Princess Reduces Ships in Alaska for 2011

 Pacific Princess, sister to Royal Princess, in Vancouver.

Photo © 2009 Aaron Saunders

Last week, Princess Cruises outlined their itineraries for the 2011 Alaska season, and as expected, that release included the announcement - or, rather the omission - of one ship and itinerary in particular.

There are two reasons why this announcement shouldn't be too shocking.  The dropped itinerary and ship in question was the 14-day Alaska Connoisseur Voyage operated by the smaller Royal Princess.  In 2011, she will be transferred to UK-based P&O Cruises, where she will be re-christened as Adonia (ironically replacing the existing Artemis - which also used to be called Royal Princess.)

The other factor here is the itinerary itself.  As one of the few 14-day Alaska cruises around, the itinerary should have frequently sold out, if only because few lines offer a comparable voyage.  Instead, bookings for the voyage have been tepid, and the line has been offering it at some very attractive prices.  The June 7, 2010 sailing, for example, is currently going for $1758.90 per person in an oceanview cabin - roughly the cost of a 7-day Alaska cruise in a balcony stateroom.

But wait!  Didn't the State of Alaska reduce the head tax?  Shouldn't cruise lines be adding sailings for 2011, not taking them away?

While the State of Alaska did agree to reduce the contentious head tax which was arguably responsible for the drastic reduction in capacity of sailings to that date, cruise lines often set their deployment schedules years in advance, which means 2012 or 2013 are the likeliest years to see more ships start returning to the Alaska run.

If they return at all.

Despite the relatively high operational costs, Europe cruises have exploded in popularity in the last few years, and 2011 stands to be one of the largest seasons for North American lines eager to position their ships "on the continent."  Ironically, only ten years ago, many lines would send one or maybe two ships to Europe in an effort to test the waters.  Compare that with Royal Caribbean, which plans to position a whopping eleven ships in Europe next year.

Canada and New England cruises are now operating earlier than in previous years, effectively extending that short season, and some lines even offer alternating Bermuda and New England sailings, maximizing the number of cruise destinations sailing right from New York.  Some lines - Princess included - also offer jaunts to the Caribbean during the summer months.

Given the multitude of options available to them, the question isn't if Princess can increase sailings to Alaska, but if they will.