Juneau “blindsided” as Royal Caribbean plans new port

Royal Caribbean has signalled its intention to build a new cruise port in Juneau, but many city officials claim they were not consulted.

Juneau is a city divided, with a recent vote to curtail cruise ship visits failing to win popular support.

Royal Caribbean has partnered up with Goldbelt, an Alaskan Native company. This allows Royal Caribbean to use land on Douglas Island that falls under the jurisdiction of the Native Claims Settlement Act,

At the new port, preliminary designs suggest that passengers would arrive in a native Alaskan village, poised to experience local culture straight away.

Goldbelt President/CEO McHugh Pierre stated: “Goldbelt has long sought to establish a cruise terminal and destination centered around Tlingit history on the backside of Douglas Island.

“We look forward to the prospect of bringing this sustainable, culture-rich cruise ship terminal to life in partnership with Royal Caribbean Group, providing community solutions to local transportation and economic development issues.”

Goldbelt says the move will greatly reduce traffic in the city, which is one of the principal complaints from residents.

“This route will remove nearly one-third of the bus traffic from Juneau’s most impacted roadways, from downtown Franklin Street to the Glacier Highway, enhancing the overall guest and resident experience, while also paying testament to Alaska Native culture.”

Juneau was “blindsided” by the news

Juneau Visitor Industry director Alexandra Pierce said to Seatrade News: “We were blindsided by this. We were unaware of this plan and are disappointed they didn’t bring the city in earlier in this process.”

Pierce said there needs to be a “public process” as it would be a “major development that fundamentally changes things for our community”.

Pierce said relations have been poor with Royal Caribbean, which is unsurprising as Royal Caribbean threatened legal action against Juneau, if their ballot to ban cruises on Saturdays had passed.

She also added that Douglas Island isn’t zoned for cruise development and that per local laws, it would still fall under the jurisdiction of Juneau’s daily ship and berth caps.