Seattle Closes Record 2026 Cruise Season With 330 Ship Calls
If you plan an Alaska sailing from Seattle, note that MSC Poesia sails 7-night itineraries from Pier 91 on Mondays, and Brilliant Lady runs 7- to 12-night voyages. Check which berth your ship uses, since dredging and electrification work continues at Pier 91 this fall. The port has mandated shore power for all homeported ships by 2027, so expect that to be standard. For 2027, the port forecasts 326 calls, so confirm sailing dates with your cruise line before booking.
My read is that Seattle's record is real but a little flattering. The port hit 330 calls and nearly 2 million passengers, yet it missed its own April forecast of about 2.1 million, which is the dry footnote to the celebration. The economic numbers, $1.2 billion and more than 5,120 jobs, are unchanged from 2025, so growth came in volume, not in the headline benefit. The real structural story is new competition: MSC and Virgin Voyages both debuted, and 16 homeported ships across 10 brands is a crowded field. The winners are Alaska-bound travelers with more choice. The pressure falls on the incumbents. Shore power is the other signal, with 66% usage against a 2027 mandate that Seattle was first in the U.S. to impose on its own. The 2027 forecast of 326 calls is below this year's 330, so I would not assume the growth continues. If I were booking, I would pick the ship and itinerary first and treat the port as a given.