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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discontinued a program of monitoring the COVID levels aboard cruise ships operating in the United States on Tuesday. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)

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CDC coronavirus-status program for cruise ships discontinued

Politicians and industry officials lauded the move.

Tourists walk the piers downtown on July 14, 2022. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)

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Mid-season passenger numbers at roughly two-thirds capacity

There’s about the same number of hulls, but less passengers aboard than pre-pandemic.

A Princess Cruise Line ship is docked in Juneau on Aug. 25, 2021. (Michael Lockett / Juneau Empire File)

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Ships in Port for the week of July 3

Here’s what to expect this week.

The Norwegian Sun sat moored in Juneau on Monday after striking striking ice Saturday afternoon near Yakutat Bay on its way to Skagway. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)

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Cruise ship that hit iceberg arrives in Seattle for repairs

It spent over a day in Juneau after striking ice.

The Norwegian Sun sat moored in Juneau on Monday after striking striking ice Saturday afternoon near Yakutat Bay on its way to Skagway. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)

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Update: Cruise ship that struck iceberg departs Juneau

It’s heading to Seattle for repairs.

This screenshot of Google Earth shows the area of a proposed “green corridor” from Seattle to Southeast Alaska. (Screenshot)

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Juneau joins first effort at ‘green corridor’ for cruise ships

Government, industry officials in Seattle, Canda and Juneau set goal of net-zero emmisions by 2050.

A Carnival Cruise Lines vessel similar to one due in Juneau following a COVID outbreak aboard steams past Douglas in 2021. (Dana Zigmund / Juneau Empire File)

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City contacting ship on way to town following COVID outbreak

The ship, due to arrive here Saturday, experienced an outbreak enroute from Miami to Seattle.

The Norwegian Bliss arrives in Juneau on Monday

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2022 cruise season begins

Visitors and Juneau locals alike were excited for the arrival.

Protestors critical of the cruise ship industry gathered on the steps of the Alaska State Capitol on Monday, April 25, 2022, the same day the first large ship of the season arrived in Juneau. Demonstrators said the industry had a poor environmental record and called on the state to continue to Ocean Rangers program, a voter-approved initiative which put state monitors aboard ships to ensure compliance with state regualtions. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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Protesters call for more enforcement of environmental regulations aboard ships

As cruise ships return, some residents remain wary.

Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire Amy Purvis, a private security officer who’s been a Juneau resident since 2000, sketches a heart and rose for a piece of woodburning art she hopes to sell to tourists this summer on the still mostly empty pier at Marine Park on Friday.

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Modest welcome and big hopes for 1st cruise ship of the season

City officials predicting near-normal season, but many uncertainties linger

This August 2021 photo shows a Princess Cruise Line ship docked in Juneau. The cruise line announced this week that a controversial contactless payment method will not be expanded to Alaska in the immediate future. Prior to the decision, MedallionPay was panned by members of the business community. (Michael Lockett / Juneau Empire file)

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Princess puts plans for ’contactless’ MedallionPay system on hold in Alaska

Businesses and municipal officials bristle at proposed no-contact system.

Hiring signs in the windows of businesses in downtown Juneau on Monday, April 18, 2022. Over a million passengers are expected to arrive aboard large cruise ships this summer, and local business say its been a challenge finding enough workers. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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Cruise ships are returning to Juneau, will seasonal workers?

Businesses cite disruption, housing in challenging hiring market.

Passengers disembark from the Carnival Sunshine cruise ship Monday, March 16, 2020, in Charleston, S.C. Federal officials are dropping a health warning that they have attached to sailing on cruise ships since the start of the pandemic. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday, March 30, 2022 that they will leave it up to vacationers to decide whether they feel safe getting on a ship. (AP Photo / Mic Smith)

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CDC drops COVID-19 health warning for cruise ship travelers

Cruise-ship operators welcomed Wednesday’s announcement.

The Assembly of the City and Borough of Juneau passed an amendment allowing for the possibility of a fifth cruise ship pier in the city’s Long Range Waterfront Plan on March 15, 2022. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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City OKs ordinance allowing for fifth pier in long-term plan

It’s not that it will be built, but that it can be built under the plan.

Juneau’s Docks and Harbors department is readying for the inbound cruise season as it makes headway on other projects around the city, said the harbormaster. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)

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Docks and harbors rigs for cruise season

It’ll be the first full season since 2019.

In this Empire file photo, a Princess Cruise Line ship is seen docked in Juneau on Aug. 25, 2021. The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday the company pleaded guilty to violating the terms of its probabtion stemming from a 2017 conviction for illegal wastewater dumping. (Michael Lockett / Juneau Empire file)

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Princess Cruises pleads guilty to probation violation

U.S. Dept. of Justice says company violated probation terms.

The Norwegian Encore sails past Douglas Island on Sept. 8, 2021. Norwegian Cruise Line hopes to build a cruise ship dock on its waterfront property on Egan Drive. The city is considering amending the 2004 Long Range Waterfront Plan to allow the new dock. If the change is approved, it could clear the way for broader discussions with NCL. (Dana Zigmund/Juneau Empire)

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City considers changing plan to allow cruise dock, more shore power

Public comment now open

This combination image shows photos from stories that defined 2021. Top left, Vanessa Dickinson adjusts second grade student Kanani Dickinson’s glasses ahead of the first day of school. Top middle, doses of COVID-19 vaccination await arms during a vaccine clinic. Top right, a cruise ship looms large over downtown Juneau. Middle left, a sign marks the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area as part of the Tongass National Forest. Middle, the bygone calendar year is written in the sand. Middle right, Alan Salsman receives the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine from VA nurse Michael Addo at Coast Guard Station Juneau. Bottom left, School board member Emil Mackey casts a ballot in Juneau’s municipal election. Bottom middle, the Alaska State Capitol stands behind a statue of William H. Seward. Bottom left, Sen. Lisa Murkowski talks during a sitdown in the Empire offices. (Juneau Empire Photos, Engin Akyurt / Unsplash)

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The stories that shaped our 2021

Some loom large in 2022, too.

Cruise ships float at PortMiami, on April 7, 2020, in Miami. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now warning people not to cruise regardless of their vaccination status because of an increase in cases fueled by the omicron variant detected in ships. (AP Photo / Lynne Sladky, File)

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CDC warns against cruises, regardless of vaccination status

Warning comes as over 90 cruise ships under investigation or observation after COVID-19 cases.

Dana Zigmund / Juneau Empire The Nieuw Amsterdam sails into Juneau on July 26, 2021. On Monday night, city leaders reviewed the results of a community survey aimed at learning more about community attitudes about the impact of large cruise ships.

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Tourism survey yields ‘remarkable,’ ‘interesting’ data

Questionnaire shows little movement in public opinion despite visitor surge