Juneau City Council to Vote on Restrictions for Cruise Ships in Effort to Limit Environmental Impact
Alaska’s capital city, Juneau, is considering a vote to restrict cruise ship operations on Saturdays. The town had already limited cruise passenger arrivals earlier this year, and now they may also prohibit vessels with 250 passengers or more from docking on that specific day of the week.
The “ship-free Saturdays” initiative has qualified for Juneau’s municipal ballot and will be voted on October 1, according to the Associated Press.
In addition to Saturdays, the proposal would ban vessels from docking on July 4, a day when the city holds an annual downtown parade.
The measure recently qualified for voting and will go to the voters unless the local Assembly enacts a similar measure by August 15, which is seen as unlikely, as reported by the Associated Press.
This initiative aims to provide Juneau’s residents with a break from the influx of tourism, the news agency added.
In the itineraries for Alaska, ships regularly dock in the city on Saturdays in 2024, including the Carnival Spirit, Carnival Luminosa, Seven Seas Explorer, Silver Nova, and Grand Princess.
Similarly, 2025 itineraries include various ships like Coral Princess, Norwegian Joy, Ruby Princess, and Silver Moon arriving regularly on Saturdays.
It’s important to note that the proposed measure would not ban smaller U.S.-flagged vessels from docking, including those operated by companies like Alaskan Dream Cruises, Lindblad Expeditions, and UnCruise Adventures, because they have fewer passengers.
Earlier in June, the City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ) announced a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with cruise lines to help manage the volume of visitors in the city.
According to a press release, the MOA establishes a limit of 16,000 lower berths per day and also includes a commitment to optimizing the city’s cruise schedule, reviewing visitor numbers, and discussing community goals.
The agreement also sets a maximum limit for cruise numbers on Saturdays at 12,000.
