First Cruise Ship 2024 Seattle - Alaska

[Ferry_Watcher]

Welcome to NCL Bliss.

This morning, just before 7 AM, my spouse asks, 'why is there a cruise ship sailing by?'  I quickly looked at the Port of Seattle Cruise Schedule (which is sitting next to my desk), and I realized it was the Bliss.  I grabbed my phone and took this photo from my deck.

 

Looking forward to the Cruise Season (and getting back to work at Pier 91).

[psuboater]

Happy cruise season! Welcome to everyone coming to our corner of the country 🙂

[julia]

Yaaaaay!  We are 30 days out from our Noordam cruise to Alaska!

[1025cruise]

NCL keeps pushing the season earlier and later. I can't believe the ports will be ready for cruise traffic this early.

[CruiserBruce]

44 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

NCL keeps pushing the season earlier and later. I can't believe the ports will be ready for cruise traffic this early.

Is it doing Alaska this sailing, or some modified route because Alaska isn't  "open" yet? Like Vancouver or Victoria,  Astoria, etc.

 

[Ferry_Watcher]

22 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Is it doing Alaska this sailing, or some modified route because Alaska isn't  "open" yet? Like Vancouver or Victoria,  Astoria, etc.

 

Hi @CruiserBruce, It's a 7 day Alaska round trip.  It was on a coastal cruise this past week ending in Vancouver yesterday.  I am not sure if they had offered a 1 night cruise Vancouver - Seattle last night (April 5th), or whether it sailed to Seattle empty.  Arriving in Seattle after 7 AM is late for any ship, so maybe the crew had a one day break before the start of the Alaska season.

[1025cruise]

On the NCL board, someone who is boarding today (I think) mentioned that their Port Valet was cancelled. Claim is that NCL isn't participating this year. Rumor is that it's too early.

[Ferry_Watcher]

Less than 12 hours later, the Bliss sets off on time, on it's first sailing of the 2024 season to Alaska.

 

 

[Kat915]

Yay.  I have 70 days until my alaska cruise 😁

[Ashpalo]

2 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

Less than 12 hours later, the Bliss sets off on time, on it's first sailing of the 2024 season to Alaska.

 

 

You have an amazing view!! I’m heading your way in 31 days! Can’t wait! Thank you for all the information you provide on this board. It’s been very helpful as I plan my 2 days in Seattle and my Spirit Cruise to Alaska

[Urban trekker]

The Bliss sailed empty from Vancouver to Seattle - probably hard to do a one nighter with her due to the tide situation for going under the Lions Gate Bridge.

P.S. - just got off the coastal sailing so was told this by ship's staff.

[Ferry_Watcher]

12 hours ago, Urban trekker said:

The Bliss sailed empty from Vancouver to Seattle

 

Hopefully the hard working crew were rewarded with some well deserved time off.  

Thanks for letting us know!

[Piperpals]

The Bliss was in Port in Vancouver on Friday, I go through there on my way home and there were definitely people boarding.  

 

[martincath]

22 hours ago, Piperpals said:

The Bliss was in Port in Vancouver on Friday, I go through there on my way home and there were definitely people boarding.  

 

The 'empty' cruises can be filled with employees without any CBP/PVSA issues, I think also professional 'freebies' for travel agents to let them experience the ship. Plus there might have been a bunch of new crew flown into YVR to start their contracts.

 

So seeing even quite a large number of people going up the gangplank, it could still easily be a 'non revenue' cruise. As Dennis says, persuading people to pay for a one night cruise is probably tricky if tide timings prevent port (in/e)gress during civilized hours, but employees and freebie-getters won't complain!!!! 😉 

[jeromep]

I looked at the weather up in SE Alaska.  It is a chilly, and damp day, by Pacific Northwest spring standards.  I hope that those Bilss pax are prepared for the weather.

[njhorseman]

6 hours ago, martincath said:

The 'empty' cruises can be filled with employees without any CBP/PVSA issues, I think also professional 'freebies' for travel agents to let them experience the ship. Plus there might have been a bunch of new crew flown into YVR to start their contracts.

 

So seeing even quite a large number of people going up the gangplank, it could still easily be a 'non revenue' cruise. As Dennis says, persuading people to pay for a one night cruise is probably tricky if tide timings prevent port (in/e)gress during civilized hours, but employees and freebie-getters won't complain!!!! 😉 

A cruise from Vancouver to Seattle can be a revenue cruise without violating the PVSA. The passengers would be embarking in Canada and disembarking in the USA, which makes it a perfectly legal voyage.

The PVSA only comes into play if passengers were being carried from one US port to a different US port without making a call at a distant foreign port.

 

That having been said there likely would be little or no demand for a one night Vancouver to Seattle cruise and the people who were seen boarding in Seattle were likely crew coming aboard for the start of their contract.

[cynt]

Thx @Ferry_Watcher We board the Quantum in a few months. Can we come and crash at your house a couple of nights before our cruise?  

[julia]

FYI:  This ship (Bliss) called on Juneau today, opening an even longer Alaskan cruise season. Not everyone is happy about this in Alaska, with many residents in the major port towns forming groups to curb the cruising industry. Google it. I'm actually a proponent... especially with the mega ships now in these small ports, and 10k-15k passengers on any given day. It's pretty crazy.

[Ferry_Watcher]

13 hours ago, cynt said:

Thx @Ferry_Watcher We board the Quantum in a few months. Can we come and crash at your house a couple of nights before our cruise?  

 

LOL, not only that, but you can drive in with me in the morning and be one of the first passengers in line.  :  )

[jeromep]

14 hours ago, julia said:

FYI:  This ship (Bliss) called on Juneau today, opening an even longer Alaskan cruise season. Not everyone is happy about this in Alaska, with many residents in the major port towns forming groups to curb the cruising industry. Google it. I'm actually a proponent... especially with the mega ships now in these small ports, and 10k-15k passengers on any given day. It's pretty crazy.

The piece from Alaska Public Media was more positive.  They interviewed a couple of passengers and some of the local vendors and didn't get much in terms of negative feedback about the season starting this early.

 

https://alaskapublic.org/2024/04/10/cruise-ship-season-begins-in-juneau/

 

https://alaskapublic.org/2024/04/08/juneau-had-a-record-breaking-cruise-season-last-year-this-year-should-be-about-the-same/

 

But apparently there are forces that want to flatten or reduce the number of passengers that get off ships on any given day.

 

https://www.juneauempire.com/news/first-cruise-ship-of-the-season-arrives-to-welcomes-planned-protest/