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            This year is slated to be a light cruise season for Kodiak. Only seven ships are scheduled to call on Alaska’s Emerald Isle, the first arriving April 23. The low number came after Holland America announced they were suspending port calls to Kodiak and Southcentral Alaska. Despite the small numbers in 2013, Janet Buckingham said Kodiak can look forward to a better season in 2014. Buckingham is the executive director of Discover Kodiak and said Holland America officials told her the cruise line will return next year.  

--          (Cruise Stuff 1                        :40       “I don’t think Holland America ever … to come to Kodiak.”)

            She said Holland America’s ship, Amsterdam, will be making fewer visits to Kodiak, but it will still provide a better season than the one projected for this year.

--          (Cruise Stuff 2                        :21                   “I think they felt like they couldn’t ... empty berths.”)

            Amsterdam will call on Kodiak five times in 2014, a few stops short of its usual seven or eight. Buckingham said that’s still something to look forward to. She said projections are hard to make, but if she had to she would estimate around 14 ships coming to Kodiak in 2014, based on those scheduled this season and the added stops from the Amsterdam.

             As for this year, she said it’s the smallest number of ships that have been to Kodiak in about six seasons. She said 2007 had about eight ships, and that number was climbing until the 2013 season. Two ships will arrive in April, followed by one in May, one in June, two in July and one in September.

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