Skagway AK Landslide possibility causes itinerary "adjustments"...

[harryfat1]

4 hours ago, Jeter02 said:

I was just talking to a very close friend of mine who works on board the Majestic and he informed me that the Majestic will indeed be skipping skagway for the remainder of the Alaska season and will be doing icy Street point due to the mountain slide, unfortunately.

Thanks for the info.

 

We will be on the Majestic Princess in two weeks and starting yesterday I was looking at YouTube videos to see what's out there at ISP if indeed Skagway's RRF dock is closed for rest of this season. 

 

As other have said, there are limited options at ISP as it's port that's created for the cruise industry - very sanitized like those private islands at the Caribbean . The port area looks nice and there's a free part of gondola ride (second half costs like $49?) and walking around the area might kill couple of hours. 

 

This port stop at Skagway was to be our longest in staying in town for 14+ hours.  Don't think there's much to do after lunch at ISP.  This may be a hot tub/indoor pool afternoon.

 

If this pattern of port changes hold - it looks like south bound voyages for Majestic/Royal Princess that was scheduled to stop at Skagway (any given Tuesday) might stop at ISP for rest of the season. Wil see what Grand Princess do when she goes down later this Saturday as she's in Whittier now.

 

North bound one way cruise for Majestic/Royal might be stopping at Sitka as that's where Royal Princess is heading toward today (any given Wednesday).

 

Round trip from Seattle for Discovery headed for Skagway (any given Thursday) could also bound for Sitka if the reports are true that she will be there tomorrow.

[D. B.]

If Skagway stands to lose a lot of Larger Ship foot traffic, I would think they could figure out how to get the cruise lines to Tender guests ashore? Maybe help with shore-based boats and a little $$ for the cruise lines?

 

 I could be that's not practical because of the space to anchor out would interfere with other ships? 

 Tendering is a slow process and could limit guests time ashore.

 The biggest draw in Skagway is the White Pass Railway so maybe they can help figure out a solution. They own the pier affected by the rockslide danger.

 I have 2 independent Tours for my 2 scheduled stops at Skagway (August 24 & 30th.) that I was looking forward to.

  

[onelessbelltoanswer]

Hi! Thought I would chime in for Icy Strait Point. My family and I enjoyed this stop much more than Skagway.  We took the gondola (49.00/person) up the top of the mountain where we watched two bald eagles soaring right over our heads. They have a nature hike down the mountain - and I assume up the mountain too. We did not do the zip line as we have zip lined in many other places and wanted to explore.

 

The free gondola is the one that takes you into their little shopping area. The other option is to walk the 1/2 mile to and from the shopping area along the really nice trail they have. The beach area is great for beach combing and I found the views to be quite wonderful. The only down side was we were on the Crown and arrived at 530pm when things were closing and then we had to be back on the ship by 8pm. Not nearly enough time for us to explore.

 

The shopping area is in an old cannery and they have done a great job of showing the cannery process back in the day. They also have other historical items to view. They also have a cultural dance at various times throughout the day. Again, since we arrived so late,  they were not doing the dance. There looked to be a nicely paved road just past the shopping area where you can walk into the small town of Hoonah. Again, we didn't have enough time for that. 

 

In summary, if you are fairly active and enjoy exploring nature, then I think this is a wonderful stop. If you like to only shop, they have a limited number of little shops - although we found some great local jewerly and art.

 

 

[_rusty_shackleford]

30 minutes ago, D. B. said:

If Skagway stands to lose a lot of Larger Ship foot traffic, I would think they could figure out how to get the cruise lines to Tender guests ashore? Maybe help with shore-based boats and a little $$ for the cruise lines?

 

 I could be that's not practical because of the space to anchor out would interfere with other ships? 

 Tendering is a slow process and could limit guests time ashore.

 The biggest draw in Skagway is the White Pass Railway so maybe they can help figure out a solution. They own the pier affected by the rockslide danger.

 I have 2 independent Tours for my 2 scheduled stops at Skagway (August 24 & 30th.) that I was looking forward to.

  

My wife and I were just talking about tenders last night. Even if Skagway doesn't have the boats/manpower to do it the ship certainly does with lifeboats. That's how we got to shore at ISP when we went on the Carnival Spirit in June- docks were full so we anchored and used a few of the lifeboats as tenders. I think the other Carnival ship there that day did as well.

 

Like you said, it may very well be that there's no physical space to anchor and not block ship traffic. I can't remember how much space there is near Skagway.

[LovetheSea]

I agree that Icy Straight Point is more like a created for tourist stop , whereas Sitka is more interesting. A real town.  I have been to both a couple of times

[catgirl411]

6 hours ago, onelessbelltoanswer said:

Hi! Thought I would chime in for Icy Strait Point. My family and I enjoyed this stop much more than Skagway.  We took the gondola (49.00/person) up the top of the mountain where we watched two bald eagles soaring right over our heads. They have a nature hike down the mountain - and I assume up the mountain too. We did not do the zip line as we have zip lined in many other places and wanted to explore.

