Passengers disembark in May 2019 at Ketchikan’s Berth 3. (Leila Kheiry/KRBD)

The first large cruise ship to visit Alaska since 2019 arrives Friday morning. Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas cast off from the Port of Seattle Wednesday for a short jaunt up to Ketchikan and back. It’s a test sailing to satisfy requirements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and it kicks off a cruise season like no other.

When the Serenade of the Seas ties up on Friday, it’ll be the first ship to visit Ketchikan since October 5, 2019 — 21 months ago.

“The fact that big ships are coming back is, really, just so important for the economy of Ketchikan — and I think in the entire Southeast, for that matter,” said Michelle O’Brien, the head of Ketchikan’s Chamber of Commerce.

Industry figures say 60% of all the state’s visitors arrive on cruise ships.

And O’Brien says the economic boost the cruise industry brings to Ketchikan goes beyond tour operators and dock vendors. Ketchikan Visitors Bureau President and CEO Patti Mackey says the total loss to Ketchikan’s economy after the cruise season was canceled in 2020 was around $263 million.

“It’s passenger spending, it’s the crew member purchases, it’s the state and local fees, as well as the miscellaneous cruise line purchases, too,” Mackey said. “We have a business here that sells salmon to the ships.”

But before they can welcome tourists aboard again, the CDC is requiring cruise lines to test their COVID-19 protocols with a so-called “simulated voyage,” says Cruise Lines International Association senior vice president Brian Salerno.

“And they go through, basically, all the paces: making sure that all of the procedures are in place, everybody knows their duties, that they know how to handle emergencies,” Salerno said.

A Royal Caribbean representative not authorized to speak to the media says the Serenade of the Seas’ test voyage will carry some 300 passengers — largely Royal Caribbean employees from the company’s Oregon office and their guests, who volunteered to serve as guinea pigs. Another 800 crew will also be aboard.

Cruise lines can get around the simulated voyage requirement by mandating that at least 95% of passengers and crew are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. But Royal Caribbean told Cruise Industry News that it sees itself as a family brand, with kids under 12 making up about 10% of its passengers — and, of course, young children are not yet eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.

So it’s opting for the test voyage. CLIA executive Salerno says there’ll be extra pandemic restrictions on board.

“The mask requirements are going to be in place, and physical distancing will be in place, so there will be some restrictions on the population density in restaurants, casinos and so forth onboard the ship.” he said. “That’s probably the most noticeable difference.”

A Royal Caribbean spokesperson adds that most passengers eligible for the shot will be required to be vaccinated.

The off-ship experience will likely look a little different, too — there will simply be fewer people in port on any given day. In Ketchikan, for example, the first week of August saw nearly 30 port calls in 2019. This year? Just seven — about 75% less.

David Wrightson is co-owner of Hoonah Travel Adventures on Chichagof Island. He says he’s paring back his operation for 2021. With few passengers expected this summer, he says the usual business model doesn’t pencil out.

“We’re not even going to pull the boats out for whale watching this season, just because we’re not we’re not seeing the numbers that would justify the expense of the increased insurance and all those things on these bigger boats,” Wrightson said.

Wrightson says he normally runs his business with 13 employees — right now, he has just one.

The challenges for tourism businesses don’t stop there.

Russell Thomas helps manage several tourism-sector businesses in Ketchikan. He says without the typical passenger volume, it’s difficult and costly to guarantee full-time work for his tour company staff.

And the season is running later than usual — the last port call on the Alaska schedule is October 21. And by then, Thomas says the high school and college-age workers that often staff tourism businesses are back in classes.

“We’re just planning on utilizing the people that we have year-round. Our bookkeepers, and our managers, and our mechanics — and whoever else that we can find that can drive a boat, or drive a van, or narrate a tour, or whatever is going to be put to work,” Thomas said.

But while this summer’s cruise season will be short, weirdly-timed and bring few passengers, it’s better than nothing — and everyone’s looking forward to a 2022 cruise season that looks just a bit more normal.

This story was produced at KRBD for the Alaska Economic Report.

The post Alaska’s first big cruise ship since 2019 arrives this week, kicking off a season like no other appeared first on KRBD.

Tourists disembark from the Ruby Princesss at the beginning the 2015 tour season in Ketchikan. (KRBD file photo).

