Which port will substitute Victoria CA?

[Ivy86]

I noticed Norwegian bliss still shows stopping at Victoria but I guess that will change soon .I am wondering which port they’ll stop then 🤔 

[Italy52]

It will probably be another sea day -- I am on Princess and that is what is showing.

[Coral]

I am also guessing another sea day.

[1025cruise]

More than likely a sea day. Most cruises only stopped in Victoria for a few hours at night anyways. By skipping Victoria, they can keep the casinos and shops open longer. The stop in Victoria was solely to satisfy the PVSA. On my one cruise, since it was the last night, we opted to just stay on the ship anyways to pack.

[Heidi13]

The entire day will be at sea, with the ship setting a slower speed to conserve bunkers.

[Northern Aurora]

The modified Celebrity itinerary for the Millennium also includes an additional sea day.

[LadyMac72]

8 hours ago, Ivy86 said:

I noticed Norwegian bliss still shows stopping at Victoria but I guess that will change soon .I am wondering which port they’ll stop then 🤔 

Nothing from Carnival either.  I'd be happy if the lengthened Ketchikan and/or Icy Strait Point when they cut out Victoria.

[Northern Aurora]

2 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

The modified Celebrity itinerary for the Millennium also includes an additional sea day.

 

 

I need to correct my own post.  Celebrity in recent years had three ships in the Alaska market.  Two were S-class ships and one M-class.   The Millennium was generally the M-class.  This summer the Millennium will be deployed out of Sint Maarten, and the Summit will be doing the modified itinerary which was done on the Solstice in the past.  The Summit itinerary was modified to add a sea day and also extended time in Skagway.

[don't-use-real-name]

A definite new booking schedule or using one of the existing old ones ?

 

In any event: 

 

Having the cruise ships headed to Alaska to start the service - and getting enough

crew on board to service the guests - and supplying the ships with food and other

expected essentials.

 

So the port call at Victoria is going to be skipped - maybe even replaced with another

port call in Alaska - or more time spent at one of the scheduled ports or glaciers ?!

 

Granted that short port call at Victoria 6 or so hours is not much but then the distance

to go to Seattle is a hop skip and jump late at night putt putting at idle speed.

So there would be enough time for another port call perhaps throwing Sitka into the

mix of Ketchikan Juneau Skagway Icy Strait Point or more time visiting one more glacier.

A port day at each with a sea day going and returning.

 

Canada may restrict the Inside Passage - The Strait of Georgia and Johnstone Strait

(non-ocean side of Vancouver Island) but not a big concern as those passages are

very very narrow and usually traveled late at night (nothing to see here folks).

And the open Pacific Ocean side of Vancouver Island would not have any speed or

navigation restrictions.

 

The Vancouver starting point for the northbound JEWEL cruises to Anchorage (Seward)

would be replaced with Seattle as well as the southbound cruises.

 

Lots of temporary options to explore - - - - -

 

 

[donaldsc]

I took a look at the port times for some of the cruises.  They port times were horrible.  Considering that many things might not even be open with the short notice and the possible inability to get staff, seems like these cruises might not even be worth doing.

 

Look at the numbers from the viewpoint of the businesses.  There will be one ship per day and 3 ships per week in port instead of the large number that there will normally be.  Assuming that the ships can hold 3000 passengers and they book them at 50% of capacity, that means 4500 passengers or 2300 couples per week.  Unless the businesses have stock left over from last year and unless they can staff the businesses w locals, does it pay for them to restock and rehire for 2300 couples per week especially as some of the 2300 couples will make no purchases at all in AK.  Also, many of the people who do tours come up from the lower 48 for the summer to work.  Does it pay for the tour companies to hire and train for a maximum of 2300 couples per week and will the students who normally come up for the summer to work come up for 6 or 8 weeks.  

 

Just my opinion but you have to be pretty desperate to do an AK cruise this summer although with only 2300 spots to fill per week, it might not be too hard to find that many desperate people.  We had planned to take our grandson to AK this summer w/o his parents for a visit to AK.  He will just have to wait until next summer.