 

The free gondola is the one that takes you into their little shopping area. The other option is to walk the 1/2 mile to and from the shopping area along the really nice trail they have. The beach area is great for beach combing and I found the views to be quite wonderful. The only down side was we were on the Crown and arrived at 530pm when things were closing and then we had to be back on the ship by 8pm. Not nearly enough time for us to explore.

 

The shopping area is in an old cannery and they have done a great job of showing the cannery process back in the day. They also have other historical items to view. They also have a cultural dance at various times throughout the day. Again, since we arrived so late,  they were not doing the dance. There looked to be a nicely paved road just past the shopping area where you can walk into the small town of Hoonah. Again, we didn't have enough time for that. 

 

In summary, if you are fairly active and enjoy exploring nature, then I think this is a wonderful stop. If you like to only shop, they have a limited number of little shops - although we found some great local jewerly and art.

 

 

I also liked Icy  Strait Point. It is a beautiful setting and just nice for walking around and enjoying the fresh Alaskan air but what I liked most is that I believe the port is operated by the local indigenous people. I think they had a role to play in developing it also

[MileHighAko]

I've only been to Sitka one time, and absolutely LOVED it. We had to tender, but it was easy in and out. I've always wanted to go back, but Princess rarely stops there. We booked the first week of May next year on Discovery just because it stops in Sitka. I'm secretly hoping that our September Discovery cruise switches to Sitka as well. :) 

[CACruiser1973]

We board the Discovery this Sunday, and I am secretly hoping we swap Skagway for Sitka.  I’ve been to Skagway three times now and, while I do genuinely feel bad for the townsfolk, once was enough for me.  It has always been my least favorite of the Alaska ports.  I’ve never been to Sitka and would actually be quite pleased to see it - even if it means we lose our wildlife sanctuary tour scheduled for Skagway.  

[Ptroxx]

3 hours ago, CACruiser1973 said:

We board the Discovery this Sunday, and I am secretly hoping we swap Skagway for Sitka.  I’ve been to Skagway three times now and, while I do genuinely feel bad for the townsfolk, once was enough for me.  It has always been my least favorite of the Alaska ports.  I’ve never been to Sitka and would actually be quite pleased to see it - even if it means we lose our wildlife sanctuary tour scheduled for Skagway.  

I talked to princess tonight and was told they are working with the pier owners to make sure we are able to port.  Said it will be at a different pier as usual but we’ll make it.  
not holding my breath.  But said they will have more info by the 30th.   
 

and I’m ok as well missing Skagway  never been to Sitka.  But could also be icy strait.   Which I’ve never been too 

[caribill]

12 hours ago, D. B. said:

The biggest draw in Skagway is the White Pass Railway so maybe they can help figure out a solution. They own the pier affected by the rockslide danger.

 

 

 

And Carnival Corp owns the White Pass Railway.

[stevenr597]

We recently visited Skagway on the Discovery Princess.  Great stop.  Feel sorry for the people who need the business if Princess can no longer dock their ships there. 

[Cali Viajera]

Haines is a great port stop instead of Skagway. It’s an authentic Alaskan town with many excursions. It is a tender port that was assigned to us on the Majestic last month when the slide prevented us from going to Skagway.

[Earthworm Jim]

According to this article, in addition to Royal and Discovery canceling their upcoming Skagway stops, which were already mentioned in this thread, Grand will cancel their July 30th call there and will go to Sitka instead:

 

https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/cruise-pier-Skagway-closes-due-to-rockslide-risk

 

That's disappointing. I'm on the Grand the following week so I assume we'll be canceled too.

[harryfat1]

1 hour ago, Earthworm Jim said:

According to this article, in addition to Royal and Discovery canceling their upcoming Skagway stops, which were already mentioned in this thread, Grand will cancel their July 30th call there and will go to Sitka instead:

 

https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/cruise-pier-Skagway-closes-due-to-rockslide-risk

 

That's disappointing. I'm on the Grand the following week so I assume we'll be canceled too.

From other postings, it's speculated that Princess might make a decision for the upcoming week(s) by this weekend as they sort things out. 

 

It would be nice to have a decision by tomorrow (Saturday) as that's boarding day for a new set of passengers on Majestic/Royal/Discovery Princess ships. Most of these are boarding thinking they are going to Skagway on their sailing so it would be good to know prior to sailing so they can react accordingly instead of getting a letter while on board.

 

It's a case of hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.  I have been looking at various YouTube videos to be up to speed on ISP in case we end up there. It wouldn't hurt if you look into Sitka in case you guys end up there.

[PrincessLuver]

Just in Icy Straight and it is basically the Princess Cays of Alaska.  Totally fake and a rip off port from what we experienced.  Much rather have done Skagway.

