The number of cruise ship passengers visiting Wrangell is expected to rise in 2026, with the borough’s draft schedule estimating it could come close to 70,000.
This is an increase from the estimated 40,000 in 2025, which is already almost double the number of passengers Wrangell welcomed in 2024. Though the borough anticipated as many as 30,000 passengers this year, cancellations and cruise company bankruptcies caused that figure to fall short of expectations.
The first ship of the 2026 season will arrive on May 7 when the 728-passenger Silver Nova arrives in town. The year’s largest ship on the schedule is the Ruby Princess. The ship, with its 900 balconies and carrying capacity of 3,082 passengers, is on the calendar for June 16.
There will be 21 port calls from large ships that can accommodate more than 1,000 passengers each — a marked increase from this year’s three and next year’s projected 11.
A fan favorite of Wrangell businesses, the Queen Elizabeth, plans on returning for its third consecutive year in town. The 2,092-passenger vessel will make six port calls to Wrangell in 2026.
The season will begin with the Silver Nova’s arrival in May and close on Sept. 30, when the 1,460-capacity Zaandam makes port to round out the tourism season.
July is scheduled to be the busiest month, with ships and small tour boats coming to town on 29 of the month’s 31 days, though many of the visits will be small ships with only dozens of passengers. (Go for a stroll on the 15th or 16th if you are looking for some peace and quiet.)
In May there will be 16 days with ships in town, 19 days in June, 26 in August and 15 in September.
The Nieuw Amsterdam will be the first large ship to arrive in town in 2026. The 2,100-capacity vessel is scheduled to make port on May 13.
The borough’s draft cruise calendar counts berths — potential passenger loads at full capacity — though ships often run at less than 100% full.
Earlier this summer, Borough Manger Mason Villarma had the opportunity to board the Nieuw Amsterdam when it docked in Wrangell on May 16. Something that he noted on his visit was that not everyone leaves the ship during the port calls.
“Of the 2,000 passengers, 1,000 might have been through town and on tours,” he said. “Some people might get on and off a couple different times, and that helps. But it’s not the total passenger count coming to drain the town each day — not all at once.”
While the 2026 draft schedule continues the trend of increased cruise-based tourism, Villarma said he wants to loosely cap the annual number of such visitors at around 70,000 until the borough can witness the impact of that many tourists firsthand. He also believes Wrangell may not be able to accommodate further tourism increases without future infrastructure upgrades.
“We wouldn’t proceed with any further growth that’s scheduled in 2026 prior to making those accommodations available,” Villarma said.
The borough is exploring options to move the barge dock to the borough-owned former mill property at 6-Mile. This would open up tourism opportunities downtown in the areas surrounding the cruise ship dock.
The 2026 draft schedule is tentative and prone to change.
Though visitors come to Wrangell by plane and by state ferry, cruise travelers have comprised 80% to 90% of the summer tourist load in recent years.
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