Carnival's Princess and Holland America Brands Mark Return to U.S. Cruising

Carnival Corporation brands Princess Cruises and Holland America Line held a celebration at the Port of Seattle today to mark their return to U.S. cruise operations. 

Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises, and Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line, spoke to what the positive impact the resumption of cruising means to Seattle, the local community and Alaska, according to a press release.

Holland America Line will kick off its Alaska season with Nieuw Amsterdam setting sail tomorrow, July 24, and Princess Cruises will follow with Majestic Princess sailing on July 25. Each line will operate ten cruises sailing out of Seattle through September. 

Both cruise lines have been homeporting out of the Port of Seattle for more than 20 years. Operationally, each ship visit directly contributes more than $364,000 to the local economy in provisioning (fuel, food, flowers, piano tuning, supplies), port taxes, and spending during a full season, according to a press release.