City officials in Ketchikan are proposing changes to the city’s per-passenger tax for cruise ship visitors. There’s been pushback from the cruise industry.

The proposal itself wouldn’t raise the amount fees levied on cruise passengers visiting Ketchikan. But it would tweak how the city assesses it. And that’s important. Because according to a Juneau attorney retained by the city council, it could give the city more flexibility on how it spends the millions the city usually collects when there are cruise ships in town.

But the change has been met with opposition from the cruise industry and some local business owners whose fortunes are tied to cruise visitors.

Christa Hagan works for Taquan Air, which runs sightseeing flights out of Ketchikan. She said now isn’t the time to make things more difficult for the industry.

“I think that right now, it’s poor timing. It feels as if it’s [an] attack on the industry that is suffering. And they’re doing everything they can to resume sailings,” she said. “And we want to continue to show partnership, and I think this is in conflict with that partnership.”

CLIA Alaska — the state chapter of the international cruise industry’s trade association — wrote a letter saying it felt blindsided by the proposal.

CLIA Alaska’s Chairman Charlie Ball said the industry is concerned that cruise lines wouldn’t be able to deduct Ketchikan’s head tax from the state passenger fee which is capped at $34.50. That, he said, would add to the cost of cruise ships calling into Ketchikan’s downtown berths by $9 per passenger.

He also disputed Juneau attorney Robert Blasco’s assertion in a written memo to the council that the change would increase flexibility on how head tax money is spent.

CLIA sued the City and Borough of Juneau in 2016 over this very issue. A federal judge ruled that the fees are legal but have to be tied to the marine operations of the vessel. In other words, financing port infrastructure is legal while subsidizing crossing guards to disembarking cruise passengers is not.

The letter ends by suggesting that the city sit down with industry representatives to negotiate an agreement.

Russell Thomas, who runs two local tour companies, suggested the City Council negotiate directly, just as officials in Juneau have done.

“Now that there is an established procedure that appears to be acceptable to the cruise lines and seems to be working for Juneau, wouldn’t that be a reasonable template to approach the cruise lines with for use in Ketchikan?” Thomas said.

He was joined by nearly a dozen other local tourism industry figures in speaking out against the head tax proposal at the meeting.

Royal Caribbean executive Preston Carnahan said the cruise line is willing to sit down with the city and negotiate how port fees and head tax is spent.

“We understand as a company that there are important city matters related to finance, infrastructure and community well-being that are tied to cruising and the impact our guests have on your community,” Carnahan said.

Only one resident, Mary Stephenson, spoke in favor of the head tax proposal. The one-time city council candidate said the cruise lines don’t have standing to say how the money’s spent; because it’s their customers that ultimately pay.

“This fee is not paid by the cruise ships, it is passed along to the passenger under the title of government taxes and fees,” Stephenson said.

Ketchikan’s City Council voted to defer the proposal to give city officials time to meet with cruise industry figures. Neither the city attorney nor Juneau attorney Robert Blasco returned requests for comment on Monday.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly said the proposal would be debated at a special meeting this week. No special meeting has been scheduled.

The post Cruise industry, tourism business figures push back against Ketchikan head tax proposal appeared first on KRBD.

Tourists disembark from the Ruby Princess in 2015 in Ketchikan. (KRBD file photo).

The Centers for Disease Control pushed to extend an order barring large cruise ships from sailing from U.S. ports until February 2021 over coronavirus concerns.

But the agency was overruled by Vice President Mike Pence. That’s according to a report from the news outlet Axios that cites two unnamed sources with knowledge of the conversation.

That coincides with the planned end of a voluntary suspension instituted by cruise industry group Cruise Lines International Association. The CDC’s no-sail order was set to expire Oct. 1.

The order followed outbreaks on cruise ships in the early days of the pandemic.

More recently, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Royal Caribbean Group have submitted recommendations to the CDC that they say would protect passengers and crew from COVID-19. Those include testing, temperature checks, mask-wearing and capacity limits, among others.

The lines also recommend shorter voyages that focus on cruise line-owned and operated destinations, like private islands, and limiting shore excursions in other ports to cruise line-sponsored activities.

