Skagway Rockslide Remediation Update

[JT1962]

As expected, the remediation of the rock slide will be a slow process with government agencies and private firms involved. The repairs may affect the 2023 cruise season if they don’t get a plan approved and start soon .
 

 

https://khns.org/geotechnical-engineering-firm-pitches-plan-to-solve-skagways-rockslide-problems

[Northern Aurora]

My husband and I have both read the Shannon and Wilson report.  This is a serious problem, and there will not be a "quick fix."

[JT1962]

23 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

My husband and I have both read the Shannon and Wilson report.  This is a serious problem, and there will not be a "quick fix."

I agree and think it will likely be well into the 2023 cruise season before the Forward Berth at the Railroad Dock will re-open. 
 

If the City of Skagway and White Pass Railroad cannot come to an agreement about the Ore & Railroad Docks, that would leave Skagway with potentially only one berth - Railroad Dock Rear - to start 2023. That berth would likely require tenders to continue to be used until the slide area is fully remediated. 

https://skagwaynews.com/2022/08/25/wpyr-debates-with-mos-over-status-of-port-improvements-and-structures/

 

[redroses]

Thanks - what does this mean for Princess cruisers next July 2023 if you were to predict? I'm not familiar with that area.  We were hoping to rent a car to the Yukon.  Does that mean Princess will have to take a while to tender everyone? Reading that it takes up to 3 hrs to get a tender to shore.

 

I seriously might reconsider doing the cruise in 2024.  Thanks!

 

 

Edited September 13, 2022 by redroses
more info

[Northern Aurora]

We were in Skagway twice in June.  The first time was just before the slide, and the second after.  We were on the Celebrity Solstice, which uses the aft Rail Road dock berth.  Celebrity tendered passengers to the small boat harbor.  The ride itself only takes about five minutes, and the tender operation went very smoothly.  I have no idea if Princess will modify some of their itineraries to go instead to Haines, Sitka or Icy Straight.

[JT1962]

5 hours ago, redroses said:

Thanks - what does this mean for Princess cruisers next July 2023 if you were to predict? I'm not familiar with that area.  We were hoping to rent a car to the Yukon.  Does that mean Princess will have to take a while to tender everyone? Reading that it takes up to 3 hrs to get a tender to shore.

 

I seriously might reconsider doing the cruise in 2024.  Thanks!

 

 

It’s still to early to tell at this point.  Hopefully they will at a minimum get the potential issues with the Ore / Broadway docks resolved and can use those for the smaller ships. 
 

If there are still issues, I could see some ships moving to Haines, since you can still acres Skagway via the Fast Ferry from there. That does add an extra step and more time in getting to / from Skagway.

[JT1962]

The Governor of Alaska has declared the Skagway rockslide a disaster emergency, which should allow for Federal Disaster Funds to assist in remediation. Since the repairs likely won’t be completed by the start of the 2023 cruise season, they are working on expanding the Ore Dock to accommodate the largest ships. They will use Broadway Dock for smaller ships and can dock 2 smaller ships at the Railroad Dock Rear Berth. Those using the Railroad Dock Rear Berth will likely still have to tender passengers to the small boat harbor dock.

 

 

https://khns.org/governor-declares-disaster-emergency-for-skagway-in-response-to-rockslides

[johnintx]

On 9/18/2022 at 7:36 AM, JT1962 said:

The Governor of Alaska has declared the Skagway rockslide a disaster emergency, which should allow for Federal Disaster Funds to assist in remediation. Since the repairs likely won’t be completed by the start of the 2023 cruise season, they are working on expanding the Ore Dock to accommodate the largest ships. They will use Broadway Dock for smaller ships and can dock 2 smaller ships at the Railroad Dock Rear Berth. Those using the Railroad Dock Rear Berth will likely still have to tender passengers to the small boat harbor dock.

 

 

https://khns.org/governor-declares-disaster-emergency-for-skagway-in-response-to-rockslides

We were just there two weeks ago. We've already booked to go back next year at the end of September. Hopefully, they can get something worked out for next cruise season. Skagway was our favorite port.

[eetonaee]

• Photo taken early September. Our HAL ship used the Ore dock.

[don't-use-real-name]

eetonaee

from that photo Skagway town is to the left and the one useable railroad dock (pier) would be

to the right - puzzling why the WPYRR has seven locomotives out passed the rock slide ?

Passed the dock where pedestrian and vehicle traffic is not ?

[hawk1972]

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

eetonaee

from that photo Skagway town is to the left and the one useable railroad dock (pier) would be

to the right - puzzling why the WPYRR has seven locomotives out passed the rock slide ?

Passed the dock where pedestrian and vehicle traffic is not ?

Those railroad cars were there on September 11 when we were in Skagway and it didn't look like they were being used. They must not be afraid that they might be damaged by more slides.

[don't-use-real-name]

Just to point out those aren't railway cars - all 7 units are LOCOMOTIVES and they weight

considerably more than the passenger coach rolling stock. 

[david,Mississauga]

When we were in Skagway in early summer the locomotives used on all the trains we saw were the new ones. They are longer and painted mostly black. I suppose those older units are being kept in case some of the new ones get bad-ordered. 

[JT1962]

5 hours ago, david,Mississauga said:

When we were in Skagway in early summer the locomotives used on all the trains we saw were the new ones. They are longer and painted mostly black. I suppose those older units are being kept in case some of the new ones get bad-ordered. 

