Re: Skagway ship schedule

Howdy again.

Not all the cruise ships ply just the Northwest Inland Passage and return south to Seattle or Vancouver, BC. A number of the ship sailings continue north to either Seward, Alaska or Whittier, Alaska. Both ports serve as embarkation or debarkation points for many cruise ship passengers who either continue on into the interior parts of the State (Denali National Park and Fairbanks) or are returning to the Lower 48 after spending time in the State. Alaska Railroad serves both ports and provides transportation for many ship passengers to and from the ships and into and out of the interior. So the suspension of Cruise Ships until 1 July will have a severe impact throughout the entire state. Both Alaska Railroad and the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway rely on this annual revenue by serving many cruise ship passengers throughout our summer season. I live near the Alaska Railroad Main Line between Anchorage and Whittier / Seward and have seen as many as 16 movements a day of during the peak summer months depending on the number of cruise ships docking in Whittier and/or Seward. Our summer season is from the middle of May to the middle of September so the impact will be substantial if the Cruise Ships are not allowed to sail until 1 July.

Fortunately, this too will pass if we all are careful now.

Dougwood1954