City Manager Glenn Steckman gave the announcement at a June 14 city council meeting.
“Our cruise ships have cancelled out for the rest of the year,” Steckman said. “We were holding out hope, but Robin Johnson [of Nome Discovery Tours] told us it was not going to happen, and it was confirmed by [Harbormaster Lucas Stotts.]”
Steckman says Nome’s five cruise visits, each with 100-150 passengers onboard, were all cancelled.
Jen Martin with Lindblad Expeditions says the cancellations were caused in part by issues with docking in Provideniya. Russia’s ports are currently closed to tourists for the summer season. Unable to find an alternative itinerary, Lindblad cancelled their Nome visits, which included the National Geographic Orion.
“We tried extremely hard to make these voyages happen but found ourselves with no alternative options,” Martin said.
Lindblad Expeditions says these cancellations likely will not change next year’s expected cruise schedule for Nome.