The state of Alaska also submitted recommendations to the CDC highlighting the importance of visitor spending to the state’s economy. The state also recommends passengers obtain medevac insurance and emphasizes that crew and passengers must follow state and local health protocols.

Carnival Corporation and cruise line MSC resumed Mediterranean sailings in August. Those so far haven’t resulted in COVID-19 outbreaks.

Federal law requires that Alaska cruises from the U.S. stop in at least one foreign port. That’s usually Victoria or Vancouver, British Columbia.

Canada’s ban on cruise ship sailings also expires October 31, though it could be extended. Ships ordinarily start calling on Alaska ports in April.

This story was produced as part of a collaboration between KRBD and Alaska’s Energy Desk.

The post Trump administration reportedly overruled CDC’s recommendation to extend no-sail order to February 2021 appeared first on KRBD.

Legislation providing $2 trillion in relief for individuals and businesses hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic has been approved by the U.S. Senate. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said the cruise industry is among those he’d like to help.

“We can’t let the cruise line lines go out of business,” the president said last Sunday. “I mean, that would be massive numbers of jobs for our country.”

An industry trade group Cruise Lines International Association says its industry helps support more than 421,000 American jobs and contributes $53 billion to the U.S. economy. That’s threatened in Alaska and nationally following the global outbreak of COVID-19.

These economic figures include indirect economic benefits to smaller Alaska operators which are feeling the hit from a stalled cruise season.

“You’d be hard to find an operator in Alaska that’s not currently adapting schedules and figuring out plans to survive summer,” Colleen Stephens, who helps run a family owned boat tour operation in Valdez, told CoastAlaska.

She’s also president of the Passenger Vessel Association, the national trade association representing U.S.-flagged passenger ships. In Alaska, that’s everything from private whale watching tour boats to the Alaska Marine Highway System.

The PVA recently penned a letter to the White House highlighting the “economic damage” being inflicted on its members by the coronavirus pandemic.

“The message we wanted to put forward is, ‘to remember us,'” she said. “We are providing U.S. jobs, we are providing taxes into the U.S. economy and local economies. And as we feel the hit which — we are all feeling very drastically — we wanted the message to be there to remember your U.S. domestic operators.”

A major union representing U.S. crew members is against any public money flowing to the cruise lines.

“We’ve heard discussions about a cruise industry bailout and it just, I can’t tell you how inappropriate and outrageous It really is — when you start thinking about it,” Don Marcus, president of The International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots.

He says domestic, U.S.-flagged vessel operators should be first in line, not cruise lines that flag their ships in foreign countries to avoid paying taxes.

“My concern is it would be an outrageous misappropriation of, of tax dollars to bail out international cruise ship companies that are U.S.-owned that don’t pay taxes,” Marcus said in an interview. “When you have ferries, marine transportation industry around the country that are going to be in a similar position.”

Alaska’s U.S. senators haven’t said directly whether they support aid to the cruise lines.

“Senator Sullivan is focused on lessening the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic to Alaska’s working men and women, and many businesses throughout the state, including our tourism businesses — many of which are dependent on the cruise industry,” spokesman Mike Anderson wrote in a statement.

“Senator Murkowski is working with her colleagues to mitigate the impacts of this pandemic on Alaskans, small businesses, non-profits, and industries,” spokeswoman Karina Borger wrote.

The Senate bill establishes a nearly $500 billion fund for struggling industries, though it doesn’t specify exactly how the money will be doled out. That will come later.

A Washington, D.C. watchdog group that’s tracking the recipients of the stimulus package, says the big cruise lines like Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean shouldn’t be allowed to tap into this money.

“The cruise industry has been abusing the US taxpayer for years — for decades,” said Steve Ellis, president of Taxpayers for Common Sense in an interview.

He says COVID-19 took a lot of people by surprise. But big players can’t pretend like they didn’t see a potential pandemic as possible, “particularly in the cruise industry that has had problems in the past with viruses and other illnesses and sick ship syndromes.”

The post Should the cruise industry receive federal assistance? appeared first on KRBD.

Passengers walk a downtown Juneau dock where three cruise ships are tied up June 11, 2017. A little more than 1 million people rode ships to Alaska that summer. By 2019, the number will be 19 percent higher. (Ed Schoenfeld/CoastAlaska News)

The number of cruise ship passengers visiting Alaska will jump almost 20 percent over the next two years.

