Two cruise ships canceled their scheduled Thursday port calls in Ketchikan due to inclement weather, according to the Ketchikan Visitors Bureau.
Predictions of high winds and heavy rain forced Princess Cruises to divert both the Sapphire Princess and Star Princess away from Ketchikan. The National Weather Service predicts winds of 35-40 miles per hour tomorrow, with gusts of up to 60 miles per hour.
Rick Erickson, operations manager with Cruiselines Agencies of Alaska in Ketchikan, says that cancellations due to weather are not uncommon.
“This time of year? We’ve been lucky,” Erickson told KRBD. “I recall last year the first part of September we were diverting ships all over the place. To be honest we’ve been lucky that we’re in the third week of September and hadn’t had any.”
Erickson says the two ships will continue south past Ketchikan. The Star Princess will make stops at Vancouver and end in Seattle on Saturday. The Sapphire Princess will bypass Ketchikan and continue on to its final destination in Vancouver.
Three other ships are scheduled to make calls in Ketchikan Thursday. The Oosterdam, which was originally scheduled to arrive Friday, will now join both the Westerdam and Zuiderdam.
