Alaska Is on Target to Break Cruise Visitation Records This Year

The Last Frontier will welcome a plethora of ships this cruise season. (Photo Credit: Lauren Bowman)

Alaska appears to be on target to have a record-breaking cruise season in 2024.

Juneau, the state’s most visited port, welcomed a staggering 1.65 million visitors during cruise season 2023 and is being viewed as an indicator of what the year ahead will bring, according to The Orange County Register.

Last year’s cruise season visitation levels represented a 30 percent increase from pre-pandemic-era 2019 figures.

This year, Alaska is celebrating its 65th anniversary of statehood, which may be an added draw for cruise visitors. About 19 cruise lines will be sending 43 different ships to Alaska, the Orange County Register reported.

The cruise season in Alaska begins in early April with Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Bliss visiting Alaska with about 4,008 passengers on board. The ship is scheduled to dock in Skagway. The Norwegian Bliss visit will mark merely the beginning of Norwegian ship arrivals in Alaska for the coming season as the line has nearly 100 more cruise arrivals planned for the remainder of the season.

Additional cruise lines with big plans for Alaska in 2024 include Holland America Line, which will send seven premium-class ships to the state for 141 total cruises. Princess Cruises, meanwhile, has plans for 158 Alaska-bound cruises. Celebrity Cruises' Edge-class ships will also visit Alaska during the upcoming cruise season, making roundtrip sailings from Seattle through September.

Silversea Cruises will offer voyages to Alaska on the Silver Nova, which carries 728 guests and the smaller Silver Muse. Seabourn will also include Alaska in its cruise offerings.

Alaska will welcome more than 800 cruise ships during the 2024 cruise season, according to The Orange County Register.

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