Port cities need to plan for the infrastructure needed to support that many people.

One industry idea could change community control of the fees cruise ships pay.

Cruise lines are bringing more and more tourists to Alaska.

Passenger numbers topped a million for the first time in almost a decade last summer.

Cruise Lines International Association Alaska President John Binkley said they’ll continue to go up.

About 1.31 million passengers are expected to arrive in 2019, 19 percent more than last summer, according to projections Binkley released at the recent Southeast Conference Mid Session Summit.

“Sometimes there’s new ships that are coming into the market,” he said. “Sometimes there’s larger ships that are replacing smaller ships. And sometimes they’re adding to the shoulder seasons to have more voyages.”

Starting this summer, the larger ships will really be larger.

The Norwegian Bliss will carry up to 4,000 passengers, plus crew, starting this June.

The Ovation of the Seas will come in the following year, with as many as 5,000 passengers per sailing, double the capacity of some ships already traveling the region.

Cruise Lines International Association Alaska President John Binkley talks about industry growth Feb. 14 in Juneau. (Ed Schoenfeld/CoastAlaska News)

Binkley said the growth requires more infrastructure.

“It’s not just one community having the facilities to be able to handle that ship,” he said. “You have to have at least three ports to be able to have a ship like that be able to deploy to Alaska,” he said.

Only Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway can handle such vessels.

They’re the biggest Southeast ports and they get the largest share of passenger fees.

Binkley said those total about $45 million a year, statewide. He said pooling that would allow other cities to boost their industries, too.

“We could be building a brand new dock each and every year in new communities around Southeast Alaska if we worked together and said … what’s the best way to take these dollars that we have and utilize them to grow the industry and have everybody in Southeast share and benefit from the industry,” he said.

It’s not a formal proposal, but the cruise association has already sued the capital city, challenging local control of how such funds are used.

Juneau City Manager Rorie Watt agrees more regional planning is needed.

But he takes a different approach.

He invited other community leaders to join the Southeast Cruise Port Association, which held its first meeting during the Mid Session Summit.

“I’m not under any illusion that we’re all going to cede local control of our communities to each other,” Watt said. “But I think we can get together on some very broad ideas.”

Those include improved communication and regional readiness for changes, such as quickly growing passenger numbers.

The industry’s share-the-wealth idea is of interest to Russell Dick, CEO of the Huna Totem Corp., which owns the Icy Strait Point attraction.

The renovated cannery and mile-long zip line completed its first dock two years ago, which brought more ships and visitors.

Dick said it’s looking toward construction of a second dock, which would support further growth.

“It’s all about tour capacity, having the infrastructure in place to handle the increase in ships and ship passengers,” he said. “And for us, that’s quite a bit. That’s a lot of people coming through.”

The cruise business is a significant part of Alaska’s visitor industry.

A cruise association report said ships, passengers and crew members spent about $1 billion during last summer’s season. And the passengers made up more than half of all visitors to the state.

Editor’s note: This report was updated to reflect cruise ships also brought a million passengers to Alaska in 2009.

The post Can Southeast share the wealth of tourism growth? appeared first on KRBD.

The Norwegian Bliss, shown in a promotional image, will begin sailing Alaska waters in about six months. It’s one of two megaships slated to sail the Inside Passage. (Image courtesy Norwegian Cruise Line)

Larger and fancier cruise ships will begin visiting Alaska ports starting this summer. The so-called “megaships” are part of a trend that’s sending more and more tourists to Alaska by sea.

If you think Alaska cruise ships are big, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

The 4,000-passenger Norwegian Bliss starts making port calls in June. The 5,000-passenger Ovation of the Seas shows up the following year.

Add 1,200 to 1,500 crew members and either will exceed the population of all but three Southeast cities.

“I believe people will notice the size difference in these ships, particularly the Ovation of the Seas,” said John Binkley, president of Cruise Lines International Association’s Alaska branch. “That is significantly bigger than the ships that people would normally be seeing throughout Alaska.”

The Bliss and Ovation will carry up to twice as many passengers as some ships already sailing here.

