With locals frustrated about overtourism, cruise lines have agreed to a capacity limit in Juneau beginning in 2026.
Cruise lines will collectively be capped at 16,000 daily lower berths from Sundays through Fridays. On Saturdays, they will be limited to 12,000 lower berths. (Most cruise ship cabins have two lower berths.)
The busiest days in Juneau have seen more than 21,000 lower berths.
The reduction was agreed upon by the City & Borough of Juneau and cruise companies docking there, including Carnival Corp., Disney, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Royal Caribbean Group.
This is the latest agreement to address cruise tourism in Alaska's capital city, where the issue of overtourism and quality of life have frustrated residents. Made in a memorandum of agreement, the restriction comes about a year after Juneau officials and cruise lines agreed to limit cruise ship calls to five per day. That limit will remain in place with the new limit on lower berths.
The new memorandum of understanding gives Juneau officials discretion to approve days where lower berth capacity exceeds the weekday limit on a case-by-case basis. The agreement also specifies that Juneau officials and cruise lines "will continue to actively explore alternatives to the practice of 'hot berthing' which is responsible for all days in excess of 16,000 available lower berths."
Hot berthing is the practice of allowing a ship to temporarily occupy a space not reserved for said vessel, such as for a half-day, before another ship arrives.
The agreement is the work of the Visitor Industry Task Force, which was formed in 2019 to advise on issues related to cruise tourism, including tourists and tour operations. The parties expect to meet annually no later than November to review lessons learned and consider modifications.
Juneau's tourism director said her goal is not to have to sign off on any days of more than 16,000 lower berths, reported the Juneau Empire. She said her goal is also not to max out at 16,000 every day but to bring their tourism number down on the busiest days.
However, residents are pursuing a referendum to ban cruise ships on Saturdays and July 4.
Correction: The cap on berths begins in 2026, not 2025.