they're coming, they're coming!

The tourists are coming!


We had SIX cruise ships in port on Thursday:


Coral Princess--2,880 passengers
Dawn Princess--2,808
Infinity--3,029
Ryndam--1,860
Serenade of the Seas--3,360
Spirit of Yorktown--180

Total capacity: 14, 117



And they all converge on our sleepy little town. Taking over the sidewalks so you can't get by. Window gawking. Jaywalking wherever they choose. Carrying red t-shirt bags. Wearing rain ponchos and winter garb.

This was the scene downtown:




Locals pretty much give up downtown to the tourists this time of year and will return come October. We regain our sleepy little town, hunker in for the winter, and wait for it to start all over again come next May!


Yes, Juneau is a tourist town. We have mostly jewelry stores, t-shirt shops, and trinket shops downtown. Most everything we do is to accommodate the tourists....


We get over a million tourists a summer, when you count cruise ships, crew members, independent travelers. That's a lot for our small town sidewalks!

This picture below was taken at the end of town, looking back into town. We can get two or three cruise ships lined up along the docks but the rest have to park out in the Channel and shuttle the passengers in. It's hard to see, but that big building in the middle is our Federal Building. That black line that goes across the water is pilings that our town is built on. Yes, we sit over the water! Juneau was a mining town in the olden days and they had to expand the downtown area in this manner to allow growth. It's really an interesting town to live in. A lot of history.


I noticed yesterday when we drove through town that the dynamics of the passengers has changed over the years. Where it used to be seniors--going on the cruise of a life time--now it's young families bringing their young kids and even babies. I'd like to do an Alaskan cruise one day myself. Would you? If you ever come into port, be sure to let me know!

Anyway, hope you enjoyed visiting Juneau today!