was on the ship about 11:40.