Ports
Áak'w Landing: Juneau's Fifth Cruise Dock and the Indigenous Corporation Building It
Juneau's tidelands lease for Áak'w Landing was finalized April 2026. Construction starts summer 2027. Opens for the 2028 season. Built by Huna Totem, the Tlingit corporation behind Icy Strait Point.
The City and Borough of Juneau and Huna Totem Corporation finalized the tidelands lease for Áak'w Landing in April 2026, clearing the path for construction to begin in summer 2027 and the new cruise dock to open for the 2028 Alaska cruise season. It will be Juneau's fifth downtown cruise berth and the first new cruise berth built in the city in over twenty years — and the first developed by an indigenous Alaska Native corporation rather than a cruise line or municipal authority.
Quick facts
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Project name | Áak'w Landing |
| Location | Just south of Juneau's existing four downtown cruise berths |
| Developer | Huna Totem Corporation (Tlingit village corporation, Hoonah) |
| Lease finalized | April 2026 |
| Construction begins | Summer 2027 |
| Operational | 2028 Alaska cruise season |
| Berth design | Two berths, sized for largest current cruise ships (4,000+ passengers, 1,100 ft length) |
| Shore power | Capable from day one |
| Existing Juneau berths | 4 downtown (capacity bottleneck on peak days) |
| Projected anchorings (tendering) at Juneau in 2026 | ~95 large cruise ships |
Why Juneau needs a fifth dock
Juneau is the highest-volume cruise port in Alaska, handling roughly 1.6–1.7 million cruise passengers per season across about 600+ ship calls. The downtown waterfront has four cruise berths today — owned and managed by the City and Borough of Juneau — and they regularly fill on peak days. When all four are occupied and additional ships arrive, the extras anchor offshore in Gastineau Channel and tender passengers ashore on smaller boats.
In 2026, approximately 95 large cruise ships are projected to anchor offshore at Juneau rather than docking — that's about 15% of all ship calls forced into the slower, more weather-vulnerable tender process. That's a real customer-experience problem (passengers wait longer, arrive ashore later, lose time downtown), and it's a real harbor-traffic problem (tender boats compete for space with seaplanes and recreational vessels).
Áak'w Landing's two new berths add roughly 50% more dock capacity to downtown Juneau in one project. Combined with Juneau's new daily passenger caps for 2026 (16,000 weekdays, 12,000 Saturdays), the long-term plan is fewer total passengers ashore on peak days but a higher percentage docking efficiently rather than tendering.
Huna Totem Corporation: the Tlingit cruise-port operator
The most consequential part of the announcement is who's building it. Huna Totem Corporation is a Tlingit village corporation based in Hoonah, organized under the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. They've quietly built one of the most influential cruise-port operations in Alaska:
| Year | Project | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Icy Strait Point (Hoonah) | First Indigenous-owned cruise destination in the world; converted from a closed cannery; now ~240 ship calls a year, ~500,000 passengers |
| 2024 | Klawock (Prince of Wales Island) | Small-ship-only port; first call May 6, 2024; partner with Klawock Heenya Corporation |
| 2027–28 | Áak'w Landing (Juneau) | Two new large-ship berths; construction begins summer 2027 |
This is the third indigenous-led cruise port in 22 years, all from the same corporation. By 2028 Huna Totem will operate cruise infrastructure across three of Alaska's biggest cruise destinations — Juneau, Hoonah/Icy Strait Point, and Klawock — making it arguably the most influential cruise-port operator in the state. Royal Caribbean owns CocoCay; Huna Totem owns the Tlingit-led parallel.
What changes for cruise passengers
If you're booking a 2026 or 2027 Juneau-bound cruise, Áak'w Landing won't help you. Construction is summer 2027 → 2028 opening; current schedules don't change.
For 2028 and onward:
- Less tendering at Juneau. Ships that today must anchor offshore on peak days will dock at the new berths. Faster ashore, more downtown time.
- Shore power for ships that can plug in. All-shore-power dock means cleaner downtown air on every call (when the hydroelectric grid can supply it).
- Tlingit cultural integration. The waterfront design includes public spaces, retail, and dining co-developed with Áak'w Kwáan partners. Different feel from a cruise-line-built terminal.
