High Winds Force Three Cruise Ships to Cancel Alaska Port Stops

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Multiple cruise ships have altered itineraries, cancelled ports, and changed routes due to Tropical Storm Helene in the Western Caribbean, but Cozumel and other nearby destinations are not the only ports impacted by rough weather.

All three ships scheduled for Skagway, Alaska on Tuesday, September 24, 2024 were forced to cancel their planned visits due to high winds that made docking unsafe.

Port of Skagway confirmed the cancellations, each one noting high winds as the cause for the change.

“Today, Tuesday, 9/24, the Koningsdam and Noordam have canceled their calls due to high winds,” the port communicated via email to travel agents. “The Discovery Princess will attempt to dock at 11 a.m.”

Discovery Princess was scheduled to be at Skagway from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Upon arrival, the winds were too intense for a safe docking, leading the ship to provide several hours of scenic cruising along the Taiya Inlet before trying to dock later that morning.

Regrettably, the weather did not improve, and the ship was ultimately unable to dock, leading to the cancellation of its visit.

Koningsdam and Noordam were set to arrive in Skagway at 7 a.m., with Koningsdam scheduled to depart at 8 p.m. and Noordam an hour later at 9 p.m.

At the scheduled arrival time of 6-7 a.m. for the three ships at the port, wind speeds in Skagway were recorded between 20-30 knots (23-35 miles per hour), with gusts reaching up to 36 knots (41 mph).

Late in the day, the area continued to experience strong winds, with speeds maintaining between 21-27 knots (24-31 miles per hour).

While these wind speeds might not seem particularly severe for large cruise ships, the direction of the wind plays a critical role. Winds pushing a ship against the dock could lead to potential damage to both the ship and the dock itself.

Conversely, if the wind directs the ship away from the dock, it could increase the gap between the dock and the ship, posing risks with the stability of gangways for passengers.

Larger ships also have broad profiles that make high wind speeds able to have a stronger impact on their docking stability. The 82,318-gross-ton Noordam has 11 passenger decks, while the larger, 99,863-gross-ton Koningsdam has 12 passenger decks.

At 145,000 gross tons, Discovery Princess is the largest of the three ships to have cancelled the port of call, and has 19 decks.

The decision whether or not to cancel a port of call is always up to the discretion of the cruise ship’s captain as well as the cruise line’s fleet operations center as they collect data and determine the safety and viability of any port visit.

Read Also: Your Guide to the Best Alaska Cruise Ports

While guests will understandably be disappointed at the last-minute change – missing the fry bread at the popular Klondike Doughboy would certainly put a damper on a cruise for me – safety is always the top priority.

There is only a month left in the 2024 Alaska sailing season, and of the three ships to have missed Skagway today, only Koningsdam will make one more return visit – on Tuesday, October 1, weather permitting.

Poor weather doesn’t have to be a tropical storm to impact cruise ships. Windy conditions are often cited as the reason for some private islands, including Perfect Day at CocoCay, to be cancelled, though such situations have happened in Grand Turk, Jamaica, and other ports of call.

Sudden squalls or incoming bad weather can even force cruise ships to depart ports earlier than expected, putting out emergency calls for guests to return to the ship right away for departure.

Of course, smaller storm systems and windy conditions typically impact just one port at a time, while larger storms, such as tropical storms and hurricanes, can impact multiple ports and many ships over several days.

For example, Tropical Storm Helene has already caused more than six ships to adjust their itineraries in the Western Caribbean, and it will still be at least two days before the storm makes landfall and begins to weaken. In that time, multiple other ships may still be impacted.

Stay tuned to Cruise Hive for updates on all weather-related changes for cruise ships and what to expect when severe weather might impact your next sailing.

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