New Choices on the Horizon for Alaska in 2011

Currently, two luxury cruise lines sail Alaska: Regent and Silversea. That is about to change in 2011. Crystal Cruises will return to Alaska for the first time since it retired the Crystal Harmony from its fleet. Disney Cruise Line also has announced plans to sail Alaska in 2011, giving families a welcome (and fun) alternative to the current offering of contemporary family-oriented ships. Finally, rumor has it that with the introduction of a 4th ship to its fleet, Oceania Cruises for the first time will be sailing Alaska in 2011. These will be in addition to the mainstays in Alaska: Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity Cruises.

All of this raises the question, of course, of whether the Alaska market (which proved soft in 2009) can fill all these new beds. What do you think? Will the return of Crystal and the introduction of Disney and Oceania merely service a segment of the market that previously was underserved in Alaska, or will their introduction lead to market over-saturation?