Haines will see more cruise ship passengers this year and next as new cruise lines and ships dock in town.
Haines Borough Tourism Director Carolann Wooton said two new cruise lines – Un-Cruise and Windstar Cruises – will stop in Haines 47 times this season, accounting for close to half of 107 total port calls.
Un-Cruise is bringing six new vessels for their 41 stops, the first coming to town on April 20. Each ship carries fewer than 90 passengers.
“Un-Cruise specializes in small, intimate cruises,” Wooton said. “I expect we’ll have a good experience with Un-Cruise.”
Wooton said the smaller ships are often all-inclusive, meaning shoreside excursions are planned for all passengers, whereas passengers on the bigger ships individually schedule excursions. She said the passengers on smaller ships can get a better sense of the culture of small-town “authentic” Alaska when they aren’t traveling with large crowds.
“Haines is perfect for that,” Wooton said. “More ships in port when we can still keep with who we are as a community becomes a real win for Haines.”
She said this tourist season she is working on “rolling out the carpet” for visitors and “upping our game when it comes to visitor experience. I want them to be blown away by their experience in Haines.”
Wooton said tourism employees may staff the dock for small ships more than in the past because she wants those visitors to have the same experience as people coming off large ships. Tourism staff also will wear matching blue vests so tourists can easily identify them.
“We’re transitioning as a community overall with how to accommodate more guests,” Wooton said.
There will be even more small to mid-sized ships on the docket for the 2019 season, though Wooton said the schedule has not yet been finalized.
The 2018 summer cruise ship schedule is available online at visithaines.com.