Chris Gray Faust is senior editor of Cruise Critic, an analysis and sales website owned by TripAdvisor, a popular travel-review app. She said Alaska is catching up with other cruise destinations.

“The large ships have been going to the Caribbean for several years. They’ve been over in Europe. They’ve been over in Asia and Australia,” she said.

So, why are they headed our way?

Gray Faust and Binkley said cruise lines are responding to several years of increased demand.

“It’s a somewhat exotic destination, yet it’s on U.S. soil,” Binkley said. “And it’s someplace that people feel comfortable and safe to visit.”

That was also the case after the 9/11 terror attacks.

The 5,000-passenger Ovation of the Seas begins its 26-mile conveyance to the North Sea March 11, 2016. It will begin sailing Alaska’s Inside Passage beginning in 2019. (Photo courtesy Royal Caribbean International.)

Gray Faust said there’s also additional interest from overseas.

“Ovation of the Seas has been designed for an international passenger base. It’s been based in Asia and also Australia. And it already has some name recognition in those regions,” she said. “And by bringing it to Alaska, I think you’ll see more of those international passengers also come up.”

The Ovation is leaving its China and Australia routes due to a drop in demand.

The Norwegian Bliss is a new ship that adds to the overall number sailing Inside Passage waters. Binkley said the Ovation of the Seas will replace a smaller ship.

“We are gaining slightly on the number of ships, but most of the capacity increase, the increase in the number of passengers is because of the larger ships, rather than additional ships,” he said.

The Bliss will sail week-long round-trips out of Seattle, stopping in Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. It will also sail to Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm Fjord, south of the capital city.

The Ovation will be based in Seattle, too. Its Alaska itinerary hasn’t been posted yet. But it’s likely to follow a similar route.

Gray Faust said ships that large have added on-board attractions.

She points to the Norwegian Bliss, which advertises the largest go-kart race track on the seas. It also has a laser tag set that looks like it’s on the Death Star from “Star Wars.”

“One thing that’s very nice for passengers going to Alaska is they have a 20,000-square-foot observation lounge with 180-degree views,” she said. “Passengers in that lounge, they’ll really get the beauty of the landscape right there. They’ll be able to see it all as they come in.”

The Ovation of the Seas advertises skydiving and surf simulators, as well as robotic bartenders. But it’ll give the Bliss a run for its money in terms of scenery.

“They have what’s known as the North Star, which is a compartment that rises above the ship, like a traveling viewing compartment,” she said. “People should be able to get good views from that and certainly from the shore, people will notice that.”

The Bliss is owned by Norwegian Cruise Line. The Ovation is owned by Royal Caribbean International. Both sail other ships to Alaska.

Editor’s note: This report was updated to state that both cruise lines already sail the Inside Passage.

The post Two really, really big cruise ships headed to Alaska appeared first on KRBD.

Three cruise ships dock in downtown Juneau July 14, at the height of the tourist season. (Photo by Ed Schoenfeld/CoastAlaska News)

Alaska’s cruise industry is on track to hit the magic million-passenger mark this year.

Industry leader John Binkley said that many passengers are projected to sail to the 49th state by the end of the season. That will be the first time in half-a-dozen years.

Binkley, president of Cruise Lines International Association Alaska, said the number is about 2 percent higher than last year.

“Worldwide, it’s about a 8 percent annual growth. … So we see a smaller percentage, but we’re kind of moving along with the trend in the industry,” he said.

The trade group said Alaska-bound ships used to carry about 8 percent of the worldwide cruise market. That’s almost double the current amount.

Binkley said global competition is the reason for the change.

He said the fastest-growing market is in Asia, which is attracting new customers, especially from China. He said that could help Alaska in the long run.

“Once that capacity and that growth is seen in Asia, then the hope is that in later years it will be a source for cruise passengers coming to Alaska,” Binkley said.

“So, initially competition. Later, a market that will increase more dramatically visitors to Alaska,” he added.

He said anecdotal evidence and market research show many new customers in the Asian market also want to cruise to Alaska.

Other factors could affect the state’s cruise industry in the coming years. One is an improved marine link.

“With the Panama Canal expanding in size, larger vessels can now move from the Atlantic, for example the Caribbean trade in the wintertime, through the Panama Canal into the Pacific and up to Alaska for the summer trade,” he said.

