Batten down the hatches because we are about to set sail. That is right! Cruise ships have returned to Ketchikan, Alaska. Ships carrying tourists coming to visit our beautiful shores have not visited Ketchikan for 19 months since the tourism season was canceled due to the Coronavirus Pandemic in 2020. We are pleased to announce that cruises are once again making waves and have landed in Ketchikan. While our businesses have continued to operate, we have missed having new visitors to our shores.
On Saturday, July 24th, you could see the large cruise liner in its full glory outside the Bar Harbor Ale House window, a Cape Fox Corporation (CFC) restaurant. Two large cruise ships are scheduled to visit the Port of Ketchikan on the same weekend, the Serenade of the Seas on Saturday and the Celebrity Millennium on Sunday. The Royal Caribbean Group owns both ships. The Serenade of the Seas is a 962-foot long ship that carried 630 passengers and 800 crew members. It has a passenger capacity of 2,490 passengers. The Celebrity Millenium can carry a maximum of 2,218 guests.
While this is just a small group of visitors compared to the traditional pre-COVID numbers, we take great hope at the sight of the large, magnificent liners entering the port. While the 2021 tourism season is much smaller than average, it gives us great faith at the promise that cruises will continue to bring tourists to our shores for Tourism Season 2022. For this year, we say, “Welcome back to Ketchikan! We have been waiting for you.”