Royal Caribbean Group is planning to develop a new cruise port in Juneau, Alaska.
This news came after a public poll in Juneau revealed that the majority of residents did not agree with ‘cruise-ship-free’ Saturdays as a way of curbing overcrowding due to cruise arrivals. The initiative would have banned cruise ships with over 250 passengers from docking at the Alaskan city on Saturdays.
In response to the recent vote, Royal Caribbean plans to develop a new port on West Douglas Island by 2027. The development would potentially remove one third of the bus traffic from Juneau’s most impacted roadways.
“We look forward to continuing to support Juneau as the cruise capital of Alaska by offering award-winning guest experiences through responsible destination management,” said Preston Carnahan, AVP of West Coast Destinations for Royal Caribbean Group.
Prior to the vote, The City of Juneau and the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) signed an MOU to limit the total number of cruise ships allowed to disembark in the city to 16 000 a day and 12 000 on Saturday, as reported by Travel News.
According to Alexandra Pierce, Tourism Manager for Juneau, the city was not made aware of RCI’s plan for a new cruise port, and was disappointed that the group did not inform the city during the planning process, as reported by Skift.