 

DON

[Coral]

38 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

I took a look at the port times for some of the cruises.  They port times were horrible.  Considering that many things might not even be open with the short notice and the possible inability to get staff, seems like these cruises might not even be worth doing.

 

I have never been impressed with port times on RT Seattle sailings. I agree - they are horrible. I considered it for a second but it would have to be the first sailing as August/September is busy where I work.

[Italy52]

We have an Alaska 7-day Seattle cruise that had not been cancelled.  I, for one, am very happy that we get to go to one of our favorite places even if it is for a short period of time.  Getting away in California has been very difficult --- this cruise will be a breath of fresh air for us.  Also, it will give us an opportunity to support the Alaskan economy and a couple of independent vendors that we like.  The people of Alaska have been hit very hard and if we can support them in any way we are happy to do so.  I realize that not everyone feels the same way and that is OK by me --- to each his own.

[Heidi13]

10 hours ago, don't-use-real-name said:

Granted that short port call at Victoria 6 or so hours is not much but then the distance

to go to Seattle is a hop skip and jump late at night putt putting at idle speed.

So there would be enough time for another port call perhaps throwing Sitka into the

mix of Ketchikan Juneau Skagway Icy Strait Point or more time visiting one more glacier.

A port day at each with a sea day going and returning.

 

Canada may restrict the Inside Passage - The Strait of Georgia and Johnstone Strait

(non-ocean side of Vancouver Island) but not a big concern as those passages are

very very narrow and usually traveled late at night (nothing to see here folks).

And the open Pacific Ocean side of Vancouver Island would not have any speed or

navigation restrictions.

 

The Vancouver starting point for the northbound JEWEL cruises to Anchorage (Seward)

would be replaced with Seattle as well as the southbound cruises.

 

Lots of temporary options to explore - - - - -

 

 

Yes, Victoria is a short port call and Seattle is a short distance, however many factors are applicable to the speed required - the IMO approved traffic separation scheme means that the ships must comply with Col Reg # 10, so they must follow the lanes. They also have departure, docking, disembarking the BC Pilot at Brotchie Ledge and embarking the US pilot.

 

While the distance is only about 70 miles, departing at Midnight and arriving at 06:00, still requires a set speed of about 14 to 15 kts - hardly idle speed.

 

While the Pacific Ocean has no posted speed limits, the cruise ships southbound all too often are limited by the sea state. On many occassions, ships dock late into Victoria because of weather delays in the Pacific. While they may tweak port times, a prudent cruise line will maintain a moderate speed requirement in open waters, lest the ships arrive late into Seattle. Slower speeds also equal less bunkers. Navigation restrictions - again the Pacific might not have posted restrictions, but prudent Masters steer weather courses when the seas are running. 

 

Johnstone Strait is confined waters, but having sailed these routes twice per week northbound and southbound, I certainly consider them some of the most scenic parts of the West Coast - both BC and Alaska. Definitely less room than open ocean, but very, very narrow - hardly, lots of other much narrower channels on the BC Coast, that I have navigated.

 

If departing from Vancouver, when northbound from Cape Mudge to Robson Bight it is twilight, but Southbound it is in daylight. If a Seattle departure used this route, it would be in daylight, as Seattle to Cape Mudge is about 12 hrs.

[rkacruiser]

26 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

They also have departure, docking, disembarking the BC Pilot at Brotchie Ledge and embarking the US pilot.

 

Has the concern you have previously stated of the pilotage by Canadian pilots in parts of the Strait of Juan de Fuca because of the required traffic schemes been resolved?  

[Heidi13]

2 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Has the concern you have previously stated of the pilotage by Canadian pilots in parts of the Strait of Juan de Fuca because of the required traffic schemes been resolved?  

 

Haven't heard anything about using Canadian Waters through Juan de Fuca.

[rkacruiser]

16 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Haven't heard anything about using Canadian Waters through Juan de Fuca.

 

Thank you for your reply.  

