It’s about to develop into costlier for cruise ships to dock in Juneau, Alaska. And, ultimately, costlier for passengers.
On Might 19, 2025, the Juneau Meeting unanimously authorised a rise in dockage charges, aiming to deliver public port prices according to these at privately operated docks in Southeast Alaska.
“We’ve been speaking about it for a number of years,” Juneau Customer Trade Director Alix Pierce advised native media, referring to the cruise strains’ consciousness of the approaching payment hike. “They’ve identified that it’s coming.”
Certainly, in April 2024, Cruise Hive reported on Juneau’s plan to gather tens of millions of {dollars} in passenger charges from cruisers yearly through a port payment improve.
Nonetheless, the charges are managed through an settlement with Cruise Strains Worldwide Affiliation Alaska (CLIA Alaska) following a 2019 settlement between the Juneau Meeting and the group.
At the moment, CLIA Alaska objected to the port charges, saying Juneau’s plans have been falling out of line with the unique settlement.
Now, a 12 months later, the town has discovered a manner across the settlement and is elevating dockage charges.
As an alternative of charging charges based mostly on the tonnage of every ship that arrives and its size, the charges will now be based mostly on every vessel’s passenger capability.
Town expects to boost $5 million in charges yearly with the change.
New Charge Construction
The brand new dockage charges might be beneath much less restrictions than the earlier payment program beneath the 2019 CLIA Alaska settlement, and won’t restrict the town to utilizing payment income in the direction of its tourism business.
As Juneau operates two of the town’s 4 cruise ship docks close to Marine Park, Pierce mentioned the brand new mannequin will deliver its municipal charges nearer to what non-public operators cost.
Learn Additionally: Juneau Cruise Port, Alaska – Overview and Information
“We all know that our charges are positively low in comparison with the non-public docks right here and different ports within the area are additionally their payment construction,” she mentioned.
Along with the dockage payment modifications, Juneau’s cruise ship passenger payment program stays a significant funding mechanism for tourism-related enhancements.
Town collects three sorts of passenger charges: a $5 Marine Passenger Charge (MPF), a $3 Port Improvement Charge (PDF), and a $5 portion of the state’s $34.50 Industrial Passenger Vessel Excise Tax.
With 1.65 million cruise guests forecasted in 2026, Juneau anticipates accumulating $21.45 million in passenger-related income.
Beneath the 2019 settlement settlement with CLIA Alaska, using MPF funds is tightly managed and tied to mapped zones inside the metropolis.
Tasks inside the core port space are typically authorised with out problem, whereas proposals outdoors of the port require further session with CLIA.
In 2026, Juneau plans to spend greater than $22 million in passenger-related funds. Main proposed expenditures embrace $3 million for increasing shore energy, $2.5 million to finish Marine Park enhancements, and $2 million for the subsequent section of the Seawalk.
As the town goals to usher in extra income from Alaska’s fashionable cruise tourism – which continues to develop 12 months over 12 months – some residents of Juneau have been combating onerous to restrict the variety of cruise ships allowed to drag into port.
Proponents of the initiative wish to cap each day guests at 16,000 passengers and not more than 5 massive cruise ships a day. In addition they need Juneau to set an annual restrict at 1.5 million cruise passengers a 12 months.
In 2023, the town welcomed 1.6 million cruise visitors after which 1.68 million in 2024.
Nonetheless, Juneau wanted 2,720 signatures to maneuver the proposal to laws however failed to take action by the Might 19, 2025, deadline.
As the controversy continues, Royal Caribbean is within the technique of sidestepping the port altogether by constructing a brand new port on Douglas Island, simply reverse of Juneau. That port is not going to be topic to the town’s new port charges.
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