Goldbelt, Inc., Royal Caribbean Group Plan a New Juneau Cruise Port
Photo Credit: Carter Damaska | Alaska Business
The waterfront in Juneau is crowded with cruise ships during the summer visitor season. To meet the demand, where can more passengers possibly come ashore? Goldbelt, Inc., the Alaska Native urban corporation, is eyeing a spot across Gastineau Channel, on the far side of Douglas Island. Goldbelt is partnering with Royal Caribbean Group to explore shared development of a port project aimed at easing cruise ship congestion while giving tourists a unique visitor experience.
Second Partnership Between Goldbelt and Royal Caribbean
“Goldbelt has long sought to establish a cruise terminal and destination centered around Tlingit history on the back side of Douglas Island,” says Goldbelt President and CEO McHugh Pierre. “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.”
Preliminary designs have two floating berths, and visitors would be transported to a recreated Tlingit village circa the 1800s, where Goldbelt shareholders will share ancestral history through stories, art, songs, dance, and traditional foods. The project envisions guests departing directly from West Douglas Island to whale-watching tours or shuttle boats to Mendenhall Glacier, bypassing traffic in downtown Juneau. The route would remove nearly one-third of the bus traffic from Juneau’s most affected roadways, from downtown Franklin Street to the Glacier Highway.
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This is the second project where Goldbelt and Royal Caribbean Group have partnered to benefit the community and guests in Juneau. In late August, the two companies announced plans to install wireless internet equipment that provides public access to high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi, greatly reducing the impact on the residential network.
Goldbelt’s port plan envisions support for on-site employee housing as well as serving as an economic driver for a second Juneau-Douglas crossing and Douglas Bench Road, which have been city priorities for more than a decade. The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities and community stakeholders are currently studying several alternatives.
Conveniently located directly in major shipping routes alongside Stephens Passage, the Douglas Island port would reduce time and fuel requirements for ships sailing north to Skagway or west to the Gulf of Alaska, making it the most ideal stop-over for routing to Sitka or Seward.
“We are thankful to Goldbelt, Inc. and to the Juneau community for the partnership to bring solution-oriented initiatives, such as this port, to life,” said Preston Carnahan, West Coast regional vice president for Royal Caribbean business and commercial development. “We look forward to continuing to support Juneau as the cruise capital of Alaska by offering award-winning guest experiences through responsible destination management.”
The announcement came within hours of final results of Juneau’s municipal election, showing voters rejecting a ballot measure that would have prohibited ships carrying more than 250 passengers from docking on Saturdays.
To help coordinate the project, Goldbelt and Royal Caribbean Group named the Port of Tomorrow as developer alongside integrated design-builder Turnagain. Port of Tomorrow may be a familiar name to some; the company, along with Turnagain, is working with Royal Caribbean Group and Alaska Railroad Corporation to build a new $137 million cruise ship terminal in Seward.
Whereas the Seward project is slated to be ready to open in 2026, the Douglas Island project is targeted for the 2027 Alaska cruise season.
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