Juneau gives final cruise ship visitors of 2026 a soggy sendoff

Typical October weather, limited tour options aren’t a damper for passengers happy to escape heat waves elsewhere and fulfill dreams of seeing Alaska

Marshelle and Jaydel Wilson walk down the downtown dock in the rain toward the Norwegian Encore, the last cruise ship to visit Juneau this year, on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Independent)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

It was 93 degrees when Jaydel and Marshelle Wilson departed their home about 80 miles from Las Vegas to set sail for Juneau, so they didn’t mind temperatures in the 40s and rain falling intermittently during the few hours they got to spend in town Tuesday.

Both work as educators and they hoped to travel to Alaska in May, but when that didn’t work out they booked a voyage on the Norwegian Encore for its last visit to The Last Frontier in 2026. The ship’s departure at about 10 p.m. marks the end of another season of more than 1.6 million passengers visiting Juneau for the fourth straight year.

"We got a balcony for a smokin’ deal," Jaydel Wilson said. "So we'll hit Glacier Bay and Skagway and Ketchikan on it, and so I we feel like it's going to give us a taste of it."

"Our kids want to come," Marshelle Wilson added, so getting insight now may help if that trip happens in the future.

Tour and restaurant options were limited since many have shut down for the season, Jaydel Wilson said.

"We thought about riding to Mendenhall Glacier, but with it raining not want to walk in the rain for a half hour to get up to it we're just going to kind of walk the wharf and check things out in downtown," he said.

They are planning to take a White Pass & Yukon Route Railway tour when they reach Skagway and hope Glacier Bay will also be another trip highlight.

"I definitely see us coming back," Jaydel Wilson said. "We live in the desert and this is just beautiful for us to see."

Larry and Chris Riat, of Rancho Cucamonga, California, walk past the cable cars of the shuttered Goldbelt Tram on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Independent)

Some day-to-day sights of cruise season were still evident on downtown docks and streets on Tuesday, including a line of people enduring a rainy wait outside Tracy's King Crab Shack, people posting for pictures by signs and totem poles, and crossing guards guiding visitors darting between shops.

Some signs of shutdown were also evident, including the gift shop and other operations at the base of the Goldbelt Tram being dark on the final day of the season, officially ending the possibility of the cable car reopening this season after shutting down April 30 due to an accident. The company kept its base station and restrooms open most of the season and officials have stated they expect the cable car to reopen next season.

Getting their picture taken next to a life-size fabricated bear underneath an end-of-season sale banner were Jimmy and Diane Goodwin, a couple from Pensacola, Florida, who said they normally take a cruise around Thanksgiving, but since it’s about 100 degrees in their hometown they’re happy to take a cool trip.

"We like to go on a cruise this time of year, so if it’s chilly you just bring a big jacket," said Jimmy Goodwin, making his first trip to Alaska while his wife is visiting for the third time.

They also said they plan to ride the train when they get to Skagway on Wednesday — and in the meantime got a shiny Juneau experience from one of the tour activities available Tuesday.

"We just panned for gold and found gold," Diane Goodwin said.

Jimmy and Diane Goodwin get their picture taken next to a fabricated bear outside a downtown Juneau gift shop on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Independent)

Coming to Juneau in October was a spontaneous decision made about a month ago, said Larry and Chris Riat, a couple from Rancho Cucamonga, California, who like others said it was a relief to beat the heat.

"We were bored and decided to do it," Larry Riat said. "It was the last cruise ship of the year, so we just did it."

They said just being in Alaska and seeing the scenery made the trip worthwhile, despite not having a full range of tours and other diversions in port. Also, Chris Riat said, they were able to buy a bunch of sweatshirts to take home since they were being clearanced out at $5 each.

While most visitors to Juneau on Tuesday are preparing to say farewell to summer weather, if they haven’t already, for Linda Wirth, of Perth, Australia, her first visit to the United States offered a break from the summer she’s about to face.

"I like this weather better," she said.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.