The city of Juneau is a community divided. On the one hand, its economy relies on cruise tourism. On the other, it will vote on Tuesday on whether to pass a proposal known as “ship-free Saturdays”.
Juneau is a key port for Alaskan itineraries, a region that is currently seeing huge growth and high demand across all major cruise lines.
In this environment of massive demand, where record fleets are sailing in Alaska, some cruise lines have reacted with threats. The City of Juneau has published a letter that states if the reform passes, several companies, including Royal Caribbean, have communicated an intent to sue the city.
The initiative a bid by its citizens to try and find a balance between Alaska’s huge popularity as a cruise destination and their lives as a thriving community where people actually live.
The idea – limiting visitation so citizens can go about their normal chores – is to try and ring fence one day – Saturdays plus the fourth of July. It’s certainly better than many cities, where bans and radical action like spraying guests with water pistols have sparked global headlines.
The debate has divided the 31,685 population town, between citizens who are exclaiming that their city has “become a theme park” and business owners and council executives who fear citizens aren’t grasping the broader economic consequences of shunning the cruise industry.
In 2023 Juneau saw 1,650,000 visitors from cruise ships, up 41% on 2022, and well ahead of pre-pandemic figures. If the reform passes and is upheld, the City has stated it is unsure as to whether more cruise itineraries would be redirected to the other ports, or scrapped altogether.
An interesting point to note is whatever happens with Juneau has a strong chance of influencing how other ports in the region react to large amounts of tourism.
Marily Macallair, a market analyst who works around cruise says other port towns could potentially follow in Juneau’s footsteps.
“They’re going to be the example that says, ‘OK, this is how Juneau did it. … If it worked for Juneau, let us try it.”
NCL President David Herrera says it’s as simple as the fact that tourists and cruise lines want to go to Alaska, and a way to achieve that has to be figured out.
“We have to find a way to make it work because that’s where guests want to go, and that’s where we want to take them.
“Whether it’s Alaska or Europe, we’ve just got to figure it out, and I think we’re all motivated to do that.”
NCL currently has about 13-14% of its capacity in Alaska and does not have a contingency plan in place for if they can no longer visit Juneau on Saturdays.
With the vote soon to happen, and the town at its most tense point, here’s what you should know about what’s going on.
Could Juneau get sued?
A key question hanging over this issue, is that if the vote passes, will the proposal be legally enforceable?
In an FAQ posted by the City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ), the city addressed this issue.
Under a question entitled, “Will CBJ get sued if the initiative passes?” it reads: “We don’t really know. The City Attorney certified the ship-free Saturday petition as legal. However, CBJ has received legal letters from several companies stating their intent to sue if the ship free Saturdays passes.”
Those legal letters can be read here. There are letters from Royal Caribbean, Allen Marine Tours and AJ Juneau Dock. Essentially, the letters allege that for a number of reasons, the ship free Saturdays measure would be unlawful and unenforceable.
Scott Kendall the lawyer who drafted the letter on behalf of Royal Caribbean commented: “I believe the contents speak for themselves.”
While it’s difficult to speculate on what legal action may or may not be carried out, Juneau has officially communicated it’s worry that this could proceed, due to the letters from companies such as Royal Caribbean.
The CBJ has been contacted for further comment.
What are citizens saying?
- When asked “What is your preference for future cruise passenger volume in Juneau?”, 33% responded to keep it the same, 31% said they wanted it slightly lower, 19% said they wanted it much lower, 5% said they didn’t know, 3% wanted it much higher and 8% said slightly higher
- 49% of respondents who work downtown said they were somewhat or very affected by air emissions from cruise ships, however, the overall number of citizens affected by cruise ship emissions dropped from 23% in 2022 to 14% in 2023.
Susan Schrader and her husband Carl have lived in Juneau for more than thirty years.
Both are active volunteers and pillars of the community. Both have a special connection to the environment, Susan a former veterinarian and wilderness guide, and her husband a retired biologist.
Schrader says the months of the cruise season are essentially a write-off for locals.
“Many of us “Juneauites” avoid our favorite restaurants and stores downtown during cruise ship season – the sidewalks are so crowded the movement of people comes to a crawl at times! Streets full of buses, vans, taxis, pedicabs, and e-bikes cause frequent traffic jams, resulting in more frustration for locals.
“Thirteen miles from downtown is the stunning Mendenhall Glacier and Lake where tourists and locals can hike a variety of trails, kayak, and canoe the lake, watch bears chase salmon in the streams, enjoy the exhibits in the visitors center, except locals don’t go there in the summer! We are displaced from one of our favourite recreation sites by hordes of tourists.