- Daily-cap interaction. The 16,000 / 12,000 passenger caps remain in effect; Áak'w Landing increases dock capacity but not the headcount ceiling. Cruise lines will continue to manage which days they call.
Cultural significance — Áak'w Kwáan
The project name comes from the Áak'w Kwáan, the Tlingit clan whose ancestral lands include the area now called Juneau. The Áak'w Kwáan have lived in this region for thousands of years; the Auke Bay Recreation Area (a few miles north of downtown Juneau) is named for them, and the Auke (Áak'w) Recreation Area is one of the most-visited public lands in Southeast Alaska. Naming the new dock for the Áak'w Kwáan reflects a deliberate move from cruise-as-extraction to cruise-as-partnership.
The dock design integrates Tlingit cultural elements: storyboard-style interpretive features, contemporary Tlingit art commissioned for public spaces, community programming around traditional fishing and harvesting. Public retail and dining will be available to Juneau residents year-round, not just cruise passengers in season — a deliberate counter to the "summer-only tourist enclave" pattern of some private cruise destinations.
Funding and economics
Áak'w Landing is funded through Huna Totem Corporation in partnership with the City and Borough of Juneau via the long-term tidelands lease. The lease structure is similar to what Huna Totem used at Icy Strait Point: the corporation owns the cruise-facing infrastructure, the city retains underlying tidelands rights, revenue is shared on a negotiated split.
For Juneau, the project is the largest single piece of cruise-related infrastructure investment in over a decade. Beyond the dock itself, the development incorporates public spaces, dining, retail, and cultural experiences — the broader waterfront plan reshapes the south end of Juneau's downtown.
Related on CruiseMigration
- Juneau port tracker
- Why Alaska Cruises Stop in Victoria: The PVSA Explained
- The Cruise Ships That Can (and Can't) Enter Glacier Bay
- Whittier, Alaska: The Tunnel, the Tower, and the Cruise Port
Sources
- Juneau Empire — Juneau, Huna Totem finalize agreement for new downtown cruise dock (April 8, 2026)
- Cruise Industry News — Juneau finalizes tidelands lease for cruise dock (April 2026)
- Travel Agent Central — Tidelands lease signed for Áak'w Landing
- Alaska Business Magazine — Juneau Assembly approves Áak'w Landing
- Cruise Radio — Juneau is getting a fifth cruise ship dock; construction starts 2027
- Huna Totem Corporation — Icy Strait Point 20th anniversary
- The Points Guy — Klawock cruise port opens
Frequently asked questions
- When does Áak'w Landing open?
- Construction begins summer 2027 and the new dock is scheduled to open for the 2028 Alaska cruise season. The City and Borough of Juneau finalized the tidelands lease with Huna Totem Corporation in April 2026.
- Why does Juneau need a fifth cruise dock?
- Juneau is Alaska's busiest cruise port. The four existing downtown berths regularly fill on peak summer days, and approximately 95 large cruise ships are projected to anchor offshore in 2026 — meaning passengers tender ashore on smaller boats, which is slower and adds harbor traffic. Áak'w Landing's two new berths eliminate that bottleneck.
- Who is building Áak'w Landing?
- Huna Totem Corporation — the Tlingit Alaska Native village corporation that has also built Icy Strait Point (2004) and Klawock (opened May 2024). Áak'w Landing will make Huna Totem's third cruise port in 22 years and the first new Juneau cruise berth in over two decades.
- Will Áak'w Landing have shore power?
- Yes. The dock is being built shore-power-capable from day one. That eliminates ship-engine idle exhaust during port calls — a significant air-quality improvement for downtown Juneau, where the cruise piers sit directly across the street from the city's main retail and tourism district.
- What does the name 'Áak'w' mean?
- Áak'w refers to the Áak'w Kwáan, the Tlingit clan whose ancestral lands include the Juneau area. The project is named for them and incorporates Tlingit cultural and ecological elements into the dock and waterfront design — public spaces, dining, retail, and cruise infrastructure together.
- How many cruise ships will Juneau handle in 2026?
- Juneau is on track to handle around 600+ cruise ship calls and approximately 1.6–1.7 million cruise passengers across the 2026 season — making it Alaska's highest-volume cruise port. Approximately 95 of those calls will tender (anchor offshore) rather than dock at one of the existing four downtown berths.