Royal Caribbean Group has teamed with Goldbelt Incorporated, an Alaska Native Corporation, to explore co-developing a new port in Juneau, aimed at strengthening the city's infrastructure while improving traffic congestion downtown and enhancing the local and visitor experience.
Cruise tourism has been a polarizing issue in the city. Just last week, Juneau residents turned down an initiative that would have banned ships with more than 250 passengers from docking or disembarking passengers on Saturdays. In the vote, 6,575 said ‘no’ to the initiative, while it was supported by 4,196 residents. In June, a memorandum of agreement was signed with cruise lines to set a limit of 16,000 lower berths per day, 12,000 on Saturdays.
Situated on Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act land on Douglas Island, the port's preliminary designs have two floating berths overlooking the Chilkat Range. Visitors will be transported from a modern cruise ship to a recreated 1800s Alaska Native Tlingit village, where they will experience Goldbelt shareholders' ancestral history through stories, art, songs, dance, and traditional foods.
Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas en route to Alaska. (Photo Credit: Royal Caribbean International)
Founded in 1973 and officially incorporated in 1974, Goldbelt Incorporated is the urban corporation that represents the Juneau area. The company says it has “a deep connection to both our ancestors and our children – we remember the stories and traditions of the past, while working to build a bright future for our shareholders in Southeast Alaska and beyond.”
The project plans for visitors to depart directly from West Douglas Island to popular whale-watching tours or shuttle boats to the Mendenhall Glacier. According to Goldbelt, this will remove nearly one-third of the bus traffic from Juneau's most impacted roadways.
"Goldbelt has long sought to establish a cruise terminal and destination centered around Tlingit history on the backside of Douglas Island," stated McHugh Pierre, President & CEO of Goldbelt, Inc. "We look forward to the prospect of bringing this sustainable, culture-rich cruise ship terminal to life in partnership with Royal Caribbean Group, providing community solutions to local transportation and economic development issues."
With positioning on the backside of Douglas Island, Goldbelt's port plan envisions support for on-site employee housing. Located directly in major shipping routes alongside Steven's Passage, the project blueprint would offer an environmental advantage, reducing time, speed, and fuel requirements for ships sailing north to Skagway or west to the Gulf of Alaska.
A Royal Caribbean whale watching excursion in Juneau delivered as promised, with bonus elements including a warm, sunny evening and a stunning sunset. (Photo Credit: Gordon Searle)
"We are thankful to Goldbelt Incorporated and to the Juneau community for the partnership to bring solution-oriented initiatives, such as this port, to life," said Preston Carnahan, AVP West Coast Destinations for Royal Caribbean Group. "We look forward to continuing to support Juneau as the cruise capital of Alaska by offering award-winning guest experiences through responsible destination management."
This is the second project in Juneau where Goldbelt and Royal Caribbean Group have partnered to benefit the community and guest experience. This recent cruise season, the two companies worked together to donate wireless internet equipment that provides public access to high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi, greatly reducing the impact on the residential network.
The agreement between Goldbelt and Royal Caribbean Group has named the Port of Tomorrow as developer alongside integrated design-builder Turnagain Marine. The facility is projected for completion during the 2027 Alaska cruise season.
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