Princess Cruises on Tuesday, July 26, announced it was making adjustments to some of its scheduled Alaskan itineraries (summer season 2022) due to the recent decision to close a cruise berth/dock at Port Skagway (Alaska) by the White Pass Rail Road.
The cruise dock, which is Skagway's busiest, is reportedly at risk of a disastrous rock slide.
A report by a geotechnical & environmental consulting company, which took the research at the request of the municipality, confirmed that risk.
The report concluded that there was a “significant risk associated with complete failure” for the North Slide of Skagway's railroad dock, which could produce catastrophic results for vessels docked at the berth.
In light of the risk, the owner of one of the docks, White Pass Rail Road, decided to close the forward berth at Railroad Dock, the main location where Princes’ Royal Class cruise ships dock. In response, the cruise company made a number of changes.
In a statement on Tuesday, Princess said that the health and safety of the guests and crew were always the company's top priority and they appreciated and supported that decision.
Here are the Princess' itinerary changes:
- Majestic Princess instead called on Icy Strait Point/Hoona on Tuesday, July 26.
- Crown Princess continued with Skagway but docked at a different pier, also on Tuesday, July 26.
- Royal Princess’ July 27, Discovery Princess’ July 28, and Grand Princess’ July 30 port calls will be changed from Skagway to another Alaskan port (details “are still being coordinated”).
Princess said it would continue to work with officials from Skagway and the White Pass Rail Road in order to determine when scheduled calls can return.