[LadyMac72]

Just learned today that we get about 3 extra hours in Ketchikan and then a "fun day at sea" after they took out Victoria. This is for the Carnival Spirit in September 2021.  

[kwbrad]

58 minutes ago, LadyMac72 said:

Just learned today that we get about 3 extra hours in Ketchikan and then a "fun day at sea" after they took out Victoria. This is for the Carnival Spirit in September 2021.  

 

They made the same change to ours on the Miracle in August.  I am excited because we did only have about 6 hours there.  Now we have 8 or 9 hours in each port, very exciting!  

[chefchick]

It is confirmed...another sea day.  I am sailing 9/11 NCL Bliss.  I am excited about the changes (went from Dawes Glacier to Glacier Bay) and another sea day is fine with me.

 

 

[Northern Aurora]

6 hours ago, donaldsc said:

I took a look at the port times for some of the cruises.  They port times were horrible.  Considering that many things might not even be open with the short notice and the possible inability to get staff, seems like these cruises might not even be worth doing.

 

Look at the numbers from the viewpoint of the businesses.  There will be one ship per day and 3 ships per week in port instead of the large number that there will normally be.  Assuming that the ships can hold 3000 passengers and they book them at 50% of capacity, that means 4500 passengers or 2300 couples per week.  Unless the businesses have stock left over from last year and unless they can staff the businesses w locals, does it pay for them to restock and rehire for 2300 couples per week especially as some of the 2300 couples will make no purchases at all in AK.  Also, many of the people who do tours come up from the lower 48 for the summer to work.  Does it pay for the tour companies to hire and train for a maximum of 2300 couples per week and will the students who normally come up for the summer to work come up for 6 or 8 weeks.  

 

Just my opinion but you have to be pretty desperate to do an AK cruise this summer although with only 2300 spots to fill per week, it might not be too hard to find that many desperate people.  We had planned to take our grandson to AK this summer w/o his parents for a visit to AK.  He will just have to wait until next summer.

 

DON

 

 

Regarding shopping opportunities I don't know how many of the gift shops will be open but certainly the museums and artist co-ops will be ready to open.  And the fishing guides, flight seeing tours and whale watching trips will be ready to book.  The National Park Service will be operating their programs in Skagway.  It is my understanding that the Mt. Roberts tram in Juneau will be operating (someone please correct me if I am wrong).  The mountains and glaciers will be there.  The eagles will be soaring overhead.

 

I remember what Skagway was like in the early 1980s and it would be refreshing to visit some of these heavily visited cruise ports with fewer hords of people.  We plan to try to book an Alaskan cruise in August but since we have to book around several fixed events we may have a hard time doing so.  But if we are successful and none of the Diamonds International stores are open I really won't miss them.

[LadyMac72]

55 minutes ago, kwbrad said:

 

They made the same change to ours on the Miracle in August.  I am excited because we did only have about 6 hours there.  Now we have 8 or 9 hours in each port, very exciting!  

I meant to type Miracle.. no idea where I got Carnival Spirit.  My bad.

[Ivy86]

On 5/23/2021 at 5:38 PM, LadyMac72 said:

Nothing from Carnival either.  I'd be happy if the lengthened Ketchikan and/or Icy Strait Point when they cut out Victoria.

I received the revised itinerary today . We will have a day at sea since we cannot stop in Victoria CA. 

[Ivy86]

1 hour ago, chefchick said:

It is confirmed...another sea day.  I am sailing 9/11 NCL Bliss.  I am excited about the changes (went from Dawes Glacier to Glacier Bay) and another sea day is fine with me.

 

 

I wanted to go to Dawes Glacier 😞 apparently it’s much better . 

[Ivy86]

are we having 3 days at sea ? Does anyone  knows if we are doing another glacier after glacier bay ?  

Edited May 25, 2021 by Ivy86

[kona_wahine]

I wonder if the change will happen to the 2022 cruises eventually. We are scheduled for May, and I’d rather skip Victoria and have longer port times in alaska if possible. I guess it’s wait and see...