Binkley said overseas terrorism is another factor. He said that could make more Americans want to travel closer to home.

The post Cruise industry grows, global share shrinks appeared first on KRBD.

The cruise ship Norwegian Pearl sails south through Chatham Strait on its final voyage of 2013. The ship is one of six permitted to release treated sewage into Alaska harbors this summer. (Ed Schoenfeld/CoastAlaska News)

Did you know some cruise ships are allowed to discharge wastewater while anchored or tied up in port? State officials and industry representatives say it’s safe. But critics fear it’s fouling local harbors.

The Norwegian Pearl pulls up at one of Ketchikan’s cruise-ship berths. Many of its nearly 2,400 passengers head out onto the docks.

Toby Hatcher of Portland, Oregon, is one. He says the ship encourages environmental awareness through recycling, low-flush toilets and other means.

“You have to request for your sheets to be changed or reuse your towel, so I hang up my towels and my washcloth. So you just save one for the whole week,” he says.

A regular Alaska cruiser, he’s aware of other efforts to control pollution.

But he says he hasn’t thought much about how this and other ships discharge what comes out of the floating city’s toilets, sinks and laundries.

Tourists disembark from the Ruby Princess this spring, beginning the 2015 tour season in Ketchikan. It’s permitted to discharge graywater while docked. (KRBD file photo).

“I guess I’d prefer them not to do it in general at all. However, if they are going to do it, I’d prefer them not to do it right here, where they’re dock,” he says.

But, in fact, they do.

The Pearl is one of a dozen large cruise ships allowed to discharge treated wastewater in Ketchikan, Juneau and some other Alaska harbors this year.

Six, including the Pearl, have permits covering treated sewage, called blackwater. Those ships, plus six others, also have permits to discharge kitchen, laundry and shower runoff, also known as graywater.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation issues the permits for “stationary discharges” under new rules that took effect late last summer.

“It has to be treated wastewater through an advanced wastewater treatment system,” says DEC Environmental Program Specialist Ed White.

He says that technology makes it possible to discharge while stationary. Some ships were even allowed to do it under an older, more restrictive permit system. That measured pollutants coming directly out of the ships.

The Volendam cruise ship docks in Ketchikan. It’s allowed to discharge treated sewage while in port. (KRBD file photo)

White says the new system allows samples to be taken after being diluted in what’s called a mixing zone. That was proposed by former Gov. Sean Parnell and approved by the Legislature in 2013, at the urging of the industry.

“We have some additional requirements for those ships that discharge while stationary. They have to take water samples both on board the ship and also in the water (to measure) what happens in that mixing zone,” he says.

The zone for most harbors is 90 yards from the point of discharge. That’s about a third the length of the Norwegian Pearl.

White says the ships may be stationary, but tides and currents mean the water is not.

“We do have some restrictions. For example, in Skagway, there’s a dock where there would be an overlap. So they either can’t discharge there or they’d get a much smaller mixing zone if they can meet those requirements,” he says.

The dozen ships were issued individual permits while a new general permit system is on appeal.

“We feel that this new general permit does do the citizens of Alaska and the clean water of Alaska a big disservice,” says Daven Hafey of the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, the region’s largest environmental group.

He says new wastewater treatment systems are an improvement. But they’re not good enough to fully protect fish, shellfish and people.

“Our research shows that Alaska would really be the only place in the entire world that would allow cruise ships of this size to dump those wastes and partially treated waste while tied up to a dock,” he says.

The cruise industry disagrees.

“The water really is virtually drinking water quality when it’s discharged now from the vessels,” says John Binkley, president of the Cruise Lines International Association’s Alaska chapter.

He says releasing treated wastewater in harbors poses no threat.

“It’s a pretty advanced system. The final process in there is sterilization of the water, similar to what they use in hospitals and what-not. And so it’s really pretty pure water that comes out,” he says.

In addition to the 12 ships granted stationary discharge permits, another six are allowed to discharge while underway, which dilutes the waste further.

In all, 18 ships have the OK to release wastewater this summer. White, of the state Department of Environmental Conservation, says another 14 don’t.

