Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) celebrated its return to cruising in the U.S. with Norwegian Encore's inaugural call to Icy Strait Point, Alaska.
The brand's newest ship, Norwegian Encore, set sail from Seattle on August 7, 2021 for its first season of voyages to Alaska. Adding to the milestone moment, Norwegian Encore became the first in the industry to berth at the new Wilderness Landing pier at Icy Strait Point, which was built in partnership between NCL's parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH) and Huna Totem Corporation, the village corporation owned by approximately 1,400 Alaska Native shareholders with aboriginal ties to Hoonah and the Glacier Bay area. Icy Strait Point is a wholly owned and operated subsidiary of Huna Totem Corporation.
On Tuesday, August 10, 2021, a double ribbon cutting ceremony took place to officially open the new Wilderness Landing pier and the first of two gondola systems to be completed as part of the joint investment between NCLH and Huna Totem. A vehicle-free zone, the new Wilderness Landing provides additional forest and beach areas for visitors to explore the destination. With the opening of the new high-speed Transporter Gondola, guests have easy access to Icy Strait Point's first pier, Adventure Landing, where the Historic Salmon Cannery, dating back to 1912, and other local attractions are located. Once completed later this summer, the Mountain Top Gondola will take guests to the top of Hoonah Mountain at 1,600 feet of elevation, where miles of new hiking trails and scenic vistas await.
Beyond the 23,040 acres of private beach and temperate rainforest to explore, Icy Strait Point offers guests the most accessible coastal brown bear viewing platforms in Southeast Alaska, whale watching, kayaking and the world's largest ZipRider zip line. Located just a mile from the Alaska native community of Hoonah, travelers also have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the local culture with exposure to native traditions and dances, oral histories and cooking classes.
Later this week, Norwegian Encore will make its first calls to Juneau and Ketchikan, before returning to Seattle and continuing its season of week-long voyages to Alaska through October 16, 2021.
Norwegian Cruise Line recently restarted its cruise operations on July 25, 2021 following a more than 500-day suspension, with Norwegian Jade launching seven-day itineraries to the Greek Isles. On August 15, 2021, Norwegian Gem will be the first ship in the fleet to resume operations from Miami and set sail from the new Norwegian Cruise Line terminal at PortMiami. Through October, Norwegian Gem will offer a selection of week-long voyages to the Caribbean and four-day cruises to the Bahamas. The fleetwide redeployment will continue in partnership with local governments and are guided by company's “SailSAFE” health and safety program, which at its cornerstone includes that all crew and guests must be fully vaccinated to embark for voyages through October 31, 2021.
Visit www.ncl.com.
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