Juneau Nears New Two-Berth Goldbelt Aan Cruise Dock by 2028

Juneau is moving closer to adding a new two-berth cruise dock as the Goldbelt Aan Cruise Port, a private facility being built on Goldbelt Incorporated land, targets an opening ahead of the 2028 summer season. The project could expand the city’s daily berth capacity to as many as seven ships, prompting officials to consider whether existing visitor limits and planning tools will be sufficient as new infrastructure comes online.

A two-berth dock could expand Juneau’s practical cruise-day capacity

The Goldbelt Aan Cruise Port is being built in partnership with Royal Caribbean Group and is described by project backers as an effort to strengthen Juneau’s cruise infrastructure, reduce traffic congestion, and improve the experience for both residents and visitors.

Once the two additional berths are available, Juneau could have capacity for up to seven ships in a day. That compares with the city’s current approach of limiting activity to five ships a day through voluntary, nonbinding agreements tied to Cruise Lines International Association.

Some Juneau leaders have previously argued the five-ship limit could effectively carry over after the new dock opens, changing where ships tie up rather than increasing total daily volume. But city officials have also warned that added berths change the underlying capacity of the system and raise the risk that Juneau’s practical “ceiling” could rise without policies designed to manage growth.

Officials say long-term planning is needed even if volumes stay flat

Jill Lawhorne, Juneau’s community development director, has pointed to the new infrastructure as a signal that cruise visitation could grow beyond today’s limits, saying the community needs to evaluate infrastructure capacity to handle any potential increase in visitors.

City and Borough of Juneau Tourism Director Alexandra Pierce told the Juneau Assembly that the Assembly’s direction to staff, supported by multiple years of community survey data, is to keep overall visitor volume steady. At the same time, Pierce has emphasized that seven cruise berths materially change Juneau’s capacity, and the community should evaluate both offsite impacts and local infrastructure capacity if it is going to responsibly consider a higher-capacity future.

“City leaders should be thinking ahead accordingly,” Pierce said during a recent town assembly, as she urged the community to plan beyond near-term seasons. Pierce has recommended developing a 10-year tourism goal plan with data-supported parameters intended to guide sustainable growth.

While the added berths point to potential future growth, Juneau officials have also indicated there are no immediate plans to raise passenger-volume limits through 2027, even as the port is built for higher capacity.

What changes in 2026: passenger caps and a shorter season

Juneau’s next major shift comes before the new dock opens. Starting in 2026, the city’s cruise management plan will add mandatory passenger caps alongside the existing ship-limit framework.

• Daily passenger limits: Cruise visitors will be capped at 16,000 on most days, with a maximum of 12,000 on Saturdays. The limits are lower than recent peak days that reached as many as 21,000 people.
• Season compression: Cruise lines have agreed to condense the operating calendar, largely removing sailings in April and October.
• 2026 calendar endpoints: The first ship of the 2026 season is scheduled to arrive on April 27, and the season is set to end on October 6.

City officials have framed the 2026 changes as a way to reduce pressure on infrastructure and better align cruise tourism with community capacity, even as berth capacity may increase later in the decade.

2025 season ends with steady demand and ongoing operational pressure

Juneau’s 2025 cruise season ended with the Norwegian Encore’s final call at the Alaska Steamship Dock, closing a season that lasted nearly 200 days. Final passenger counts for 2025 have not been released, but Pierce has said arrivals are expected to land between 1.6 million and 1.7 million passengers.

Juneau’s 2025 cruise schedule included about 500 cruises, and passenger volumes have remained relatively steady in recent years. City tourism data shows Juneau hosted about 1.68 million cruise passengers in 2024 and about 1.64 million the year before.

Mendenhall Glacier staffing reductions underscore capacity constraints

Operational stress points were visible at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, Juneau’s most visited site, where staffing reductions affected operations during the 2025 season. The glacier welcomed more than one million visitors last year.

Pierce said the community worked closely with the U.S. Forest Service to maintain safety and visitor support despite staffing shortfalls. “The situation at the glacier was a testament to community collaboration and how important that asset is to our visitor industry,” Pierce said.

Public debate continues as Juneau weighs tourism’s footprint

Juneau’s cruise planning has unfolded alongside active local debate about the scale of tourism. A “Ship-Free Saturday” ballot measure that would have created one cruise-free day each week was rejected by voters, after activists pushed for limits such as banning cruise ship stops one day a week.

In the 2025 municipal election, Juneau voters also considered a ballot question to create a seasonal sales tax beginning next year. Preliminary results showed the measure trending toward rejection while votes were still being counted.

At the end of the season, Alaska Travel Adventures dock representative Wesley Kinney described the transition into the off-season as the last ship arrived in wet weather. “For us locals it’s fine, but tourists, all they do is complain… about this rain,” Kinney said.

What to watch as the new dock approaches

With mandatory passenger caps arriving in 2026 and a two-berth dock expected before the 2028 summer season, Juneau leaders are weighing how to align berth capacity with a community goal of stabilizing visitor volume. The choices made before the Goldbelt Aan Cruise Port opens are expected to shape whether cruise traffic is dispersed across more berths or grows beyond today’s levels.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When is the Goldbelt Aan Cruise Port expected to open?

The Goldbelt Aan Cruise Port is expected to open ahead of the 2028 summer season.

How many ships could Juneau host once the new dock opens?

With the two additional berths, Juneau could have capacity for up to seven ships in a day, compared with the five-ship-per-day approach used today through voluntary, nonbinding agreements tied to Cruise Lines International Association.

What cruise passenger limits are scheduled to begin in 2026?

Starting in 2026, Juneau’s cruise management plan will cap cruise visitors at 16,000 on most days and 12,000 on Saturdays, down from peak days in recent years that reached up to 21,000 people.

Will the new dock automatically increase Juneau’s cruise volume?

Not necessarily. Some Juneau leaders have previously expected the five-ship limit to apply even after the dock opens, which would shift where ships tie up rather than raise total daily volume. However, city officials have said the added berths materially change Juneau’s capacity and require long-term planning to manage potential growth.

What is the Goldbelt Aan Cruise Port project designed to do?

The project, being built in partnership with Royal Caribbean Group, has been described as an effort to strengthen Juneau’s cruise infrastructure, reduce traffic congestion, and improve the experience for both residents and visitors.