Former Gov. Sean Parnell watches as industry leader John Binkley speaks at the signing of a bill lowering Alaska’s cruise ship passenger head tax in 2010. Strict wastewater standards that were part of the 2006 Cruise Ship Initiative have also been changed. (Photo by Ed Schoenfeld/CoastAlaska)

“Typically about half the ships in the last few years hold their wastewater and then treat it in whatever way they have and discharge it offshore,” he says.

That’s beyond Alaska’s regulatory reach.

White says copper and ammonia are among the pollutants measured.

“There’s always going to be impacts of any human activity, so the goal is to minimize those impacts and to restrict any impacts that could cause significant harm,” he says.

Stronger wastewater treatment standards were part of an initiative passed by Alaska voters in 2006. The current permitting system basically replaces those standards.

SEACC appealed the general permit, though the state rejected all but one of its points. Officials say they don’t know when that will be heard. Meanwhile, individual permits allow the same thing.

The post Six cruise ships release treated sewage into harbors appeared first on KRBD.

Tourists off the Norwegian Sun book a Mendenhall Glacier tour near Juneau’s waterfront on one of the last days of 2014′s tourism season, as a staffer watches. Passenger numbers were similar to last year’s. (Photo by Ed Schoenfeld/CoastAlaska News)

Alaska’s cruise-ship season ended last week. It, and other types of tourism, attracted a similar number of visitors as in 2013. But the next few years could be different.

A group of Japanese tourists off the Norwegian Sun cruise ship walk Juneau’s waterfront, looking for an open sales kiosk.

Most days, they’d find more than a dozen. But right now, there’s just one, because the Sun is the only ship in town.

The cruise ship Norwegian Sun docks at Juneau’s waterfront on Sept. 24, one of the last days of 2014′s tourism season. (Ed Schoenfeld, CoastAlaska News)

The Sun can carry up to 2,000 passengers, plus 1,000 crew. Many times this summer, they’ve joined 10,000 or more other visitors and workers visiting Alaska’s capital city.

Many are taking their first trip to Alaska — and they’ve got a lot of questions. Juneau Convention and Visitors Bureau volunteer Sharon Meier is one of the people giving them answers.

Some of those questions have pretty obvious answers.

“How far are we above sea level?” is one. “And I’m not making that up,” Meier says. “We get that all the time — and if we take American money.”

If they’re off a cruise ship, she’ll politely remind them that it’s floating in the ocean.

“And as far as the currency goes, you have to answer that based on who you are speaking with. You can never assume they want to joke, at their expense. So you just say ‘Yes, we do.’ But if they need an exchange, we can help them find a bank or someone who can help them out.”

Juneau saw almost all of the cruise ship passengers sailing Alaska waters this summer. Skagway and Ketchikan saw a lot. And Sitka, Hoonah, Whittier and Kodiak hosted far fewer. Smaller ships called at other cities, such as Petersburg and Wrangell, plus some Southeast villages.

Tourists consider checking out a sale on South Franklin Street, Juneau’s gift-shop row, on Sept. 24. (Photo by Ed Schoenfeld/CoastAlaska News)

John Binkley is president Cruise Lines International Association in Alaska.

“It was a great season. We had almost a million visitors that will have come to Alaska on cruise ships. And about the same overall for other modes of transportation,” he says. “I think there were close to 2 million visitors this year.”

This season brought a new ship, the Crown Princess, which carries about 3,000 passengers and 1,200 crew. The same-sized Ruby Princess will sail next season, replacing a smaller ship.

Cruise lines often shuffle vessels in and out of their Alaska routes. Binkley says that has advantages.

“Many times when they put a new ship, or a newer ship, into a market, it has a loyal following. So you see a lot of passengers who want to go on the new ships and want to go to Alaska as well,” he says.

Passenger capacity has hovered around a million for several years. That may be as many as North America markets can provide.

But Binkley says cruise lines are targeting new customers, especially in Asia.

“It’s staggering the number of people who will be in the economic strata in China in the next 10 years to afford cruises. And one of the top destinations that they want to cruise through is Alaska,” he says.

Goldbelt’s Mt. Roberts Tram gondola Chaak (Eagle) enters its loading bay near Juneau’s waterfront. (Ed Schoenfeld, CoastAlaska News)

“Absolutely, there’s significant interest from China,” adds Jillian Simpson, director of membership and tourism policy for the Alaska Travel Industry Association.

