Ketchikan Port Calls Continue as Planned After Tragic Landslide

Cruise ship calls to the Port of Ketchikan, Alaska, are continuing as planned following the tragic landslide that hit a section of the town on August 25, 2024, killing a local resident and damaging several homes.

While cruise ships do not homeport in Ketchikan, which is situated on the edge of the pristine Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska, the destination is a routine port call on virtually every cruise ship operating Glacier Bay and Inside Passage itineraries.

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), with four mega-ships deployed to Alaska for the 2024 season, has not altered any sailings scheduled to call at the popular port.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic landslide that recently took place in Ketchikan, Alaska. Our sincerest thoughts are with the community and all those affected. At this time, there are no changes to our scheduled calls to Ketchikan,” Norwegian Cruise Line stated to Cruise Hive. 

Cruise line officials were in contact with port officials and pledged to provide any necessary updates to booked guests and their travel agents if any changes are made to itineraries. Like NCL, other cruise lines’ ships operating in Alaska appeared to be unaffected by the landslide. A Royal Caribbean statement said no changes were being made to its ship operations in the port.

Norwegian Cruise Line ships deployed to Alaska during summer 2024 include Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian, Encore, Norwegian Sun, and Norwegian Bliss. Royal Caribbean’s ships sailing the region include Radiance of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, and Brilliance of the Seas.

Virtually every major cruise line has a presence in Alaska each summer season, which is quickly winding down. Most cruise lines move their ships to new deployments in September, as fall weather settles into The Last Frontier State.

The week following the landslide is a busy one for cruise tourism in Ketchikan. Ships scheduled to visit on August 28, 2024, include Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth and Norwegian Sun. 

On August 29, 2024, six ships are set to call, including Norwegian Bliss, Holland America Line’s Eurodam and Koningsdam, and three Princess Cruises’ ships — Discovery Princess, Crown Princess, and Sapphire Princess.

Princess Cruises has a particularly large deployment to Alaska this year, nearly half its fleet, offering 158 departures.

Landslide Not Expected to Impact Excursions

The mudslide, which followed heavy rain in the area, prompted the evacuation of some 60 homes in the impacted Whitecliff neighborhood, which is situated close to the downtown area. The city posted on its Facebook page that the landslide area is about 1,100 feet long and 250 feet wide at its widest point.

In addition to damaging homes, the slide caused a power outage to the area after debris from the slide downed power poles and lines. Geologists were working to assess the stability of the area before a planned clean-up can begin. Roads around the neighborhood were closed.

None of the landslide’s impacts were expected to alter shore excursions in the town. Many popular excursions feature flight-seeing and sport fishing adventures, plus wildlife cruises on small boats, all of which are outside of the downtown area. Tour buses that transport guests to and from their excursions can navigate around the landslide area.

Some popular excursions offered by Carnival Cruise Line, for instance, include the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show & Crab Feast Lunch; Wilderness Adventure, Crab Feast & Unlimited Drinks; and Historic Wilderness Flightseeing by Seaplane.

Read Also: The Best Time to Cruise Alaska: Months to Choose

The Port of Ketchikan has four Panamax-sized cruise ship berths, which can accommodate ships up to 965 feet long and 106 feet wide. To put the size capacity in context, the world’s largest ship, Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, is 1,198 feet long.

The Ketchikan landslide disaster is not the first to affect Alaska. In November 2023, a slide hit Wrangell, Alaska, also in the Southeast part of the state, killing four people. Other slides happened in Haines, in 2020, and in Sitka, in 2015.