Alaska’s cruise season starts as industry hopes for revival

By BECKY BOHRER
Associated Press

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The first large cruise ship of the season has arrived in Alaska, marking the start of what industry and tourism officials expect will be a more robust travel year after two pandemic-stunted seasons. The Norwegian Cruise Line vessel, the Norwegian Bliss, arrived in Juneau on Monday. A spokesperson for Cruise Lines International Association Alaska says the trade group is looking forward to a full season again, with hundreds of planned voyages. In 2019, there were 1.3 million cruise ship passengers in Alaska. No large ships sailed to Alaska in 2020 because of the pandemic. Last year, there were about 116,000 passengers on large ships that carry more than 250 people.