UPDATED FEBRUARY 12, 2021

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada has announced a one-year ban on cruise ships, meaning cruise ships are currently unable to travel to Alaska.

According to a news release from the Canadian government released earlier in February, passenger vessels carrying more than 12 people are prohibited from entering Canadian coastal waters, and cruise vessels carrying more than 100 people will be also prohibited from operating in Canadian waters.

"Cruise vessels in Canadian waters pose a risk to our health care systems,” said the news release from Canadian Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra.

Meanwhile, American officials, led by Alaska U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, are scrambling to find a solution to end the ban and allow cruise ships to once again return to Alaska.

The Alaska cruise ship industry is highly dependent on Canada due to a regulation known as The Passengers Services Act. The act prohibits ships of non-U.S. entry from embarking and debarking guests at two different U.S. ports. This means that if these ships dock in any U.S. port, they must also dock in one foreign port. In Alaska’s case, that means they must dock in Canada.  

Contingency plans are also being considered, including one allowing the cruise ship industry to get a special exemption from the U.S. government to limit cruises to seven-day voyages and not stop in Canada. 

"We are exploring all potential avenues, including changing existing laws, to ensure the cruise industry in Alaska resumes operations as soon as it is safe,” said a news release from the Alaska Congressional delegation. 

The cruise ship industry was taken by surprise by the Canadian government’s ruling.

According to a statement by the Cruise Lines International Association published in Maritime Executive, "we understand and support the government’s focus on combating COVID-19 in Canada, we are surprised by the length of the extension of the prohibition of cruises. We stand ready to work with Canadian health and transportation officials to operationalize a path forward.”

According to Maritime Executive, the large cruise ships could be permitted to make technical calls without passengers going ashore, or they could get a waiver of cruise regulations. A waiver would require an act of the U.S. Congress, which is thought to be unlikely to act in time to save the 2021 Alaska cruise season, though.

Meanwhile, here’s a story we wrote earlier this year regarding how the precautions cruise lines were set to take in the event cruises to Alaska were allowed.

CRUISING TO ALASKA IS A TRIP FILLED WITH ADVENTURE, BUT PRECAUTIONS ARE IN PLACE

Will the Alaska cruise lines bounce back? 

That, currently, is an open question as the cruise ship industry battles the ban on cruise ships to Alaska. 

WHAT TO EXPECT ON AN ALASKA CRUISE THIS YEAR IF CRUISE LINES TRAVEL TO ALASKA 

As a result of Covid-19 protocols, these are some of the changes to cruising to Alaska during the pandemic.

- Expect some form of social distancing. You’ll have to wear a mask.

- Smaller groups will be allowed for shore excursions.

- Each party will have a room with an open-air balcony.

- Due to social distancing and heightened protocols, lines for embarkation and debarkation will be longer.

- Frequent health and temperature checks will be established each time you leave and return to the ship. If you do test positive, you will not be allowed back on the ship and you will have to quarantine locally.

- There will be fewer passengers until cruise lines were set to gear up for near 100 percent occupancy later in the season, assuming the pandemic is under control.

- Port "bubbles” will restrict passenger movement and only parts of each town can be experienced. This means you will have to stay with your designated group and you can’t do things like hike alone. The "bubbles” will be fenced off, similar to what you might see at outdoor concerts.

Of course, much of the cruise ship travel season also depends on vaccine distribution, and it is unclear how distribution will affect cruise lines. Safety protocols may change rapidly depending on vaccinations and other factors.

 CRUISE LINES’ RESPONSE TO THE PANDEMIC

In addition to safety protocols on the ships themselves, ports of call must also develop and implement their own Covid-19 safety rules.

Before the Canadian ban on cruise ships, the consensus was that the industry would start out slow and begin to have a full comeback by the end of the season in September.

The direction of the Centers for Disease Control will have a direct impact on how and if the cruise lines will return to Alaska in 2021. When the pandemic began in 2020, and before the Canadian cruise ship ban, the CDC issued a "no sail” order but modified the order to "conditional sailing” in October and approved cruise lines to begin operating in the U.S.

Cruise lines are currently working on new "onboarding procedures” to ensure safe travel. But major cruise lines such as Carnival, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean had established voluntary "no sail” procedures until at least March 31, 2021, when appropriate protocols could be developed and approved. Some cruise lines such as Princess have already postponed early sailing and Windstar canceled trips to Alaska for 2021. Cunard also said Queen Elizabeth would not sail to Alaska in 2021.

There may be enough time to establish the protocols, get an exemption to regulations, and save at least part of the cruise ship season in Alaska. But the clock is ticking, as cruise season usually runs from April to September. Prior to the ban, the industry had hoped to start the new season slowly with ships with higher capacity operating at nearly 100 percent by the end of the season. The Canadian ban has changed all that.

If allowed to cruise, newer and better health and hygiene standards have been developed with world-class experts in science and medicine. Cruise ships had planned to implement enhanced features such as better air filtration, mandatory Covid-19 screening, and face masks – even social distancing for dining, embarkation, and disembarkation. 

But the cruise industry can’t do it alone. If travelers are able to traverse the crystalline waters of Alaska in 2021 to visit charming and scenic destinations like Skagway, Sitka, Ketchikan, Juneau, Haines, Seward, and other gorgeous, pleasant ports, port and city officials also need to set their own safety protocols. 

It is incredibly important to Alaska’s economy that cruise ships return in 2021 after last year’s pandemic-related absence. But the situation is changing rapidly.  

Stay tuned to www.voyij.com for updates as they are available.