New cruise port opens in Alaska — sort of
Big news, cruise fans: There's a new port for you to visit when cruising to Alaska — at least, that's the hype from tourism officials.
The tiny village of Klawock, Alaska (population 700), this week celebrated the arrival of the 458-passenger Seabourn Odyssey, the first cruise ship to use a new temporary floating tender dock to access the destination.
Dubbed Port Klawock, the temporary dock and an adjacent welcome tent, also temporary, are being touted as "Alaska's newest cruise port." But it's new with an asterisk. The temporary tender dock and welcome tent may be new, but the village of Klawock has been receiving small cruise ships for years at a different docking location.
Small-ship cruise specialist Alaskan Dream Cruises has long had Klawock as a featured stop on its sailings.
The new floating tender dock for Klawock was built onto an old timber loading dock at Klawock Island, which is just across a waterway from the village. The timber dock traditionally has been used by a local logging company.
The dock will allow bigger cruise vessels, such as Seabourn Odyssey, to visit Klawock. The Alaskan Dream Cruises vessels that have brought tourists to the town in the past are considerably smaller.
As I've seen firsthand on an Alaskan Dream cruise to Klawock, the village doesn't have a whole lot of attractions for visitors. However, the Alaska Native corporations that are backing the dock project plan more tourist development for the future.
The new Port Klawock facilities are being developed by Na-Dena, a joint venture between the Alaska Native corporations Huna Totem Corporation and Doyon Limited, and Klawock Heenya Corporation, the Native village corporation of Klawock.
Huna Totem Corporation was the indigenous-owned entity behind the development of Icy Strait Point, an Alaska port destination near Glacier Bay National Park. The company started out small two decades ago when developing Icy Strait Point but eventually transformed the destination into a major tourist hub with food and drink outlets, a museum, wildlife tours and such fun-focused amusements as the world's largest ZipRider zip line attraction. In recent years, it added a ski resort-like gondola system to move people around.
For now, the tour offerings for cruisers visiting Klawock are relatively limited, and cruise lines aren't planning to send many ships to the destination.
Passengers arriving on Seabourn Odyssey on Monday had the choice of taking a shuttle into Klawock or the nearby town of Craig to walk around or heading off on one of a handful of shore excursions.
The shore excursions included a kayak outing on a local lake and a boat ride in search of humpback whales and sea otters.
A tour of Klawock's totem carving shed and nearby Klawock Totem Park was also an option.
Related: The 6 best Alaska shore excursions
For all of 2024, just six ship calls are planned for the new dock, including the visit by Seabourn Odyssey this week.
In addition to a second call by Seabourn Odyssey in June, the port will be visited twice later this year by Oceania Cruises' 670-passenger Regatta and receive two visits from Regent Seven Seas Cruises' 750-passenger Seven Seas Explorer.
The big ships that most vacationers take to Alaska, such as Royal Caribbean's 4,905-passenger Quantum of the Seas, won't be stopping at the port.
On the Pacific side of Prince of Wales Island, not far from the tourist town of Ketchikan, Klawock is one of Alaska's Native Tlingit villages.
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.