Seattle Closes Alaska Season, Looks Ahead to Busy 2025

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With another successful Alaska cruise season now in the rearview window, the Port of Seattle, a major embarkation port for voyages to the Great Land, is tallying up the 2024 cruise arrivals data.

During the May-to-October season, the port hosted 275 sailings and 800,000-plus cruise passengers. While the statistics are good, they fall a bit short compared to the 2023 season, when 291 sailings delivered about 907,000 passengers.

However, both 2023 and 2024 show vast improvements versus pre-pandemic 2019, when the port welcomed just 213 sailings.

The new data, released on October 24, 2024, shows the port has fully rebounded and has become a more popular departure choice for Alaska sailings. Port officials, who are predicting that the 2025 summer season will bring even more success, point to high-profile ships that will homeport in Seattle.

Among them is Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth, a 2,100-guest luxury ship that will operate 11 Alaska cruises from the port, starting on June 12, 2025 and continuing to late September 2025.

A range of 7- to 11-day voyages is offered. Seven-day cruises will call at Juneau and Skagway, Alaska; and Victoria, British Columbia; and feature scenic cruising in Glacier Bay. For guests with a little more time, 11-day itineraries visit those destinations and add Ketchikan and Sitka, Alaska; and include scenic cruising at Hubbard Glacier.

Each voyage will feature an Alaskan Cultural Heritage Guide and a naturalist onboard, and offer excursions that vary from whale-watching and land tours to gold panning, visits to wildlife preserves, and more.

Worth Read: Seattle Cruise Port – Terminals, Transportation and What’s Nearby

Virtually every major cruise line is well represented with Alaska cruises from Seattle in 2025, including Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, and Carnival Cruise Line.

Among the biggest ships slated to sail from Seattle are Royal Caribbean’s 4,900-guest Anthem of the Seas, Norwegian Cruise Line’s 4,000-guest Norwegian Bliss, and Princess Cruises’ 3,600-guest Royal Princess.

All of the Carnival Corporation brands, including Cunard, have preferential berthing privileges at the Port of Seattle, thanks to a 10-year agreement the conglomerate announced in June 2024.

Port Leads Industry in Environmental Policy

The Port of Seattle positioned itself as a leader in environmental sustainability efforts in June, when it announced that all cruise ships visiting the facility starting in 2027 must be able to connect to shore power.

Hooking into shore power infrastructure cuts cruise ship emissions by up to 99%, and greenhouse gases by more than 20%. The onshore power source enables ships to turn off their engines while in port and keep hotel systems running.

Carnival Cruise Ship in Seattle (Photo Credit: Port of Seattle)

At the Port of Seattle, two shore power connections are available at the Smith Cove Cruise Terminal at Pier 91. Shore power hook-ups are being installed at the port’s Pier 66 cruise berth, and when that project is complete, all cruise berths at the port will have the needed infrastructure.

Read Also: Your Guide to the Best Alaska Cruise Ports

The Seattle port is the first in the US to mandate the shore power regulation. The initiative is part of a Green Corridor plan introduced in 2022 that aims to safeguard the coastal cruising grounds between Washington State, British Columbia, and Alaska.

The long-term effort calls for zero greenhouse gas emission ships to sail the route, and for ports to support the ships with appropriate docking facilities.

According to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), just 30% of cruise ships currently operating have shoreside power capabilities, but many vessels are being equipped with the technology.

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