It appears that the 2021 Alaska cruise season is over before it could start, at least in part because while the U.S. has been edging slightly closer to allowing cruises to resume, Canada has slammed the door on Canadian waters until March 1, 2022.
Canada’s ban on traffic in its waters for all vessels carrying over 100 passengers will have an effect on East Coast cruises to New England as well. On both coasts, that’s because nearly all sizable cruise ships fly the flags of other nations where regulations and costs are lower. Under U.S. law, that means they must stop in at least one foreign port on any cruise. Nearly all Alaska cruises either originate or stop at Vancouver to meet this requirement; New England cruises often use Halifax.
A number of smaller cruise operators, including Alaska Dream, Lindblad Expeditions and American Cruise lines, all small-ship operators, will still be able to cruise to Alaska, but their total volume is a tiny fraction of what even a few 2-3,000 passenger ships represent.
The Canadian ban also includes a ban on ships carrying more than 12 passengers in its Arctic waters, effectively cancelling many ‘expedition’ style trips as well.