“And actually, already we’re getting visitors, not only from mainland China, but also people in the U.S. who are studying from China or for business who are then adding on trips to Alaska,” she says.

Simpson says the association’s final figures aren’t in. But it looks like 2014’s season was strong, with about the same number of visitors.

But not everywhere.

“With the amount of rain we saw, the flooding that was happening early in the season, impacted Denali and the railroad. And anytime there’s lots of rain or storms it impacts the day cruises or people who need to take a boat out to a lodge, as well as flightseeing tours and being able to get out to remote parts,” she says.

Southeast Alaska’s Inside Passage also saw extra rain. But that didn’t affect its numbers, since cruise ship berths are booked months in advance.

Back at Juneau’s docks, a visitor’s bureau volunteer doles out maps and tips, as he has all summer.

Some dockside greeters get to be more outgoing. Sharon Meier says she went on board ships this year, to hand out information and answer questions.

What’s her favorite part?

A sign directs visitors to the Taku Fisheries shop on Juneau’s waterfront. (Ed Schoenfeld, CoastAlaska News)

“Meeting the people. The visitors are so eager to see Juneau and Alaska. I think it’s on a lot of people’s bucket lists to come up here,” she says.

Many of their questions are the same, about weather and wildlife, and of course, altitude and money.

But Meier says this season brought something different.

“Some people this summer have been asking where the Sarah Palin statue is. For some reason they think there’s one in town,” she says, laughing. (There isn’t one.)

Next year’s season begins in early May, when the Ruby Princess docks in Ketchikan. The ships will keep sailing ‘til mid-September.

The post Cruise traffic level, but could face growth appeared first on KRBD.

Three cruise ships tie up in Juneau’s Gastineau Channel on Tuesday morning. Lines serving Alaska were among those defending the industry before Congress during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on Wednesday.

Does the cruise industry do enough to keep passengers safe? And how would we know if they don’t? Those were among the questions asked at a U.S. Senate Commerce Committee meeting on Wednesday.

The focus was on the newly introduced Cruise Passenger Protection Act, sponsored by Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller.

The West Virginia Democrat cited recent fires and engine breakdowns, as well as incidents of onboard crime. He said the lines’ responses were not enough. (See a list of marine accidents since 2000 with links to more information.)

“Is the industry really trying to adopt a culture of safety? Or, are the safety reviews and temporary investments a cynical effort to counter bad publicity,” Rockefeller said.

About a million cruise ship passengers are visiting Alaska this season.

U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller questions cruise industry safety during a Wednesday hearing.

Rockefeller said they and another 20 million American cruisers need more information about their rights, as well as onboard safety.

University of Newfoundland Professor Ross Klein said liability waivers used by the lines are unreadable.

Klein, who operates the Cruise Junkie website, said his research also found the industry releases very little about rapes, assaults, robberies and burglaries.

“This analysis points to the need for better consumer protection of cruise passengers, much like the protections that are available to passengers on other modes of commercial transportation, including air carriers,” Klein said.

Industry representatives disputed those statements.

Royal Caribbean International CEO Adam Goldstein said his corporation has joined the Carnival and Norwegian lines to offer more information.

“The three largest cruise companies, making up over 85 percent of the cruise industry, have voluntarily agreed to expand reporting by posting all allegations on our websites, regardless of whether an investigation was opened or closed,” Goldstein said.

He said the information will be available starting in August.

The Cruise Lines International Association’s 26 members recently instituted a passenger’s bill of rights after a series of at-sea incidents.

Cruise researcher Klein said parts appear to conflict with liability waivers still used by the lines.

Alaska Democratic Senator Mark Begich, a Commerce Committee member, said the government should work with the industry, rather than create new regulations.

“If there’s some issues of disconnect of the rules on the ticket and the details of it and what they’re claiming to give the public, then we should help make those aligned,” Begich said.

Despite concerns, industry critics and supporters agreed that crime rates are low on the big ships.

Watch the Senate Commerce Committee meeting on cruise ship safety legislation.

The post Senate considers cruise passenger rights bill appeared first on KRBD.