Lawmakers have cleared a path around a rule that was freezing Alaska cruises and cruise lines are readying for a gold rush to the Last Frontier. Canada is turning out to be the biggest loser.
A huge issue had been a century-old rule that bars ships from carrying passengers between two U.S. ports without having stopped at some non-U.S. port during the voyage. That made Vancouver or Victoria necessary stops on Alaska itineraries in the pas, with Vancouver a home port of choice.
Canada’s federal ban on cruise ships that extends until at least Feb. 28, 2022, made the B.C. ports no-gos and efforts to persuade Ottawa to allow short technical stops have failed. So cruise lines lobbied for a workaround that leaves out Canada.
Read it all in The Cruisington Times: