Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NCLH) is to partner with Alaska Native-owned Huna Totem Corp to develop a second cruise pier in Icy Strait Point, Hoonah, Alaska.
The new pier is scheduled to be completed for the summer 2020 Alaska cruise season and will be built to accommodate Norwegian Cruise Line’s ‘Breakaway Plus’ class ships.
The partnership will provide NCLH’s brands with preferential berthing rights at the port and allow the company to increase its calls to Icy Strait Point.
Currently, Oceania Cruises’ ‘Regatta’, ‘Seven Seas Mariner’, ‘Norwegian Jewel’ and ‘Norwegian Joy’ are scheduled to call at Icy Strait Point next season.
In addition, the new pier will provide more cruise passengers with access to Icy Strait’s newly upgraded retail, restaurant and shore excursion amenities, including the world’s largest ZipRider zip line, accessible coastal brown bear viewing platforms in Southeast Alaska, whale watching and fishing excursions, local cultural dances accompanied by oral histories and more.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Huna Totem Corp to construct a new pier at Icy Strait Point, which will strengthen our presence in the wildly popular Alaska market and provide our guests with a best-in-class experience as they explore the natural beauty and exciting shore excursions of this unique destination,” said Howard Sherman, NCLH’s executive vice president of on board revenue and destination development. “This partnership marks the latest step in our ongoing efforts to promote economic development in the area and make a positive economic impact on the Alaska tourism industry.”
This partnership will also benefit the Hoonah community, home to around 750 people, including about 80% of Icy Strait Point’s employees.
“The economic impact that this expansion and Norwegian’s investment will have in Hoonah and the Southeast Alaska region is significant, and we’re looking forward to how our Alaska Native community can be a sustainable contributor to the future of Alaska’s cruise industry,” said Russell Dick, Huna Totem Corp President and CEO. “Icy Strait Point is one of the few Alaska cruise ship destinations where cruise passengers can step off the dock and into Alaska wilderness. We have the land, the capacity and the hospitality to welcome more travellers into our home in an authentic way while maintaining our heritage and the values of our Native Tlingit culture.”
Opened in 2004, Icy Strait Point is Alaska’s only private large cruise ship destination. It is located in the midst of 23,040 acres of private beach and temperate rain forest and includes a restored 1912 salmon cannery, five restaurants and food vendors, 12 retail shops and merchandise outlets, nature trails and a museum.
Icy Strait Point is a wholly owned and operated subsidiary of Huna Totem Corp, the village corporation owned by about 1,400 Alaska native shareholders with aboriginal ties to Hoonah and the Glacier Bay area. It is located 35 miles west of Juneau and 22 miles from Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
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