Princess Cruises to close Copper River lodge for the season due to a lack of staffing

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Princess Cruises announced it will be closing its Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge on June 17 for the season because of staffing shortages, according to a prepared statement from the company.

“Guests with affected land tours will have the option of accepting an alternative itinerary, rebooking for 2023, or canceling their cruise tour,” a portion of the statement said. “Princess Cruises is also working to provide employment opportunities for the displaced teammates from Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge.”

Negin Kamali, a spokesperson for Princess, said the cruise line had 70 seasonal employees and 6 full-time employees at the lodge in Copper Center. The lodge is one of five offered by Princess in Alaska, and no others will be affected, according to the cruise line.

Wrangell Mountain Air operates near the lodge and told Alaska’s News Source they hadn’t seen the immediate impact of the announced closure. They felt local companies contracted with Princess will be hit harder but mentioned they have had difficulty staffing their business for the summer as well.

The lodge will close on June 17, and Princess said it will only be for the summer.

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