- Two new cruise lines are sending ships to Alaska
- Caps on the number of passengers allowed to disembark at ports like Juneau are putting pressure on space
- As a result, cruise lines are seeking out new ports of call
Two new cruise lines are entering the area, and the popular port of Juneau is introducing a cap of 16,000 passengers per day in 2026, changing the face of the Alaskan cruising.
MSC Cruises and Virgin Voyages have announced their first-ever itineraries in Alaska, set to begin in 2026. Furthermore, Royal Caribbean has just announced its largest-ever Alaskan season for 2026 with four ships set to be homeported in Alaska throughout the season.
Juneau has just come off a record cruise season, with 1,677,935 visitors throughout the 2024 season. Cruises in the region are booming, but how can growth continue with the newly announced cruise caps?
Robert Morgenstern, Carnival Corp’s senior VP of Alaska Operations told Travel Weekly that he thinks new entrants to the market could have issues securing port space.
“I think for new entrants in the market, it’s more of a likelihood of challenge because, for those of us who’ve been there for quite some time, we have berthing agreements in place that protect our ability to call.
“If you’re a new market entrant, it might be more challenging to stitch all that together.”
However, since these comments, we’ve seen the announcement of the Royal Caribbean season and the entrance of MSC Cruises and Virgin Voyages. On the upside for Alaskan tourism, it does not appear the caps in Juneau will limit tourism in Alaska.
Alaska is a region that cruise lines love sailing in due to the remoteness of the region, and its ‘bucket list’ reputation. Cruise lines will be searching for ways to work around the new cruise caps and continue their growth in the region.
A wider variation of ports
To avoid the caps in Juneau, cruise lines may try to design itineraries that avoid the town altogether.
While Virgin Voyage’s itineraries for Alaska won’t be released until November 13, based on their press release it appears that the maiden voyage won’t be visiting Juneau.
This suggests that new entrants could try and avoid Juneau on some itineraries. However, every scheduled MSC cruise to the region has Juneau included on its itinerary.
At Royal Caribbean, the majority of their sailings include Juneau as a port, but there are Alaska Inside Passage cruises that don’t go to Juneau. Instead, they will call at Sitka and Ketchikan. If Juneau caps do prove an issue, we could see more lines and ships opting for itineraries like these, and increasing their presence at other ports such as Sitka and Ketchikan.
Royal Caribbean’s new port
Royal Caribbean surprised many, including the city of Juneau, when they announced they were partnering with Goldbelt, a native Alaskan company, to build a new cruise port. The new port, called the ‘Port of Tomorrow’, will be situated just outside of the town on Douglas Island.
The construction is expected to be quick, with the port expected to be ready for action by 2027.
The exact capacity of the port isn’t yet known, but Royal Caribbean’s four Alaskan ships could have their new home there, and Royal Caribbean Group also owns other cruise lines that have a presence in Alaska such as Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises.
This will free up the Juneau port significantly for other cruise ships to visit, while also allowing cruise visitors to rise across the region.
The City of Juneau has claimed that the new port will still be under the sanction of the city cruise caps, but it remains to be seen whether that can actually be enforced.