“Whereas during the late fall through the winter, downtown provides meeting places for all age groups of locals at restaurants, breweries, theatres, and libraries, yet during the summer, we are displaced. Our small town becomes a theme park.”
Due to such demand for whale watching, local fisherman find themselves unable to carry out their usual activities. Not to mention that Schrader, whose husband is a retired biologist, has her doubts over whether the famous humpback whales are truly ‘protected’.
“Auke Bay, 17 miles north of downtown, is a fisherman’s paradise. Yet 77 plus whale-watching charter boats have displaced our local fishermen from using the bay for fear of getting their skiffs swamped, due to the aggressive movement of the whale-watching boats, often at high speeds. Forget kayaking or paddle boarding! And heaven help the humpback whales, “protected” with feeble federal laws.”
Schrader says ‘flightseeing’ noise has been a concern for local residents for 20 years now, with no significant changes in sight.
“And above it all, the incessant noise from flightseeing helicopters and planes impacts our ability to use our trails as well as our own backyards. Flightseeing noise has been a constant annoyance to Juneauites for at least 20 years.
“Meetings, hearings, mediation efforts, and task forces have convened over these years, and little has changed. The noise this summer is worse than ever before, regardless of what area of town you live in.”
Leading Alaskan voices call for cooperation with cruise
Jillian Simpson, CEO of Alaska Travel Industry Association is a leading voice calling for the reform to be rejected.
“If the proposal passes, it will certainly damage our relationships with the cruise lines, but I can’t speculate on what legal action may or may not be taken. The city and local tourism industry have been collaborating with the cruise lines to shape memorandums of agreement that help manage cruise tourism to the city. If the proposal passes, that collaborative effort is damaged.”
Simpson says cruise tourism is essential to Alaska’s economy and this move would put it into jeopardy, especially noting that the consequences will be for the wider region, not just Juneau.
“Cruise tourism is essential to Juneau’s and the state’s economy. Cruise travelers makeup about 65% of Alaska’s summer visitors, and about 15% of jobs in Southeast Alaska, including Juneau, are tied to tourism.
“Last year, Saturday visitors alone contributed $30 million to Juneau’s economy. The loss of that revenue could negatively impact Juneau’s entire economy, especially small businesses. The city may be forced to raise taxes or cut city services to make up for the loss.
“Because the Southeast region of Alaska is so connected, any disruptions in Juneau’s economy can also impact neighbouring communities, so there could be a ripple effect felt beyond the city.”
Simpson says that the movie will also ideologically demonstrate that Alaska isn’t welcoming to visitors, as well as putting years of itineraries into disarray.
“Looking at it from a statewide perspective, if it passes, this ban sends a message that Alaska isn’t welcoming to visitors. In addition, small businesses — our tour operators, retail shops, restaurants — will bear the brunt of the losses in Juneau and beyond.
“Cruise lines plan their itineraries several years in advance. If the ban on Saturday and July 4th cruise ship calls is passed, we’ll see itineraries change, ports of call shuffled and that could be detrimental to the city and the region.”
McHugh Pierre is the chairman of Protect Juneau’s Future, a group made up of cruise and tour operators, as well as local businesses.
Pierre feels due to legal implications even if it passes the reform may not be upheld. However, he also sees the possibility of this as majorly damaging relationships with cruise lines and hurting the region overall.
He told Skift: “The best-case scenario is if this passes, the city says, ‘We choose not to accept cruise ships at our docks.’ But the private companies can’t be told not to accept ships at their private docks. It’s not constitutional.
“In Juneau, the Saturday ban would be the latest effort by the city to manage cruise tourism. It has signed multiple agreements with cruise lines to “reduce the possibility of exponential growth
“If you create a litigious environment that throws out all the memoranda, people will stop participating. They’ll stop talking, and that’s not how you create a successful and harmonious environment.”
Russell Dick, CEO of the Huna Totem Corp told Travel Weekly that he’s distressed by the notion that all citizens are against mass cruise tourism.
“I’m going, that’s not OK, because that’s not the way everybody in southeast Alaska feels.
“We just need to do a better job of convincing the cruise lines that people come to Alaska not only to see Juneau
“Juneau doesn’t necessarily have to be on an itinerary, right? You can get the same value by going to other ports.”
What else is happening with cruise in Juneau?
- For 2023 an agreement was reached to limit cruise tourism to five ships per day
- For 2024, it was agreed that there would be a 16,000 daily passenger cap, and 12,000 on Saturdays
- CBJ is also working with a company called Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska, to try and eliminate hot berthing from the town. Hot berthing is when two cruise lines share a dock on the same day.