[Italy52]

Icy Strait is a quaint little place which we happen to enjoy very much --- always look forward to our visits.  I realize that it is not everyone's "cup of tea" and people are entitled to their opinion.  We enjoy the fact that it is not a commercialized port stop.  We like the simplicity and peacefulness that it offers.  We have enjoyed the numerous whale watching experiences that we have had with Glacier Wind --- the owners are like family to us and we look forward to seeing them whenever we are there.  For anyone who is interested in Icy Strait, you might want to go to YouTube and see some of the videos that past cruisers have filmed about the port.

 

Like I said, Icy Strait might not appeal to everyone -- we personally don't care for Skagway.  Fortunately, Alaska has something for everyone. 

 

We will be taking two different cruises to Alaska in August; both have Skagway port stops.  Since both ships are big ones there is a good chance that we might not be able to get into Skagway.  Whatever happens, we will make the best of it and enjoy our time in Alaska.

[Earthworm Jim]

1 hour ago, PrincessLuver said:

Just in Icy Straight and it is basically the Princess Cays of Alaska.  Totally fake and a rip off port from what we experienced.  Much rather have done Skagway.

 

I imagine the beach vibe is somewhat less than Princess Cays.😉

[_rusty_shackleford]

15 minutes ago, Earthworm Jim said:

 

I imagine the beach vibe is somewhat less than Princess Cays.😉

See you'd think so, and then you go there on a day it gets over 80 like we did and suddenly coconut cocktails don't feel so out of place.

[Guest ldtr]

On 7/27/2022 at 5:59 PM, catgirl411 said:

I also liked Icy  Strait Point. It is a beautiful setting and just nice for walking around and enjoying the fresh Alaskan air but what I liked most is that I believe the port is operated by the local indigenous people. I think they had a role to play in developing it also

Yes, it was is Alaska Native owned and the profits support the local Tlingit People.

 

Basically when it became clear that fishing was going away the locals decided to go the cruise ship port route.  With the number of ships going to Alaska and the crowds in many ports it is nice to have one that is  less crowded.

 

 

For anyone interested in icy Strait Point  here is their web site

 

https://icystraitpoint.com/

[harryfat1]

Without taking this thread into a Skagway versus ISP versus Sitka debate, everyone can have their preferences of Alaska ports.

 

I just hope Princess comes out with a decision prior to every sailing so people can have time to research the new ports. 

 

Unless the passengers are on CC regularly or follow rock slide news about Skagway, many will board their sailings on Majestic/Royal/Discovery tomorrow not even knowing their Skagway stop could be in jeopardy, 

 

The tour excursion desk for these next few sailings could be a mad house with people trying to rebook their excursions at the new ports of ISP/Sitka if it turns out their Skagway stop has been canceled.

 

We had enough time last couple days to watch various YouTube videos to have an idea on what we will do at the new port if we can't dock at Skagway.  Just hoping Princess give enough heads up to rest of the passengers so they can plan accordingly.

 

[yourSLCwoman]

I am boarding the Majestic tomorrow and have been monitoring the JourneyView in the medallion app for the last week. I just noticed that Skagway has been changed to Sitka in the app. The last time we visited Skagway via cruise ship, we rented a car from Avis with the intention of driving to Emerald Lake. It was raining that day and the road to the Yukon was washed out so we had to turn around before making it to our destination. This trip was going to be our do-over to Emerald Lake. I do like Sitka though and I guess a do-over of our Skagway do-over is now in our future. 

[harryfat1]

Yeah, someone from our roll call just alerted me that the Majestic Princess sailing starting next Saturday from Whittier will be visiting ISP on August 9 instead of Skagway.

 

Went into the cruise itinerary and sure enough, Skagway is no longer there and replaced by ISP but no excursion link available right now (no hyperlink).  Maybe that will be updated later.

 

So depending on the ship/direction of sailing, Skagway is being replaced by ISP or Sitka at least next 2 weeks.

 

 

 

[stevenr597]

I really feel bad for the people who live in Skagway.  Many of them survive based on several months of business from the cruise boats.  It would be a terrible blow, including the people who work on the White Pass Railroad, if the larger Princess ships cannot dock at the Port.

We recently docked at Skagway on the Discovery Princess and had a fantastic time there.  

I do hope that the government of Alaska can provide some assistance to be able for these ships to make their port calls in Skagway. 

[Ockatty]

6 hours ago, yourSLCwoman said:

I am boarding the Majestic tomorrow and have been monitoring the JourneyView in the medallion app for the last week. I just noticed that Skagway has been changed to Sitka in the app. The last time we visited Skagway via cruise ship, we rented a car from Avis with the intention of driving to Emerald Lake. It was raining that day and the road to the Yukon was washed out so we had to turn around before making it to our destination. This trip was going to be our do-over to Emerald Lake. I do like Sitka though and I guess a do-over of our Skagway do-over is now in our future. 

We will be on the Majestic NB on Aug 13th. No changes showing up yet, but sounds like it’s time to plan for Sitka. What are the times they are showing for your Sitka stop? 

[nini]

Our itinerary already includes Sitka and Icy Strait. Sooooooo, what to substitute for Skagway?