Since they were not running any trains into Canada (Fraser, Bennett Lake, Carcross) this year, and less cruise passengers were visiting after the rock slide due to ships diverting to other ports, those locomotives were probably not needed.  They likely be used in the future when things (hopefully) return to normal.

[johnintx]

On 9/18/2022 at 7:36 AM, JT1962 said:

The Governor of Alaska has declared the Skagway rockslide a disaster emergency, which should allow for Federal Disaster Funds to assist in remediation. Since the repairs likely won’t be completed by the start of the 2023 cruise season, they are working on expanding the Ore Dock to accommodate the largest ships. They will use Broadway Dock for smaller ships and can dock 2 smaller ships at the Railroad Dock Rear Berth. Those using the Railroad Dock Rear Berth will likely still have to tender passengers to the small boat harbor dock.

 

 

https://khns.org/governor-declares-disaster-emergency-for-skagway-in-response-to-rockslides

The voters of Skagway yesterday approved a bond that would provide funding for a plan to expand the Ore Dock to handle large ships. This would allow Skagway to host four cruise ships in port at the same time in 2023.

https://khns.org/skagway-election-results
https://khns.org/skagway-to-get-full-ownership-of-state-ferry-peninsula-moves-forward-with-plan-to-expand-ore-dock
https://khns.org/skagways-proposition-one-a-65-million-revenue-bond-to-be-decided-in-october-election

[rkacruiser]

17 hours ago, johnintx said:

This would allow Skagway to host four cruise ships in port at the same time in 2023.

 

Is this positive news for the cruise guests' experience of Skagway?  

[johnintx]

20 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Is this positive news for the cruise guests' experience of Skagway?  

I'm not sure. I hope it is. If the new version of the Ore Dock is able to host passengers without tendering, that's a start.

 

We were there in early September on Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas. We docked in the aft of the Railroad Dock. We tendered to shore. The tendering process was much easier than I expected.

 

If they can get four ships in port at a time, that's a win for Skagway. They missed out on a lot of cruise traffic this year due to the rockslide.

 

In the meantime, the rockslide on the Railroad Dock is only getting worse. It'll take time to solve that issue.

This is an active link to a story regarding plans:

https://khns.org/skagway-and-dot-agree-to-explore-moving-state-ferry-terminal-emergency-ore-dock-redesign-moves-forward

[Pluto_fan]

On 10/5/2022 at 10:53 PM, johnintx said:

 This would allow Skagway to host four cruise ships in port at the same time in 2023.

 

Thanks to everyone who has provided helpful information on this topic!

 

I have a question on the "four ships" point.  I'm hoping to visit Skagway on June 24, 2023, on the Sapphire Princess.  Also scheduled for that day are the Carnival Luminosa, HAL Volendam, Seven Seas Explorer, and Viking Orion.  None of them are massive ships, and the latter two are under 1000 passengers each.  Is it reasonable to hope that two medium ships, a small ship, and two very small ships could be accommodated?  Thanks!

[Northern Aurora]

1 hour ago, Pluto_fan said:

 

Thanks to everyone who has provided helpful information on this topic!

 

I have a question on the "four ships" point.  I'm hoping to visit Skagway on June 24, 2023, on the Sapphire Princess.  Also scheduled for that day are the Carnival Luminosa, HAL Volendam, Seven Seas Explorer, and Viking Orion.  None of them are massive ships, and the latter two are under 1000 passengers each.  Is it reasonable to hope that two medium ships, a small ship, and two very small ships could be accommodated?  Thanks!

 

Pre-slide we have been in Skagway when two large cruise ships, and two medium sized ships were docked at once.  Depending on the length of the ships I suspect the cruise schedule will be accommodated.

[Cali Viajera]

We were unable to dock in Skagway in late June on the Majestic. Went to Haines instead. It is a lovely, very authentic Alaskan town and visited the Steve Kroschel wildlife center. We saw so much wildlife there! Definitely a highlight. Don't forget a stop at Fog cutters bar is you are re-routed to Haines!

[kas97]

I want to book a cruise to Alaska in June 2023 and Skagway and the White Pass Summit train is a must.  It looks like the train was running this year (just not into Canada) and looks like it is open for next year, but I'm not seeing any availability on their website.  Is there a way to make sure it isn't sold out (via cruise ship excursion) before I book a cruise?  Since Glacier NP is also a must, we will either be on Princess or HA.

[Crew News]

I am booked through HAL on the train all the way to Lake Bennett next May.

[JT1962]

Looks like Skagway is still working through options for next year. The original Ore Dock expansion may no longer be an option for larger ships. Hopefully the temporary remediation plan for the Railroad Dock will work and they can dock 2 ships there.
 

I’m guessing there will be several more updates / options before next cruise season. Losing some of the larger ships for another season would be a hit on the locals.
 

https://alaskapublic.org/2022/10/31/skagways-plans-for-large-cruise-ships-at-ore-dock-may-be-scrapped/

Edited November 1, 2022 by JT1962

[johnintx]

Update on Skagway:

https://khns.org/skagways-short-term-alternative-mooring-plan-for-2023-gets-scrapped

The local council has voted against the short-term alternative plan for the Ore Dock. This would have allowed large ships to dock at the Ore Dock in 2023. After simulations and testing, the short-term plan was unsatisfactory to the cruise lines, and the city decided against it.

 

However, at the end of this article, the local officials are optimistic about the mitigation of the rockslide. They hope to be able to dock two ships on the Railroad Dock in 2023.

 

So, as a result, the locals are hoping to be able to dock up to four ships at once in 2023 (one each at the Broadway and Ore docks, and two on the Railroad Dock).