Oceania Cruises joins Disney, Crystal Cruises, will bring new ships to Alaska

Oceania Cruises will be the third cruise line to bring new ships to Alaska in 2011.

Oceania Cruises will be the third cruise line to bring new ships to Alaska in 2011.

The company announced its plans Friday to start cruising the Inside Passage next year. Company executives in an announcement thanked Alaska’s governor and the Legislature for recently approving industry tax cuts but did not attribute its plans to the legislation passed April 18 during the session’s final day.

The Regatta will complete 10 Alaska voyages in 2011. The trips go on sale in days and start at $3,499 per person for double occupancy bookings.

Oceania Cruises has three ships that carry 684 passengers and 400 crew members. The majority of the itineraries will be 12-day, Vancouver-to-Anchorage voyages. Ships will stop in Sitka, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Homer and Hoonah.

“Our guests are always seeking destinations rich in history, culture, adventure and stunning scenery. The great state of Alaska delivers all of these points of interest and more,” Chairman and CEO Frank Del Rio said in a statement.

Oceania Cruises is owned by parent company Prestige Cruise Holdings.

Gov. Sean Parnell introduced the recent legislation to lower the state’s passenger head tax. Cruise lines already doing business here had complained it was too high.

“We are working hard to make Alaska a more attractive place to operate,” Parnell said Friday in response to the company’s announcement.

Disney Cruise Lines and Crystal Cruises already announced they would bring new ships to Alaska in 2011.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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