• 3 min de lectura
• 3 min de lectura
(2:05 p.m. EDT) — The City and Borough of Juneau has put a hold on the proposal to make its five-ship-per-day limit mandatory.
The limit is currently part of a voluntary agreement between the city and the cruise industry.
According to Juneau Independent, the Juneau Assembly voted five to four to put the proposal on hold.
Those who support the proposed change argued that the limit, implemented in 2024, has been popular among residents.
"We have seen the numbers from our surveys, that our community wants it to be Juneau that sets that limit of how much tourism, how does it grow?" said Christine Woll, one of the Assembly members proposing the mandatory limit. "The survey every year says the majority of people from Juneau really appreciate tourism and the majority of Juneau wants the city to do more to manage it."
Local media reported that Juneau had not previously pursued a mandatory limit because the city was waiting for a court ruling on whether local governments can set their own limits.
In May this year, a federal judge ruled that Bar Harbor, Maine can set a daily limit of 1,000 cruise passengers a day, but only during the peak months of July and August.
Based on this case, the city will have to justify a mandatory limit on cruise ships.
"Based on this case, the CBJ must comprehensively look at the burden versus the benefit of any legislation," said City Attorney Emily Wright.
Concerns about disrupting the city's relationship with the cruise industry, along with legal uncertainties, have also been the reason why some Assembly members were hesitant to move forward with the mandate.
Mayor Beth Weldon proposed delaying consideration of the ordinance until a Visitor Industry Task Force provides recommendations, which is expected this fall.
"The (voluntary five-ship limit) is a less burdensome option because it's a voluntary compliance and so far it has worked," said Weldon. "And they are agreeing with the five-ship limit. They're agreeing to the passenger caps. This year we will see the first time that they have arrived later and there's no hot berthing. So so far they're doing all right with us."
"I think data is going to be important on this and we can keep it in the back pocket in case one of (the cruise lines) doesn't play well with others," she added.
As a popular Alaskan port, Juneau is found on most itineraries exploring The Last Frontier, including sailings with Holland America Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line and most recently, Virgin Voyages, which is currently sailing its first Alaska season.
Earlier this year, MSC Cruises' MSC Poesia made its inaugural visit to Juneau as part of the company's debut in Alaska, running through September 2026.
In 2025, the City and Borough of Juneau recorded 1,712,600 cruise ship passengers, according to the Juneau Tourism Survey report. While the figure represents a 1% decrease compared to 2024, overall cruise ship passenger volume has more than tripled since 1995.
