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Passengers return to the Norwegian Sun cruise ship early Wednesday evening, the final ship to visit Juneau this year. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Sun sets on record cruise ship season

1.65 million passengers representing 101% of ship capacity visited Juneau, preliminary figures show.

The Captain Cook, one of two tour boats operated by Adventure Bound Alaska, is seen here docked at Aurora Harbor on July 25. The company is facing numerous consumer complaints and legal action involving allegations of canceled trips that were not refunded and unpaid bills. (Meredith Jordan / Juneau Empire)

News

Limited options for Adventure Bound customers

Online websites still touting troubled tour operator, while consumer agencies hold little power.

A whale surfaces near an Alaska Tales Whale Watching boat in early September. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Whale watching operators recommend solutions to industry impact ahead of 2024 season

Limiting number of boats, speeds and “whale sighting guaranteed” marketing among recommendations

The Adventure Bound tour boat is seen here docked at Aurora Harbor in July. The vessel’s owner-operator was given four notices of deficiencies last year, but continued to operate, according to a U.S. Coast Guard report that also raises questions about the agency’s handling of a grounding incident involving the company. (Meredith Jordan / Juneau Empire File)

News

Fuel company sues Adventure Bound and its owners

Longtime local tour boat company’s last purchase was Feb. 1.

A cruise ship docks in downtown Juneau on July 15. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)

Opinion

Opinion: Misconceptions about cruise industry need clarification

Recently, Juneau resident Jennifer Pemberton penned an Anchorage Daily News op-ed describing a cruise that she took in…

This rendering depicts Huna Totem Corp.’s proposed new cruise ship dock downtown that was approved for a conditional-use permit by the City and Borough of Juneau Planning Commission in early July. The project has since been appealed and following Assembly action Monday night will now be assigned to a hearing officer. (City and Borough of Juneau)

News

Assembly accepts appeal of new cruise ship dock permit, assigns hearing officer

Appeal process can take anywhere from six to nine months before a decision is made, attorney says.

The Adventure Bound tour boat is seen here docked at Aurora Harbor during the past week. The vessel’s owner-operator was given four notices of deficiencies last year, but continued to operate, according to a U.S. Coast Guard report that also raises questions about the agency’s handling of a grounding incident involving the company. (Meredith Jordan / Juneau Empire)

News

Adventure Bound Alaska was grounded, issued citations and continued to operate

U.S. Coast Guard report also raises questions about agency’s handling of incident

This screenshot from a court filing by the Alaska Department of Law shows two identical pairs of wool booties taken from a tourist shop near Denali National Park. One pair bears the label “made in Nepal,” while the other says that it was made in Alaska. (Screenshot)

News

Alaska accuses souvenir store of selling fake Native art and products from ‘Yakutat alpacas’

A state judge has ordered a tourist shop outside Denali National Park to stop selling products labeled as…

A sign at a Juneau business alerts people searching for Adventure Bound Alaska that the tour company is no longer at an address listed at the company’s website. (Meredith Jordan / Juneau Empire)

News

Once-popular tour boat operator getting poor reviews by customers feeling shortchanged

Last-minute cancellations without refunds, according to complaints

This is a photo of humpback whales surfacing near a Juneau Tours and Whale Watch boat. (Courtesy / Juneau Tours and Whale Watch)

News

Unlimited numbers of whale watching boats causing wave of concern

Local operators and industry officials create committee to address impacts, potential limits.

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire A crowd of visitors tours the Mendenhall Glacier on Friday. Officials announced Friday limits on commercial tours are being imposed as capacity limits are being rapidly reached, which will impact the second half of the summer tourism season. A plan by the U.S. Forest Service to overhaul the facilities of the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area is now in the final stages, which would replace the existing capacity limits with newly defined management practices.

News

Objectors ask for more environmental protections as Mendenhall Glacier plan nears finish

Final OK of multiyear process may occur this fall, replace existing capacity limits with new policy

Author standing at the Sitka terminal ramp May 22 waiting to board the Columbia to Haines. (Photo courtesy of Regina Discenza)

Opinion

My Turn: My costly experience with the Alaska Marine Highway System

Last year during the summer of 2022 I wanted to visit a few small towns in Alaska with…

Artwork for sale at the Sealaska Heritage Institute shop on Friday bears a label declaring it compliant with the Indian Arts and Crafts Act. The federal government has filed several recent cases in Alaska for violations of the act. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

News

As Alaska tourism rebounds, state and federal officials crack down on fake Alaska Native art

It’s a federal crime to sell art that is falsely marketed as created by an Alaska Native or…

A wire cable stretches high above the forest ground and connects two platforms for zip lining at Eaglecrest Ski Area. Zip line tours are set to be offered again this summer at the ski area starting in late June after three years of halted operations due to COVID-19 and staffing issues. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Zip line tours to restart at Eaglecrest in late June

It remained out of commission for the past three years.

Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire Lanie Downs with Cruise Lines International Association Alaska addresses the Greater Juneau Chamber of Commerce along with other members of the community on cruise line projections and economic impact expected for 2023.

News

Cruise ships projected to be closer to capacity this season

Last year ships were about 74% full, industry official says 90% projected for 1st quarter 2023.

Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire McKinley Research Group President Susan Bell, left, and CBJ Tourism Manager Alexandra Pierce discuss the results of an annual survey of residents about tourism during the Juneau Chamber of Commerce’s weekly luncheon Thursday at the Juneau Moose Family Center.

News

Leaders: Record cruise tourism, limits both possible

City may see record number of tourists next year, but residents want cap on ships, businesses told.

An Alaska Coach Tours bus sits parked beside the cruise ship dock in downtown Juneau. Alexandra Pierce, the CBJ tourism manager, said this year’s season went “relatively smoothly” and said the revival of tourism was overall well received by the residents and downtown businesses. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Final cruise ship of 2022 leaves Juneau

Capital city says farewell to its last ship of the season

People walk the docks as the sun sets in downtown Juneau on Monday night. The City and Borough of Juneau recently signed a memorandum of agreement with member companies of Cruise Lines International Association to come to an agreement on a number of tourism management issues in Juneau. (Clarise Larson/ Juneau Empire)

News

City, cruise lines agree on goals to manage tourism impacts

The list includes communication on scheduling, less landfill waste and a focus on local businesses

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

News

Mid-season passenger numbers at roughly two-thirds capacity

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

An old timber dock near the village of Klawock on Prince of Wales Island will soon be renovated to be able to receive cruise ship passengers as soon as next year after several Alaska Native corporations announced a joint-venture to develop the project. (Courtesy Photo / Na-Dena` LLC)

News

Cruise ships are coming to Klawock

Next May.