Expect to pay a few more dollars if you're taking an Alaska cruise next year.
Juneau is the capital of Alaska, and it's also one of the most popular ports on any Alaska cruise itinerary. It's home to Mendenhall Glacier, and a variety of activities synonymous with visiting Alaska.
Last week, the Juneau Assembly voted unanimously to approve a resolution that will increase port fees.
What's interesting about this change is it will not be a flat increase. Instead, the bigger the ship, the higher the fee.
The current dockage fees use the tonnage and length of vessels to calculate how much cruise ships pay. The new rates will be based on the ship’s passenger capacity.
Estimates are the new fee structure will could almost double the $2.5 million in dockage fees Juneau assessed in 2024.
City officials say the new fee will go into effect for the 2026 cruise season.
It applies only to large cruise ships and will bring in millions of dollars extra of revenue for Juneau.
The vote was done to catch up with the fees assessed to cruise ships at privately operated docks in Southeast Alaska.
The port fee is what is charged to the cruise line for each person brought onboard to that city. The fee is paid, regardless of if someone disembarks the ship or not.
Those port fees are passed along to passengers as a line item under "port fees and taxes" when booking a cruise.
Juneau welcomed 1.68 million cruise ship passengers in 2024, up from 1.31 million in 2019.
What the higher fees will pay for
Juneau already has the money from cruise ships earmarked for new projects.
Juneau's port director said the funds will go into the Docks and Harbors enterprise fund.
He indicated this money has fewer restrictions on how it may be spent by the city because it's not the same sort of fee that the city charges cruise ships.
"They’re not limited, like the so-called head taxes, the port development fee, or the marine passenger fee — it can be used for other purposes," Carl Uchytil said.
The city collects marine passenger fees for every cruise ship passenger who arrives in port. Due to an agreement with Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the city is required to use this money only on projects directly tied to the visitor industry, placing limits on how the funds can be spent.
Royal Caribbean's future plans for Juneau
Plans are in place for Royal Caribbean to build a new cruise terminal in Juneau, which has sparked some debate given its location and intentions.
In October 2024, Royal Caribbean announced plans to build a new cruise ship dock on Douglas Island. It's a partnership with a local Alaska Native corporation.
The intention is to ease traffic congestion in the downtown area.
The project is called, "The Port of Tomorrow" and it is expected to be completed during the 2027 Alaska cruise season.
The news was a surprise to local officials, who claimed they were not made aware prior to the announcement.
Goldbelt Incorporated owns the land, and according to reports, has begun gating off land so clearing work can commence.
