Juneau to Vote on Restricting Cruise Ship Saturday Operations

Juneau, the capital city of Alaska, is poised to vote on a proposal to restrict cruise ship operations on Saturdays. This initiative, which emerged after earlier restrictions were placed on cruise passenger arrivals this year, would prevent vessels carrying 250 passengers or more from docking on Saturdays.

The “ship-free Saturdays” proposal is scheduled for a municipal ballot vote on October 1st, as reported by the Associated Press. Additionally, the proposal seeks to prohibit cruise ships from docking on July 4th, coinciding with the city’s annual downtown parade.

The measure was officially qualified for the ballot this week and will be presented to voters unless the local Assembly adopts a similar ordinance by August 15th, which appears unlikely.

The primary goal of this initiative is to provide Juneau’s residents with a break from the high volume of tourism, particularly on weekends, when ships typically dock as part of their Alaska itineraries. Notable ships expected on Saturdays in 2024 include the Carnival Spirit, Carnival Luminosa, Seven Seas Explorer, Silver Nova, and Grand Princess. The 2025 schedule also sees regular Saturday arrivals from ships like the Coral Princess, Norwegian Joy, Ruby Princess, and Silver Moon.

It’s important to note that the proposed measure would not affect smaller U.S.-flagged vessels, such as those operated by Alaskan Dream Cruises, Lindblad Expeditions, and UnCruise Adventures, due to the passenger number threshold.

In June, the City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ) entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with cruise lines to manage the volume of visitors more effectively. This agreement sets a daily limit of 16,000 lower berths and includes measures to optimize the cruise ship schedule and review visitor impacts in alignment with community goals. Furthermore, the agreement proposes a reduced cruise ship cap of 12,000 passengers for Saturdays.