Latest news with #JuneauAssembly
Miami Herald
29-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Cruises to popular port may cost more as city hikes docking fees
Although most cruise travelers have come to expect rising prices these days, you may be surprised to learn that many summer cruises to this usually high-demand destination are actually being discounted right now. As economic uncertainty seems to be leading many Americans to vacation closer to home this summer, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, and other lines are offering major discounts on last-minute cruises to this bucket-list region. Related: Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival salute veterans with major perks Like Europe, Alaska is a sought-after summer cruise destination that some travelers have apparently decided against visiting this year due to economic concerns. This has unexpectedly left cruise lines with unsold cabins. If you've been dreaming of an Alaska cruise and can travel this summer, booking now might be a smart move. Not only are the rare last-minute deals enticing, postponing your trip until 2026 or 2027 may cost you more than ever, as Alaska's popular port cities begin to implement both new restrictions and higher fees for cruise ships visiting the region. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise. On May 19, the Juneau Assembly voted to approve a significant increase to the dockage fees vessels pay to berth at city-owned cruise terminals and other port facilities, as reported by Juneau's KTOO Public Media. Fees vary based on ship length, but under the new fee structure, cruise ships can also be charged based on their passenger capacity. Because of this, most large cruise ships will pay about double to dock at city-owned port facilities in Juneau. The new fee structure will take effect at the start of the 2026 Alaska cruise season. Related: Popular cruise destination to get new downtown cruise port Local officials say the change will bring dockage fees for city-owned port facilities more in line with fees charged by private cruise ports in Juneau and nearby areas of Alaska. The city of Juneau owns two of Juneau's four cruise ship docks. Recently, the Juneau Assembly also approved the development of an additional private dock in downtown Juneau that will become the city's fifth when it opens in 2027. Backed by Norwegian Cruise Line, the new port development is expected to help ease downtown congestion in the booming summer cruise destination. Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings, and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. Along with new port development projects and increased dockage fees, a new cruise passenger limit will also come to Juneau in 2026 as the city takes careful steps to combat overtourism in the typically in-demand cruise destination. As Alaska's most-visited cruise destination, Juneau has been overwhelmed by more than 20,000 visitors on busy days in recent seasons. With the 2025 Alaska cruise season underway, Juneau is currently managing the crowds with a five-ship daily cap, but restrictions will tighten further next year. Related: Norwegian Cruise Line passengers share crucial cruise insight Under a new agreement reached with major cruise lines that will roll out in 2026, Juneau will cap the number of cruise passengers able to disembark in the city to 16,000 people on most days and 12,000 people on Saturdays. Activists have recently called for even stricter limits in the destination like "Ship-Free Saturdays," but those measures have failed win enough support from local voters. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me's Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@ or call or text her at 386-383-2472. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Popular cruise destination to get new downtown cruise port
A years-long process to bring a new cruise ship pier to an in-demand summer cruise destination is finally on its way to the construction phase. City officials recently approved a lease for city-owned submerged tidelands required to build the new downtown cruise ship city already has multiple cruise ship docks, but a cruise tourism boom in recent years has increased the need for an additional port facility, which is expected to ease downtown congestion as it spreads the cruise ships and passengers visiting the destination out over a wider area. Overtourism concerns previously led the city to limit cruise ship arrivals to five ships per day and also prompted negotiations with cruise lines to cap the number of passengers disembarking from those ships beginning in 2026. With those limits in place and a new cruise ship dock in the works that the city has had a lot of say in, Juneau, Alaska is taking crucial steps to manage the impacts of cruise tourism in ways that improve the experience for both visitors and Juneau Assembly voted to approve the tidelands lease for the construction of Juneau's fifth cruise ship dock on April 7, according to Juneau's KTOO Public Media. The dock will be built in Gastineau Channel on the edge of the city's downtown area next to the city's U.S. Coast Guard station. Along with the dock, the project includes a waterfront development called Àak'w Landing that will feature a welcome center, retail and dining space, and parking. Named after the original inhabitants of the Juneau area, the Áak'w Ḵwáan, Àak'w Landing will also include an indigenous knowledge, science and cultural learning project is led by native-owned Huna Totem Corporation, a local leader in Alaska's tourism development. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings donated the waterfront land it purchased for the cruise ship facility to Huna Totem in 2022 to lead the efforts to develop a new pier and related infrastructure. Under the agreement, Norwegian Cruise Line brands will receive preferential berthing rights at the pier once development is complete. With the tidelands lease approved making it possible for construction to begin, Àak'w Landing is expected to be operational by summer the project's conditions, only one large cruise ship carrying 4,500 passengers or fewer will be permitted to dock at the facility per day. Huna Totem will equip the dock with shore power and require large cruise ships to turn off their engines and connect to onshore power while at berth in order to reduce harmful emissions and protect air quality around the port. Nearly 1.7 million cruise passengers visited Juneau in 2024, and the industry has faced a lot of criticism from local residents concerned about cruise tourism's environmental impacts, traffic congestion, and overcrowding on sidewalks and at Mendenhall Alaska-native corporation, Goldbelt Incorporated, has also proposed an additional Juneau cruise port project in partnership with Royal Caribbean Group that's aimed at easing congestion in the destination. The port is projected for completion during the 2027 cruise season, but hasn't yet received full support or approval from city leaders. The new cruise port would be located across the Gastineau Channel from downtown Juneau on the back side of Douglas Island. It would help cut down on tour bus traffic in the city's downtown by allowing passengers to depart directly from the island onto whale-watching tours or shuttle boats to Mendenhall Glacier. Cruise passengers visiting the port would also have the opportunity to experience the region's Tlingit culture through a recreated 1800s Alaska Native Tlingit village. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) , or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
