Key Aspects:
- Royal Caribbean has now cancelled scenic cruising in Tracy Arm Fjord for 2026.
- Carnival, Holland America Line, and Virgin Voyages have all made similar itinerary adjustments.
- The cancellations are due to a massive landslide in the Alaskan fjord in August 2025.
Just as the Alaska sailing season gets underway, a fourth cruise line has now abruptly changed dozens of sailings to remove Tracy Arm Fjord due to “a recent landslide and ongoing navigation safety concerns.” Royal Caribbean has joined the growing list of cruise lines that won’t be visiting Tracy Arm Fjord in 2026.
Instead, impacted itineraries will sail through Endicott Arm to view the magnificent Dawes Glacier. The two passages are just 20 miles apart in southeast Alaska, but that provides enough distance for cruise ships to be safer in the dramatic landscape.
Itineraries for Serenade of the Seas as well as Voyager of the Seas are being adjusted. While the other ports on each individual sailing are not changed, some adjustments are necessary to accommodate the shift in scenic cruising. Booked passengers .
Serenade of the Seas will reposition to Vancouver in early May, and her first impacted Alaska itinerary is the May 24 departure. Not all of the ship’s seasonal voyages include Tracy Arm Fjord, but 16 itineraries do have the fjord on the schedule.
Voyager of the Seas will begin sailing from Seattle on May 8 after she arrives from Brisbane, but her first impacted itinerary is the May 15 departure. A total of 15 of her sailings have been scheduled to include Tracy Arm Fjord and all may be affected.
Pre-paid shore excursions booked through Royal Caribbean will be automatically adjusted for new port arrival and departure times if possible. If any tours cannot be shifted adequately, they will be cancelled and fully refunded to the original form of payment.
Guests who may have made independent tour arrangements will want to reconfirm plans and times with their tour operator to be sure their Alaskan adventures are still possible.
Read Also: Royal Caribbean’s Alaska Cruise Ships – Which One Should You Choose?
Cruise Hive has previously reported that Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, and Virgin Voyages have already made similar adjustments for their Alaskan sailings through 2026.
At this time, ships from Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Cunard Line, Celebrity Cruises, MSC Cruises, Seabourn, Windstar Cruises, and several smaller lines are still scheduled for Tracy Arm Fjord visits this year, but additional cancellations may be forthcoming.
Why Not Sail in Tracy Arm Fjord?
The caution regarding sailings in Tracy Arm Fjord stems from a landslide on August 10, 2025. That landslide caused a localized tsunami and dislodged significant debris, estimated to be as much as 100 million cubic meters, into the fjord.
That debris can make ship navigation unsafe, and there remains the potential for additional landslides.
No cruise ships were inside Tracy Arm Fjord at the time of the August 10 landslide, which occurred at roughly 5:30 a.m. Tsunami waves stretched more than 35 miles past the landslide. According to the Alaska Earthquake Center, the event was the largest landslide recorded in the region in the past decade.
With so many other amazing scenic vistas in different fjords in Alaska, it does not make sense to continue sailing in Tracy Arm Fjord when more stable alternatives are available. To be clear, the destination has always been just a scenic cruising day and guests do not actually disembark their ships.
Guests on the dozens of sailings from different cruise lines that will now be visiting Endicott Arm instead will still enjoy the phenomenal views and iconic wildlife renowned in Alaska.
Endicott Arm is slightly further south than Tracy Arm Fjord, and both scenic cruising spots are popular on different Alaskan itineraries.
