Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
MSC Cruises Announces First Alaska Season with MSC Poesia, Including Panama Canal Sailings
MSC Cruises will debut its first-ever Alaska season in 2026, offering seven-night sailings from Seattle between May and September. In addition to exploring Alaska’s breathtaking landscapes, MSC will offer two unique repositioning cruises between Miami and Seattle, featuring a rare transit through the historic Panama Canal.
The cruises will take place on MSC Poesia, a 2008-built ship that’s perfectly suited for navigating Alaska’s narrow channels and getting close to the region’s glaciers. Passengers will visit iconic Alaskan destinations like Juneau, Tracy Arm Fjord, Icy Strait Point, and Ketchikan, along with a stop in Victoria, British Columbia.
The repositioning cruises, which will occur when the ship moves between its winter home in Miami and its summer base in Seattle, will include up to 10 destinations on the West Coast. Highlights include stops in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, Cartagena, Colombia, and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, before crossing the Panama Canal.
Lynn Torrent, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer for MSC Cruises USA, noted the rising demand for northern itineraries. She highlighted that MSC Poesia will cruise Alaska in the summer and move to Miami for the winter, offering travelers the chance to experience the Panama Canal transit.
In Seattle, which celebrated 25 years of Alaska cruises in 2024, the port is set to implement shore power by 2027, requiring all cruise vessels to connect to the electrical grid while docked.
MSC Cruises’ entry into the Alaska market marks an exciting new chapter for the line as it continues to expand its global offerings.
