Carnival Completes Alaska Opening With Special Announcement

With Carnival Luminosa arriving in Seattle on Thursday, May 4, 2023, Carnival Cruise Line’s seasonal deployment to the Last Frontier is complete.

That doesn’t mean, however, that there won’t be changes through the season, as the cruise line has announced shore power plans so that within a matter of weeks, the new ship will connect while docked in Seattle, strengthening the cruise line’s sustainability initiatives at the very important homeport.

Third Carnival Ship Arrives for Alaska Season

Carnival Luminosa has arrived in Seattle, Washington, following its 23-night transpacific journey repositioning from Australia. This completes the cruise line’s biggest deployment ever for Alaska sailings, as Carnival Luminosa joins Carnival Miracle and Carnival Spirit in offering Alaska cruises.

The cruise line held an onboard ribbon-cutting ceremony to kick off the ship’s Alaska season from the port. Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy also attended the event.

Carnival Luminosa and Carnival Spirit will both be offering mostly 7-night roundtrip sailings from Seattle, while Carnival Miracle is sailing from San Francisco with alternating Alaska itineraries and Baja Mexico cruises.

Read Also: Royal Caribbean Removes Popular Alaska Port From Many Cruises

Popular ports of call on their various itineraries include Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point, Sitka, Victoria, and Prince Rupert for all three ships. Exact schedules and destinations vary by ship and departure date and are always subject to change.

Work to Begin on Shore Power for Carnival Luminosa

But, the simple fact of the Carnival Luminosa’s arrival in Washington isn’t the only significance to its repositioning.

“Not only is Carnival Luminosa completing our Alaska deployment for this season, which was so successful last year after we expanded it to three ships that we decided to bring her all the way from Australia to do it again, but she’s also front and center in another important effort for us as well,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

“Work starts today on getting Carnival Luminosa shore power ready so she can hook up to the port when she’s docked here in Seattle. Shore power is one of our overall sustainability initiatives and Carnival Luminosa is now part of that important investment in our future.”

Sustainability is of keen interest in Seattle and for all Alaskan ports of call, as the area’s pristine natural beauty is one of its greatest assets for healthy, popular tourism.

The cruise line expects Carnival Luminosa to be shore-power-ready for electric operation while docked in Seattle by early June. Carnival Spirit and Carnival Miracle already operate on shore power when available.

The Port of Seattle is firmly committed to providing shore power to homeported ships, which reduces air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The Port forecasts that 111 sailings will connect at Terminal 91 this year, nearly double the connection rate of last year.

“The demand for the Seattle to Alaska cruise itinerary made it possible for our port to expand investments in workforce development and clean energy infrastructure,” said Steve Metruck, Executive Director for Port of Seattle.

Big Season for Seattle

In just three weeks, the 2023 cruise season in Seattle has truly gotten underway, beginning with the arrival of Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Bliss on April 15.

Through the close of the season on October 30, Port of Seattle estimates that more than 285 sailings will carry more than 700,000 travelers to Alaska and back from the Emerald City, supporting more than 5,500 jobs and more than $900 million (USD) in economic activity from travelers, provisioning ships, tour companies, and more.

In addition to Carnival Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line, other cruise lines homeporting from Port of Seattle include Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruise Line, and Royal Caribbean International. A variety of ships will also visit Seattle as a port of call, bringing even more visitors to the city.